Month: July 2026

One Morning in Maine (p.51)…

Start your week with unbeatable deals at Surfside! 🍕🦞

🔥 Today’s Specials:
🦞 Lobster Roll – Just $13.99 + tax
Served with chips & pickles

🍕 16” Pizzas – HALF PRICE!
⭐ Maximum of 2 pizzas per customer

Please Note:

• Gluten-free pizzas excluded
• Not valid on online orders

Back to Essex this week for Margarita Monday at the Blue Marlin Grille on Eastern Ave. I ordered the house Margarita which was very refreshing on that warm afternoon. Jim ordered the seafood platter and I had the Cajun Chicken Wrap ( barely a hint of Cajun but still tasty and filling). We brought quite a bit of the seafood home with us. Service is always efficient and I love that they offer warm bread.

July 16, 2026 ~ Wellspring House ~ 

Wellspring House received a wonderful surprise earlier this week – a $50,000 unrestricted gift from the Cummings Foundation through its “Making a Difference Dollars” program which recognizes grantee organizations for exceptional community impact.

The nomination came from longtime Foundation volunteers who visited Wellspring this spring to learn about the organization’s new digital literacy program, embedded in our ESOL classes. In its first year, the program provided 111 computers and 70 internet hotspots to students at no cost – because English proficiency and technology skills together open the door to economic mobility. The volunteers were so moved by what they saw and so attuned to the financial challenges a program like this can face, that they recommended Wellspring for this additional support, presenting the award to President and Executive Director Melissa Dimond on July 13.

What struck them most, they shared, was Wellspring’s deep commitment to meeting each person where they are and helping them find their own financial footing, whatever challenges stand in the way.

“This was a wonderful and very generous surprise,” said Dimond. “We are very grateful to the Cummings Foundation for their ongoing support and belief in our work.”

The gift builds on the Foundation’s generous, multi-year investment in Wellspring in support of helping families and individuals achieve financial stability. The Cummings Foundation supports nonprofit organizations in Greater Boston and beyond, and its continued partnership recognizes Wellspring’s impact throughout the community.

Because the Cummings Foundation’s Make a Difference Dollars are unrestricted, Wellspring can make strategic decisions, respond to emerging barriers, and sustain innovations like the digital literacy program. With the Cummings Foundation’s continued partnership, Wellspring will expand access to education, job training, and career pathways, helping more North Shore families achieve the financial security they deserve.

To learn more about Wellspring’s programs — or to join the Cummings Foundation in supporting this work — visit wellspringhouse.org

A Wonderful Surprise for Wellspring House from the Cummings Foundation

Good Wind…

Kick off your Friday with two delicious deals at Surfside! 😍

🦞 Lobster Roll – ONLY $19.99 + tax
Served with chips & pickles!

🍕 16” Pizzas HALF PRICE
🔥 Maximum of 2 pizzas per order

Please Note:

• Excludes gluten-free pizzas
• Excludes online orders

We happened upon this secluded hideaway in Rockport. Nice little respite on Atlantic Ave.

JULY 18, 2026 ~ SAM ~ 

Crispy fried shrimp, sweet & spicy sauce, Asian slaw, and scallions

Beginner Boxes…