My View of Life on the Dock
Who stepped up to feed 20 kids for free on Wednesday night? Rockport House of Pizza, that’s who.
Thatcher’s soccer team was sponsored by Rockport H.O.P this year and they were kind enough to invite that team, along with the opposing team from their end-of-season game, down for dinner. Way to make a difference and provide these kids with some great time to bond, celebrate, and create memories.
Apples and Wine Festival November 7th & 8th!Featuring: Wine tasting*, Live music, Hands-on cider-pressing demonstrations, Make-Your-Own Apple Pie, Apple samples, Hayrides, as well as loads of apple goodies made fresh in our bakery including hot apple crisp and cider donut caramel sundaes.
*Wine Tasting consists of several offerings of our award winning fruit wines & hard ciders, complemented by special gourmet food pairings, along with our souvenir glass and thank you gift. Reservations strongly recommended for Wine Tastings. Please call the store to reserve a time slot for your group.
HEAD HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT RUSSELL ORCHARDS!
http://www.russellorchards.com/
Friday: noon – 7pm
Saturday: 10am-6pm
Sunday: 10am-5pm
With something for everyone this event is not-to-be-missed if you are ready to get your Christmas on. Yikes.
Offering everything a holiday shopper could desire under one magnificent roof. The annual Christmas Festival, features the distinctive work of over 300 master American craftsmen. Bargain hunters, as well as those with extravagant tastes, will find an endless array of gorgeous home accessories, designer fashions, artisan jewelry, handcrafted holiday décor, tempting gourmet speciality foods and one-of-a-kind handcrafted gifts unavailable elsewhere.
READ ALL ABOUT THE EVENT HERE! http://www.bostonchristmasfestival.com/
Appleton Farms, Ipswich
Get into the holiday season by creating your own evergreen wreath! Kids will craft their 16″ wreaths by hand using local greenery, winter berries, fallen cones, holly leaves, ribbon, and more! Materials and instruction included. Parents are encouraged to attend but wreath making is for kids only please. (Checkout our adult workshop as well!) Ages 8 and up.
Saturday, November 7 from 10:00 am – 12 noon
Member Child: $15, Nonmember Child: $25
Please go HERE to learn more and for contact info to register
http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/north-shore/event-3943.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
For a comprehensive list of family activities, please visit our friends at North Shore Kid
On Saturday, November 7th, USA Hockey and 500 local associations across the country will host Try Hockey For Free Day, presented by KraftHeinz! Participating locations encourage kids, ages 4 to 9, to come try youth hockey as part of “Come Play Hockey Month.” All locations will have limited equipment available for use.
Head HERE to read all about this great opportunity http://www.tryhockeyforfree.com/
I don’t usually do this, but I couldn’t resist! How gorgeous are these drawings done by some of the Middle School students at the school where I teach? Their art, based upon local art images, capture some lovely waterfront scenes.
Check out Harborlight-Stoneridge Montessori School
It has been a couple of years….close to 3 actually, I think…and we have grown accustomed to how those wind turbines look from different angles all around town. I’d say that we almost don’t even notice them anymore, but that’d be a lie. We do. We still notice them. Actually, my boys notice them enough to pay attention each weekday morning at about 7:25 and most afternoons around 4:45 to see how many (if any) are “spinning”.
They’ve been asking me off and on, for a long time, to explain why sometimes none are moving, sometimes just one, and sometimes 2 or even all 3 are in operation.
I’ve guessed that they operate as needed. But I haven’t been able to satisfy their curiosity completely. Does a person actually turn them on as necessary? Do they turn themselves on? Is there a schedule we have not yet noticed? How much does weather actually play a role? What’s the deal?
I’d love some help from our highly knowledgable FOBs!
Help a kid (or two) out if you’re in the know and have a second.
Thanks in advance!
Do you know what day of my boys’ childhoods I dislike the most? Pumpkin Carving Day.
Sure, I have disliked the days when the boys cried during doctor visit shots, I have disliked the days that they have come home with hurt feelings over a temporarily struggling friendship, I’d even go so far as to say that I hated the day that Finn had to be taken to the ER for stitches after a bad gash in head. Seeing the boys sad or hurt…or disappointed or frustrated…is hard. It breaks my heart a little every time. My dislike for those moments in their childhood is based on my feeling so bad for them.
My crazy dislike for pumpkin carving day. Well, that’s a whole other beast. My dislike for pumpkin carving day is purely based on me feeling so bad for, well, me.
I am ALL for forced family fun. If you read any of my posts, you surely already know that. I am all about quality time and making the most of vacations, weekends, holidays, warm sunny days, and what have you. 4th of July traditions…fantastic! Christmas traditions…Absolutely…favorite days of the year. Boys’ birthdays….Pinterest hear me roar. All things pumpkin….sigh. NOT my thing.
That’s not completely true, actually. I love the day that involves picking out the pumpkins. I like arranging the pumpkins on the front porch. I like the way the pumpkins look. And, I love pumpkin seeds. I just hate carving the freakin’ pumpkins.
Without fail, it starts as a 4-person gig. Without fail, it ends up as a solo show. The boys go off to play and check in occasionally to offer advice, support, or constructive criticism. When they’re happy with the job I’m doing it almost makes up for the slimy, pulpy mess that I’ve become. Almost. But, not really.
This year, it wasn’t going to happen again. So last night, I made a deal. Sure…I’ll carve the pumpkins…but, you guys are separating the seeds from the pulp. Well, that lasted about a minute. During that minute our neighbor came home and told us, “You all look like a scene straight from a Norman Rockwell painting while carving pumpkins together on the front porch.” Right. A mere 30 seconds later the boys were grossed out…and off playing street hockey. My husband disappeared to see if the rabbit would eat a chunk of pumpkin. And, I was alone again, naturally.
That’s it. Sharp knives be damned….next year, I’m drinking a pumpkin beer while the boys carve their own jack-o-lanters. Doubtful.
Last year, in preparation for pumpkin carving day, I got my revenge ahead of time. Does that even make any sense? Knowing full-well that I’d be carving the pumpkins solo, I made the boys lug the pumpkins they wanted all the way home from downtown Rockport. I’m still laughing. If that mean parenting moment interests you, you can read it here.
https://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/the-not-so-great-pumpkin-caper/
Well, it’s Halloween. So, good luck with that.
Fitting…and sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks to Kim Smith for the tip!
Take your little costumed ones down Main Street in Gloucester or through downtown Rockport from 4-6 for some fantastic Trick-or-Treating.
One of my favorite children’s books, E.B. White’s Trumpet of the Swan is coming to life on the Wheelock Family Theatre Stage.
Check HERE for dates and ticketing info. and then make a night (or day) of it!
Can a brass horn be the key to love? Louis, a trumpeter swan, is different from his sibling cygnets, for he was born without voice, but with great diligence, patience, and resilience, Louis learns to play the trumpet and communicate his thoughts and feelings through the power of music. E. B. White’s award-winning story is inspired by the natural world and our own very human need to connect and to communicate.
For a comprehensive list of family activities check out our friends at NorthShoreKid
I attended this free event last year and was so glad that I did. I’ll most likely make certain to go this year too. Anthony Amore was totally engaging as he gave “the who, what, where, why – and perhaps most importantly – the how, behind some of the most incredible tales of fakes, forgeries, thefts, and art-related ponzi schemes ever committed.” His inside view as Director of Security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum gives him an insight like non other.
Simply RSVP to the email below to attend this free and open to the public event.
I don’t know about you, but for YEARS I have been driving to Tendercrop Farm in Newbury for a variety of things. A long time ago it was for dried flower and the perfect basket. Later it would be for fruits and veggies….maybe some great bread and some soup. Once the boys came along, it’d be to see the animals, pick out pumpkins, and even, a couple of times, pick out our Christmas Tree.
While the drive is gorgeous, it is a bit of a hike. So, imagine my thrill (exciting life I realize) when I heard that they were opening a second location in Wenham. Just minutes from my work!
We had the opportunity to stop there on Saturday…after hockey of course. In addition to some massive pumpkins and a couple of smaller ones, we got some swiss chard for the rabbit, some berries for the boys, and some crackers and horseradish cheddar dip for the Patriots game. I practiced some serious restraint because I wanted about 50 more things.
Tendercrop Farm at Canaan can be found right on Route 1A in Wenham…just past Wenham Lake and the Beverly line.
Here is the link to their Newbury location http://www.tendercropfarm.com/
Cape Ann Youth Hockey’s Mite 1 team (and my boys), had the awesome opportunity to skate during an intermission at last Wednesday’s Bruins game. While they were only on the ice for 3 short minutes, the whole experience (from check in, to jumbo-tron, to private elevator, to locker room, to some VIP treatment from Bruins employees) created memories to last a lifetime.
I threw together this completely amateur video for them the next day. I’m guessing this will be one of those days that they look back on pretty fondly years from now and I’m so glad this great group of kids had the chance to experience this together.
So, this has been making me happy. Super cheap and conveniently right down the street from my work.
If you happen to be “over the bridge”, “up the line”, or simply out of town and could use a top off or a fill up, head to the Shell Station on Brimbal Avenue in Beverly. The construction in that area (making room for the new Whole Foods) could be a bit of a deterrent, but if you’re in no rush….it is totally worth it!
Because it is New England, you can go from candy apple eating and cider drinking at the Rockport HarvestFest…right to ClamFest the very next weekend. Life is good.
http://web.capeannchamber.com/events/33rd-Annual-Essex-ClamFest-2145/details
The highlight of the day is the Chowder Competition among area restaurants- the prize? Bragging rights for the year!
Entrants’ chowder is judged by a panel of locals and professional Judges, as well as a Popular vote by the people sampling the chowders.
Supplementing the Chowder event, is a variety of vendors – food, local arts and crafts people , all day entertainment, children’s activities , non-profits fundraising and information and Police and Fire Department Safety activities. The local Board of Health also runs a flu shop clinic on the grounds.
At sundown this Halloween season, Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary will be transformed into a magical forest. Join us for a guided walk along our Halloween trail, home to some interesting creatures that come out just for Halloween. Glowing luminaries and carved jack o’lanterns will light our way. Learn firsthand about the creatures of the night on this fun family-friendly walk.
Both Connors Farm in Danvers and Marini Farm in Ipswich are home to some pretty cool corn mazes that are fun for groups of friends or families during the fall months. Both locations, likewise, have many other fun activities too!
As always for a much more comprehensive list of family activities, please visit our friends at North Shore Kid.
If you are really, really hungry…and only have $3…and you happen to be in Rockport, on Bearskin Neck, and everything is closed except for the Country Store (such a fabulous little store, for the record), and they’re sold out of EVERYTHING else, and you’re now beyond hungry, and someone dares you…. then maybe, just maybe you’d want to give these a go.
Tuck’s Candy Factory was busy making taffy over the weekend. Always kind of an iconic sight to see. 
Rockport’s HarvestFest was the place to be on Saturday. Kudos to all who helped organize and execute the event. When looking around at the faces in the crowd it was easy to see that memories were being made amongst families and friends. And, what is better than that? Well, other than a beer truck parked on T Wharf.
Another fantastic option for this wonderful fall weekend is the 50th Head of the Charles Regatta! Other than the obvious farm tour and apple picking, I’m not sure if there is another annual tradition that screams “Fall in Massachusetts” as loudly as the Head of the Charles. If you’ve never been, you really should go.
Read all about the event, the schedule, the participants, and more by following this link
http://www.hocr.org/the-regatta/
For even more information read the following article on Boston.com
An Insiders Guide to Head of the Charles, the essential-autumn-in-New-England
Once again we have what is called a “No Brainer” for fun family activities. So much so, in fact, that I’m only giving you two options. Between Rockport’s Awesome HarvestFest and Salem’s Fantastic (albeit creepy) Haunted Happenings you should be all set. If you’re still finding yourself with free time get outdoors and take a hike or head to one of the dozen or so phenomenal apple picking locations and get yourself some cider donuts!
Scarecrow judging, live music, food, beer (yes, beer in Rockport), cooking demonstrations, tons of family activities, AND a BLOCK PARTY on Bearskin Neck. Come on, seriously! Can you think of anything more fun?
Ok, so I can’t lie. I have never taken my boys into Salem to appreciate any of the mayhem that is the “Month of Halloween.” This is the year, however, that I fully intend to go! I almost made it last year, but our weekends are just, what I’ve come to call, “No Joke Busy.”
Here is a link for all of your Haunted Happenings Needs! Totally check it out!
For a more comprehensive list of family activities, visit our friends at North Shore Kid
After riding our bikes through town on Monday the boys decided that it’d be fun to sport the GoPro and video the same route for some of our friends who are missing home. So, we hopped in the Jeep and the boys took turns strapping on the GoPro. Clearly not the best footage ever, but if you love living in Rockport, if you are missing Rockport, if you hope to visit Rockport, or if you want friends to come visit you in Rockport….this little child’s eye tour might be the medicine the doctor ordered.
From our driveway on Smith Road, past Old Garden Beach, down Atlantic Avenue, onto T Wharf, through town, down Bearskin Neck, past the new and improved breakwater, back down the Neck, up Main Street, by Front Beach, and landing at Back Beach we present “Rockport: Our Little Town.”
Guest Appearances by Kenny Porter and the Crew at Roy Moore Lobster Co….and one lobster.
So, I suppose there is a chance that these “flashes” are simply sunlight reflecting off of boats waaaay far out, but I don’t think so.
When driving home from Cape Hedge Beach, past Pebble Beach, by Lands End, and down Eden Road along the ocean near Thacher’s Island, my own Thatcher noticed “lights” flashing off that little sailboat. After pulling over, and upon closer inspection, the lights were obviously well beyond the sailboat and more to the right. He was concerned the boat was in trouble and was shooting off flares. Too much Discovery Channel or National Geographic at home? Maybe.
So, we watched for a while and they continued….a good distance a part, dotting the horizon.
Forgive the surly tone coming from one of my boys ….and the dog barking in the background. Such is my life.
Watch closely, to the right of the boats, and as far over as the edge of the screen. You’ll see 7 or so flashes. Just sunlight? I don’t know…maybe.
Good Morning Gloucester 