Author: Nichole S.

Nichole’s Picks 7/25 + 7/26

Posted on by Nichole S.

Pick #1

The Bluefin Blowout!  

Get yourself and the kiddos down to Cape Ann Marina Resort and Mile Marker 1 to see some giant tuna, meet the captains, check out the boats, bid at the silent auction and much, much more!  A FANTASTIC event, a premier fishing tournament and a tremendous addition to Cape Ann’s summer of fun!

 

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Click HERE for a full schedule of events!

Pick #2

Misselwood Concours d’Elegance:  Car Show

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Located near Boston, the Misselwood Concours d’Elegance is a premier classic car show featuring some of the finest automobiles in an unrivaled lawn and oceanfront setting on the East Coast. Attracting people from across the United States, the full weekend event has become the prime classic car happening of the summer on Boston’s historic Gold Coast.

Read all about the event HERE and see the schedule of events

Pick #3

2015 Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival

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What is better on a summer day than a good old sand sculpture “competition”.  I’ve got to be honest and admit that I’ve never been to this, but each and every summer it is on my bucket list!  Sounds like a fun way to spend a summer day.

Check out the schedule of events HERE!

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Pick #4

Footebrothers Canoe and Kayak Rentals

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Canoeing and kayaking has fast become one of Americas favorite pastimes. Inexpensive and easy to learn, it’s the sport of choice for people of all ages! Once you try it, you’ll agree that there is not a better way to exercise, enjoy the outdoors, and have fun with family and friends.

Our stretch of the river runs through a National Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, scenic wetlands, and Bradley Palmer State Park and Willowdale State Forest! Much of the river is accessible only by canoe, and our some of our regulars include birders, botanists and fisherman.

Get all the information that you many need HERE

For a more comprehensive list of family activities, visit our friends at North Shore Kid

What a Waterfront!

Posted on by Nichole S.

The boys and I took a 6-mile bike ride yesterday through Stage Fort Park, down the boulevard, all through town, for a hot dog at the Blue Collar Lobster Co. (Gloucester House), around Harbor Loop, to the gift shop at Cape Ann Whale Watch, to the end of the State Fish Pier, to check out the Key Largo, down Main Street, and back to our car.

The boys commented several times about the large variety of boats that can be seen in the harbor at any given time.  That is for sure one of their favorite parts about living here.

This photo kind of sums that up…..

The Adventure, the Ardelle, the Beauport Princess, CAWW’s Hurricane, and some harbor master boats….obviously to both the left and the right are countless fishing vessels too!

All in a day’s work.

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If You Have Water Bugs, You Should Have One of These

Posted on by Nichole S.

If your kids are water bugs, like mine, then you need to check out these new KYPADS.  I did a quick blog post about them earlier this spring, but would be remiss to not follow up now that we’ve had the awesome opportunity to demo these incredible boards for a few weeks.

We were lucky enough to take two KYPADS with us to Nantucket back in June and then were thrilled to hang on to them a bit longer so as to hit the beaches around Cape Ann too!

These boards were designed by a some local peeps who had the vision to create boards that are super kid friendly, easy to manage, and up to the challenge of some kid wear and tear.

My humble review of the boards?  Well, first of all, they couldn’t have been easier to get on and off my Jeep…which I might add, is pretty high.  I was able to put them up and strap them on by myself after having gotten the hang of the ratchet straps.  Once the boards were off the Jeep most of the kids that we were traveling with (ages 6-12) had no trouble carrying them down to the beach with no help whatsoever!  That is a HUGE plus!  My absolute FAVORITE thing about the boards?  Each and every child, without exception, quickly mastered how to maneuver the boards and took to the water with no fear, no assistance, and no difficulty. More importantly than that…each child, without exception, came off the water feeling proud of the independence they had just demonstrated…and pretty psyched that they had become so darn good at something so quickly.

My boys can’t get enough of the water.  They are happiest when they are at the beach or on a boat.  To be able to hit the water solo and with such confidence in such a cool way was so excellent for them.  They were so proud of themselves and I couldn’t have been happier.

Check out the KYPADs HERE and learn about how they were created and how fabulous they truly are.

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Hungry Horrors

Posted on by Nichole S.

This hungry tree that has seemingly swallowed its street sign has intrigued me for years.  I think it screams “children’s book”….I might just have to get on that.

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Nichole’s Picks 7/18 + 7/19

Posted on by Nichole S.

A little disclaimer here….with my computer currently in triage undergoing some serious data recovery attempts, I am working off Thatcher’s iPad and am quickly discovering that I’m not nearly as savvy while trying to imbed links and whatnot. So, you may have to do some Googling this week to find out some more information about my specific picks!  Sorry!

Pick #1.   Gloucester Block Party!  Saturday, 6:00-11:00

with a theme this month of Carnivale on Main, this block party’s line up looks like tons of fun. Head HERE for more info

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Pick #2    Blueberry and Raspberry Festival at Connor’s Farm

read more about it HERE

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Pick #3    92.9 Earthfest

A fantastic….and FREE…outdoor concert!

Read more about the event HERE

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For a more comprehensive list of family activities, visit our friends at North Shore Kid

Find them HERE

Earning Their Keep

Posted on by Nichole S.

It was a hazy, hot, and humid day on the water but the boys need to earn their keep nonetheless.  I like that they are learning at a young age that the traps cannot be ignored just because they may not feel like going out. Not that they ever actually don’t want to go out!

Not a lot of keepers, but some other fun creatures to examine before releasing.  A crab, some sea urchins, and a few different species of fish.

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Good Eggs in Rockport

Posted on by Nichole S.

The other day I did some live blogging as some Navy midshipmen and sailors took the field against some very happy youth from the town of Rockport for a spirited game of kickball.

I wanted to take a moment to thank some of fantastic sponsors who helped make the Rockport Navy Weekend a success.

We all know that events such as this cannot happen without the time and energy given by committee members, volunteers, kind towns people, and of course, sponsors.

The sponsors’ banners were proudly displayed at the ball field.

After the game many hungry participants were treated to tons of pizza donated by the Rockport House of Pizza and delicious ice cream sandwiches donated by the Dairy Train!

Live From Kickball With the Navy

Posted on by Nichole S.

Rockport kids look forward to this every summer. Such great sports!

Thanks to all of the organizers, volunteers, the Rockport Navy Committee, and of course the sailors and midshipmen!

Turtle!

Posted on by Nichole S.

Friends of ours were sailing just outside the Eastern Point breakwater when they spotted this guy or gal!  Before getting close enough to clearly identify it, they said that the huge head almost looked like a very small humpback whale calf.  Upon closer inspection it was, without a doubt, a massive turtle!

For all the time I have spent on the water in this area, I have never seen a turtle like this!

Can anyone chime in?  Is this pretty rare? I’m sad that the photo doesn’t do justice to what was, based on their description, a beautiful creature!

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Nichole’s Picks 7/11 + 7/12

Posted on by Nichole S.

Pick #1:  Rockport Navy Weekend

PLEASE GO HERE FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF EVENTS

With kickball, tours of the ships, a Navy Band concert, a pancake breakfast, some softball against the Rockport Police, and more…Rockport Navy Weekend is always a good time.  Kudos to its organizers and the host families who share their homes with the sailors.

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Pick #2: Cape Ann Museum

Second Saturday/Family Fun Free Day:  Summers on Cape Ann

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SATURDAY, JULY 11

11:00 a.m. — 2:00 p.m.   Youth and Family Programs

Second Saturday/Family Fun Free Day 

A drop-in program for families with young children. 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Includes free admission for family members, gallery guides and related art projects in the CAM Activity Center.

Saturday, July 11 Summers on Cape Ann  

Check out more about the Cape Ann Museum HERE!

Pick #3:  Salem Willows Seafood Festival

  July 10th-12th

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Indulge Yourself at the Salem Willows Seafood Festival! Dozens of restaurants and food vendors serve up their seafood specialties including lobster, chowder, shrimp, clams & all the New England Favorites! Nonstop entertainment with the best regional bands, sample culinary masterpieces at the Wicked Bites Culinary Demonstrations tent, Kiddie Land, Local Arts, Crafts & Merchants. Beverage Courtyard serving beer & wine. Fireworks Saturday night at 9:30pm!

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL OF THE DETAILS!

For a more complete listing of family friendly events, please visit our friends at North Shore Kid

RESTOKE

Posted on by Nichole S.

The other day we stumbled upon a skate boarding course and met some fantastic and fascinating people who were out enjoying the gorgeous day and spreading the word about their local companies and their missions.  While I did a quick “live blogging” post in the moment, I wanted to better acknowledge the local companies who were out their sponsoring the fun.

One of those companies was RESTOKE.

They have a pretty cool mission if you ask me….not to mention some great apparel and accessories.

RESTOKE is a word that is meant to impact everyone in a positive way. RESTOKE means to relive that unique and hard to come by feeling you get when you are doing something that thrills and excites you, whatever it is, and to Never Stop! Our focus is to provide RESTOKE through our lifestyle apparel and accessories, that inspire the passion in you to do and keep doing whatever it is that excites and thrills you.

Please check out their website by clicking HERE
or by going to www.restoke.com

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A Narrow Escape

Posted on by Nichole S.

Yesterday I posted some photos of the luxury yacht Time For Us as it exited the Annisquam River and entered Gloucester Harbor.  I also included the link in case you were interested in renting it.

Here’s that information again.

The 122 foot yacht can be rented for a mere $70,000 per week…plus expenses.  The good news is that it comes with a 5 member crew, sleeps 8 in its four cabins, comes with two wave runners, two kayaks, 1 wakeboard, water skis, some “towable toys”, and two tenders…one measuring 32 feet and a smaller one that is 16 feet.  In the photos below you can see her larger tender following her into the harbor. Not bad.

The interior is indeed pretty sweet as is the outdoor deck/lounging space…and, of course, the jacuzzi isn’t so bad either.

Here’s some video of her as she conducted a big squeeze and narrowly exited the river through the Blyman Bridge.

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I’d Make Time For “Time For Us”

Posted on by Nichole S.

Check out this humble little number that we saw squeezing (literally) through the cut bridge a moment ago.  I’ll post the video later.

image image image image imageCheck out how you can go about chartering it HERE

http://m.yachtcharterfleet.com/luxury-charter-yacht-26762/time-for-us.htm