I’m not going to lie, I get asked each June why we pick up and leave Rockport as soon as school gets out to travel to Nantucket. If you know me, you know that I’m a huge cheerleader for Cape Ann….or as we’ve come to call it amongst our group of friends “God’s Country.” I LOVE Gloucester and Rockport. I look forward to long, lazy summers more than anyone. That having been said, there is something just unbelievably perfect about kicking off our summer on the island of Nantucket. If you’ve traveled there, you may know what I’m talking about. While there are certainly some similarities between Rockport and Nantucket….there is something undeniably quintessential, pristine, and just “right” about our little week at 41.2828 N, 70.0994 W.
As we finish stripping linens, emptying the refrigerators, scanning the yard for toys and sporting goods…and prepare to head out to the 12:00 ferry back to the mainland, I can’t help but be sad…but, yet really excited about 11 more weeks of eternal summer back in 01966.
I thought that some of you may enjoy a peek inside our week….
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So, this post seems a bit silly because, after all, it is St. Peter’s Fiesta all weekend long!
And, while I’m out of town until late on Friday and am feeling bad about not being able to contribute much to the AMAZING GMG Fiesta coverage, the least I can do with my “weekend picks post” is to tell you to get your butts down there!
Watching a Red Sox game at Fenway Park is a quintessential Boston experience, on par with swan-boat rides and checking to see if someone moved your space saver. But not everyone can make it to America’s oldest ballpark. To remedy this, the Highland Street Foundation—masterminds behindFree Fun Fridays—are bringing the Fenway Park experience to the Boston Common for all to enjoy, free of charge.
On June 28, “Out of the Park” will erect a giant television screen at the corner of Charles and Beacon Streets, just in time for the Boston’s 1:10 p.m. away game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Highland Street Foundation is partnering with the Red Sox to bring all the Fenway fixtures to the Common, including Wally the Green Monster, hot dog vendors, the Hot Tamales Brass Band, balloon artists, face-painters, and caricaturists.
For a complete listing of family friendly activities visit our friends at North Shore Kid
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Remember when Penny Candy actually used to cost a penny…or maybe 5 cents? Not so much anymore.
I have such fond memories of going to a legit penny candy store in the Whistle Stop Mall in Rockport with my grandparents when I was little. Little UFOs with tiny little candies inside that were made out of what can only be described as thin edible styrofoam, delicate candy cigarettes painted red at the end, swedish fish (of course), licorice, and tons of other choices.
Flash forward more than 35 years and I’m reliving the dream by unleashing Thatcher and Finn in the Las Vegas of penny candy….and, much like Vegas, nothing really cost a penny.
Tucked away all hidden in the back of a pretty excellent surf and watersports shop called Force 5 in Nantucket is a little room, maybe 10 ft x 10 ft, filled to the brim with candy of all types and flavors.
To say the boys look forward to doing their little supermarket sweep through the bins, buckets, and shelves is a major understatement. With some minor parameters in place, we usually make the pilgrimage to Force 5 on our first full day on the island each June. The boys then get to slowly work their way through their candy loot during the rest of our stay….and well into our summer vacation.
My favorite thing by far about this little cavity creator is the incredibly polite young man who seems to always be working when we visit. Well, him and the Bit-O-Honeys. He couldn’t be nicer…and counts all of the candy in his head…occasionally reverting to the use of a calculator when combining siblings’ orders.
The not-so-penny-candy store is a huge hit amongst the kiddos…and even a bigger hit to the wallets. I kid you not that Thatcher’s little red basket totaled close to $40 and Finn’s was just under $30! While fairly ridiculous to lay down that kind of cash on candy, as with most things we do, it is waaaay more about the tradition.
The obligatory annual photo on the front steps tells the tale of a great little group of kids who are growing up together while celebrating some pretty fantastic traditions and creating memories to last a lifetime (and maybe some cavities).
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Hypothetically….if you were shopping at a really large chain store for a long list of random items and, only after having driven 25 minutes away, realized that you didn’t pay for an item COMPLETELY by accident, what would you do? What if, to up the ante, you had spent about $82 and the accidentally unpaid for item cost about $12? Would you immediately turn around and go back to pay? Would you call, apology profusely, and go back and pay at your earliest convenience? Would you fist pump and shout, “Take that, Corporate America”?
I wonder…..
….
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My boys are all about tradition. That being the case, our yearly trip to Nantucket is incredibly important to them. They are creatures of habit and it is very much the small things that help them look forward to the last week of June each year. One of those predictable “traditions” is the 8:30 a.m. meet up in the Johnny Appleseed’s parking lot in Beverly with the two other families that we travel with. We load up on coffee and munchkins, hand out the annual Nantucket team t-shirts, and then caravan to Hyannis to get in line for the car ferry.
With the vehicles safely in line, the kiddos are almost exploding with excitement…and the grown-ups get to begin the sweet transition into island relaxation.
With the go ahead, we drive into “belly of the beast”, say good-bye to our Jeep, and head to the bow of the ferry for lots of laughs, photo opportunities, and a few “we’re finally on vacation” drinks.
The excitement builds as Nantucket comes into view and Brant Point Light can first be seen.
Once off the ferry the next step is driving through town, down the cobblestone streets, past some of our favorite haunts, and eagerly anticipating checking out our new digs. Which….typically do not disappoint!
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Some of you have asked for updates on our little eggs and the feathered interloper who has found its way into the House Sparrow nest in our front porch hanging plant.
We started with a nervous momma bird who would bolt each time we entered/exited our little house.
Soon enough we realized that there was a perfect little nest inside our hanging plant with four small eggs….and one larger one.
We discovered the larger egg belonged to an “Interloper”…in this case a Cowbird.
Just a couple of days after the discovery, the baby cowbird hatched.
Somewhere along the way the four house sparrow eggs dwindled slightly to just three! No trace of the egg shell anywhere. Weird.
The momma house sparrow began taking care of the newly hatched chick…who clearly hatched from an egg deposited into her nest…by a totally different bird!
The update comes here…
A couple of days later, there are now also two much smaller babies in the nest. For now, the three birds are snuggling together nicely and all seems OK in their world.
Will the peace continue?? I sure hope so!
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Saturday, June 20, 2015 – 9am to 6pm (Rain date Sunday, June 21, 2015)
$7.95 Admission per Person, 2 and under are free.
(A Portion of the Proceeds Benefit Jimmy Fund Clinic at Dana Farber)
Note: Everyone must pay the $7.95 fee for entrance to pick your own and all festivities
Activities Included with $7.95 admission: Live Music, Jumping Pillow, Farm Animals, Hayrides, Cow Train, Grain Train, Duck Races, Pedal Carts & more!
Additional charge for: Food, Our Famous Strawberry Shortcake, BBQ Food, Pick Your Own Strawberries, Pony Rides, Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate and Face Painting.
Welcome to our Second Annual Cape Ann Kids PMC Ride!
Join in and help us make it even more memorable than our first!!
We welcome kids from all over the North Shore, especially Manchester, Essex, Rockport and of course Gloucester to get together for fun and the ultimate goal – raising funds for the Jimmy Fund to battle cancer. Every child who wants to ride is welcome to ride!
O’Maley Middle School, 32 Cherry St. Gloucester, MA
Saturday, June 20, 2015
9am to noon
Ages 2 – 15
Registration Fee: $15.00
Required fundraising minimum: $25 per child
(Minimum due on day of ride)
PMC Heavy Hitter: $250+/PMC Breakaway Fundraiser: $700+
Arts Fest Beverly is a free outdoor festival that’s fun for the whole family – including over 100 juried fine artists and crafters, music and entertainment, kids’ activities, art-on-the-spot creations and local fresh food.
Pick #4 Strawberry Festival at Marini Farm, Ipswich
Pick #5 Hot Dog Safari 2015, Lansdowne Street
The 25th annual Phantom Gourmet Hot Dog Safari will take place on Saturday, June 20, 2015 at Lansdowne Street next to Fenway Park. The Safari is an all-you-can-eat hot dog event, with other foods available, and provides a lot of kid-friendly family entertainment. Beverages are not included in the entrance price. Proceeds from the Hot Dog Safari benefit the Joey Fund which is helping to find a cure for cystic fibrosis. Tickets are $10 in advance online, or $20 at the event if not sold out.
How sweet is this little Butterfly Garden! Kudos to the students and staff at O’Maley Innovation Middle School for putting this together. Kudos also to Awesome Gloucester for knowing a good thing when they see it….as this garden was funded by them! I love all of the excellent tidbits of knowledge that are available while enjoying the beauty of the space. What a treat to happen upon this while headed in for a cold, 90 minute hockey practice!
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For the past week or so, each and every time we come and go through our front door, a momma house sparrow (I think) takes off from one of our hanging plants and sits in a nearby tree until the coast is clear.
The other day I figured I’d peak into the plant to see just what was going on in there. I found four precious little eggs…and one, much larger, speckled one. Hmmmm.
After a shout out to social media and some research, I quickly discovered that we had an interloper on our hands.
According to dictionary.com the definition of interloper is
apersonwhointerferesormeddlesintheaffairs ofothers or apersonwhointrudesintoaregion,field,or tradewithoutaproperlicense.
As it happens, cowbirds are interlopers (or the bird variety) and it seems that is what egg #5 might just be. When the momma of the house (or plant, in this case) was away the female cowbird apparently snuck into the nest and deposited her own egg to be incubated along with the others. Sneaky.
Upon researching further, I realized that this practice will often lead to the demise of the resident eggs. The cowbird is much larger and demands more food once being hatched. Often times the smaller birds don’t stand a chance. I thought about removing the interloper egg, but that didn’t seem right. I also read that sometimes all of the birds may hatch and grow successfully…so I didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize that possibility.
The very next day I peaked inside the nest again…and low and behold…the interloper bird had hatched. It is now three days old and still the only bird in the nest. The momma house sparrow still comes and goes each time we do the same. We have been keeping our distance, but I did sneak a few photos….and it would appear that the momma is indeed nurturing the young interloper bird.
I sure hope the other four eggs hatch and that their well-being is not at risk.
*After reading this post this morning to check again for any typos, etc. I noticed that the original 4 House Sparrow eggs have already decreased in number to three. Not sure how I missed that fact! Did one egg get kicked out of the nest? Is the 4th egg underneath the hatched baby bird? I don’t think so. Did it already hatch and not survive? Hmmm.
I’m pretty certain that I wrote about a yummy meal at the Yard House over a year ago, but it stands repeating.
After a day that involved the boys setting out lobster traps, me beginning to pack for our week’s vacation to Nantucket, some bike riding, playing of catch, an early Father’s Day lunch at Captain Carlo’s on the deck for my dad (because we’ll be away), hockey practice, and the dropping of boys off at my mom’s, Freddy and I did some birthday shopping for Finn and then landed at the Yard House at Market Street for a late dinner.
Join us for a morning of farm fun. Have you ever collected warm eggs from the chicken coop? Or seen how fast pigs will run for their morning helping of veggie scraps? This Saturday morning program introduces families to our working farm.
You’ll meet our calves, goats, and pigs when you help with the morning chores (don’t worry, we will go easy on you!), followed by fun and games in the grassy Stone Paddock. We learn as we go and take advantage of whatever lesson the day has to offer. We conclude our farm adventure with a seasonal story in our Carriage Barn.
Weather: This program runs in rain or shine. If it rains, we will swap out our games with a farm craft in the barn but please dress appropriately as there is always an outdoor component. In the event of lighting, we cancel.
Bring a picnic lunch or stop by our Dairy Store to grab some goodies and spend your day on the farm. We have picnic tables, bathrooms, water, and plenty of stroller friendly walking paths for you to enjoy.
For a more comprehensive list of family activities visit our friends at North Shore Kid
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I am by no means a germophobe, but I have an issue with having anything on my hands….so I wash them all the time. That having been said, I’m pretty tolerant about what I do with my bare hands…as long as I can then run to the sink and wash them immediately upon completion. So, for example, I can change the classroom guinea pig’s cage with my bare hands…and then run to the sink. I can help get a baby chick out of its pretty yucky membrane….and then run to the sink. I used to shovel herring into fishing totes and help dress tuna fish with no problem whatsoever…but, I was constantly running to the hose.
My dirty hand issue, however, has not trickled into my parenting ways. While my boys are typically clean and neat…they’ve probably had more meals than not without washing their hands first. Shudder…I know. When they were babies I passed them around readily to anyone who was interested in holding them without asking, “Did you wash your hands?” first. And, I never use hand sanitizer. What’s more is that I swear that my boys are very rarely sick thanks to the mere fact that they have built up some pretty sweet immune systems by actually getting dirty…and sometimes relishing in those germs. Sound strange? Maybe.
Likewise, I have little issue when the “five second rule” turns into a “10 second rule”…when the food in question has landed somewhere that I trust. However, I have literally lost sleep thinking about the fact that our shoes sometimes have to suffer the reality of walking on FILTHY public bathroom floors….and then walk across our same carpets or floors at home. I will never recover from the day that the boys were walking through some pretty heinous puddles on the floor of an unfortunately miserable public bathroom and then came home and immediately jumped on my bed…flip flops still on. The horror.
So, last night, after doing some errands, I drove home past a pretty popular ice cream joint. Oddly for that hour, there were only two people in line. With the car in front of me turning into the parking lot, my eyes lingered on the pair just long enough to see one of them digging something nasty out of the bottom of his shoe (ok…that may be a bit of an assumption…but, how could anything stuck in the bottom of a shoe be anything BUT nasty?) And, then, just as I was about to look away…he stopped, reached up, and grabbed his newly scooped ice cream cone from the window…with the SAME hand. I can’t even.
I spent the rest of my drive home thinking about where those shoes had been in their lifetime. My issue, not his. Maybe he doesn’t actually eat the cone? That would make me feel better.
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We were just driving north around Blackburn Circle and saw a large brown dog running from the back road to Market Basket across to the company at the end of Gloucester Avenue! Bomco, maybe. We went around the rotary to circle back and try to find it, but couldn’t. Looked a lot like our German short haired pointer. It was running pretty fast like it has just escaped…not casually walking around like a dog who would normally be free.
I hope it is safe and finds its owner soon!!!
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I love this sound so much! I couldn’t find the bugger to save my life, but I enjoyed stopping at the end of my street the other night to hear him do his thing. Not going to lie, I couldn’t help but think, “Ouch.”
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Ever since we visited Virginia Beach and rollerbladed alongside skateboarders on the boardwalk each morning, my boys have been asking for skateboards. While totally clueless when it comes to the skateboarding scene, my guess was that the cheap ones that we kept seeing in each gift shop that we happened upon, weren’t going to be smooth or easy to ride.
The boys also wanted new helmets for their birthdays…which happen to fall just 3 weeks apart. In addition to the helmets, they wanted cool stickers to decorate their helmets with. Stumped. So, I took to social media and shouted out to my Facebook friends. Loaded with tons of awesome suggestions, I took to the mall (shudder) and went to a store I had never even noticed before.
Not going to lie….I felt a wee bit like a fish out of water in the too-hip-for-the-43-frumpy-school-teacher-mom-of-two that I am. I found the stickers in the display case (just as I was told that I would) and started chatting with a couple of the employees. They couldn’t have been nicer…or more tolerant of my ridiculous lack of knowledge. With a pretty excellent pile of stickers in hand, one of the kids offered to show me some skateboards….boards, that is. I’m guessing it is fairly uncool to use the full name.
Turns out that I was right to have not pulled the trigger and bought a gift shop board. Not smooth. Harder to ride. Wear easily. Boys will lose interest.
I was schooled on the parts of a true board and the different ways to customize them. I was also taught what to look for when buying starter boards for the boys to help set them up for success.
Turns out, for $99 the boys could go into the store, customize their own boards, help assemble them, and not only get a sweet board, but also have a pretty cool hands-on learning experience….while chatting with some pretty cool employees. I got such a kick out of my own experience that I couldn’t wait to go back with them. By “customize” I mean, pick out their own deck (board), wheels, grip tape, wheel bearings, and wheel mounts. Pretty cool. They got to use the vice to assemble the wheels, help sand the grip tape into place, and screw it all together. Pretty cool again.
The boys were absolutely beaming as they walked out of the store with their new boards and have been working hard to get the hang of it. Have you been on a skateboard lately? Holy crap…not easy. Thatcher got the hang of it pretty easily. Finn is having some trouble figuring out if he’s left-footed or right-footed, but is doing pretty great for his age.
With such short, little wish lists for their birthdays, I’m feeling pretty psyched that they are so happy! Total score for mom…maybe I’m just a little bit cool after all (this week anyway).
Check out Zumiez website HERE….and their store at the North Shore Shopping Center.
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If you ask my boys, Summer = Lobsters + Shaved Ice
“Shaved Ice?” you may ask. Fair enough. If you haven’t had one recently you are missing out. I don’t care how old you are! My boys are addicted to Hula Moon’s shaved ice…and, I can’t lie, while I usually stand outside on the street corner with the dog while they run in with little fists full of one dollar bills, sometimes I get one too. Hard to resist!
And, while I honestly can’t tell you yet first hand, I’ve heard that many items on their actual menu are pretty delicious too….and they have a fantastic view out their back window.
Hula Moon can be found at 27 Mt. Pleasant Street in Rockport. Stop on by, for sure!
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For three days each June, this FREE family-friendly festival transforms downtown Salem, MA, into an opportunity for the arts community to showcase their talents. Now in its seventh year, the festival boasts attendance numbers in the thousands and celebrates all the arts: painting, photography, sculpture, dance, music, writing, film, new media, performance, theatre, poetry, culinary, and more!
Read all about the event HERE and check out a full calendar of events
Pick #2 See the Whales
The whales have recently returned from their winter vacation and are hungry! Spring trips offer great opportunities to see the whales feeding….which, if you’ve never had the chance to witness it, is not to be missed!!
The new season of Sunday Polo Matches kicks off this weekend. It is a really a great way to spend an afternoon. Get there when the gates open (1:30, I believe) get field side parking, spread out a great picnic, and let the kiddos see the horses being cared for and getting ready.
Safe to say that Motif No. 1, Bearskin Neck, Tuna Wharf, Halibut Point, and the shops on Main Street are amongst the Go To places when one considers Rockport as a destination. A less known, but not-to-be-missed little slice of Rockport, is Millbrook Meadow….and its Mill Pond. Together, the park and the pond, create a quaint little scenic masterpiece.
I was sad to have missed the Rubber Duck Race held in the park this past Saturday, but I knew that GMG’s Paul T. Morrison and his famous (infamous) RD were on the job.
We’ve spent several quiet days grabbing lunch downtown and then sitting in the park. It is incredibly beautiful and wonderfully quiet. Located directly across from Front Beach and next to Nate’s at Front Beach is a small path that will lead you into the park. Nate’s, for the record, is one of many places in town to pick up a fantastic lunch or breakfast to eat at Millbrook Meadow!
Please, do yourself a favor, and read more about the park, its pretty incredible history, and the Millbrook Meadow Conservancy HERE! Great things are happening thanks to some great people. A big restoration is planned and no doubt the results will be phenomenal!
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Good Morning Gloucester 