Author: Nichole S.

Slept for about five hours at a little hotel between the Las Vegas airport and the strip and woke ready to tackle our first full day of adventures…. or so we thought. By 8:45 pm we were spent and everyone was sound asleep except me…. and only because I wanted to write this post. We drove from Vegas to the Hoover Dam, up Route 40 for two hours, onto the iconic Route 66 and into Williams, AZ. Our adorable airbnb sits right across from the Grand Canyon railway and within walking distance to lots of cute shops and restaurants. By no means a bustling city with nightlife, but super cute in it’s own way. We let the boys fish on Kaibab Lake, had some drinks on our deck and then got dinner at the local brewery and barrel house….Where we immediately ran into someone from Gloucester. If you’re reading this, Jacqueline, I hope the rest of your trip is amazing!

With a love for super warm weather, the beach, pool bars, fishing, and island hopping, we almost always head south to Florida or to somewhere more tropical like Mexico or the Bahamas when we travel in April. This year, my sister and I decided this April to take our boys out west instead. They are 12, 13, and 14 years old…. And hopefully ready for this adventure. After a very long day of traveling yesterday, that included an evacuation of terminal A at Logan and a brief layover in Detroit, Michigan, we finally landed in Vegas at 1:00am (4:00 am back in Gloucester). We just crashed at a hotel in between the airport and the Vegas strip and are off after breakfast for a road trip to Route 66 and Williams, Arizona. I’m excited to show the boys this part of the country! Stay tuned (although, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. lol)

Cape Ann Lanes will be open at 11:00 am during April school vacation. Candlepin bowling, arcade, brewery….all sorts of family fun!

I love this bright red barn and had some extra time to take a few photos of it yesterday while waiting for Thatcher. I got a good laugh when I realized that I captured Finn at the other end. The sign says, “Please do not feed the animals”…..but, Finn had just finished his Chipotle. Oops.

There’s a gas station in Middleton that has gas for $3.81. About 4 miles down the road towards North Andover I saw gas for $3.57….with a line about ten cars long. I’ve found myself waiting to get gas until I’m pretty close to empty and then swinging past the gas station that’s a couple miles past Essex Tech when I pick Thatcher up from baseball practice. It’s not that far out of the way and I usually have a bit of time to spare. With the increased gas prices, have you found yourself putting more time and thought into where you fill up? Do you drive out of your way if it makes sense?

Check out BRUNT Workwear if you’re in the market for high quality work boots and clothes (or even if you’re not). Not only are they a homegrown, local company located just about 30 minutes away, but…I recently discovered they’re also really good people! My older son is a freshman over at Essex Tech. Last week he came home with a super sweet brand new pair of work boots. When I asked where they came from he told me that a company had come to school and handed out 400 pair of boots to students in different programs. Upon further investigation, it turns out it was actually their second delivery…meaning, they’ve now donated 800 pairs of boots and, if you read below, have plans to donate even more. A donation of that size is nothing to sniffle at even for a huge, long-standing corporation, but BRUNT (while having some pretty wild, newfound success) is a fairly young, local company…so the magnitude of this donation is pretty impressive. What got me the most though, as a mom, is what they wrote about Essex Tech….and the “whys” behind the donation. Good read, great quality, amazing people….doing phenomenal things.

Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School & Technical School is located just 20 minutes from BRUNT’s headquarters. It’s an amazing facility where the classrooms, equipment and campus are all cutting edge. The school has 1,600 students across every major trade; from electrical, auto and plumbing, to equine, advanced manufacturing and so many more. The facilities will blow you away, but the teachers and directors are what make it spectacular.

After my first visit, I knew this was the type of place I wanted BRUNT to support. Even though we were still a very small company at the time, I wanted to get involved in some way. I distinctly remember thinking while on campus, “imagine if one day we could give a pair of Brunt boots to every single student?”.

Over the past year, we turned that dream into a goal. We’ve formed an incredible partnership with the school, and we are about halfway there, gifting roughly 800 students a pair of our boots. We still have more work to do, but what originally felt impossible, is well within reach.

What gets me most excited about our partnership with Essex is not only getting to meet all of the students, but it’s impact. These students will eventually build our roads, the buildings we work in, and the communities where we raise our families. Whatever path they choose in the trades, their futures are incredibly bright. There’s only one thing I hope to get back in return – that our small gesture makes these students feel appreciated. They deserve it, they are our future.

https://bruntworkwear.com/

We’ve talked about this before, but I want to hear your answers! You have friends in town for 24 hours. They have never visited Cape Ann before. Where do you take them and what do you do? Give me your ultimate 24 hours playing tour guide to show off our great city! Ready, set, go…….. and, thank you in advance!

The Cape Ann Motor Inn is truly “on the beach.” Whether from out of town or nearby, you should put waking up to this view on your summer bucket list. Located on it’s own stretch of private beach at the quiet end of Long Beach, with a beautiful view of Thacher’s Island, Cape Ann Motor Inn is about as idyllic as it gets. Park your car, enter your room through one door, and leave your cares behind as you take in the view from the large sliding glass door at the other end of your room….. to immediately feel a million miles away. Every single room faces the ocean and sits beachfront. Walk onto your deck and have your toes in the sand within seconds.

We make a point of staying for a couple of nights each summer even though we live just a few short miles away. There is nothing better than staying on the beach late at night, walking to your room, and waking up to the sound of the waves early the next day. With long, easy days and no agenda but to enjoy the sun and ocean, it is truly the most perfect “Stay-cation.”

https://www.capeannmotorinn.com/

Sunday drives never get old. Lucky.

I stumbled upon this while looking through Facebook MarketPlace the other day. It seems that a family gave away their “gramp’s” favorite red velvet armchair and is now really wishing that they hadn’t. I know Gloucester isn’t super close to Haverhill, but I wanted to share here on GMG just in case. Below is what was written in the ad along with the photos that they posted. Here is the link to the ad on Facebook Market Place:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/305430241687724/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A93f55256-9d0e-41cb-b469-1c7df326fa73

Haverhill: GRANDSON SEEKING GRANDFATHER’S Lost Red Chair. No, NOT selling

Hi everyone! A couple years ago when my Dad passed away we were cleaning out the house on Broadway in Ayers Village, Haverhill MA. Not thinking we put Gramp’s Red velvet armchair out on the front lawn. Now of course we would love to have it, hindsight is 20/20! Just hoping maybe a local might have grabbed the chair and maybe would give me the opportunity to BUY it Back 😊 Feel free to shoot me a message if I’m lucky enough to have found you. *PLEASE SHARE EVERYWHERE* #findtheredchair It was close to Salem NH line.

Who took the Beauport? Vanishing act. April Fools?

Thank you, Joey…..LOTS of time and effort has gone into this. Minnow was eliminated in a super close battle, by one vote, during the first round of bracket eliminations….. however, that doesn’t mean we haven’t had a ton of fun following along and cheering for our favorite dogs. While he may not agree, we’d be remiss (inside joke) to not mention just how much time Joey has spent on Bark Madness! Personally, I’ve found it pretty cool to see people’s dogs…who I normally would never have “met.” While I knew several of the contestants, there were so many other times when I found myself saying, “Awww….look at so-and-so’s dog….I didn’t now he/she had a __________.” In a very innocent, non-political, non slap-heard-around-the-world, non finger pointing, way this Bark Madness competition has rallied lots of people together in some March fun (a month that could always use some more sunshine). So, thanks Joey for the time and energy you put into it….which was over and above the already giant amount of time you already put into the blog. It has been loads of fun. Good luck to the finalists!

Pretty Much…..

While I often joke about how much time I spend sitting on a rock, or along a riverbank, or in my car…..or pacing the aisles of tackle stores….or leaving the pool on vacation to find the perfect lure and fishing spot (an entire birthday vacation back in June was custom built by Finn in pursuit of catching some big fish) …. I adore how much Finn loves to fish. His cousin, my nephew, loves to fish even more than Finn. So, yesterday we spent 1/2 the day in pursuit of some funky little fishing spots in Lawrence (of all places….weird when you live in Gloucester) because the boys were desperate to catch some carp. They follow lots of different fishing pages and use an app that tells them where/when/how many fish are being caught. This white sucker fish was the catch of the day yesterday (don’t mind the hockey hair).

Immediately after the academic year end and before our summer program begins, Harborlight Montessori offers two robust and fun Experience Weeks. Students in grades 4th-8th are invited to register to join us.

MUSUEM SCHOOL

Upper School (4^th -8^th grade) 
Monday, June 20 through Friday, June 24

Did you know that Massachusetts has 228 museums? During this week, students will visit a different museum each day to explores themes in art, history, and science. Harborlight will equip each student with a sketchbook/observation journal for taking notes and drawing. They will explore exhibits and galleries, roam the grounds and halls, think critically, examine purposefully and be immersed in culture. They will also complete a scavenger hunt in Boston that highlights some of the city’s most spectacular murals and street art. The notes they take, memories they record, and images they sketch will serve as a visual diary of their studies.

MAIN STREETS AND BACK ROADS

Upper School (4th-8th grade)

Monday, June 27 through Friday, July 1

Much like Chronicle’s Main Streets and Back Roads, students will explore gardens, footpaths, statues, parks, trails, waterfronts, and more of our neighboring cities and town. Students will visit Gloucester, Salem, and Newburyport to explore tourist attractions, off-the-beaten-path destinations, notable architecture, and the hidden ‘quirky-corners’ of these communities. While on campus they will design a destination brochure for an imaginary  city or town of their own that is inspired by their favorite sights, sounds, and flavors from the week’s adventures.

Learn more HERE: https://www.engageyourworld.org/extracurricular/experience-weeks

I love how the harbor and waterfront changes each day…. depending on the weather, who is in or out fishing, who is unloading etc. All was quiet the other day as a deep fog encased the outer harbor.

If you haven’t sat at the Beauport’s 1606 Oyster Bar and enjoyed a conversation with AC, you really should. Personality plus and an enthusiasm for well-crafted cocktails….hanging out with him is always an adventure. And, then there’s the view. Disclaimer….only one of the photographed drinks was mine. Just sayin’.

Pick your color. Blue, white, yellow. My son thought it would be fun several years ago to conduct his yearly science experiment on which color trap “caught” the most lobsters. Too many other factors and not enough relatable data, but a good idea if we had more time and resources.

Took a little drive through Essex

Super foggy morning. there’s a harbor out there somewhere but it certainly isn’t visible from where the Fisherman stands.