Author: Nichole S.

My brother got my mom tickets to see the premiere performance of “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” in Boston last night. The three of us went in and had dinner together and he let me take his ticket to accompany her to the event. Knowing that Neil Diamond had made an appearance at Fenway Park earlier this week, it was easy to assume he’d be at the musical’s opening night. The musical is on stage at the Emerson Colonial Theatre before heading to Broadway. So, when the crowd erupted in applause minutes before the show started, it was easy to guess why. Neil Diamond was taking his seat in a private box. He graciously waved and when the show ended the actors were sure to bow to him. At one point in the show the actor playing an older Neil Diamond was reflecting on the success in his career and paused visibly to nod to “the real Neil Diamond” as to say, “you’re amazing.” I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get the chills. I’ve been a Neil fan for a long time! Long story short, if you get a chance to see the show in either Boston or in New York, take it! It’s so good, so good, so good. (see what I did there)

One of my favorite appetizers is something that doesn’t always show up on menus…so, when it does, I order it. The stuffed squash blossoms at Tonno were delicious (no surprise).

There was something so beautiful about watching these lanterns float slowly up into the sky last weekend.

Caught the full moon beginning to rise while in Rocky Neck on Monday night. As Finn and I drove home it became much more dramatic, but time was not on our side so we fought the urge to follow it for more photos.

Someone recently sent me this YouTube video done with Salvy Benson about his Greasy Pole victories. Yesterday I told Salvy that I had just watched it. He had never seen it himself….so I gave him my phone and had him watch it. So, here’s Salvy watching Salvy….and a link to the video if you’ve yet to see it yourself. Thanks to Carl Mckay-Stratton for snapping the photo since Salvy had mine.

I stumbled upon this situation the other day. Happy to see that the bird had scored itself a meal, but sad to see the squirrel become a snack. Sigh.

I was enjoying a quick drink with a few friends early Monday evening at Decklyn’s and looked up just in time to see this small cruise ship heading silently to the cruise port. I was struck by how quietly it was slipping by. If I hadn’t looked towards the harbor at that moment I wouldn’t have even known it was there. Welcome to Gloucester.

Help the Cape Ann Motor Inn celebrate their 50th Anniversary by joining them at a beach party on Friday evening! June 10th 4:30-9:00 pm. All are invited FREE. Join them for a ribbon cutting, bonfire, food, and free parking. The SPYNZ will be performing too! You won’t want to miss them! What a great way to celebrate 50 years of success and kick off a fun summer weekend! Congratulations to Cape Ann Motor Inn for 50 years of business! Click this link to view full flyer.

It’s hard to tell how many boats are all lined up here, but…as always…I found something striking about the composition of all the pieces. A simple photograph with so much going on.

While sailing on the Schooner Mary Day this week, we spent one of our nights at anchor in Pulpit Harbor. At the entrance to the harbor sits Miss Rumphius’ home. “When I grow up, I too will go to faraway places, and when I grow old, I too will live beside the sea.” ― Barbara Cooney, Miss Rumphius.

The mussels at CK Pearl are to die for. I had them once last summer during Junior League baseball season when Thatcher and his team was playing down the street at the Essex baseball fields. Several of us dropped the boys off and then went for a quick drink and bite to eat while they warmed up…before heading back to the game. I went again several days ago and was happy to see that they were still on the menu. Red curry, coconut cream, corn, cilantro, crostini. The best I’ve ever had.

Check out CK Pearl’s menus here: https://www.ckpearl.com/menu-2

What beautiful craftsmanship on the Polaris. It totally caught my eye the other day.

I’ll be spending the next several days sailing Penobscot Bay with Finn on his class trip aboard the Schooner Mary Day. Thanks, Harborlight Montessori for making this happen.

Anticipation. And now I’ll be singing that song all day long. With hundreds of buds, it was so exciting to see a few starting to bloom.

I’ve been to Decklyn’s (sometimes DeCKlyn’s because they also own by CK Pearl in Essex) twice so far. Both times had to be very brief. Once I enjoyed a delicious bloody mary with feta and jalapeno picks and a dip….and then last Sunday I had a quick mule and the shishito peppers. They were delicious.

This kid’s summer office. If he could sleep in it, he would. Cooler for drinks/snacks, 3 rod holders, net, live-bait bucket, live well to float the fish he catches, safety whistle, anchor, shammies, pedals to make it hum along and keep his hands free for casting, a bow light, etc. Fish on, buddy.

I saw an ad for this the other day. Then heard that it was featured on shark tank as well. Swimply. You search for neighborhood pools just as you would search for a home to rent by using an app or website. You obviously can check out photos of the pool and the outdoor amenities that surround it (grill, seating, hot tub, cabana, etc). All pools state a maximum number of quests and are rented by the hour. So, the question/questions are…. would you rent someone else’s swimming pool? Or, would you consider renting your own? Check out the website here: https://swimply.com/search

Stage Fort Park was pretty creepy and reminiscent of a Scooby Doo episode early Sunday morning.

My soon-to-be 15 year-old doesn’t often get up early if he doesn’t have school, or work, or a game, or practice (the opportunities to sleep in are kind of rare), but the other day he wanted to see the sunrise. He took this photo. Nice work, buddy.

While it may change slightly day to day, this pretty much sums up how we travel. Two kids, two school, in two different towns, three sports, four teams (currently…sometimes more), and two favorite hobbies that they try to squeeze in any second they get. We always travel with a cooler full of water and gatorade….and snacks. Today the dirt bike is parked elsewhere, but Thatch has an away baseball game. Finn, unbelievably, has no practices, but has packed fishing gear with aspirations of catching some stripers in the afternoon. The morning hustle to determine what is needed for the next 15 hours is no joke. Not to mention school bags, laptops….. my two jobs…. Cheers to FriYAY and an only mildly busy weekend.