Author: Nichole S.

The light over Back Beach was pretty the other night.  The panoramic photo won’t load into facebook and is much better than the one that might show up here, so click on the link to see the full photo.

Kudos to the Cincinnati Zoo for starting this daily Zoo-to-You at Home Safari schedule.  With the zoo closed they wanted to find a way to enrich the lives of the children who would have visited and continue to spread the word about their awesome residents.

Each day at 3:00pm they go live on their facebook page for a 15 minute interaction with one of the zoo residents.  If you miss the live video, fret not.  The video is then uploaded to a page on their website along with some fun follow up activities.

On Monday we met Fiona the hippo and on Tuesday we met Pico the Porcupine.

Check out the page HERE: http://cincinnatizoo.org/home-safari-resources/

Check out their Facebook page HERE: https://www.facebook.com/cincinnatizoo/

The Nancy Anne is ready for action up in the railways

I’ve been happy to have a little bit of extra time each morning this week to take a drive and get a little centered before heading off to work.  Finn and I watched some happy dogs playing on the beach and Took the opportunity to chat for a little while. I’m glad we did as the day seemed to have snowballed after that quiet start.

Quite the “undertaking“.  See what I did there?  It will be interesting to see what this house looks like when they are done!

Our morning schedule has been a bit different this week and Finn and I have been finding ourselves driving through Rocky Neck each morning before I drop him off. While many of the homes are empty this time of year it is pretty bustling down in the railways and waterfront. Getting ready for summer.

Several of us enjoyed a delicious dinner at the new Oliver’s on Main Street in Gloucester the other night.  We shared several salads and appetizers before ordering lots of sushi and a few entrees to also share…. and then some espresso martinis and desserts.  Everything was delicious and I’ll happily go back again. Give it a try!

Get your St. Patrick’s Day on early!  Just make sure you have a responsible driver.  Head to Boston for this super fun event.

March 6th + 7th, 2020

Join us for a weekend of friendly banter, live music, flowing taps, and thousands of other beer loving folks loving the heck out of life under heated tents at our Boston brewery!

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE

Friday March 6th Early Access + 1 Beer Ticket: $30 

Friday March 6th Early Access + 3 Beer Tickets: $42

Come the day of, simply pay $25 at the door on Friday and $30 on Saturday to join the fun! When you pay at the door, your admission includes your first beer and a souvenir cup.

Friday March 6th Pay at the Door: $25

6:00pm – 11:00pm (Doors close at 9:30pm)

Saturday March 7th Pay at the Door: $30

1:00pm – 7:00pm (Doors close at 5:30pm)

Door Hours: 5:30pm – 6:00pm

Live bands all weekend (line up listed in link above) and lots flowing on tap.

Another breathtaking photo from Paul Horovitz as the day begins on the Annisquam.  Won’t be long now until the river begins welcoming early season boaters.

Does anyone know what is moving into this location?  It used to be a little gas station right before the East Gloucester Shaws on Eastern Ave.  They have been working hard for the last few months.

I love how the light accentuates that corner of the Annisquam as it ends the day. Thanks to Paul Horovitz for the wonderful photo.

This fantastic annual event is not to be missed.  Grab your passport, take a trip through Harborlight’s  halls to visit a variety of countries and learn about their cultures through art, music, activities, food and more.  This year you can look forward to touring Peru, Sweden, India, China, Japan, Italy, Brazil, Morocco, and the Azores.

The morning will end with live performances.  Enjoy Chinese Instrumental music, the Lawrence High School Youth Dance Troupe, and Roberto Chuica – Peruvian Folklore.

Saturday, February 29th from 9:00-12:30.

$10 per family. All are welcome. We look forward to seeing you!

http://www.engageyourworld.org/harborlights-4th-annual-cultural-festival/

Harborlight Montessori

243 Essex Street, Beverly, Ma

I ordered new sheets the other day and wanted to make sure the pockets were deep enough so the corners wouldn’t pop off.  I came across a term that I hadn’t heard before so I did a quick sheet size search to make sure I was getting the right set.  I came across this “cheat sheet” of sorts….  not sure why it made me laugh.  I can’t lie… I spent way too much time analyzing the different family scenarios….especially the last one.   It brought me back to learning to read with the Dick and Jane series.  Here’s some “fun facts” about Dick and Jane from MentalFloss

While up in New Hampshire this past week for part of school vacation, we took a trip to see Ice Castles in Woodstock.  

While riding on the horse drawn slide ride (an extra that can be purchased) a gentleman visiting from Connecticut said that Ice Castles had far exceeded his expectations.  I would not necessarily go that far, but we did enjoy it.  We loved the short sleigh ride, the slides built into the castles were a fun bonus, and they were definitely pretty.  Be mindful that their is, of course, a snack bar and gift shop….so either leave your $$ in the car…or don’t…depending on how you want to play that.  We did leave our cash in the car and then felt bad saying “no” to the yummy pretzel bites and warm cinnamon buns so had to go back and get some money.

I’m glad we went, but I’m also glad it was just one part of a bigger few days.  I had thought about doing a day trip last month and I think I would have been underwhelmed if that were the case.   If you are in the area, definitely check it out.

With no hockey on the calendar for a couple of days before another tournament is upon us, I decided to sneak away with Finn for some skiing, ice fishing, and Ice Castles.  It was definitely cold and snowy….with a decent sized storm coming down while we were driving across the Kancamagus Highway, but we had a great time nonetheless.  Our guides, Clay and Vinnie, from Fish Nerds Guide Service were awesome!  We’ll definitely be booking another trip when it gets a little warmer out.

A few of us went to the pool at the Mile Marker after a hockey game on Saturday night.  I was surprised to find the bar area inside the Aqua Room closed and renovations under way.  Dinner and cocktails are still served at the tables surrounding the pool…..so, have no fear.  I took a walk out to the River View dining room to see what was going on.  The bar that was at the far end is now also closed and a new bar has been built closer to the entrance.  They did a really nice job and the new bar looks tremendous.  It will be nice to have the bar closer to the kitchen so food can be passed through to the guests who are dining at the bar.  Makes sense to me.

Pick #1: New England Boat Show

The annual Progressive New England Boat Show is coming up NEXT weekend.  The show runs from February 8th-16th at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE:  THE NEW ENGLAND BOAT SHOW

Children 12 and under are still free of charge with the purchase of adult tickets.  Adult tickets are currently $14 and will be $16 at the door.   Also poke around for a Groupon.  This link is not active yet, but may be soon.  https://www.groupon.com/deals/national-marine-manufacturers-association

Did you know that in addition to seeing all of the pretty sweet boats and water craft, the boat show has a pretty thorough schedule of seminars to attend and activities to participate in?

Navigate your way around the website above to see some of what is offered!

READ ALL ABOUT THE BOAT SHOW HERE

READ DONNA’S RECENT POST ABOUT VISITING THE BOAT SHOW HERE

Pick #2: Merrimack Eagle Festival 

February 15, 2020

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE

Pick #3: “Zombies 2” at the North Shore Mall

DISNEY CHARACTER LIVE APPEARANCES ARE NOT PART OF THIS EVENT. 

Saturday, February 15, 2020 

11AM-12:30PM

Lower Level Nordstrom Wing

Change is coming to Seabrook. Check out who’s shaking things up with new music, crafts and photo opps to celebrate the new Disney Channel Original Movie ZOMBIES 2!

From Boston Central

Northshore Mall invites the community to a ‘ZOMBIES 2’ event, aimed at entertaining and delighting children of all ages.

The event will take place on Saturday, February 15th from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

During the event, families will be able to participate in a variety of activities including; a craft project to create their own ‘ZOMBIES 2’ sling bag, an exclusive photo opportunity, various giveaways, select retail participation and more!

The fun starts in the Lower Level Nordstrom Wing.

This event does not include live character appearances.

Disney’s ‘ZOMBIES 2,’ the highly anticipated sequel to the Disney Channel Original Movie ‘ZOMBIES,’ is a music- and dance-filled story that picks up as cheerleader Addison and zombie football player Zed are readying for Seabrook High’s Prawn, the school’s super-sized prom.

However, the arrival of a new group of outsiders – mysterious werewolves – threatens to shake up Seabrook’s newfound peace and causes a rift in Zed and Addison’s budding romance.

‘ZOMBIES 2’ premieres Friday, February 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel.

As always, for a comprehensive list of family activities, please visit our friends at North Shore Kid.