My View of Life on the Dock
My boys love this. Nice job, Mass Mudders
What a creative and fun thing to do with their Adopt a Visibility Site! We have always enjoyed seeing their displays at Exit 14 over the years and this one is our favorite. I think it is so great that they put such thought and effort into what they do with their site….and my boys definitely appreciate the work that goes into it. So, thanks to Mass Mudders!
I often joke, maybe even complain, about the schedule that we (and many other families) keep. It is met with a mixed bag of opinions. Some people applaud and appreciate the long weekends and busy days that our boys tend to have. Other people find it to be “too much”…detrimental even, so I’ve been told. I do understand both sides of the argument. Truly.
That having been said, I can tell you that we only do it because our boys love it. And, after weekends like this, I am incredibly proud of their determination, stamina, and commitment.
Thatch skated hard late Friday night with a short handed Rockport Middle School team. After getting home at 10:30 he was up at 5:00am to play in Haverhill with Cape Ann PW1. With no downtime in sight, he went directly to the Coast Guard Station for three hours of Sea Perch training and annual inspection prep with the Navy Sea Cadets. He was dismissed at noon and we drove directly to Rhode Island for two big Coyotes games. Back in Rockport at 10:00, and totally wiped, he managed to tackle his math homework patiently and without fuss.
Over-scheduled? Perhaps. Dedicated? Absolutely. Was he happy to be in all of the places he was? For sure. Being a part of these teams, groups, and organizations means everything to him.
I love him and all that he gives. I also love all that their sports, interests, and activities have added to our family dynamic….especially the friends it has added to our lives. We’re pretty lucky.
So, is there a fine line between appropriately busy and over-scheduled? No doubt it depends on the child. But, until one of the boys asks us to do things differently, we’ll keep on going on.
Celebrate the film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and revel in a holiday season bursting with the magic of J. K. Rowling’s world by embarking on your very own search for magical creatures! Climb a 150-year-old staircase, explore a maze of hallways and hidden rooms, peek around corners and into shadows to discover the real creatures and stories behind these fantastic beasts. Where CAN you find them? Look no further than the hallowed halls of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Harvard Semitic Museum. Witches, wizards, muggles, and magizoologists of all ages are invited to pick up the Fantastic Beasts Scavenger Hunt clue sheets at any of these Harvard museums and begin a quest to uncover the hiding places for a host of amazing creatures. Find them all, and you win a small prize! The spell is cast and the adventure begins November 18, but time is limited, so plan your visit now. The magic ends on January 6.
Regular admission rates apply.
The museum is located at 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, just past Harvard Yard.
Adults: $15.00
Non-Harvard students with I.D.: $10.00
Seniors (65+): $13.00
Children ages 3–18: $10.00
Children under 3: Free
Free for members
This is not a place that you’ll catch me, but if your little ones have been clamoring for a new pet and you’re not into fur balls, litter boxes, or taking dogs for long walks….you may want to check out the Reptile Expo up in Manchester, NH. It is billed as the Largest Reptile Show in New England, for whatever that’s worth.
Sunday, January 6, 2019
10:00 to 4:00
The Doubletree Hotel Manchester Downtown
700 Elm Street, Manchester NH
Thousands of reptiles on display and for sale as pets! Vendors will also be selling cages, supplies, frozen feeder rodents, feeder bugs, and many other reptile-related items at discounted prices.
Admission: $10/adults, $5/kids 7-12, under 7 free.
Kids 12 and under MUST be accompanied by an admission paying adult!
Rye, New Hampshire
My boys have both been here a few times and love it! It is HUGE. It’s also a great option to break away from the normal indoor activities that your children may need a little vacation from. You can bring your own bikes, scooters, skate boards, etc. or simply rent something up there.
Before we get to the ramps, we have a ton of viewing areas, retail, concessions, bathrooms, showers (camp use only), multi-purpose rooms and usually a good joke or two.
Rye Airfield is New England’s premiere skate & bike park. Our indoor skatepark was originally designed and built by Jack Murphy Productions (designers of The Gravity Games, Vans Skateparks and the Dew Tour) with the consultation of former Pro Skaters, Dave Duncan, Andy MacDonald and Chris Senn. Over the past decade we have remodeled a handful of times with the most recent phases of design and construction being completed by Brad Jameson and John Saxton of Skidmark Skateparks along with a covert crew of volunteers.
We are not just a skate & bike park though, we also offer a full service pro shop that carries a solid selection of bike, skateboard and scooter products from completes that are ready to go, or all the parts you need for a custom built ride. Our mechanics can build and repair just about anything that is used in the park.
Our year round indoor facility has 50,000 square feet and features everything you’ve dreamed about riding or skating all under one roof. Our outdoor area is more than 100,000 square feet and is a work in progress with wood and dirt features. The ultimate goal is to create an outdoor bike park that offers something for the cross-country mtb rider and the dirt jumping bmx rider.
As always, for a comprehensive list of family activities, please visit our friends at North Shore Kid.
When driving past the Burgess & Mackey Funeral Home over the course of the past several months (maybe even years as I can’t remember when they closed) I found myself wondering what would happen with the property. A couple of weeks ago I was surprised to see that it was all of a sudden all but gone. In one day’s time the building was demolished. The final photo is what the lot looked like just this morning.
Now I find myself wondering what will be built in that space? Does anyone know?
Heading home on the Annisquam on the last Sunday of 2018. What a way to savor every last moment of the year. Thanks to Paul Horovitz for another beautiful photo and always being our eye on the Annisquam.
The days that the Gloucester High School Fishermen come to lend some hands (and feet) at Cape Ann Youth Hockey’s Learn-to-Skate program are always so special for the beginning skaters! I don’t have a high school skater yet….and my boys have long since graduated from Learn-to-Skate, but I can remember fondly how special they thought it was when they got to skate with the “big kids.” I also remember them grinning ear to ear upon seeing those same big kids working at Talbot Rink’s Open Skate hours. Wicked hero worship. The day one of those High School skaters remembered Thatcher’s name (that happened to be taped across the top of his helmet, but I’ll never tell) was probably a pivotal day in his young skating career. I am very certain there are plenty of parents in the Cape Ann program who fee the same way.
So, this past weekend a new group of High School skaters came to the rink to have some fun with Cape Ann’s newest skaters….and the smiles tell you all you need to know!
Huge thanks to the Fishermen for creating new memories and being such great role models!
Last night’s sunset looked just like a Patagonia ad.
While very true…they are still my guilty pleasure.
The magnificent beauty of the views across the Annisquam never get old. Thank you to Paul Horovitz for sharing these with us.
Yikes. Evidently this is a thing. I somehow stumbled upon Pretend-to-make-your-siblings-disappear videos last night. Mean, you say? Absolutely. Funny though…..totally.
It is NOT nice out there today. Winter doesn’t begin until Friday, but it sure feels wintery today.
From the deck of the Annisquam Yacht Club. I love this fun little Christmas tree. No doubt it looks a wonderful when it is shining bright at night. Thanks to Paul Horovitz for another great Annisquam photo.
Every year we are on the epic adventure of finding great light displays. My boys spend so much time at the hockey rink in Gloucester and we’re lucky to be able to drive down Reynard Street this time of year to admire their wonderful holiday spirit.
Please send along information about other neighborhoods….near or far, that you know of! We’re looking to take a nice ride on Saturday night!
Saturday and Sunday! Read more HERE
Please read more to learn about all of the fun and exciting activities that will be taking place. Much thanks to the organizers, volunteers, and participants! What a fun holiday weekend.
Just some of the fun…
Print-your-own event at Rusty + Ingrid
A book signing at the Paper Mermaid by the author of A Day in Rockport
Meet and Greet with puppies from Cape Ann Animal Aid at the Good Dog Gallery
Jam Making Demo at Seven South Street Inn
Indoor Farmers Market
Horse Carriage Rides
A showing of A Christmas Carol at 7:00 pm for FREE at the Shalin Liu
and much, much more….. Not to mention all of the great shopping one can do!
With the new warming tent and JP Licks hot cocoa next door, this is a fun way to get the kids outside and knock off some holiday shopping at the same time.
NEW: This holiday season, the gardens at two of our most popular historic homes, Naumkeag in Stockbridge and The Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover will sparkle with thousands of shimmering holiday lights. Each weekend features performances and activities for the whole family, from the young to the young at heart. See something new throughout the season.
Don your coats, pull on your boots and join us for a new family tradition!
Please note: paths may be muddy and slippery, please wear appropriate footwear. No handicap parking available at Naumkeag though drop off at the front driveway is permitted.
Select a date below to purchase your tickets
Entrance to the gardens is ticketed in 15-minute increments between 5-8PM. Upon selecting a date below, you will be prompted to select an arrival time. Please be prepared to arrive 10 minutes prior to your ticketed entrance time to help expedite the check-in process.Members: $12
Nonmembers: $17
Children 12 and under: FREE
Ever changing and always magnificent….two very different photos of the same view across the mouth of the Annisquam River. Thank you to Paul Horovitz for sharing these with us.
If the Christmas decor at the beautiful Beauport Hotel doesn’t get you into the holiday mood, I don’t know what will.
If this isn’t a magnificent way to start a day, I don’t know what is. Much thanks to Paul Horovitz for this beautiful photo.
If you look closely you will find a lighthouse, a fishing boat, a seagull, the Greasy Pole…..and obviously an inviting fire pit on the gorgeous deck of the Beauport Hotel. A few of my favorite things.
That’s a whole lot of bling. Four World Series trophies.
Thatcher gets to do some unbelievably cool and special things as part of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps with the Gloucester Sea Cadets – David G. Ouellet Division.
Participating in the commissioning of the USS Hudner on Saturday at Boston’s Black Falcon Pier nears the top of the list. I couldn’t stay, so I stole photos from Thatcher, LTJG Robert Pallazola and Joanna Edith. Thank you!
The Gloucester Sea Cadets had the opportunity to witness history, pay tribute to heroes, and be in the presence of so, so many including, just to name a few, Mayor Walsh, Governor Baker, State Senator Bruce Tarr, both the Hudner and Brown families, MANY Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, and even General Joseph Dunford, the highest ranking military officer in the United States military and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Having just lost President George H.W. Bush made this ceremony even more poignant.
Commissioning marks the formal entrance of a ship into the U.S. Navy Fleet and is the point when the ship changes from being Pre-Commissioning Unit
(PCU)THOMAS HUDNER to being USS THOMAS HUDNER.
I am so thankful that he had this opportunity and that he is a part of such a tremendous organization.
The video below shows the entire commissioning ceremony and you can read more about Medal of Honor Recipient CAPT Thomas J. Hudner, Jr., USN HERE
Good Morning Gloucester 