Author: Nichole S.

Look at this gorgeous photo sent to me by Paul Horovitz.  Lobster Cove looks so serene and quiet right after last week’s Nor’Easter.

Salem Five is running a pretty fun promotion.  There are only a few days left to enter the Dustin & Disney Sweepstakes.  “Seven days of sunshine to uncomplicate your winter!”  Yes, please.

I, for one, would love to chill with Dustin and spend some time at both Sox Spring Training and Disney….all expenses paid, thanks to Salem Five.

One lucky family will be swept off to Spring Training in Fort Myers to see Dustin and the team take on the defending World Champion Houston Astros at Jet Blue Park and, get this – you’ll hang out with Dustin Pedroia before the game!  From there you’ll take a beach day on the Gulf of Mexico in Fort Myers before heading to Walt Disney World for two full days, with park passes to hop around all four of the planets most amazing theme parks.  All in all, like we said – seven days of sunshine to uncomplicate your winter.

To enter, all you have to do is head into a Salem Five Bank branch and ask about Dustin and Disney.

How to Enter: Visit any Salem Five branch to enter

Entry Period: February 12 – March 12, 2018

Sweepstakes Drawing: March 13, 2018

READ MUCH MORE HERE

I had to do some business at the City Hall Annex this week.  How could anyone walk by this without snapping a photo of it?  Pretty.

I was fortunate to be able to attend the Next Generation Cape Ann’s Young Professionals Event at Pier 23 last night.  Much thanks to the Markos family for opening Pier 23’s doors (on Nick’s birthday nonetheless) to this crowd of young and passionate Cape Ann enthusiasts.  It was a wonderful opportunity to network and meet likeminded young professionals who were eager to share their ideas, careers, passions, and goals for Cape Ann. I was happy to be there as both a contributor to Good Morning Gloucester and the Direction of Communication for Harborlight Montessori.  I enjoyed a night out with friends and definitely met some contacts whom I look forward to contacting in the near future.

I look forward to Next Generation Cape Ann’s next gathering and will surely keep you all in the loop.

I love the things you encounter on drives around the Cape.  I hope to see her out on the water soon as well.

Pick #1:  Sugaring Off Tours at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

Saturdays & Sundays, March 3–18

On our naturalist-guided tours, learn how to identify a sugar maple, observe tapping and sap collection methods, watch the sap being boiled down in the sugarhouse, and get a sweet taste of the final product.

Afterwards, warm up by the woodstove in the Barn, where hot dogs cooked in maple sap (aka sap dogs) and delicious soups and desserts made by our volunteers are available for purchase. Visit our gift shop to browse a selection of maple products, and be sure to bring home a bottle of our own freshly made maple syrup.

$10/$8 Members • $11/$9 Nonmembers

Tours last about an hour and run in all weather. Advanced registration is required.

REGISTER ONLINE

READ MORE HERE 

Pick #2: Awesome Cultural Festival at Harborlight

Free Event on Saturday, March 3rd 9:00-12:30

We welcome you to Harborlight to experience our second annual Cultural Festival.  Journey through our halls on a trip through Spain, Peru, Hungary, England, Mexico, China, Nigeria, Japan, Ireland, Morocco, Portugal, and America. Also make a stop along the way to learn Sign Language. Begin in our library where guests will enjoy music and stories from around the world.  Grab your passport and begin your adventure! Have your passport stamped while enjoying art, crafts, recipes,and activities from a variety of cultures.

The morning will end with live entertainment.  A group of youth performers from the Chinese Folk Art Workshop will perform a traditional dragon dance, a Diablo yo-yo performance, and leave time for hands-on demonstrations.   Some of Harborlight’s own faculty and parents will perform the Flamenco, and Harborlight students will sing international songs.

READ MORE HERE

Pick #3: Treasure Island at the Larcom Theater

LARCOM THEATER

Performances:

• Saturday, March 3rd | 11:00 AM

• Saturday, March 3rd | 2:00 PM

• Sunday, March 4th | 11:00 AM

• Sunday, March 4th | 2:00 PM

Tickets:   $15 | $17 | $21

The company that brought you The Little Mermaid last year is back by popular demand with Treasure Island.

Experience the thrilling tale of adventure on the high seas in this fun-filled yarn of piracy and buried treasure. Jim Hawkins, the cabin boy on the sailing ship “Hispaniola,” is drawn into this action-packed story full of unsavory characters, including the infamous Long John Silver, who leads a scramble for buried treasure on an exotic isle. The greedy mutineers fight each other for treasure as friendships come unraveled, and new alliances are formed. Good ultimately triumphs, but not without lots of twists and turns! Enjoy this amazing family musical that springs to life with all the great action and talent that The Panto Company USA is known for!

The performance duration is approximately 60 minutes with one intermission. The story is written for children 4 to 13 years old, but it is a true family show that everyone will enjoy!

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

If you have young kids who enjoy learning about cultures from around the world, this is a fantastic free event!

Saturday, March 3rd 9:00-12:30 at Harborlight Montessori in Beverly.

We welcome you to Harborlight to experience our second annual Cultural Festival. Journey through our halls on a trip through Spain, Peru, Hungary, England, Mexico, China, Nigeria, Japan, Ireland, Morocco, Portugal, and America. Also make a stop along the way to learn Sign Language. Begin in our library where guests will enjoy music and stories from around the world. Grab your passport and begin your adventure! Have your passport stamped while enjoying art, crafts, recipes, and activities from a variety of cultures. The morning will end with live entertainment. A group of youth performers from the Chinese Folk Art Workshop will perform a traditional dragon dance, a Diablo yo-yo performance, and leave time for hands-on demonstrations. Some of Harborlight’s own faculty and parents, Harborlight Sevillanas, will perform the Flamenco, and Harborlight students will sing international songs.

Pick #1:  Sugar Shack Saturdays at Appleton Farms

Morning Session: 10:00-11:30

Afternoon Session: 1:30-3:00

Spring is coming and the sap is running! Experience the time-honored tradition of maple sugaring with Sugar Shack Saturdays at Appleton Farms. Spend the morning with us and see how we turn sap into sweet syrup. Start by getting creative with some maple themed crafts in the Appleton Old House then get outside and explore our very own sugar shack! Learn how we tap our trees every spring, see the evaporator in action, and taste the freshly made syrup.  We will end back inside with a farm snack, including Appleton Farms cheese, apple slices, and homemade maple ice cream while we read a story about maple sugaring!

Recommended for ages 8 and under but everyone is welcome! Space is limited. Registration is by the family- if you have 5 or more in your family, please register 2 families.  Crafts and snacks included and we want to have enough for all.

Register now:

Morning session >>

Afternoon session >>

Read More HERE

Pick #2: Winter Wander on Peddocks Island

BUNDLE UP AND WANDER

February 24, 2018 – 11:30AM to 2:45 PM

Adults:  $20

Children: Over 3 years old: $15

Seniors: $15

READ MORE ABOUT THE TRIP HERE

READ MORE ABOUT PEDDOCKS ISLAND HERE

Experience an unforgettable winter day as you wander the trails in search of winter tracks and traces. Look, listen and learn as you discover hidden treasures of the island. Play in the snow (if the weather cooperates), join us for cocoa and gorp in our “winter lodge” or by the fire for s’mores on the beach. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own snowshoes, lunches, binoculars and cameras to enhance their day.

Pick #3: Lego Maritime Festival at the USS Constitution

Let your imagination set sail this February School Vacation Week!

Inspired by the different ship designs on display in Masters of Miniature, head to the USS Constitution Museums to build your own ship with LEGO® and DUPLO® Bricks! In the hands of a creative kid – or kid at heart – a pile of colorful bricks can become an aircraft carrier – or USS Constitution! The nautical fun continues with a “Float Your Boat” LEGO Challenge, “Picture Yourself” LEGO Selfie Masks, a scavenger hunt through our Masters of Miniature exhibit, and much more!

Is your family no longer playing with your LEGO® and DUPLO® Bricks? Donate them to the Museum!

READ MORE HERE

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

This was an unexpected sight on the highway the other day.  Pretty cool and some fine craftsmanship for sure.

SportfishingMagazine.com reported this week that a rare (actually “unheard of”) bluefin tuna was caught off the Florida Keys this week.  A 600 pound one at that.  Captain Alex Adler and Mate Rich Hill landed (and released) the giant on Monday on the Kalex.

We visited with Alex and his crew last April down at Bud N’ Mary’s Marina.  My husband used to fish with Alex and the boys were thrilled to meet him and climb around his boat.  While there they fed the tarpon, pet the manatees that were drinking out of the boat scuppers, and watched a shark circle the boat.

Bud N’ Mary’s is definitely our kind of place and we can’t wait to go back.  Congratulations to Alex and his crew on the rare catch!

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

A group of anglers on a day charter to catch king mackerel off Islamorada with Capt. Alex Adler on the Kalex out of Bud ‘n Marys Fishing Marina ended up battling a bluefin tuna estimated to weigh 600 pounds, releasing it at the boat after a 2 ½-hour battle. The fish was hooked in about 50 feet of water on the reef.

This capture, on Feb. 10, of a bluefin tuna on a Florida Keys reef is unheard of in recent times, says Andy Newman, media relations director for Florida Keys Tourism Council, who was at the dock when the Kalex returned.

“Adler has been seeing packs of bluefin running over the reef line for a couple of weeks,” Newman tells SF. “He had the good sense to have a rigged mackerel in the boat’s freezer. After seeing a couple packs of big bluefin today, maybe 100 fish, Adler told mate Rich Hill to get the mackerel out.”

 

Pick #1:  New England Boat Show (still)

February 10th to 18th at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE

Read about Donna’s fun day at the boat show last weekend in her post HERE

Pick #2:  Merrimack River Eagle Festival

READ MORE HERE

Come to Newburyport and Amesbury on Saturday, February 17, for a full day of fun indoor and outdoor activities celebrating the return of our Bald Eagles! Learn more about these magnificent birds—as well as other amazing raptors such as Snowy Owls—and why our local habitat is so important to them.

Visit Eagle Hot Spots
9:00 am–4:00 pm

Drive yourself! Naturalist guides will be onsite all day along the Merrimack River. Parking available. Maps will be available on this webpage and onsite at Eagle Festival. All ages welcome. FREE.

• Lowell’s Boat Shop: 459 Main Street, Amesbury
• Andrews Boat Shop: 489 Main Street, Amesbury
• Deer Island: midway between Chain Bridge, and First Lieutenant Derek S. Hines Memorial Bridge, Spofford Street, between Newburyport and Amesbury
• Mersen: 374 Merrimac Street, Newburyport
• Cashman Park: Sally Snyder Way (off Merrimack Street), Newburyport
• Joppa Flats Education Center: 1 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport
• Plum Island (10:00 – 3:00): Not on map. Look for the Eagle Festival signs! In parking lot at north end of Northern Boulevard; also, driving south on Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (free entry for Eagle Festival guests).

Eagle Festival Photo Tour with Hunt’s
2:00 pm–4:00 pm

Register in advance for this exciting opportunity for in-the-field wildlife photo tips from Hunt’s Photo & Video. Departs from Newburyport Chamber of Commerce.
Adults only | $50 per person

See A Raptor Show
10:00–11:00 am & 12:45–1:45 pm

Mary-Beth Kaeser of Horizon Wings presents two educational programs at Newburyport City Hall featuring raptors great and small. First come, first served. Recommended for adults and children age 6 and over. FREE.

Pose For A Photo With A Raptor
11:00–11:30 am & Noon–12:30 pm

Hunt’s Photo & Video will take your photo with a raptor for a $10 donation. Newburyport City Hall. Limited availability. First come, first served—advance registration recommended.

Have Fun With Your Family
10:00 am–3:00 pm

At the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters: Family activities, arts and crafts, and more! Special Feature: Live owls from Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm (11:00 am–3:00 pm). FREE.

At Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center: Family activities, arts and crafts, and more! Special Feature: Live hawks from Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm (11:00 am–3:00 pm). FREE.

Pick #3:  Snow Tubing at Nashoba

READ MORE HERE

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

Finn and I came in hot to his game the other day in Saugus.  As we hustled into the rink his coach directed us into the proper locker room.  As we went to enter the locker room, a woman came out and held the door open for us.  I’m sure she could tell that we were running late and Finn was anxious to get on the ice.  Finn’s coach then told me that she was a former USA Woman’s Hockey gold medal winner.

Us Gloucester folk immediately know that means she skated for our very own Ben Smith.  Ben led the USA Woman’s hockey team to a Gold Medal, their first ever nonetheless, in Nagano back in 1998.  He is currently over in South Korea serving as the Director of Player Personnel for the 2018 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team.

I was sad to have missed the opportunity to really meet her….but, was lucky that our paths crossed again after the game.  I introduced myself and told her that Ben Smith is my husband’s Godfather.  I then introduced her to Finn.  Upon hearing that her name was Colleen, I knew immediately that she was Colleen Coyne and I was thrilled to snap a photo of her and Finn to share with Freddy…and later Ben.

It was great to meet her….and she couldn’t have been more gracious or kind!  Even cooler to have met her the very same weekend that this year’s Winter Games were kicking off.

Thanks, Colleen, for taking the time to chat with Finn….he was super inspired as was I!