Author: Nichole S.

Pick #1: Sail Boston!

For information about our local boats that are available for ticket purchase at Sail Boston, read Joey’s post from earlier this week below

https://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2017/06/13/charters-for-sail-boston-tall-ships-event/

READ ALL ABOUT SAIL BOSTON HERE

 

Boston is an official port of the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta. The trans-Atlantic regatta will start in Royal Greenwich, UK. From there the fleet will race to Sines, Portugal, followed by Bermuda. The fleet will then race to Boston, for Sail Boston 2017®. From Boston, the fleet will cruise in company north to Quebec City, Canada.

Sail Boston® will entertain its younger audience with educational programs focusing on US and international maritime history. Cadets and crewmembers will be available to educate children of all ages of their personal experiences at sea, home countries and more.

Pick #2: Hampton Sand Sculpture Event

June 15th – 17th

17th Annual Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic
June 15-17, 2017

The fun starts Wednesday, June 14th, 2017 when 200 tons of imported sand is dropped on Hampton Beach and the “Grady Bunch” starts pounding up the sponsor site. The entire area is illuminated for night viewing through June 28th.

Watch Greg Grady and “The Grady Bunch” build a mammoth Sand Demo Site. View all entries on line at this website.  The competition is by invitation only.  The event is funded by the Hampton Beach Village District and Sponsors, in cooperation with The Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce and The NH Division of Parks.

Schedule for 2017 Master Sand Sculpting Competition:

Mon. – Wed. – June 12 – 14 Massive 100 Ton Sponsor Site Created
Wed., June 14 – Sponsors Grand Finale with a Master Group Carve.
Thurs., Fri., & Sat., June 15-16-17 – Solo Competition $15,000 purse and entry awards.
Sat., June 17 – 1:00 – 3:00 PM Voting for People’s Choice Award.
Sat., June 17 at 8:00 PM Awards Ceremony on Sea Shell Stage. Special Fireworks Display at 9:30.
The event is lighted for nightly viewing thru June 28th.

Last Year’s Winner

Pick #3: 

Strawberry Festival at Marini Farm

June 17th 10:00-5:00

Find Marini Farm information HERE

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

I’m not saying that they’re not around, but I am saying that this is the first sand dollar that I’ve found in Rockport.

My dad will be out of town for the day on Father’s Day and we wanted to be sure to gather together to celebrate him before the day came and went.  With the three grandsons all incredibly busy and the grown-ups in the family having the nerve to occasionally have plans on their own, the best we could all pull off was two hours on Saturday morning.  Knowing full well that if we met for breakfast, he’d just end up picking up the tab, we decided to meet on the boulevard for breakfast and bocce ball.

So fun.  We had a little breakfast tailgate and the boys teamed up with “Grampy” to show off their mad bocce skills (kind of).  Later they did some beach combing and threw the football around….all while we ate granola, drank coffee, and enjoyed the breeze.

Good stuff.  Happy Father’s Day, Dad! xoxo

I was driving behind Good Harbor Beach on Thatcher Road when this little cutie caught my eye.  I was sad to see it all alone though.

An early morning walk around the back shore always promises some rewarding and interesting views

Pick #1:  Dragon Boat Race and Festival, Boston

June 10th and 11th along the Charles River

http://www.bostondragonboat.org/

The 38th Annual Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival will be held the weekend of June 10-11, 2017.  Be sure to save the date!  Races and cultural performances. Admission is free.

69 teams raced in the 2016 Boston Dragon Boat Festival, once again breaking a Festival record for the number of teams competing.  See the list of teams that participated.

Pick #2: Millbrook Meadow and Pond Annual Rubber Duck Race

Saturday, June 10th at 11:00 am

Be sure to buy plenty of raffle tickets for the big Rubber Duck Race, 11 a.m. June 10, 2017. Event is sponsored by the Friends of the Council on Aging, and if your duck comes through among the first, you can be a winner! — in Millbrook Meadow and Pond.

READ MORE HERE

Pick #3:  Cape Ann Museum’s Second Saturdays

The second Saturday of every month is free from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for families with school-aged children. Families are invited to the Activity Center to participate in hands-on activities that delve into the art, history and culture of the region. Each Second Saturday focuses on a specific theme based on the Museum’s collection and/or special exhibitions.

READ MORE HERE

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

Doesn’t really ever get old.

On Saturday, after a lot of baseball, we wandered over to the track behind Rockport High School where the Police Department and Rockport Rotary Club were conducting a bike safety program.

I wish I had known about it early enough to share the information with you all, but put it on your list of things to look into for next year.

With bike and helmet safety checks, bike registration, obstacle courses, challenges, police cruisers to sit in, some free snacks, and sunshine it was a really great event.

Much thanks to all who volunteered and made it possible!

Brunch, live music, waterfront dining, boats coming and going to distract the children, a sunny day, and a Bloody Mary bar…. need I say more?

We had a delicious breakfast in the sun yesterday over at Cape Ann’s Marina Resort and Mile Marker One.  I’m not sure how it is that we haven’t had brunch on the deck while listening to music before…but, I’m so glad we did it yesterday.

My omelette made to order with peppers, feta, and olives was just as yummy as my Bloody Mary…also made to order.

We’ll definitely be doing that again!

Cape Ann’s Marina Resort

I’m pretty thankful that my boys are getting to the age that they don’t “need” or ask for much for their birthdays….and that they understand that “doing things is better than getting stuff.”  So, as one of Thatcher’s birthday gifts we took off for a one night getaway to Kennebunkport.  Our intention was to simply swim, beach comb, fish, explore, ride bikes, poke around in some stores, and then head to the Portland Sea Dogs game the next morning.  The weather didn’t necessarily cooperate for some of our planned outdoor fun….although the fishing was still a must.

While there we drove by the Bush Estate.  It was nice to show the boys where the family has gathered together for so many years and to look across the water and imagine the good times, laughs, rites of passage, celebrations, etc that have unfolded on the lawn and within the walls.

It was even nicer to hear that President Bush was in attendance at the Memorial Day parade the next morning.

Took a little walk the other day and discovered all sorts of baby love happening on the pond.

 

Early Memorial Day morning at Annisquam’s Lighthouse Beach looked suitably somber. Thanks to Paul and Betsey Horovitz for the lovely photo.

Pick #1:  Wolf Hollow Free Family Fun Fest

Sunday, May 28th from 11-3

CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE HERE

Make your Memorial Day weekend truly memorable! Bring the whole family to howl with the wolves for FREE! Wolf Hollow offers a unique opportunity to view gray wolves in as natural a setting as possible. Come see how they interact with their pack members and live in a social unit very similar to human families.

This fun, family event will begin at 11am and end at 3pm.

Mark your calendars – FREE TICKETS will be available via Eventbrite, starting on May 8th.

Please be aware this event is by RESERVATION ONLY.

Guests will enjoy:

• One of a kind, educational presentations every hour.
• Fun games & activities for children of all ages.
• Delicious pizza from the Ipswich House of Pizza and other vendors TBD
• Free samples of Ipswich Soda Pops.
• AND Free samples, for Mom & Dad, from the Ipswich Ale Brewery and 1634 Meadery.

Overflow parking will be directed to one side of Route 133 West

  Wolf Hollow (114 Essex Road, Ipswich, MA)

Pick #2: Appleton Farms Hay Bale Hangout

Saturday, June 3rd from 10:00-2:00

CHECK OUT ALL OF THE DETAILS HERE

Member Child: $5; Nonmember Child: $10

Have you ever collected warm eggs from the chicken coop or seen how fast sheep will run for their morning helping of grain? Join us for our NEW weekend Hay Bale Hangout and spend the day at Appleton Farms. Stop by anytime between 10AM – 1:30PM for fantastic farmyard meet and greets! Hands on activities start at 10AM and run every ½ hour. Greet our goats, make a wool bracelet, cuddle a calf, farm story time, collect chicken eggs and more! In between activities hang out in the Carriage Barn and explore our all-day learning stations or picnic outside in the Stone Paddock!

Activities may change depending on what’s happening at the farm, but a typical schedule will include:

10:00: Feed the sheep & brush the goats

10:30: Spin wool bracelets

11:00: Collect chicken eggs

11:30: Farm story time (feel free to bring a snack from home!)

12:00: Explore the milking barn & Dairy tools

12:30: Meet a bunny

1:00: Collect chicken eggs

1:30: Brush the goats

Please check in at the entrance of the Carriage Barn to pay and receive your hand stamp. Become a Trustees member at the farm on the day of and come for free! Once you’ve paid, stay for an hour or all day! Cash only please. No additional cost for adults. We will do our very best to accommodate everyone, but some activities are first come, first serve.

We have picnic tables, bathrooms, water, and plenty of stroller friendly walking paths for you to enjoy. Parking available the Visitor Center for a shorter walk or at the Farm Store for a longer stroll through our vegetable fields.

Pick #3: Do Something to Honor our Servicemen and Servicewoman 

Most towns have a Memorial Day Parade. Please check each town’s listings and attend at least one.  We always attend the Rockport Memorial Day to show our respect.

 

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

Some of us had fun yesterday solving the mini-mystery of Did Josh Say “Yes” or did he leave his creative promposalist (sounds like it should be a word) hanging in the wind….just like her message on the overpass.

Well, thanks to the power of Facebook, we have an answer.   YES.

Kudos to his prom date for catching all of our attention!  We hope they have lots of laughs and create many lasting memories!

Thanks to Bridgette Matthews for capturing the new bridge message and for forwarding it to me so that we could update you all.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST HERE

Yes or No?  What was Josh’s answer?  And who did the asking?  The suspense is killing me.  Surely the couple will submit a photo of them together at the prom….assuming he did indeed say “yes.”

Just waiting for the tide to come back in.

Pick #1: Motif No. 1 

Saturday May 20th 9:00-5:00

As written on rockportexchange.org

About the festival

The Motif No.1 Day Festival celebrates Rockport across the arts.

M1D honors the fishing shack, artist’s studio, and tourist attraction that started it all: an old building right on one of Rockport’s historic wharves, a building painted so often by artists at the turn of the last century that it was given the nickname Motif No.1.

Featuring film, poetry, dance, music, art-making activities, historical presentations and more, along with the Motif No.1 Day 5k and Fun Run, with proceeds to benefit Rockport Public Schools’ wellness initiatives, M1D is a festival with something for everyone.

Pick #2: Touch-A-Truck Day 

To Benefit the Fishtown Horribles Parade  | Gloucester High School | Sunday, May 21st from 9:00-2:00

 

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