The boys always get a kick out of these fellas on what they refer to as Pirate’s Way in Rockport…keeping an eye on everyone near Front Beach at the Peg Leg Inn and Captain’s Bounty.
Author: Nichole S.
“Today Has Been Really Long”
So, we left Rockport in the wee hours of the morning, waited for some friends at the “Fast Freddy’s” parking lot in Beverly and hit the road. By 5:30 or so we were skirting New York, by 2:30 we were stopping for a quick lunch in southern Virginia, and by 6:45…with only 5 1/2 hours to go to Orlando, but no hotel room available until our check-in time later on today, we decided to call it quits in St. George, South Carolina.
With time to kill, we even did the obligatory drive-by South of the Border long enough to use the restrooms and take one quick photo to prove later to the children that “yes” they’ve been there.
We checked in to a perfectly average Comfort Something-or-other and walked next door to Skynaards Bar and Grill…”where people come to meet and eat.” The kids ran off some steam in the corn hole pit (yes, that’s right…judge if you must) and we ordered some “we’ve-been-on-the-road-forever-and-we-could eat-our-own-arms” type of grub.
With no WiFi and just my iPhone to fire off a blog post, I was more than happy to shoot for sleep at 9:45. The boys were still fighting the Sandman trying to watch hockey highlights as I wrapped up.
Just as I finished and went to go make sure that everything was charging, the door was locked, and the boys weren’t going to fall off the edge of their bed, Finn muttered, “today has been really long.”
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And We’re Off
As I write this, it is 10:00 p.m Thursday night…when it posts, it’ll be 9:00 a.m. Friday morning. By then (which will be now to you), if all goes as planned, we should be out of Massachusetts, through Connecticut, past New York, and hopefully even out of New Jersey. On our way, of course, to Florida.
Sure, flying would be easier…and faster. But, flying a family of four to Orlando over a school vacation week has gotten ridiculously expensive. It would be easy to say that was the only reason we’re driving, but…truth be told…I also kind of enjoy it.
We drove to Florida each and every year when I was a child. While my parents may remember those days differently, I have nothing but fond memories of those trips. Of course, back then, there were no car seats or even seat belts. We built forts out of suitcases in the back of the family station wagon and slept a good part of the way. Of course, back then, there were also no iPads, portable DVD players, or even cell phones. In some ways the trip was probably easier. In lots of ways the trip was much more difficult. No packing of electronics….and chargers for all of those electronics. No GPS….just giant bulky road maps…that no one in the world knows how to fold back up into their original neat package. Pros…cons. Who knows?
Either way, what hasn’t change, is that we’re looking at a whole lot of Forced Family Fun in the car for 24 hours. Typically, my boys are up for an adventure and thrive on the go. Road trips are usually exciting and they are good sports who make the most of it. I am not naive enough to think that will necessarily be the case this time, but one can hope.
Wish us luck. We’ll keep you posted (because nowadays…unlike back then…blogging is a thing and I can). With love, from somewhere on 95 South, en route to the Sunshine State.
#makingmemories (there were also no hashtags back then)
😉
(or emojis) How did we ever get by?
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Nichole’s Picks 4/16 + 4/17
Pick #1 Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library book launch: The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin
http://www.sawyerfreelibrary.org/
Pick #2: Catch a Ride on the Swan Boats
It is opening weekend for the swan boats! In my humble opinion, a ride on the swan boats and a walk through the Public Gardens never gets old.
Pick #3: Patriots’ Day in Lexington
Lexington has so many historic, fun, and educational activities going on all weekend, but especially on Patriots’ Day!
As always, for a more comprehensive list of family activities, please visit our friends at North Shore Kid
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Music to My Ears
The boys, dogs, and I took a walk on Cape Hedge Beach on Saturday morning. It certainly wasn’t warm…nor was it bright and sunny….but the sound of the waves was wonderful nonetheless. Here’s a little video if you aren’t close enough to hear it yourself.
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Getting our Culture On
We took a trip the Museum of Fine Arts the other day. Other than not having nearly enough time to see it all, we had a fantastic afternoon.
If you haven’t been in a while, you should totally plan a trip. An added bonus is that kids 6 and under are always free and children 7-17 are free during all non-school hours (weekdays after 3:00, weekends, and holidays).
Here is a tiny sample of what we saw…..which was only 1/4 of the what the amazing collection has to offer. And, yes, if you look the through the photos you will indeed see my younger son giggling uncontrollably at some of the nude paintings and sculptures. You can take the boy out of the hockey rink, but you can’t take the hockey rink out of the boy.
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Giddy Up, it’s Opening Day.
Opening Day. 2016.
Spring is in the air (kind of). The boys are back in town. And Fenway Park is officially open for business. Baseball season makes me kind of giddy and, as another Opening Day is upon us, I felt the need to take a walk down my own little Memory Lane last night.
I’ve clocked some serious hours inside the hallowed walls of Fenway Park….here are some of my favorite memories and photos. Some during important events with sold out crowds, some when the ballpark was completely empty, some victorious, some solemn, some firsts, some lasts, some celebrations, some good-byes, some iconic, and some quirky. All a part of why Fenway Park in undoubtedly one of my favorite places on Earth.
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Happy Place
One of my favorite summer happy places…although I have many. Cape Hedge Beach. Pretty blessed to have so many fantastic places calling my name as the warm weather approaches.
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Top Dog for Lunch or Dinner?
Tomorrow is the day. Top Dog is opening. Plan accordingly. You are welcome.
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Nichole’s Picks 4/9 + 4/10
Pick #1: Kite Day at Cogswell’s Grant, Essex
Saturday, April 9, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (rain date Sunday, April 10)
Cogswell’s Grant, 60 Spring Street, Essex, Mass.
Come fly a kite at Cogswell’s Grant. Bring your own kite or build one with us, and watch professional flyers from Kites Over New England.
Archie Stewart of Kite Education leads an optional workshop with all materials included, where kids and adults can make their own kites and learn how to fly them.
Free for flyers and spectators
$10 for kite-making workshop
Please call 978-768-3632 for more information.
Pick #2: Rye Airfield Skate and Bike Park
Ever since my boys designed and helped to build their own skate boards, I’ve been dying to get them up here. On my own spring bucket list for sure.
Pick #3: It’s That Time of Year!
Take a Tour of Fenway Park
Read about the tours and book one HERE
As always, for a more comprehensive list of family activities, please visit our friends at North Shore Kid
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37 Days Left to Apply for This Fun!
Red Bull Flugtag, meaning “Flying Day” in German is coming to Boston.
Even if you’re not brave (or crazy) enough to apply….I think being a spectator for this spirited mayhem would be a blast!
Mark Your Calendars now!
Applications and “craft designs” are due by May 13th.
The Red Bull Flugtag event will be held on August 20th at the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell.
Red Bull Flugtag is back in 2016 and is once again challenging wannabe pilots to push the limits of human flight. Since 1991, Red Bull Flugtag (which translates to “Flying Day” in German) has made stops around the world challenging competitors to build and pilot homemade human powered flying machines. For the first time ever, the brave and brainy teams of five will take a flying leap off a 28-foot-high flight deck into the water below in both Boston, Massachusetts and Louisville, Kentucky.
Applications are now being accepted for both locations and carpenters, athletes, designers, engineers, entertainers, and everyone in-between can turn their dreams of flight into reality. Five-Member teams of aspiring aviators and courageous craftsmen can apply for a chance to compete by submitting flying-machine plans to http://www.RedBullFlugtag.com. The deadline to submit craft designs is May 13.
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Schrafft’s Candy
The fact alone that there exists some candy company lineage in their DNA explains my children’s sweet tooths (sweet teeth does not sound right at all). Give me ice cream or chocolate any day, but sugary candy, cupcakes, cake, what have you…does nothing for me. My boys, while great eaters and connoisseurs of some pretty sophisticated meal choices, LOVE their sweets.
Yesterday I did a post about a post card of the little beach at the end of our street. I stumbled upon it on eBay. Having found that….I explored a bit…and also found this kind of funny and quirky advertisement for Schrafft’s Candy. Some day I’ll get around to framing it for the boys’ bedroom.
“Just as you do tire, eat a few pieces of Schrafft’s candy. Notice how quickly your energy comes back. Schrafft’s candy is one of nature’s shortest cuts to stimulation through food. For your health’s sake keep a box handy when you work or play.”
Who would have thought?
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Post Card of My ‘Hood
I do a lot of shopping on eBay. Meaning that, while I don’t really shop a lot, when I do, it is often on eBay. I stumbled upon a great “vintage” post card of Old Garden Beach and ordered it…thinking that it’d be fun to frame it next to one of my own photos of the quaint little beach at the end of our street. My boys clocked some serious hours at OGB until this past summer when the lure of the bigger beaches came calling. I loved the idea of owning a little freeze-framed moment of how the beach looked years ago…with different little families dotting the sand years before mine came along. Warm fuzzies.
So, the post card has been tucked into a glass cabinet in our living room since arriving in the mail and it wasn’t until yesterday that I really looked at it. Now I’m trying to find out just how “vintage” it is. The people are actually kind of hard to see….and while they look like decades gone by….and while the post card itself is black and white…the houses along the beach wall and street up above don’t look much different than they do today.
The back of the post card simply says, “Published by Rockport Photo Bureau” and “Post Cards of Quality: The Albertype Company, Brooklyn N.Y.
I’ll have to do some research.
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And So it Goes.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post asking for suggestions about how to…or even whether or not to….surprise Thatcher and Finn with the trip we are taking to Florida in April.
You can read that post HERE if you’d like
To summarize, I had planned a “Disney Reveal” three and a half years ago and it was an epic failure. Thatcher had just turned five and Finn had just turned three. They had been asking to go and, of course, I thought they’d be over the moon. Don’t get me wrong…they got excited…just not while I was trying to capture the magic on film.
So, flash forward to Easter Sunday this year. I figured I would surprise them with the trip during an Easter Egg hunt. I wrote a little poem, I numbered some eggs 1-18, hid them inside the house (so as not to get confused with the Easter Bunny’s outside eggs), had them line the eggs up in order, open them up to reveal letters, and read the secret message. It was pretty fun… if I do say so myself. And, this time, their reaction was….well, no better than last time, actually. There was a brief moment, when Finn had figured it out, that I thought there may be some celebration dance of sorts….but, he squelched any kind of enthusiasm that was about to break free. Sigh.
While I know they’re actually excited to bust out of dodge for a bit, head to the sunshine, go on some excellent rides, and hang by the pool….clearly my boys do not enjoy the act of being surprised.
Live and finally learn.
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Nichole’s Picks 4/2 + 4/3
With this in-between-seasons weather, if you’re lucky you can get outside and enjoy a nice hike or some time at one of the Trustees of the Reservation or Mass Audubon properties. Likewise, a good old bike ride is perfect if the sun stays out. If you’re looking for a good day trip that isn’t weather dependent….here are 3 options for this weekend. Pricier than most of my “Picks” usually are, but timely in that they’re not always available as options.
Pick #1: 2016 ISU World Figure Skating Championships!
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION AND TICKETS
In 2016, the eyes of the world turn to Boston as 200 of its greatest figure skaters come to TD Garden to compete for the prized title of world champion. The ISU World Figure Skating Championships®, the world’s most important annual skating competition, is coming to Boston for the first time in its 130-year history. This is the event no sports fan will want to miss!
Pick #2: The Big Apple Circus
Boston’s City Hall Plaza
THE GRAND TOUR is a circus extravaganza set in the 1920s and featuring acts from the four corners of the globe. Ships, trains, automobiles, and airplanes will serve as the backdrop for breathtaking acts of wonder, accompanied by the seven-piece Big Apple Circus Band playing live at each of more than 100 performances. Acts will include clowns, jugglers, acrobats, and aerialists, from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America, as well as domestic and rescue animals, all creating performances that will leave audiences smiling and cheering. The show runs 1 hour and 50 minutes including a 20-minute intermission.
CLICK HERE FOR MUCH MORE INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Here is a LINK to a LIVING SOCIAL COUPON for this event. Be sure to take advantage!
Pick #3: Watson Adventures: The Wizard School Scavenger Hunt
Harry Potter meets Museum of Fine Arts…..pretty cool!
CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT IT
Follow in the footsteps of young wizards
…on a field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, in search of art that echoes characters, places, and enchanted objects in the famed Harry Potter books and movies. Be prepared to track down flying owls, Hagrid-like giants, centaurs and unicorns like those you’d see in the Forbidden Forest, dragons that seem straight out of the Triwizard Tournament, and eerie figures as scary as any Death Eater or Dementor.
Wizards and muggles alike can play and enjoy this hunt. The hunt is not an addition to or variation on Harry’s adventures, but instead references to the books will provide a surprising bridge to many strange and wonderful works of art. It’s a great way to discover—or rediscover—the museum.
This hunt is designed for kids and adults to do together, but all-adult teams will be allowed to compete separately. Kids must be accompanied by an adult. Recommended for ages 10 and up. Click on the button below to see the hunt schedule and get in the game!
As always, for a more comprehensive list of family activities, visit our friends at North Shore Kid
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Have You Been to the Barrel House?
So good.
The Barrel House is on Cabot Street in Beverly…and totally worth the trip. I’ve been a couple of times, but keep forgetting to write about it. But, after having gone back last Friday afternoon, there was no way I was going to forget again.
First of all, the ambience is my kind of perfect. Dark, lots of brick, leather, an amazing tin ceiling, reclaimed wood…all gorgeous.
Secondly, any place that serves oysters and Almond Butter Brie Fondue is right in my world.
Third, the bar can’t be beat and my Moscow Mule was super yummy.
We had some oysters, the Mac & Cheese (smoked gouda, fontina, pecorino, herbed panko crust), the Brie Fondue, and….because why not….the Fried Dough Wrapped “Twinky” ….complete with chocolate hazelnut sauce and ice cream.
CHECK OUT THE BARREL HOUSE HERE
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Flowers in a Pinch
While I’m not proud of waiting until near to the last minute….it was only because I knew that I could score some really nice, fresh flowers on Easter morning by stopping at Shaw’s.
There are absolutely some local florists that I love and when looking for something really special I always head to one of them. That having been said, when looking for a simple bouquet, I always have great luck at Shaw’s. I really do.
So, on Easter morning…actually like 12:00/noon time….I stopped by, selected three different bunches of flowers, and asked the really nice young girl working the flower counter to make two arrangements by combining them.
It took all of five minutes and, if you ask me, they were perfect. To quote her, the little bouquets were “simple and sophisticated.” And, they were. When packaged in classic brown paper and a simple little ribbon they were totally charming.
Total cost for both: $24. I left totally wishing I had made a 3rd so I could bring one home to my own house….but, then realized the puppy would have eaten it anyway.
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And the Winner Is…..
If you take one large water jug filled with money, sort it into quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies, and bills….carry the heavy buckets one at a time to the change machine at the bank, find out your car is dead in the parking lot after one of the trips, help the mechanic at the gas station right next door push it into their lot, leave it overnight, pay $413 to pick it up, tally up the receipts, sort through the couple of hundred guesses made as to the total in the jug, and find a winner….you have a Monday morning blog post. You also have some cash to reward the winner, give a little bit to charity, and help take your kids to Florida/Disney World one more time before they’re too old.
So, here’s how it went down.
$62 in one dollar bills, one $10 roll of quarters, $1228.16 in loose quarters…with 3 rogue nickels and one penny snuck in (I counted by hand once because I was dying of curiosity and wasn’t that far off), $377.56 in nickels and dimes, and $86.00 in pennies.
Grand Total = $1763.72
And…all I can say is THANK HEAVEN for Beverly!!! Because, without her guess of $1,765.23, our very own GMG Contributor, Paul Morrison, would have been closest with his guess of $1,785.73 and it would have looked INCREDIBLY fishy since he already stated that he would “use the fifty bucks to purchase sirloin steaks for the GMG Spring Mug Up at Joey’s grill.” 🙂
So, the winner is Beverly. She made her guess, only a mere $1.51 off from the actual total, on March 22nd at 7:33 pm.
I need her to comment to this post….I think using the same computer or device she used to make her original guess…so I can tell it is the same person. (Super official, I know). When commenting, please let me know which charity you would like your $50 check written to. And I will happily give you your own $50 as well. We can coordinate how to go about that when you comment. Congratulations!
Thanks to everyone for playing!
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Get Crackin’…Egg Hunt Throw Back
Happy, Happy Easter!
I know that I have totally used these photos in another post here on GMG, but they are my all-time favorite Easter photos ever. This kid kills me. Finn turned the lovely and charming Rockport Egg Hunt into some crazy rugby inspired grudge match. When the leader of the egg hunt said, “Ready, set, go” he took off all Ninja Warrior from one end of the field, clear down to the other, and back again. He slowed down long enough to grab just one little egg. I have absolutely no idea what was going through his head, but I laugh and laugh every time I see these pics.
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Still Counting that Darn Jug…
Wow! There were A LOT of guesses in regards to just how much $$ is in our big water jug at home.
I printed out all of the guesses from both our GMG page and the Facebook page on Wednesday after the “deadline.” There were almost exactly 200 guesses in all.
So far we’ve emptied the jug and sorted the coins into buckets of quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies, and a pile of bills.
I’ve completely abandoned the idea of actually rolling the coins because it took hours alone to simply just sort them. The boys were a huge help and had a lot of fun. From here, we’ll take the 4 buckets to the change machine at the two banks we use in town. Watch out, Cape Ann Savings Bank in Rockport and TD Bank at Harbor Loop!
So, here’s what I know so far…. there were $62 in one dollar bills and a total of $1,246 in quarters (that’s 4,984 quarters in all).
That makes the total so far $1,308.00…..before adding the dimes, nickels, and pennies. So, if your guess was less than that…or super close to it, you weren’t right. Sorry.
If you’re still in the running, start thinking about the charity of your choice. Stay tuned for the final tally. Probably Monday morning’s 9:00 post.
Good Morning Gloucester 