Bean and Leaf Cafe' in Rockport

In case you've forgotten where Rockport, MA is, here's the map.

We're right up there in the right hand corner of Cape Ann. See it there in red? My husband likes to tease me because I still prefer maps. Now I love technology, I really do, but how am I supposed to look at all of Cape Ann on a 4"x4" GPS screen I ask?

Walking up Bear Neck there was almost nothing open. It was a virtual ghost town. Cold, windy, and quiet. Plenty of parking though! A tourists dream! The Bean & Leaf was about the only game in town so we popped in and had some lunch.

Cute place, but tiny. Very tiny. We waited for a seat while the girl made our latte's.

Elise chose an iced mocha latte and found it quite delicious! This was her first experience with Sugar in the Raw. She thought it was a little freaky looking at first but it passed with flying colors.

Me, I was more intent on warmth so a hot mocha latte it was. Delish! We split a turkey wrap along with a small bag of Cape Cod chips. Cape Cod chips on Cape Ann .... hmmmm.

This was the view from our table.

Nice.

I really wanted to go photograph that big, tall, cool tree behind the red house but by this point I was chilled to the bone and wasn't up for it, plus we still had more stops to make. It's a must for our Spring trip back to the Cape.




Great water views from our table. Check out that Merganser over there!

There's probably about 5-6 tables to chose from and they pretty much all have the same wonderful view.

My only issue would be that someone needs to clean the outside of the glass. It was covered in dirty streaks so I was surprised I captured the shots I did. Certainly in the Spring a squeegee is in order to clear things up. After all, the view is where it's at.


That and a latte ; )

Rockport Gull

Sitting on lobster pots right in front of Motif #1, this Gull was pretty relaxed and not shy about being the center of my attention







Yes, a lovely Gull in Rockport.


In my next post we'll get a look at some Gloucester Gull's. Brace yourself!

A little more Rockport

And so we continue in Rockport.

These photo's go in progression starting from where Motif #1 is located and continuing as we walked up through town and along Bearskin Neck. This is also just a very small sampling of the town of Rockport which is chock full of shops, art galleries, and food.


The Sandy Bay Yacht Club sits overlooking Motif #1



On this particular day it was empty. The rockers looked very inviting though. They made me want to sit and rock a while. No membership, no rocking.


One thing I loved about Rockport were the flowers, they were everywhere! This town knows how to garden!

An outstanding view looking through the window from The Greenery, a restaurant where we had lunch. Great view, great food, poor service, poor upkeep. Sorry Greenery, doubt I'll be back.





Kind of wish we had eaten at Roy's instead. Maybe next time.

The Ice Cream Store was an adorable little shop, but it was closed.



Kayak rental. What color suits you?



Smack dab in the middle of all the shops sits this private residence, and their cat


Side view of Motif #1 as we walked up Bearskin Neck. I really wanted to walk out there but didn't want to ruin anyone's shot.









I know nothing about this building and couldn't find any information on it. If anyone knows how old it is, or what it was, please let me know. It's obviously been there quite a long time.

When we reached the end of Bearskin Neck there were several benches to sit on and gaze out to sea. The placque on this particular bench had special meaning.



From Bearskin Neck looking back towards town and a small red sliver of Motif #1



Panning around we see the jetty that keeps the inner harbor waters still

Straightmouth Island Lighthouse, lobster boats, a cruise ship ... yup, it's Cape Ann and I can't wait to go back!

Motif #1, Rockport MA

It's not to often my husband and I get a weekday off together without prior commitments but this past Tuesday we finally succeeded. Rockport, MA was our destination.

Being that I had never been to Rockport I knew there was one thing I had to see first, the 'old' fishing shack: Motif #1. Once you arrive it doesn't take long to find it either. Standing on the main street in town, Mt. Pleasant Street, this is the view looking down T Wharf:

The town has done all it can to keep the view unobstructed from overhead wires. They know Motif #1 is their goldmine to help keep tourists coming back again and again.


And there it is, photographed, painted, and sketched a million times over. My images aren't great ... the sky was mildly overcast, reflections are poor, and as usual I didn't have a lot of time to work with, but I did what I could with what I had.


This gull was honking up a storm with some other gull in the harbor. I don't know what he's complaining about, after all he lives in Rockport!


After 80+ years the original Motif #1 was destroyed during the Blizzard of '78 (photo) and rebuilt in '79. I'm not fond of the newness but whatcha gonna do. It's still very attractive.

Those of you who are native New Englander's will surely remember the blizzard. I was 14 at the time and still remember driving along the coast of NH and seeing terrible devastation to ocean front homes.


Another artist doing his thing. This photo also looks back towards the main part of town where I took the first photo.


Looking over the inner harbor with the Motif just to the left.

I'll have a little more Rockport in my next post.

Milk Island and the Twin Lighthouses

Milk Island is a very small island located just off shore from the Twin Lighthouses in Gloucester, MA. It is completely owned by birds!


So much so that I have to snicker every time I see the pictures. You see, I didn't know the name of this small island so I called upon my friend Jay from Cape Ann Images. Jay was raised in Gloucester so he really knows his stuff! Anyway, when I asked him the name of the island this is what he told me (and I hope he doesn't mind me repeating it):

Hi Sharon,
Milk Island! But I have not seen one cow on it!
I landed there years ago and was attacked by gulls. I mean viciously attacked! It’s a prime nesting spot and they defend their nests like you wouldn’t believe!
Jay

LOLOL! I can just imagine what that must have been like! Oh I tell you it makes me laugh even now. He went on to say:

I used to tell anyone interested in visiting Milk Island to expect Iwo Jima! When I went there I happened to have a Red Sox batting helmet in my boat that saved my skull! The gulls would dive and hit you in the head with their beaks! Now that you brought it up I can still hear the ringing!
Jay

Consider yourself warned!


Obviously we are keeping our distance ; )

The ship you see in the background is the fishing vessel Challenger coming in to port.



Peeking up over the rocks is just one of the twin lighthouses



That's a LOT of Gulls and Cormorants!



And then there were two


After doing a little research I learned the keepers dwellings were built around 1861, the same time as the twin lighthouses were re-built. The buildings were originally white with red roofs, traditional keeper-house colors, but when they were renovated in 2002 the colors were changed over to a mostly grey exterior.

Hope you enjoyed a trip back to Gloucester, MA. We'll be headed back real soon!

(Actually I was just there today!)