Well, I'm back from my trip to Massachusetts so I thought I'd post a few photos of my favourite place on earth:

Naturally we start with Motif # 1

A view of the Point off Bearskin Neck

Looking back into Rockport from the Point

The Old Stone Fort on Bearskin Neck - looking quite a bit refurbished since the last time I was here

A couple views of the shops on Bearskin Neck

Looking back into town from Bearskin Neck avec shops

The beautiful 200 year old Tuck's Inn where we stayed - my room is the top window - Room # 2 otherwise known as the Peach Room - obviously named after me cuz I'm such a

Tuna Wharf avec Motif # 1 and boatsies

The stone gazebo off Front Beach

The view off the far end of Front Beach

Another view looking back into town with the church steeple

IDLE HANDS BEGET THE DEVIL'S WORK. And they also cause one to post a totally random gallery of pictures. These are just some photos that I have saved to my computer for one reason or another. They just interest me. And since I have nothing BETTER to do at work, here are some of them with brief little comments. . . and in the process, I may reveal some little known quirks about myself as well. Brace yourselves!

The best Halloween postcards were by the Tuck's company in the late 1800's-early 1900's. Yes, I own quite a few of them. No, they're not reproductions. My favourite is the one that writes on the back that they hope the recipient has finally gotten over "The Grip"!

I have no idea what these are or inside what they are free but I definitely want me some of them Crater Creatures from Outer Space!

This is the cover to the original menu from Don The Beachcomber's Tiki Lounge. Don pretty much single-handedly created the "Tiki Lounge" movement in the 40's-50's. I'm quite fond of the Tiki Lounge thing. I do not own this menu. I would like to rectify that in the future.

Everyone dies. Unfortunately for them, superheroes tend to die A LOT! Here are a few covers (hopefully you can click on it and make the picture larger but since blogger randomly has that happen OR not happen, i guess it's a crap shoot). Of course, the BEST part about this is that pretty much everyone you see dead on those comic book covers isn't really dead at all. Another good thing about being a superhero.

Forget all the other candidates! THIS is the man I'M voting for!

I don't know who drew it. I don't know where it's from. Or when. But I like it. It's got ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties in it!

Just wanted to reiterate that Jean Arthur is superb! Phenomenal actress. Fair dinkum hot. And that VOICE!

Lakshmi is the goddess who unconditionally helps you out REGARDLESS OF YOUR KARMA!!!! Non-judgmental, all benevolent and totally cool. I'm down with Lakshmi!

One of my favourite comic book series from the 70's (or anytime, actually) was THE OCCULT FILES OF DR. SPEKTOR. Occult investigator (who sometimes turns into a werewolf) and his lover/Dr. Watson Lakota Rainflower battle everything from vampires to Lovecraftian Old Gods. Endlessly interesting story by creator Donald F. Glut and lushly idiosyncratic artwork by Jesse Santos.

A photo from my favourite place on Earth. You knew it was comin', dintcha?

I'm quite a fan of 50's magazine ads. Here's some.

And yeah, I am STILL wishing I had taken up the ukulele.

Well, there you have it. That was fun. At least for me, that is.

JOHNNY: "I'VE NEVER FELT THIS WAY BEFORE."

HELEN:"OF COURSE NOT. YOU'RE TWENTY."

After all that folderol about Rockport (and environs). . .for those of you who'd like to get a good gander up on the silver screen (or hi def plasma TV if you're so blessed) there's always the 1999 movie "THE LOVE LETTER". I like this movie a lot mainly because almost every scene is shot at a place I recognize in Rockport, Gloucester and Manchester-by-the-sea. In fact, I was actually up there when they were filming some of it. While driving through Manchester-by-the-sea one day, a road was blocked off due to filming. Also there's a little breakfast bistro in Rockport down by the Peg Leg Inn which Tom Selleck favoured every day; they've got his picture hanging up in it. . .or at least they did the last time I was in it. I didn't go this trip.

And speaking of Tom Selleck (which is something I NORMALLY never do), "THE LOVE LETTER" actually features a nice little cast including Kate Capshaw as the "older" woman who has been celibate for much too long. Also running around the screen are Tom Everett Scott, Ellen DeGeneres, Blythe Danner, Gloria Stuart, Julianne Nicholson, and Geraldine McEwan.

The mysterious appearance of an old love letter sends almost the entire town into a tizzy. Luckily, the movie isn't soppy at all and has quite a nice sense of humour. The script, in fact, is quite witty at times. It's filled with quirky, oddball characters in a comedy of misunderstandings and complex relationships which hold one's interest throughout. Everyone in the town seems to have SOMETHING that provides a roadblock to their happiness and love life; and the anonymous love letter which is passed around from hand to hand seems to provide the battering ram to smash these obstacles down. And YES, we do actually find out the original writer of the love letter by the final reel. And the story behind the letter.

So, while the background location is a HUGE draw for those of us who have been to Rockport, Gloucester and Manchester-by-the-sea, the film itself is still worthwhile viewing for everyone else.

A RETURN TO ROCKPORT TRAVELOGUE PART TWO.

Rockport Sunday dawned a lot cooler than the horrendously hot & humid temperatures of the day before. It was wonderful; overcast but no rain and nicely cool cool COOL! Naturally, we headed down to Bearskin Neck, cruised the shops and had a cuppa clam chowdah. We actually had more of a goal than just walking; a friend of the family was contemplating the renting of a little apartment above one of the shops on Bearskin Neck and we were meeting her there to take a look at the place. It's a little apartment but way cool with a metal spiral staircase leading up to a loft and a balcony which looks out on not one but TWO ocean views! That's right. Since the place is on the Neck, there is ocean to the left and ocean to the right. Pretty snazzy. She said she wants the place and, after her references are checked, she should have the place by October 1st.

We proceeded to have lunch at a place called The Greenery and let me tell you that it's the worst meal we've EVER had in all the years we've been coming to Massachusetts. All we got were clam chowders and onion rings; the chowder looked literally like someone opened a can of clams, added some (grey) diced potatoes and poured 2% milk over it, heated it and served it to us. As for the onion rings -- they appeared to be beer-battered (which I love) but didn't TASTE like it -- they tasted funky and the oil could LITERALLY be wrung out of them. We know. We did. 3 bowls of chowder, 2 orders of onion rings and one side of fries: over $33. Offensive! But at least they had a guy singing and playing guitar who was very good; acoustic versions of Paul Simon's "Hearts and Bones" and (believe it or not) "Midnight Train to Georgia". Maybe the establishment was having an off day food wise or maybe we should have stuck to the breakfasts (which everyone around us appeared to be having even though it was past 1pm). Who knows.

The lowering grey sky seemed appropriate for a trip to Gloucester; setting of "The Perfect Storm". Oddly enough, I has visited Massachusetts (and Gloucester) in September 1991 -- only a month or so before the huge hurricane or "perfect storm" hit Gloucester. When we enter Gloucester, we always drive right past The Crow's Nest bar which was featured so prominently in the film (of course, the interior was a set in the movie but. . .) and today's trip was no different. I've never been inside the bar but always drive by The Crow's Nest on every visit to Gloucester. That and the well-known statue facing out to sea which commemorates all those who go down to the sea in ships. This time, however, we didn't stop in Gloucester (even though I'm dying to pick up one of those Cape Pond Ice Company shirts which the crew of the Andrea Gale wore in the film). We had another Gloucester destination in mind: a medieval stone castle right on the shores of Gloucester Harbour.

Hammond Castle was built by John Hays Hammond Jr. in 1926 as a wedding present for his wife. It is filled with medieval, Renaissance and other artifacts from Hammond's collection including a stone bishop's chair, tapestries, paintings, sculptures, suits of armour and Hammond's favourite of ALL his collection: a skull reputed to belong to one of Columbus' crew. It's magnificent and Hammond's wife didn't want to live there. Typical. Hammond is the holder of over 800 patents and worked on projects from radio-controlled torpedoes and boats to early television, radio and stereo equipment. You can tour the castle on your own (without a tour guide) which is nice but I must warn you that it's very tricky to actually get there when the castle is open. After Labor Day, the castle's hours are only Saturday and Sunday 10am - 4 pm. But it's definitely worth the effort. And don't forget to check out the drawbridge.

After Hammond Castle, we decided to give Salem another go now that the record heat and humidity were gone. So, we popped over on our broomsticks and toddled along the shops. In the Trolley Shop, I bought myself a nice little black Salem hoodie which you will probably see me wearing when the weather gets a little chillier around here. But it was getting late and time to think about dinner.

It was then off to Essex where we ate at Lewis'. In the past, Lewis' usually had a day's special of pasta with fresh mussels but not this time. So, I ordered a variation of what I had at The Village Inn Saturday night; only this time the shrimp, scallops and haddock was baked in the oven a la Athenian (a garlic butter with oregano and feta cheese crumbled on top). I took a gamble ordering this but was most pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was; particularly the shrimp which worked extremely well with the garlic butter, oregano and feta flavouring. I'm gonna have to whip up some shrimp this way at home sometime. But now it was well past dark and we headed back toward Rockport.

Sunday night in Rockport is when they roll up the sidewalks. All the weekend tourists have left and one can walk along the closed shops with only a few other people in sight. I went out once again and stood on the end of Bearskin Neck where the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks filled the darkness and the cool ocean breezes whipped past me. Well, tomorrow morning it'll be time to take my leave so it was off to bed.

Monday morning dawned cool and sunny. Before starting off on the long drive home, I walked down once again past all the shops and out onto the Neck. A few shops were open so I peeked in and managed to buy myself a blue Rockport jacket (which you will ALSO probably see me wearing in a month or two). But then it was finally time to say goodbye to Rockport with all it's idyllic memories and head for home. I can't think of anything I'd least like to do. But at least I can hold on to the promise of the next trip when, after the long long drive I will once again step out of the car onto the quiet Rockport roads and say, "I'm back, Rockport. And I sure missed you."

PAHK THE CAH: RETURN TO ROCKPORT TRAVELOGUE. Well, I'm back. And I thought I'd do a little travelogue for those poor schmucks who didn't get to go to Massachusetts with me.

Well, got up bright and early Friday morning to take that 6 - 6 1/2 hour drive to Massachusetts. Luckily, this trip I had along my 80 gig ipod so the tunes were never-ending (and never-REPEATING). Counting the skipped songs, the ride took about 600 songs to get there. We stayed in a renovated carriage house in Rockport and had the top floor to ourselves. Of course, the very first thing we did upon arrival was to take a walk down the Neck and say hello to Rockport. Rockport, of course, is right on the sea and has multitudes of artists as well as shops. Following down the shop-lined main street takes one to the historic Bear Skin Neck; which goes all the way out to a land's end jetty of rocks surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on three sides. The many, many shops were open but we walked by because we were starving and it was time to drive to Ipswich for The Clam Box!

The Clam Box was featured several years ago on The Food Network and I gotta tell ya. . .the only time I'll eat fried clams is there. That's because, instead of the rubber bands they call fried clams around these parts, The Clam Box serves tender and delicious fried clams -- and a lot of them! And. . .well dammit. . .the building LOOKS like a clam box!!! We get the Mini Meal which is PLENTY for one person. You get a pile of fried clams and your choice of fries, onion rings or cole slaw. I went for the onion rings and I was in greasy heaven!

The next day we went BACK to The Clam Box again for lunch! Then it was off to Salem: The Witch City. Never-you-mind that the actual Salem Witch Trials happened in nearby Danvers and NOT in present day Salem (Danvers used to be called Salem Town); Salem, Massachusetts is Witchy Central with tons of Witch shops, the Salem Witch Museum, etc. etc. It's also filled with tons of shops as well as the historic Custom House (wherein Nathaniel Hawthorne worked and supposedly found The Scarlet Letter in a trunk in the attic) as well as The House of Seven Gables and Hawthorne's Birth House (which was moved from it's original spot to a place next to the Seven Gables). One can take a guided tour through the House of Seven Gables but, since we had done so several times before, we didn't this trip. It was to the shops for us; including Pyramid Books and the shop of Laurie Cabot: The Official Witch of Salem located on Pickering Wharf. Salem Harbour also boasts the restored clipper ship USS Friendship. However, I didn't buy anything this day because it was a record-breaking 95 degrees with 88% humidity; the baking sun and oppressive heat caused us to cut our Salem sojourn short. That evening, it was to Essex and The Village Inn for dinner where I had a delicious Atlantic Trio of Scallops, Shrimp and Haddock baked in the oven with a bread crumb topping and garlic butter sauce. Oh yeah! By that time, it had begun to rain and severe thunderstorm warnings were posting. Now, do you see that big atrium area in the middle? Well, while we were waiting in there to be seated, a bolt of lightning struck the church RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET! The loud crash was tremendous; it was the closest I've ever been to a lightning strike! I don't know whether the church had a lightning rod or not but it didn't burn down. But the fire engines passed the time until we were seated for dinner!

Of course, no night in Rockport would be complete without a stroll or two all along the main street out to Bear Skin Neck. While the shops are (mostly) closed, the night is still one of my favourite times in Rockport; the crowds are gone and only a few stragglers remain. That's when I can walk along the shopfronts and breathe in the sea air and atmosphere of Rockport. As I pass along the shop fronts, lights illuminating the darkness, I can actually relax. . .and that's something I'm usually unable to do. There's Sundays, my father's favourite Rockport ice cream emporium, where earlier that day I had a Butter Crunch cone. It's still open for those few of us ambling by. There's the Bean and Leaf Coffee Shop. And Helmut's Strudel: the best Strudel on the Neck. Of course, I think it's the ONLY strudel place in Rockport but why quibble. And in the middle of the fork in the road is the familiar red building containing The Pewter Shop. And maybe I'll turn right and talk a walk down to the pier past the Chowder House where the boats are tied up for the night -- and Motif #1, the most famous building in Rockport, can be seen across the way.

After the heat of the day, the wind off the sea is cool as I make my way to the end of Bearskin Neck to land's end. I stand right on the end where the rocks begin and listen to the waves in the darkness. It's the most calming place I've ever been. But enough communing with Rockport. . .tomorrow's Sunday. . .a Rockport Sunday. . .just like the Tom Rush song. . .and the heat is supposed to break tomorrow. So it's on back along Bear Skin Neck the way I came, up to Main Street past Tuck's Candy Factory and Toad Hall Books, left past the old church and back up to my room in the carriage house where I'll read about lighthouses and shipwrecks and legends of Cape Ann until I drift off to sleep.

Part two of the travelogue to follow. . .including another trip back to Salem, more seafood (!), a trip through Gloucester, the amazing Hammond Castle, the worst meal we've EVER had in New England, a friend who's actually renting a place on Bearskin Neck (!!) and a final farewell to Rockport coming up!

WELL, I'M OFF. That's right, after eight years I'm finally hauling my ass back to Rockport. And for those of you who didn't know, Rockport is my favourite place on the planet and I wish I would never have to come back from it. But alas, I will. I suppose. But meanwhile, here are some views.