I don't really have a summer vacation, but did take some day trips. The one below is an excursion to Cape Ann that appeared on Page 26 in the July issue of the Sturbridge Times Magazine.
The pictures were taken by Edith Jacobs who was also our guide.
The pictures were taken by Edith Jacobs who was also our guide.
A day away at the other Cape, to Rockport on Cape Ann
Upon arriving in Rockport, the salt sea air refreshingly lets you know, you are not in Central Massachusetts. The Bay State’s other Cape, Cape Ann, isn’t as large as the one named after a fish. The beaches are not as wide. Charming it is though, more so, maybe due to the smaller area. To get from one end to the other does not require a major highway.
The most well known part of Rock- port is Bearskin neck. It is a haven of artists and galleries. This is understand- able, as the view of the harbor scene from the back of most shops would make any artist want to set up an easel. There is the famous Motif #1, a red fishing shack with colorful buoys hanging on the side. It is the most painted subject in the US.
Bearskin neck has more than the visual arts. Look out into the sea, there are a lot of buoys like those on motif #1. They mark submerged lobster pots. On the neck is Roy Moore Lobster Co., in business since 1918. There are worse breakfasts than lobster with drawn butter.
On the walk back from the neck, our guide led us down small side streets that leave the tourist behind, such as Doyle’s Cove Road and Old Harbor Road. She showed us moorings for all kinds of small boats at the town owned wharf. Don’t expect to bring your yacht up here tomorrow and claim one. A town native friend had to wait 24 years for a parking spot for his lobster boat.
As we walked back through town, we passed the Shalin Liu Performance Center on Main Street. It is an edifice that is out of place yet fits in. It is out of place because it is new construction in a town of old structures. It fits in because it ap- pears to be in harmony with the other buildings. The acoustics are marvelous, but that would be so in most halls built to such a purpose. This hall has a huge window fronting on a lovely view of the harbor.
There is in Rockport, for some, well, or many, an obsession to create beautiful spaces. There are gardens in public places and in private yards. Every year, the garden club holds a tour where the public can see exquisite plots that have been lovingly pre- pared. This year it will be held in early July
Corinne Waring lives on the shore and has one of the gardens featured in a past tour. Horticulture by the sea poses its own challenges. A recent storm had killed part of a tree with the salt spray. There are ad- vantages such as access to abundant seaweed that is as good a fertilizer as any commercial product. Corinne drags it from the shore and makes beautiful flowers.
Our next destination would be Halibut Point State Park. Despite the name, fish had nothing to do with it. Halibut Point is a corruption of Haul About Point where ships would tack to round Cape Ann. The first part of our walk was through a narrow path bordered by thick brush. It had the flavor of a maze that one could be lost in forever.
It was not to be. We would emerge into an area of large rocks down to the sea. Amongst them were numerous tidal pools. It took a bit of agility to jump from rock to rock, but not Olympic level. A boat that crashed aground here would break up in an instant. Looking up from the beach was an enormous pile of rock in regular shapes. Part of the reservation is a series of quarries. That pile of rocks is stone that did not be- come part of wharfs or buildings. It did not look stable, but as people were on it and nothing happened, it must have been okay.
All that hiking builds an appetite. It was a short drive to “Lobsta Land” in Gloucester. In spite of the name and its homage to the local patois, we were there for something different. Our guide swore by the coconut battered shrimp. They were large and covered in panko coconut batter with a Thai salad and honey-ginger dip- ping sauce.
Our guide would not let us leave without the seafood chowder (or chowdah) experience. The Causeway Restau- rant in Gloucester has the Cape Ann rep for that soup, and it was chunky with fish. The long line meant it would be wise to order take out. We dined in the shadow of the fa- mous fisherman’s statue on Gloucester Harbor.
Not everything in Cape Ann is ocean-themed. There is the curious Paper House at 52 Pigeon Hill Street in Rock- port. Wood frame and floor, but all else is paper. Built in 1922 out of newspaper and still standing. Walls and fur- niture are all newsprint. The builder was an engineer who probably just wanted to see if he could do it, or maybe he was just an extreme recycler.
We were not done indulging ourselves. Our last stop was the Cape Ann Brew- ing Company. There must be an ordinance across the peninsula that you must have a view of the sea in any commercial establishment. Whether porter, pale ale or the honey pilsner, it all complemented the declining light.
Sadly, the declining light meant it was getting time to leave. Home to Western Central Massachusetts, but we’ll make that 105-mile trip to the North Shore again. Cape traffic isn’t all that bad, if you pick the right one.
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