North Shore Excursion 8 '08

As always when one adventure ends another begins.  After say goodbye to Steve,  Bruce and I headed to the North Shore of the Boston Area to take a quick tour of the Artist communities around Gloucester, Rocky Neck, and Rockport.   

Ooohmy gaaawd !!!!!!!  I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.   It is sooooooo beautiful!
For one, the  North Shore coastline is magnificent. (It seemed like Laguna or La Jolla in California used to be before there were millions of residents).    

  There are lovely isolated rocky coves and beaches,  

Gloucester Shore

Gloucester Shore

and old-money mansions everywhere you look 

 This Wedding Cake House is  where we stayed

Even the slightly inland communities without the benefit of an ocean view were stunning.    Yes I know, when we visited it was the peak of the summer bloom.  Everywhere I looked flowers (both wild and cultivated) were in full bloom.  It made my heart sing.

Gloucester Art Community Flowers

Yes I did see that most of the infrastructure there is old and dilapidated …that’s what happens when most of the structures are made of wood and built between the 1600- 1800’s.   

Gloucester Harbor

AND, I also saw that the local culture really values the natural beauty around them.   Old or not, the permanent residents love their land.   

Gloucester Boats

 They want to live there, not just to survive but to preserve a way of life. 

Rocky Neck Floats

   Despite the aging infrastructure, they continue to not only maintain, but creatively enhance their homes, and their community.

Rocky Neck Car

It is no wonder that there are so many legendary art colonies in the area e.g., Rocky Neck, North Shore, and Rockport.  We made a fast but memorable trip stop in each.