Rockport, Massachusetts

Emerson by the Sea's veranda overlooks the pool and Atlantic

Scented irises?!  Who knew!

Peonies -- my favorite flower

Flowers edged the garden of Emerson by the Sea Inn.
June is a wonderful time to visit with so many plants in bloom

Wild roses get my attention

A path in Halibut Point State Park, a stroll that I think of as perfection

Lush plants along the paths in Halibut Point Park

Tien at a granite quarry now filled with water, encircled by trees,
with the Atlantic in the background 

I love the quarry and today's weather was ideal

A selfie while we enjoyed the ocean

Small crabshell and hubby

View into a tide pool -- tide pooling reminds me of childhood vacations with my family

I could have spent all day here

More tidepooling

An old cemetery in Rockport

Lovely vines in Bearskin Neck

Us 

Wow, so many lobster traps on this pier!

A tiny vacation cottage, which used to be a garage,
and before that a cod bladder drying house

Former grist mill on the right

Wild cichlid nest -- protective fish circled in red!

Yet another flower photo -- inhale!  Can you smell it?

Statue of artist Fitz Henry Lane

Lighthouse

Three-masted schooner

Beautifully lit home at dusk with a crow on the roof

* * * * * * * *

Another miserable night of sleep away from home and I miss my own bed.  We went down to breakfast early for mushrooms and spinach quiche, sausages, choc chip and raspberry pancakes, fresh fruit and coffee.  From the enclosed veranda, we enjoyed bright sunshine and a glorious morning.  I took seconds of fruit and coffee to the lawn, and we lazed on Adirondack chairs.  Tien finished his book while I inhaled peonies, irises and roses.  The irises were sooo fragrant!  I never knew before that irises could be scented.

We drove to Halibut Point State Park, site of the town’s old granite quarry.  This town is all about granite and it's used everywhere.  So many beautiful tree-covered paths.  One opened to a body of water, like a giant pond, with smooth and flat sides where granite was harvested.  Trees surrounded this, making it naturally and unnaturally fascinating.  The weather was perfect and I could have stayed there for hours.  Beyond the quarry was the Atlantic Ocean.  What a setting!

We walked trails and I collected leaves.  We went to the ocean and scrambled gigantic granite slabs along the water. Tide pools had some sea life, but we hiked to another area where the tide pools were fuller.  So many snails, barnacles, mussels, and not a lot of seaweed!  Tiny bugs moved on the surface and congregated in small groups.  We spent some time there and the temperature rose.  On a path back to the car, Tien noticed a cache of spent walnut shells where an animal has been eating (while watching TV, of course).

Our next stop was downtown Rockport.  We parked near what used to be an old grist mill and a pond with a charming bridge.  In the pond Tien noticed wild cichlids guarding their nests!  How does my husband know these things?!  Many nests were clearly visible in the shallow water.  How many more inhabited the pond, I wondered.  We walked past an old cemetery, then stopped for lunch.  I was hungry!  They served yummy bread and corn bread.  Tien had a beer and corned beef sandwich.  I had a lemon fizz (Limoncello, Prosecco and soda water) and clam strips with fries.  At a bead store I bought ceramic bats for my niece Megan, and a few baubles for myself.  We walked around touristy Bearskin Neck, named for a bear that was killed here hundreds of years ago.  On a pier I was astonished to see so many lobster cages.

When it was nearing time for dinner, we went to Gloucester (remember the movie, The Perfect Storm).  Shops were closed except for a gallery having an opening for a talented artist named Gabrielle Barzaghi.  Her work reminded me of Erica Daborn who lives nearby.  I’ve admired Erica's work since the 1990s.  We explored the waterfront where a three-masted schooner made a nice view at dusk and we climbed a small hill with a sculpture of 19^th century artist Fitz Henry Lane looked towards the sea.  We finally found a restaurant that interested our palates, but it was bustling with a 15-minute wait.  More searching took us to Ohana, where the chef combines French, Italian and Asian -- super-creative cooking and delicious dishes.  If only we could eat like this regularly!

Tomorrow we head for home via Boston.