Sometimes I Stay

September 24, 2011
Cape Ann, Massachusetts

My life is like a stroll upon the beach,
As near the ocean’s edge as I can go;
My tardy steps
its waves sometimes o’erreach,
Sometimes I stay to let them overflow.
[From The Fisher’s Boy, a poem by HDT]

Before I come back inland to the wonders of Autumn in upstate New York,
there's time for one more entry about those days along the Shore !
I linger now as I lingered then,
on the morning we left for home.
Here are a few more photos of what I saw in our last two days on Cape Ann.
Let your other senses add in -- the smell of the air, the touch of the constant breeze, and that continuo of the waves which underlies all other sounds.

On our rainy museum-day in Salem, this sign outside of a church caught my attention.

Ah yes, the wonderful story of when the Lion lies down with
... the Gazelle.

And there's time for a visit to Gloucester too.
This is Half Moon Cove in Stage Fort Park.  You could hear the foghorns mooing in the distance on this foggy day.

In Gloucester, the Boulevard runs right along the edge of the sea. It's where the famous Man at the Wheel statue is, and other interesting sights.
After bending down to read this plaque, I straightened up --
and saw a ghost ship drift by.

I'd never seen a boat with such a peculiar-shaped stern before.

Turns out it was the Ardelle, a pinky schooner built in the historic shipyard of nearby Essex. They've been building vessels over there for about 300 years.  You can learn about her and her builders here and see a fascinating of her side-launch here.
She certainly looked splendid on the water.

In the outskirts of Manchester, I discovered a wonderful county trail system to explore on future visits. One went across a swamp!

Back in foggy Rockport, here is just another charming dooryard, this one by the inner harbor...

...Where the fishermen's skiffs brighten up the day.

Last morning. One last sunrise over the town. You can see it from the balcony of the hotel (on the right), but I've already strolled over to the beach.

One last walk along the beach.
In addition to the far-off scenery, there's so much to see close at hand, if you stop to look. All sorts of strange new life-forms have been cast up by the waves.

Now it's really time to leave. Can't put it off any longer.
Time to brush the sand off my toes, and put on shoes again. Sigh.

Back at the beach, I heard an echoing sigh.
Seems I'm not the only one who wants to stay...