It’s not often we get a 76° day in November here in New England. When we do, it seems a huge shame to stay inside. Today we decided to drive out to Rockport, MA. We haven’t been there in a few years so we were excited to revisit this beautiful little town on Cape Ann. Though the colors peaked a couple of weeks ago, many of the leaves are still beautiful and were falling from the trees like a tender snowfall.

Rockport is an old fishing village that has been reclaimed by artists and boasts a thriving downtown filled with studios, eateries, and gift shops. The town is a nice mix of Colonial and Victorian architecture. Apparently, half the state had the same idea as us as parking was very difficult to come by. We finally found a spot on the north side of town. The day was so nice that the small beach in town was filled with sun worshipers!

Janet has often reminisced of all the fudge and taffy shops that used to be found at the beaches during her youth. Unfortunately most are gone, but we saw this one and laughed at her overstated recollection.

As I said, the town is filled with art studios. Mostly we just admired the works from the windows, but occasionally we ventured inside to get a better look. This trip, we discovered the Rockport Artists Association that housed a multi studio museum showcasing many artists works. Between the galleries was a cute little courtyard. The manager invited us to come back in the season and have lunch there. We made a mental note to do just that.

Our best memory of the day came from a metal works studio managed by a kind gentleman whose hearing aid was on the blink. He shared with us that it was being replaced tomorrow at the VA. However, today we needed to speak very loudly or look directly into his face. We motioned that we wanted sailboats on the wall. As he took it down, he also took out a whale and some other pieces. The poor man was having a bad day, but it was all good and we gained a new piece to add to a blank wall.

On the way back we enjoyed the drive through Gloucester along the Essex County Scenic Coastal ByWay. The twists and turns throughout this ideal New England town topped off this beautiful day. Rockport is one of my favorite New England towns. It never disappoints!