This past weekend, I turned 23. My father came to visit, and we spent the day on the North Shore on Saturday before embarking to go see the Who live at the Garden. When I was 16, my father and I vacationed on the North Shore, staying at a motel on the water in Gloucester, spending time in Rockport and Salem as well as driving through scenic Manchester by the Sea. When he came to visit this weekend, we thought it would be nice to relive the trip and head back that way, where I ended up taking a cackle of pictures. I have decided to post a few pictures today, as I don't feel like 1 is enough. Below, is a picture of a sea gull in Rockport, a quaint little town. When my father and I originally stayed in Gloucester, a man told us if we really wanted to enjoy New England, we had to go to Rockport. He said we'd like it because it was "quaint." And, like it we did.



The same man told us that he used to drink with the Skipper from the Andrea Gail at a bar called the Crowe's Nest. At the time, neither of us knew what the Andrea Gail was and thought this guy was just crazy. Later in the trip, we had found out that the Andrea Gail was a fishing boat lost at sea, whose story was just being released in a movie called The Perfect Storm staring George Clooney. Since the movie hadn't come out yet, we didn't know this, and didn't see what was so interesting about this bar. This time, we felt it would be most appropriate to enjoy a cold brew there and take in the local crop of fisherman. We enjoyed a locally brewed beer and looked at pictures of those lost at sea.



And, what trip to Gloucester would be complete without purchasing some fresh seafood? I personally don't eat the stuff, but my father loves it, and enjoys going to little fishing ports to buy culls (not sure on spelling), but in other words, the lobsters who only have one claw. Some have lost the other in battle, perhaps never born with one, but fortunately for my father and other people looking for a deal, most restaurants etc won't buy them because they don't look as nice as unmamed lobsters, so they are cheaper per pound. We brought about 5 home. These are traps that are used to catch the lobsters. Oh, the life of a man at sea.