Aug. 10 - Rockport, MA

Gloucester Town Mooring

"Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses." — Alphonse Karr

We took the bus from Gloucester to Rockport today. Cape Ann has a great bus system that makes getting around Essex County very easy. Rockport is a charming little town located at the northernmost tip of Cape Ann peninsula, 37 miles from Boston. The area was settled in 1690, but Rockport wasn’t incorporated as a separate town until 1840 and quickly became the leading supplier of granite. 

We had light rain all day, but even with the cloudy skies and rain we could see how picturesque this little village is. It's no wonder artists have flocked here since the early 1800s. The central and most recognizable structure in town is Motif No.1. It’s a red fishing shack that sits at the end of Bradley Wharf and it's the most painted building in the United State…if not the world. The town offers a variety of things to do…shopping, fishing, swimming, hiking and musical entertainment at the Shalin Liu Performance Center. 

Bearskin Neck is a small neck of land that juts out of the town center into Rockport Harbor. It’s full of quaint little studios, gift shops, galleries, restaurants, and boutiques. Although Rockport boasts a thriving artist community, it remains home to an active fishing fleet, offering visitors a unique chance to observe artists at their craft or lobstermen hauling their traps. 

Motif No. 1 was built in 1840 as Rockport was becoming home to a colony of artists and settlement of fishermen, the shack became a favorite subject of painters due to the composition and lighting of its location, as well as being a symbol of New England maritime life. The original structure was destroyed in the Blizzard of 1978, but an exact replica was constructed that same year. Motif No. 1 is a term used to mock artistic clichés, and Rockport attracted plenty of artists who seized on the cliché of a red fishing shack.  

Believe it or not this isn't even low tide.

By dinnertime the sun was out...these are views from our deck