Rockport Happiness

Today my sister and I went to Rockport, a small seaside town on Cape Ann, on the North Shore of Massachusetts. We first visited Rockport seven years ago when we lived in Connecticut. Back then it was a four-and-a-half hour drive, a major road trip. We'd stay at a Bed and Breakfast for a few days and take day trips to other towns like Salem and Marblehead. Rockport is the reason why my sister and I moved to the North Shore of Massachusetts. Before we moved to Massachusetts, whenever we felt the urge to visit Rockport again, we'd say we needed some "Rockport Happiness." It was our escape, a mental as well as a physical break, from the everyday stresses of work and life. Now we can be in Rockport in half an hour and come back home at the end of the day.

We did the usual stuff that we love doing in Rockport. We ate at the hot dog place (their onion bricks are awesome), walked on the beach and looked for pottery shards (I found three), and walked up to the pedestrian shopping area, called Bearskin Neck. It's a mix of galleries, souvenir shops, ice cream, candy, and coffee shops; and cute little boutiques. It's always fun to buy a few cheap souvenirs, get something to drink, have some ice cream, and window shop. The top of Bearskin Neck is a cul-de-sac overlooking the ocean. There are a few stone benches, and a large rock wall that you can sit on and look out over the water. I love to sit there on a bench while staring at the sea. Hmm. Staring at the Sea. Wasn't that the name of The Cure's greatest hits album?



We were fortunate that we chose today to go to Rockport because, unbeknownst to us, Rockport was hosting the second annual Fairies, Gnomes and Mermaids Festival ("A Celebration of Enchantment"). We saw quite a few fairies in town today (no jokes, please!) But no gnomes or mermaids, though. We checked out the "festival," and there was no celebration of any kind going on, let alone of enchantment. Just a couple of empty vendor tents and a bunch of hippies sitting cross-legged on the grass eating their lunch. Maybe the festival hadn't started up yet. It was surprising that Rockport was hosting this "festival," as Rockport is not a new-agey place at all. Salem would have made more sense.

In Rockport I suddenly had the urge to buy an ankle bracelet. Keep in mind, I am not the ankle bracelet type at all. Ankle bracelets remind me of "Working Girl"-type secretaries a la Melanie Griffith, with bad perms and tacky gold ankle bracelets worn underneath pantyhose. But I was at the beach, wearing flip-flops and capris, and I wanted to adorn my ankle. What's next, a toe ring? I bought a simple, understated silver ankle bracelet. It's funky, not tacky. And I will definitely reserve it for weekends or trips to seaside resorts only.



We went into one shop and the proprietor inquired as to whether we were tourists or lived nearby, so that we could come back to take advantage of a sale. When she asked me "Are you local?" it reminded me of Edward and Tubbs from the British sketch comedy show The League of Gentlemen. I had mental images of me going missing, the police coming to look for me, and the proprietor exclaiming "We didn't burn her!"



It felt good to be in Rockport today. While I am currently unemployed, and, this week, overdrawn at the bank (oops!), I was able to forget my worries for the day. If I can eat some fried seafood, buy some fudge, and stick my feet in the Atlantic Ocean, then I'm happy. Even though I now live only a half hour away from Rockport, I still feel like I'm on vacation when I go there. I come back feeling rejuventated. Today, I got my Rockport Happiness, and only mildly sunburned.