Saturday in Essex

Ahhh, Saturday.  What is better than having a whole day of no obligations that you know will be followed by another day of no obligations?  It's wonderful, isn't it?  This is how my Saturday began - with a book (A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab - a birthday gift from Whitney and Aaron) and tea in one of my favorite coronation cups.  The sun was shining but I was under the shade of the tree enjoying the cool breeze.

As much as I'd love to sit there all day, we decided to hit the road and head over to Essex for an event I saw advertised called Art in the Barn.  The drive from Newburyport to Essex is really beautiful - I'd forgotten how picturesque this area really is.

We didn't even make it to Rowley before we pulled over for a little browsing...

And a little buying - - this beauty is an old Victrola cabinet.  The right had top lifts up and you can see the old Victrola logo.  All the guy had to say is, "I told my wife that would make a great bar!"  A bar?  Sold! 

As soon as we got to Essex we had to check out one of our favorite antique shops.  Floor to ceiling furniture.  Several years ago we found a tattered ventriloquists dummy there that we named "Legless Walter".  Bill was determined to find him but sadly (?) he was long gone. 

You can not go to Essex and not stop for clams. 

Of course, I let Bill buy the fried food while I ordered a healthy salad with grilled scallops.  Then I picked away at his plate pretending that bad food doesn't count if you didn't order it yourself. Lucky for me Bill ordered real clams (with bellies) rather than his beloved clam strips (which is not even a clam in my book.  It's more like a fried elastic band dipped in clam juice.  I blame Hojo's.)

The river was beautiful and anyone who has read this blog over the years can probably hear what I was saying…"Why don't we come here more often?  Oh look, they too boat rides!  We should be coming here EVERY week…"

Local friends or anyone planning a visit - - I want to do the 90 minute Essex River cruise.  Who's game?

Finally we got to the Art in the Barn…there were outdoor sculptures, a house with jewelry and then 2 barns worth of local art - pottery, sculptures and paintings.

Bill caught me in my usual TV watching expression - with my mouth hanging open.

There were several paintings that Bill and I both liked but nothing that inspired us to pull out our wallets.  One woman said loudly, "Those peonies are the most beautiful things in the place!" I wasn't sure if she meant that to be as harsh to the art as it sounded but I had to admit that she was right.