V-formation (The Geese Travel): Rockport, Part 2

Hello friends, ready for part two of our Rockport trip (or are you still reeling from the amount of pics in part one)? So, at this point of our trip, it is Saturday morning. And it was cold. Really cold. Like, maybe 50 degrees (okay, I know being an Upstater, 50 degrees is actually warm, but near the beach, it's cold!). That doesn't deter my mother, though. She loves to get up super-early on our vacations and go swimming in the ocean. So, at 6am, we headed down to the beach and I indulged her passion for her own personal Polar Bear club. Sometimes I'm brave enough to hop in, as well. Other times, I just watch the sun come up. The above picture is the sunrise on Saturday morning.

Me, braving the water

Mom heading in.

After our icy escapades, we stopped by a small bakery and grabbed an assortment of pastries for breakfast. We took advantage of the sunny weather and decided to pick some apples at a nearby orchard today, as well.

Edie had to pet every pumpkin as we walked by.

I wish my orchard looked this tidy.

Edie took full advantage of using her new(er) word: Apple.

It took her a while to realize you're supposed to pick them from the tree, not glean them from the ground.

Dave trying to explain the concept.

Eric thought apples were pretty tasty, too.

After a hard day of apple picking (and eating), it was nap time for the kiddos. We packed up the car, picked up some Chinese food for lunch, and headed back to the house. After a restful nap, some Bananagrams, and browsing through the backyard garden (it even had a quince tree!), we decided to head back into town and grab some souvenirs.

Besides finding inspiration in the architecture, I really loved looking at all the gardens. I think I'll certainly add zinnias to my "to plant" list.

I love the look of the hydrangea, petunias, alysum and brick together. Gives me lots of ideas for Silly Goose Farm!

We bought the traditional travel garb - t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and some candy from a local shop. Dave and I did plan on traveling down to Boston for the night to grab dinner and say hello to the city we love so much, but it was getting late and decided against it. Mom kindly offered to watch the kids for a bit so Dave and I could have some "alone" time (we haven't had much of that since Eric was born). We enjoyed a beautiful dinner overlooking the water, then a leisurely stroll home. We all went to bed (relatively) early to get a jump-start on the morning's departure.

Sunday morning, Mom and I visited the water one last time.

Ooo, to have that house!

I love how the sun creates beautiful shades of pink, purple and orange.

We went back to the house and prepared for our trip home. Edie topped off her breakfast with a cold drink...

Then took a lie-down while the rest of us packed.

You know it's love when you wear matching Top-Siders.

We are lucky that the trip back to Silly Goose Farm is a fairly direct route from the greater Boston area. The leaves were just starting to change colors as we traveled through the Berkshires.

I was about ready to do this, as well...

Yay! Getting closer to home!

All in all, Rockport was a great trip, and a fun family activity. It will always hold a special place in my heart as the destination for Eric's first road trip (besides going to Grammie's house). I always love hearing real recommendations about vacation spots, so stay tuned for my Rockport report. Thanks for vicariously traveling with me, friends, I'm glad you took the ride.