Having your right foot in a cast is truly a pain in the a**. I’m not sure what is most annoying about it all, but not being able to drive is a big one. It’s tough being stuck in house and dependent on family and friends for supplies, etc…

I also sorely miss my hiking at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Maudsley State Park and along Point Shore in Amesbury. Before I started hiking a few weeks ago, a good drive along the river to Plum Island always served to clear my head.

Thankfully, my hiking partner came by to rescue me on Monday and we took a wonderful drive along the Merrimack River, from Amesbury, through Merrimack and Rock’s Village and then over the Rock’s Village Bridge and back along River Road in West Newbury (my early childhood stomping grounds).

We were looking for Bald Eagles which have been here in smaller numbers this season. The Bald Eagle proved to be elusive on Monday, but we treated to a sighting of 4 – 6 Eastern Bluebirds… Yes, that’s right, the Blue Bird Of Happiness.

Sadly, the afternoon light was not in my favor as I tried to take some photos of these delightful creatures of the Great Mother Goddess, as the photo above attests.

As we headed back to Newburyport along Rte 113, we decided to veer off and take a drive by the Upper Artichoke River Reservoir before heading home. As we drove along the reservoir we spotted a few Mute Swans gliding along the reservoir with their wings up.

What a glorious sight. I’ve had a great deal of contact with the Mute Swans in recent weeks while on my hikes on the Parker River Path.  Their grace and beauty are simply astounding and watching them fills my soul with a powerful awe.

The nearly two decades that I lived in the Los Angeles area I longed to be closer to nature. Aspects of my life have opened up and changed to provide me the time, at least for now, to enjoy this place, this glorious span of nature’s bounty, that I call home, here on the river.

If you walk along Main Street at Point Shore in Amesbury, there are so many lovely gardens. This beautiful yellow rose caught my lens a week or so ago…

(Photo: c. Pamela J. Leavey 2011)

The city of Newburyport is looking to bring Tall Ships to shore for a four day festival in 2012:

They rose and fell on the swells of the world’s oceans en route to exotic ports of call, selling spices or goods from their ports of origin.

Now, some of those tall ships, which have been captivating spectators across the globe, may make their way next year to Newburyport, a city with a rich maritime history of its own.

The Newburyport Daily News reports:

The mission of the 2012 Merrimack River Maritime Festival will be to “recognize, celebrate and preserve the maritime heritage of Merrimack River basin while engaging local businesses in an opportunity to generate economic activity and visitor spending, all while showcasing the allure of Greater Newburyport as an iconic maritime regional destination,” Ormond said.

The four-day festival would coincide with the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, offering a host of opportunities to spotlight local history from the period, Ormond said. She expects local museums, such as the Custom House Maritime Museum and Historical Society of Old Newbury in Newburyport, as well as historical and marine organizations in Amesbury and Salisbury that have deep roots in the area’s rich maritime past, to be involved.

This is fabulous. Anyone who grew up in the Newburyport area is well aware of our longtime maritime history. Among Newburyport’s maritime history is the fact that clipper ships were built in the area including the Dreadnought, and the it is the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard.

In the past few months I have been traveling a different route to Newburyport, from my home in Amesbury. I really miss the Hines & Chain bridges that cross the Merrimack River and connect Amesbury to Newburyport. The Hines bridge has been closed since November and the project to build the new bridge will take 18 months to complete. The project appears to be coming along…

Sometimes it’s good to travel a different route… New sights… Different vistas… A change of scenery can be good. Still I will be glad when the bridge is open again.

I drove around the Amesbury — Newburyport area today while my power was out. Not much else to do. I had my camera with me but some how I only got around to taking two photos. These were on Ferry Road in Newburyport, at Curzon Mill Road. Curzon Mill Road was completely blocked off from a couple of large pines that were totally uprooted:

There was a lot of this in the area today. One of the worst storms I remember from my years here earlier in life. It’s good to be home…

I posted here last night that we were in the midst of a wild storm with driving rain and howling winds. Soon after I lost power. We’re in hour 21 now of the outage and I have heard through the town rumor mills that it could be Monday before power is restored in some of the many places that have power outages in the area.

I’m hanging out in Starbucks in downtown Newburyport right now with my laptop and a cup of Pike’s. Power is on in most of downtown Newburyport and downtown Amesbury. My house is right off downtown Amesbury, but we’re not among the lucky ones.

The temperature in the house was 54 when I left a couple of hours ago. Thank goodness it is not bitter cold out. The stove works (gas) and we still have hot water. I’m grateful for that.

I went out with the camera today but did not get far with taking photos of the downed trees that were in big part a cause of the power outages. I’ll be out tomorrow and will be post some photos… Not much to do with out power but hang out in Starbucks and partake of the WiFi.

UPDATE: I got home from Starbucks and my power was on… Thank goodness. Lot’s of folks I know are still in the dark.

I thought I might find more color in the evening sky tonight when I took my walk at Newburyport’s Waterfront Park. No such luck. It was more like a winter sky:

I’m not sure if Hurricane Bill’s presence off the coast of Massachusetts attributed to the winter sky effect this evening or not…

Still, I am totally enjoying the ever changing vistas of the Merrimack River in downtown Newburyport and my walks have been great for my spirit and given me more energy. I should start walking in Amesbury too. It’s such a beautiful town, right next to Newburyport. But so far I am enjoying the drive along the river that takes me to my walks at the Waterfront Park.

One of the things I love about the Newburyport/Amesbury area is the beautiful gardens. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to take any photos attesting to this claim, but hopefully I will get some uploaded here soon.

Driving around, reacquainting myself with the area after being gone for so long, I have notices that there’s white Wisteria trees blooming everywhere along the roadside. The rhodedendrons are spectacular and in recent days the Peonies have been bursting with color.

Yesterday, I saw a garden in Newburyport that was bursting with Bearded Iris in a wide range of colors including Black.

My mother had beautiful flower gardens when I was growing up. I love to garden and it’s been years since I have lived any where that I could. We have a nice little year that gets some decent sun and a lot of shade. We’re trying out a few veggies and flowers with hope we’ll get enough sun to enjoy both.

It’s been fairly dry the past week or so, and of course the garden won’t grow with out water. Rather than using the hose and wasting water, we’re using a watering can. Bob Villa has some tips on other ways to save water when gardening.

Home is Massachusetts… It always has been, even during the almost 19 years that I lived in Los Angeles, and the 7 lovely months I just spent in Maine, home is and always has been… Massachusetts. And… It’s good to be home.

Home is a drive along Main Street in Amesbury, looking across the Merrimack River to Newburyport… A walk along the waterfront park in downtown Newburyport, admiring all the beautiful boats in the river.

Home is a short drive to Plum Island…

There really is no place like home.

After spending a 7 months living in Eastport, Maine, I’ve moved back home to the Newburyport area of Massachusetts (Amesbury), where I grew up. I’ve been away from the area for a little over 19 years.

I’m settling in, finishing unpacking and gearing up for a new chapter in my life. Next week, I’ll be starting a new job, which I’ll be juggling with my business and my blogs. I love to stay active and busy, so I doubt I’ll have much free time on my hands for a while.

It’s nice to be home again.