I ran across a lovely little paradise of poppies in Newburyport the other day. I went back with my camera 2 days later…

I love finding little gems in the midst of a city, even a small city like Newburyport. When I lived in Los Angeles I craved the type of nature I was accustomed to growing up here in Massachusetts.

I’m home in the Newburyport area 2 years ago now, and it feels like I just got here. Life is good on the river Merrimack.

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.

I moved home to Massachusetts two months ago and have been enjoying settling in and reminiscing with old friends while balancing my business, a part time job and my 3 blogs. Whew… my plate is way too full.

I’m living in Amesbury, the next town over from my hometown, Newburyport. I love Amesbury. It’s a beautiful little city with lot’s of great countryside and the Merrimack River which ambles along towards its final destination, the Atlantic Ocean.

Okay… enough rambling. I read in the local newspaper tonight, that there’s a new bookstore that just opened in downtown Amesbury. I love a good bookstore. I can’t wait to check it out.

It’s going to be another Stormy Monday here in Massachusetts…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Albert King: Stormy Monday (1981)

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.

Dear Readers, I just posted the following on my political blog, The Democratic Daily, it explains why it has been so quite around my 3 blogs:

As readers have no doubt noticed it has been pretty quite around here in the past couple of weeks. I have a very full plate since my recent move back home to Massachusetts and I am juggling way too much.

When I first started The Dem Daily nearly 4 years ago, my business was far more stable and I had much more free time on my hands, as I actually could afford part time help to fill orders. The recession has taken a huge toll on my business, as it has on many small businesses. After moving to Maine from Los Angeles 7 months ago in attempt to save some money on living expenses, I found that in order to stay afloat I needed to find a job and run my business on the side.

So, here I am in Massachusetts, where I grew up, with a full time job, a business suffering from the recession and not 1, but 3 blogs (5, if you count my business blogs). Sadly, somethings need to go on the back burner, and that means the blogs get less of my time until the economy picks back up.

All that said, once I more acclimated to my new schedule, I hope to be back here posting more frequently again. And in the meantime, I hope some of the other writers that have posted here in the past will be able to jump in occassionally and keep readers up to date.

Stay tuned…

Funny thing happened in unpacking after my move from Maine to Massachusetts last weekend, my long lost John Lee Hooker CD, The Healer magically popped out of my CD player that I thought was empty when I packed it.

Here’s an awesome “Live” version of The Healer with John Lee Hooker and Carlos Santana:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Blues the healer… Heal me…

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.

My daughter’s beautiful cat Zeus passed away this morning as we were preparing for our move to from Maine to Massachusetts tomorrow. Zeus was deeply loved by both of us and we will miss him…

Zeus was on our journey across country last fall when we moved from Los Angeles to Maine. We could not help but wonder this morning if he sensed the move coming and the stress of it made him sick.

I love Eastport, Maine. It had been a dream to move here for a few years. Sadly, you never know what direction your life will take you in and that is what I find myself in the midst of at this time. Although I am excited about the prospect of moving back to the area of Massachusetts where I grew up, I will be leaving Eastport, on Friday with a heavy heart.

It’s been a joy to live across the street from my wonderful niece, Lisa and her family. They were in fact one of the primary reasons that my daughter and I moved here to Eastport. We’ll miss having family so close by, but the consolation is that it won’t be as hard to come to visit, as it was when we lived in L.A..

We’ve met some wonderful people here in Eastport since we arrived late last October and had a lot of fun with the family and new friends here.

We survived a winter! We took lot’s of wonderful photographs to remind us of the beauty of Eastport. Both of us will miss the fact that we can walk to a view of the bay in less than 5 minutes and we’ll miss seeing the deer in the field behind my niece’s home.

A friend recently reminded of me a great quote from John Lennon, when I told him I was moving again:

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

I was so busy plotting and planning what I thought life might be here in Eastport, that I missed the writing on the wall with the state of the economy and what was next for my life.

I’m extremely grateful for the time I have had here in Eastport — 7 wonderful months, that I will always remember as one of the best times of my life spent with loving family, who I love dearly.

There will always be a piece of Eastport in my heart and I will be back to visit often.