The weather in the Newburyport area is chilly and rainy on this mid-June day, but just a couple of days ago there were butterflies in the Secret Garden:

(Photo: c. Pamela J. Leavey 2011 @ the Secret Garden in Newburyport, MA)

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.

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.

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…

Last night in Newburyport an 80 pedestrian bridge was raised over Low Street, filling in “the last gap in the trail that will connect” the train station in Newburyport to the Waterfront.

So much has changed around the Newburyport area in the 19 years I lived in Los Angeles. Still it’s good to be back here living again (in Amesbury), reflecting on my childhood in the area and the first 30 something years of my life.

I think the bridge will be a welcomed edition to Newburyport and as I continue to take daily walks around downtown Newburyport and the Waterfront Park, one day soon I will check out the trail and the bridge. I enjoyed reading Joel Brown’s piece on the bridge raising complete with a bit of local Newburyport color.

Last night I met a friend for dinner at Ten Center Street in Newburyport. As I recently moved back to the Newburyport area and had worked at Ten Center Street some 30 years ago, I thought it would be a good choice for dinner. Since I have been back in the area I’ve had dinner at The Grog (my old haunt), The Black Cow and Joseph’s Winter Street Cafe.

My friend and I both ordered the Tandoori Lamb Burger on Ten Center Street’s Burger Menu, agreeing that we both liked Lamb and thought it sounded very tasty. I’m no food critic, but I do know what I like.

Good Lamb should never taste strong or “gamey” as our burgers did. In fact, the burger had such a strong gamey flavor that it overwhelmed any “Tandoori” seasoning and the carmelized onions I had ordered as a topping. I also felt the burger was undercooked, though I did not ask to have it cooked more. Lamb like beef is good when it’s rare but I prefer my burgers to cooked through. In defense of the meal, the fries with the burger were very good and the Chips and Dips from the Tapas Menu were tasty, though they were not at all generous with the Tomatillo & Tomato Salsa or the Guacamole.

Ten Center Street had always been one of my favorite restaurants in Newburyport, back in the late 70′s and all through the 80′s. I never had a disappointing meal there throughout that entire time. Last night’s burger was perhaps enough to sour me on dining there again in the near future.

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.

As a wholesale supplier of natural bath and body products to small retailers, I wasn’t at all surprised to read the news this morning that “Retail sales fell for a second straight month in April.”

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that retail sales fell 0.4 percent last month, much worse than the flat reading economists expected. The April weakness followed a 1.3 percent drop in March that was worse than first estimated.

Cottage industries like my own have taken a big hit in this recession. My clients are all lagging in sales, as am I. Which brings me to another piece of news…

I moved to Maine about 7 months ago, hoping to save some money living in an area that is cheaper to live than Los Angeles, where I had lived for nearly 19 years. Unfortunately my daughter has been out of work since we got here, and there isn’t much opportunity here for her, or me for that matter. I find for the first time in 12 years, I need to find work to help supplement my business income. So… I am moving again — on May 22.

I’ll be packing up and moving to New Hampshire for a bit to stay with friends and then the ultimate destination is Massachusetts (the Newburyport area).  The good news is, we’ll be back in home in Massachusetts in short time and I’ll be officially a constituent of my 2 favorite Senators — Kerry and Kennedy!

Stay tuned… I’m taking all this change in stride — it’s the next chapter in my great Mid-life Crisis Adventure, fueled by the recession!

[Originally posted at The Democratic Daily]