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.

A view of the old Firehouse from Newburyport’s Waterfront Park:

I could sit all day at the Waterfront Park in Newburyport and take photos of the boats on the river:

Of course the Summer will wind down into Fall in before I know it and most of the boats will be put into dry dock.

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.

I love to walk at the Waterfront Park in Newburyport. We’ve had a lot of rain this summer, but on the good days, it seems so perfect to watch the boats in the river:

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.

Now that I am back in my hometown area, I am looking forward to getting out and seeing some of the awesome local music talent that has been around Newburyport for decades, like the Mystix:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Mystix have been called a “regional roots super group” by the Boston Phoenix. Two of the players in the Mystix are old friends (Jo Lilly and Bobby Keyes) and I’ve heard they are the act to catch in the area.

Carole King performs “Up On The Roof”:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’ve thought often since moving here to Eastport how much I would love a place with a cupola or a widow’s walk on the roof. Years ago, I lived in a place in Newburyport that had both. It was a fantastic place to escape to, and the views of the city and the coast were wonderful.