This weekend was limited to a day trip to the Northern Banks in hopes of catching lots of fish.  Neil (my neighbor) and I jumped in the truck at 8am and headed towards Ipswich with a short list of supplies for our day of fishing; chum, herring, sabiki rigs, lures and beer.  Shortly upon arriving at the Northern Banks we loaded the boat with all the rods and supplies and made our way off the coast of Gloucester to Thacher Island for live bait.  Neil dropped in the sabiki and immediately felt a tug, 4 pollock on and the live well was starting to look nice.  We did this for another 5 minutes with the same success.  The live well was full and before we started the hunt for Cow's (big stripers) we decided to grab a bite to eat at the Madfish Grille in Gloucester.  We inhaled our sandwiches as the thoughts of big stripers crashing our live baits would prove to be too exciting to postpone any longer.  We pushed off the dock and made our way to Ipswich Bay, stopping at several of my favorite fishing holes.

The fishing was very quiet, nothing around.  In fact the term that comes to mind is "Ghost Town".  After twelve hopeful hours searching for any size striper, we decided to cut our losses and head back home.

All in all it was a nice day for a boat ride, enjoying the sights of Cape Ann.  The next fishing report will hopefully describe the many stripers we landed during our trip.

Saturday morning Dad was up early running errands for another year of the best golf tournament around; the Maureen Fairbanks Family Golf Tournament. We were all excited to tee off in hopes of a perfect round of golf, unfortunately that avoided all of us. The first group started the tournament at 10am followed by a sea of Yellow (the 2010 t-shirt color). As it turned out, the closest to the pin was won by Craig Moody, Longest Drive won by Schaleen Anthony and the tournament winners were: Donnie Stone, Jack Stone, Margaret Stone and Frank Hoff. There was some controversy as to the truth of their score (4 under). All in all it was a huge success and a great time on the golf course with the entire family. Congratulations to the winners!

Following the tournament we all headed back to the "Lucky Buck" for a wonderful spread; Chicken Broccoli Ziti Alfredo, Rice Pilaf w/marinated steak tips, pizza, salad and a spectacular looking Frog cake. Huge thanks go out to Dad for his efforts in making this tournament a success and funding the food/drinks! After stuffing our bellies and sipping cocktails for a few hours we headed back to the Northern Banks to shower and get ready for the next event, Irish Night.

Dad, Dudley and Bray stayed at the house while Jess and I made the hike to Little Neck. Drinks on the O'Brien's deck before heading to the dance floor were a mandatory! With the likes of many others thinking the same, we played a little music and got into the mood. Upon arriving at the "William O'Brien Community Center" we began dancing and catching up on the latest around Little Neck. A great time had by all and a perfect end to the day!

Sunday we woke up and Bray decided it was a good day to go to the beach. We headed to our usual spot during high tide and played on the beach for the better half of the day. Another weekend at the Northern Banks that just makes you think how lucky we truly are!

The Northern Banks was hopping this weekend with many events to attend including the Crane’s Beach Sand Castle Contest, Tiki Night and Katie’s Bridal Shower. 

Saturday morning the girls headed off to the bridal shower and Dad, Bray, Zach and I decided to take the boat to Crane’s beach and check out the sand castle contest.  We anchored the boat and Dad and Bray made the hike down the beach while I stayed with Zach.  An hour later they were back and Bray’s favorite castle was the “muffin and cookie”, Dad’s favorite was the “shark”.  After a quick break for snacks and drinks, we made our way towards Middle Ground for shell collecting and running races.  It was starting to get late so we hopped into the boat and headed back to the Northern Banks. 

Unfortunately Jess and I didn’t have time for dinner because we had to attend the 2^nd Annual Tiki Beach Party.  We packed up the cooler and ventured towards Crane’s with high expectations.  The Tiki Bar was completed within 30 minutes with lights strung, music jamming and blenders running full speed; mudslides, piña colada’s and rum runners for all!  The night was amazing, lots of singing and dancing and just good fun with family and friends.

Sunday came a little early, however Dudley made us a wonderful breakfast that recharged us for the day.  Jess, Bray and I made the decision to head back to the scene of the crime (Crane’s beach).  We met up with Auntie Brooke and the Buckley’s and had a great time relaxing on the beach and watching Bray play with the cousins.  There was a moment that struck an emotion with us that required a second look, Aunt Debbie was playing with Bray in the water and for a quick second it looked as if it was Mom.  We know she is always around and although it was a brief glimpse, it was a great sight to see.  Happy B-day Mom, we love you!

Sunday evening we all sat down and enjoyed a local favorite; Riverview Pizza.  Another perfect weekend at the Northern Banks! 

The weekend started Friday evening back in Leominster as Jess invited some of our friends over for a BBQ and then drinks by the fire. It was a great evening, with a fire that burned for hours!

Saturday we left the house around noon time en route to the Northern Banks. Once we unpacked the car we all headed to the big boat for a cruise around Ipswich, including the Ipswich River and Fox creek. After a great day cruising the waterways around Cape Ann we headed back to the house for a special dinner. On the menu were rib eye's from the local butcher, fresh corn from the farm, Lane's potato salad and various other sides. Dinner was great as usual but the birthday cake was out of this world (Dairy Queen Oreo cookie blizzard cake) YUM!! To cap the night off we headed to the top deck to watch a firework show that was being held in Newburyport.

Sunday Dad, Dudley and I all attended Sunday mass that was dedicated to a wonderful lady (Aunt Nancy). Afterwards we picked up Jess and Bray and went to Little Neck to have Bloody Mary's with the family. It was great seeing everyone and catching up! I also learned of some exciting events in the coming weeks; tiki beach party, golf tournament, irish night, fantasy football draft and many more. After spending a few hours on the Neck we decided to head back to the Northern Banks, pack the coolers and head to the beach. We landed on the west side of Plum Island and Bray had a blast splashing us with water, chasing birds and eating snacks. The highlight of the trip was watching a sea plane land and take off right in front of us.

This weekend we made the trip to the Northern Banks Saturday afternoon. The weather wasn't cooperating as we had torrential downpours all day. We decided to make the best out of the situation, so we orderd pizzas and watched a movie. Jess, Brooke, Nick and myself all watched Avatar for the first time and the consensus was "2 thumbs up", great movie!

The next morning as usual the weatherman was wrong; it was a beautiful sunny day. Dad, Dudley and the rest of us boarded the HydraSport and we cruised all around Cape Ann, even through the Annisquam River, then the backside of Crane's beach. It was a great day with the family and a good way to end the weekend.

Next weekend we will be in Chi town for the McTigue Wedding!

Summer has finally arrived!  This was our first official visit to the "Northern Banks" and we were very happy to start off the weekend the right way. 

Saturday morning dad and I headed off for a quick 9 holes of golf before the rest of the house awoke.  We played at Carriage Pines Country Club (ex Rowley Country Club) and it was surprisingly quiet with only a few other golfers on the course.  We ended up finishing our round in under 2 hours and had a great time!  Once we got to the house the rest of the group was awake and making breakfast (blueberry pancakes).  Jess, Bray, Chris, Lilly and I all packed the coolers and headed to the sandbar with the newly acquired 15' whaler (aka Running Errands).  We had a great day running around the flats, hiding in the tidal pools and exploring all kinds of cool wild life.  Bray loved his new boat and was an excellent captain. 

Sunday was a Déjà vu of the previous day, more golf, beach and boating.  Later that evening we awaited the arrival of Snook (my sister) and Uncle Nicky (her fiancé).  We had an excellent dinner (lobstahs) and great conversation, nothing better than sharing a great meal with family!.

Monday I decided to sleep in a bit.  I awoke well rested and ready to conquer the day.  The mission today was the same as the previous days.  It truly was a perfect weekend, great weather, calm seas and Bray used the potty for the first time ever!  YEEHAW, could that mean the end of changing diapers? stay tuned...