Around the Block

Just a stroll around the block in Rockport had to suffice Sunday afternoon due to a late engagement for the wife and myself. Looking across to the school yard with the parking lot area fence removed for the summer, we noted belatedly that the selectmen did a nice job in protecting young swingers and jungle gym fans from the cars.

The wife pointed out beautiful hydrangeas in fulsome white clusters that add so much to the Fall scene. Rockport is blessed with a generous display of hydrangeas in many a yard. The wife saw to it we had a complete census on who was who in this pampering of the foliage.

Took a look into Emery Drolet's yard to see how the new lobster and party boat was coming along. Emery is so busy at sea during the summer, the neighborhood boat had to be neglected. But it is pretty well planked. And it's looking real big!

Up the road on School Street, Minister Edmund W. Nutting and his folks were completing their noon repast out in the open. More and more of America quit their dining rooms on summer days to sit on benches at rough-hewn tables out in the yard. And why not?

Down Pleasant Street to find it continues to live up to its name in every respect with green carpeted yards sliding away back into what seem like cool depths. Certainly it stands out as one of our finest streets for homes.

Ths we came upon one of the nicest gardens in town, that of Harold Dann who for years was a police sergeant in Providence, R.I. Japanese lanterns, a flower that looks like exactly what it is called, featured the natural layout of flowers in rock garden settings.

And across the street on the Goddard premises, for years the Dodge homestead, a ginkgo tree soared heavenward, not too common a sight in this clime. Nester Peterson has one down in Indian Village. That Pleasant Street tree has been there close to a half century.

Across the main drag, Mount Pleasant Street, to pass down through Cove Hill Lane, a picturesque thoroughfare if ever we saw one. A big catalpa tree in Helen Mackay's yard, a solid powerful looking stone wall, the base of the old Cove Hill School, where many of earlier Rockport learned their three R's. These greet the walker at the start to encourage him to continue on down through the winding narrow path.

Huge portions of canvas hang on lines in Duffy Blatchford's yards, presumablly those of his pride and joy, the Manchester I-class boat, Peggy, which is an often-time winner in the Sandy Bay Yacht Club weekend races.

Cove Hill Lane, a short cut for many bent on bathing at Old Garden beach. A lane that leads on to Clark Avenue, whose most prominent resident these days is ornithologist John Kieran.

Sandy Bay holds much of joy for the one who would leave his car by the side of the road and refind the town through walking.
J.P.C., Jr.