I enjoyed Massachusetts today

In the morning I went out to the beautiful town of Rockport. It is a small coastal town on Cape Ann, in the northern part of the state. It lies about 20 minutes away from Gordon. I am torn about it, it is both a very quaint New England town, and a hotbed for local tourism. At least most of the tourists are locals, but it still makes the place feel slightly artificial. I mean, you can only have so many glass shops and art galleries before a place loses its authenticity. Before you know it, the tourist industry has morphed a simple town into an outdoor mall. Touristy places end up having more in common than normal places, somehow Segovia and Rockport have more in common than Madrid and Boston (in some intangible way). On the other hand, even touristy towns have a certain amount of unique character, which is why people still keep going back.

Anyway, Rockport is a very nice town. Little, white, New England houses litter the landscape. Wooden and barn like, and yet drenched in maritime feeling, the houses are perched along the rocky coastline. The sea itself is awesome. It was calm today. The sky was blue, and dappled with clouds. However, Autumn always makes the ocean restless. As I sat on the rocky outcrop that served as a breakwater, I could feel that there were impatient waves beneath the calm surface. There was a cool breeze, a breeze that could easily turn into a gale. New England weather is flighty and capricious. You learn to love it respectfully from afar. And yet you love it. I sat on a big rock and smelled the sea air, with its mist-like spray, as it mixed with the musky smell of rotting red leaves coming from the mainland.