Memorial Day in Gloucester

We had a fun, but tiring, Memorial Day weekend. We had three days worth of tasty cookouts, swimming in backyard pools and relaxing in the sun.

All of the excitement really wore Liam out!
As for me, I really enjoyed the time to just sit and relax.

On Monday, we had a family cookout planned at my sister-in-law's house in Peabody. We figured since we'd already be on the north shore, we might as well spend the morning exploring Gloucester.

It was a perfect day for walking - sunny with a mild ocean breeze. But due to the brush fires in Quebec, it was incredibly hazy from all the smoke. You could even smell the smoke in the air.

The girls had a quick lunch of hot dogs and lemonade, and then we walked all along the seashore.

The Fisherman's Memorial

Of course, we took a picture of the girls in front of the well-known Fishermen's Memorial statue. A bit further down the shore was the Fishermen's Wives Memorial.

The Fishermen's Wives Memorial

We watched the boats zip through the canal as the drawbridge opened. The girls were a bit puzzled by the idea of a road/bridge that opens up!

A fishing boat full of lobster pots makes its way through the canal.

We made our way to a giant playground and spent about half an hour there before Dave realized he was getting bit by some type of flea-like insects!

It would have been nice to see more of Gloucester, but the time spent there was enjoyable nonetheless.

At Melanie's house, we enjoyed a meat-fest of burgers, hot dogs, sausages, pork, chicken and shrimp!

After our bellies were full, Melanie brought out half a dozen bottles of beer that she had brought back from London a few days ago. She set up a beer tasting, which resulted in a lot of nose wrinkling by me. I am just not a beer fan, foreign ales or not.

Amanda and Eva spent a good portion of the afternoon relaxing in the hammock with "Auntie."

Three day weekends are fun, but very tiring. I'm actually glad to be back into my comfy, weekly routine again!