Month: December 2011

Last Warm Day at the Beach! Wingaersheek Beach 12/22/11 Sunset From Brianmoc

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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check out Brian’s site here- www.brianmoc.com

Chickity Check It- Cory Wrinn In Germany On Rockport Rotary Exchange Program

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Hi Joey,

I thought some of your readers might be interested in following the travels and adventures of my son, Corey Wrinn, a junior at Rockport High School, who is an exchange student in Potsdam, Germany. (Some might know him from RHS JV basketball and baseball.)  He has been in Potsdam attending Leibniz-Gymnasium school (http://www.leibniz-gymnasium.de/de/home/index.html) since August and will return back to Cape Ann in June 2012. He’s put together a blog to chronicle his experience. His exchange program is run by the Rotary International Club, which has provided tremendous support for him and the other exchange students in that region.  They also organize side trips, which has given Corey the opportunity to explore some of the neighboring countries.

As you can imagine, taking science, math and Spanish classes in German can be quite challenging, but he has picked up the language very well and is able to speak and understand much better these days. I’ve attached his photo. The link to his blog is: http://meineabenteuerindeutschland.blogspot.com.

Corey Wrinn in Germany

Rubber Duck and Homie Wishing you all a Merry Christmas

Posted on by paultmorrison

Rubber Duck and Homie with their very own Lobster Trap Christmas Tree all decorated:

Hey, you try decorating without opposable thumbs!

Rubber Duck: “You just crack yourself up, dontcha Homie?  That’s why I stick around.”

I Wonder as I Wander

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

I Wonder as I Wander (Appalachia) ~ Words and Music collected by John Niles, 1933

I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.
For poor on’ry people like you and like I…
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

When Mary birthed Jesus ’twas in a cow’s stall,
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all.
But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall,
And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,
A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing,
Or all of God’s angels in heav’n for to sing,
He surely could have it, ’cause he was the King.

Many thanks to Father Green for posting his photo of the St. Ann’s Nativity. I was looking for an image to go with this hauntingly beautiful Christmas carol and was inspired to go see the nativity after seeing his photo posted yesterday.

Congrats Donna Ardizzoni ~ Jalapenos $50 Giveaway

Posted on by Vickie & Peter


Click the picture to watch the video.  Thank you Jalapenos for sponsoring with weeks giveaway.  It was a lot of fun.  We were surprised at how hard the questions were!  Many creative WRONG answers.  Here are the right ones:

  • Tomatillos are the main ingrediete in the Jalapenos Cilantro Sauce
  • Tables in the dining room are a different height from tables in the bar ~ trick question!
  • Jalapenos is not open for lunch but they are considering it so let them know what you think
  • September 16 is Mexican Independence Day
  • The three types of Tequila and what makes them differnt
    1.  Blanco – unaged
    2.  Repesado – aged for at least 2 months but not more than 12 in oak barrels
    3.  Añejo – aged for a least 1 year in oak barrels

If you have not seen the Lobstah Crackah Ballet you can see it tonight at 7pm.

Reindeer!

Posted on by Matthew Green

Another decoration for my origami Christmas tree!

Designed by Peter Engel, folded by me, from one uncut 10" of foil.

Brenda Alloy Sends Love From Thailand

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Lots of L O V E to you this Christmas Eve!

Blessings from Thailand, hoping you are enjoying good health, good love and all the goodness life has to offer.

Enjoy the good moments of each day.

Much love and PEACE!

The Infamous Fred Buck Needs Help Identifying These Fishermen

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

just found these 2 negatives – says on the envelope "whiting trip at fish pier.  1947."  anybody recognize these guys?  hazard a guess at the boat?  much obliged.  merry christmas from the infamous..

taking out a trip of whiting at state fish pier. 1943. sherm wilhelm photo.taking out a trip of whiting at the state fish pier. 1943. sherm wilhelm photo.

Do you have any idea how many times I dumped those very same wire baskets full of fish on our culling table when we were handling  fish?  They had a long run in the industry, I wonder who invented them.

Community Stuff Saturday

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro
Alchemy of Art Series features Kathy Roberts for January 2012 show

Alchemy Bistro continues it’s “The Alchemy of Art” Gallery Series, a yearlong art showcase featuring local artists and benefiting arts education in Gloucester through the Gloucester Education Foundation.
This month’s featured artist is beloved Gloucester painter Kathy Roberts.  The January show will open Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 5:30-7:30 with an open gallery night at the bistro featuring complimentary appetizers, the music of Chelsea Berry and our weekly Ladies’ Night Specials on selected Wine, Appetizers and Desserts for $5.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
There are many ways to creatively express oneself. I chose to express myself through watercolor & acrylic painting. An expression that requires discipline, persistence, and lots of experimenting with different brush strokes and color techniques. Sometimes I have been inspired by the enthusiasm of an art teacher, my imagination, a vision I have had or something I have been passionate about. This has helped to shape my interpretation of a subject; my own vision of how I see a finished painting.
I am a native of Gloucester, have a spouse who supports my creative journey and we have two adult children.  I have painted part time for the last 10 years, after receiving my Masters in Social Work and working in the community. I became a member of Local Colors, an artisans’ cooperative, where I was able to paint full time and publicly display my work. I have continued to paint full time and teach art classes for youth and adults  for the past two years. I have combined my skills as a therapist and artist to help children use expressive art as a means for healing while experiencing grief or loss.

I have received most of my art education at the school of Cape Ann, where my classroom changes with every new painting venture and venue. I have participated in art workshops, classes and seminars in watercolor painting at the Northshore Art Association and the Rockport Art Association where I studied with many Master Artists’: Betty Lou Schlemm, Margaret Laurie, Marilyn Swift, Bernie Gertsner and Ruth Hagstrom.
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This seacoast community has inspired and challenged me to capture its natural beauty. The views of the inner harbor, numerous beaches with shifting sand dunes and changing tides, daily walks around the backshore,  changing sunlight on the warm, rugged rocks and the rhythmic ocean waves crashing towards them have been my constant teachers Our native spring and summer flowers have always inspired me to paint their varied shapes, vibrant colors and delicate beauty.

Artists often are drawn to subjects that carry a strong emotional connection. For me it is Cape Ann’s scenic coast, where I spent my summers at the beach as a child and teen; I always feel at peace when I am painting in that environment. I am a member of NSAA, NAA and SeARTS. I have exhibited in many solo shows and group shows on the North Shore. Many of my paintings are included in art collections nationally.
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All paintings are available for purchase on-site at Alchemy Bistro, 3 Duncan Street in Gloucester with cash or credit at the event and throughout the month.  The series benefits the Gloucester Education Foundation with a 10% donation from the sale of all paintings throughout the year donated to that organization to support and grow arts programs in the schools.  A year-end gala auction is in the works with 100% of the sale of auction proceeds also going to the GEF.
Alchemy would like to extend our Request for Artists and invite local artists who are interested in potentially showing their art at Alchemy to contact us and we will send out our “Guidelines for Consideration” package. Artists to be showcased in 2011 will be contacted by Alchemy. For more information please contact Matt Rose at mattalchemy@gmail.com or at Alchemy at 978-281-3997.  For information on the GEF and it’s mission go to http://www.thinkthebest.org
Serenitee Restaurant Group, owners of Alchemy and Latitude43 and Minglewood Tavern in Gloucester, Cala’s in Manchester, 15 Walnut in South Hamilton, Backstage Bistro at North Shore Music Theater in Beverly and Hale Street Tavern in Beverly Farms share news from their restaurants.

Esther Mathieu Photography Gift Certificates

Hi Joey!
I have gift certificates available for last minute Christmas gifts! $125 for a session and 8×10. 15% off until Christmas. May even be able to deliver them in person!

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I’d love for you to share these with your readers if you get a chance.
Happy Holidays!
—
Esther Mathieu
esthermathieu.com
about.me/esthermathieu
info@esthermathieu.com

Bill O’Connor Is “Still Picking!” (No, not his nose)

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Bill writes-

Hi Joey,

I can’t believe it’s late December and I’m still picking crops from the garden! I picked this cauliflower on Monday, and  I still have some more that has been hearty enough to survive the few frosty days we’ve had.  It’s not alone out there in the cold either – I have a few mini heads of romaine and one bok choy keeping the cauliflower company!

Enjoy!
~Bill O’Connor
North Shore Kid

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Rubber Duck Astronomy note: Wicked Waning Crescent Christmas Eve Morning

Posted on by paultmorrison

[Correction Edit] Moonrise 6:55 AM, Sunrise 7:10 AM, (New Moon today at 1:06PM).

First the facts: On Christmas Eve the sun will rise at 7:10 AM but more than an hour earlier, at 5:56 AM, the last wee bit of waning crescent moon (4.2%) will rise in the early twilight. More than an hour [15 minutes!] seems like plenty of time of time for this little upside down fingernail to get up there but it will be extremely thin and vanish before the sun rises. It’s a new moon (really should be called “no moon”) on Christmas so it’s going to be close.

But the weatherman seems to have been wrong about the clouds. They have already cleared out and cooler temps in the morning means clear skies. A quick peek at “The Photographer’s Ephemeris” shows that if one plants themselves on the end of the Pigeon Cove jetty it will rise behind Straitsmouth Lighthouse. If you are down on Eden Road it will rise between the Twin Lights.

What it looked like on Thursday. Pretty thin and that was 10.1% left. Can 4.2 % be photographed?

Rubber Duck Tip: You got suckered into freezing out there on the beach and it’s already 6:30 AM and no moon. Be patient and get your eyes dark adapted. And look around slowly. Look to the left and right but keep attention to your peripheral vision. That’s where your rods and cones in your eye have not been burnt out by watching sunsets and you’ll suddenly see the whisker of a moon. If there is morning haze she might be invisible but that is why a cold Christmas Eve morning helps out.

Joey Quick Tip: use a medium long prime lens and manually open to that highest aperture. 1.8 or less if you got it. If your lens will not focus point it at the furthest light you can see and press the shutter halfway then move to the moon and fire. Better yet, if your camera has manual focus, turn the auto off and focus on infinity. Don’t forget your tripod and don’t breathe.