Month: February 2012

Looking for a Chrysalis

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

I am looking for a Black Swallowtail chrysalis to film. The last generation of the previous summer’s Black Swallowtail caterpillars spends the winter in their chrysalis form. Often times the winter chrysalis is woody brown, not green. The late season caterpillar may pupate under the eaves of a house, along a porch or deck rail, or on a fence. I am hoping that amongst all the many GMG readers, someone has a brown Black Swallowtail chrysalis in their garden.

Black Swallowtail chrysalis, green form

There are several distributors from where butterfly and moth chrysalis may be purchased, but I would prefer to film a Cape Ann specimen in its natural habitat (or at least a Black Swallowtail chyrsalis from the New England area). Please let me know if you think you have the brown form of the Black Swallowtail chrysalis. THANK YOU!!!

Black Swallowtail chrysalis, brown form–image courtesy Google image search

My shot of Jupiter, Venus, and the Moon

Posted on by paultmorrison

Click to embiggen. Since it is kind of boring I threw in a wiggly shot wherein the moon looks like Casper the Friendly Ghost as well as a shot of five lemons dressed up as cute pigs. Just keep clicking.

gimmesound Artist of the Week Marina Evans

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Her beautiful, sultry voice, distinctive sound and multi-genre style (folk, rock, jazz) have charmed most of us on Cape Ann.  Now she has a new website (see here), so we thought it would be fitting for her to be our gimmesound Artist of the Week.

Click on the video above and watch her sing one of her most popular songs, One of Two, on Local Music Seen with Allen Estes (see her entire show here).

It’s Monday, so get out and Jam with the Bandit Kings at Rhumb Line.

Artists after hours tonight at the Community Cinema

Posted on by dawntheresa

Artists After Hours 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sky Show 02/26/2012

Posted on by capeannpainter

Sky Show

I took Mr. Morrisons suggestion last night and went out on my deck to watch the Sky show. I had a beautiful view.

Here a few photos I took. They’re not the best but you get the idea.

the cresent Moon with Jupiter above and Venus peeking out of the top tree branches.

Poll- Are You As Repulsed By Salad Bars As I Am?

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Actual photos from salad bar I encountered (not in Gloucester) yesterday.

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Is there anything more disgusting than those greasy black plastic salad dressing handles oozing with the bacteria from the thousand or so people that had just minutes before picked their noses, wiped their butts, grabbed onto the (almost as skeevy) black escalator hand rail and then handled the very same ladle that you are about to grab to pour on your dressing?   Just typing this and having to re-live it in my mind I’m doing everything in my power not to throw up in my mouth.

Just picture those black plastic greasy handles all smeared with the fingerprints of the thousand or so customers that had handled yhem before you.  Blech.

It’s like a huge science project with a culture of viruses just circulating all over the salad bar petri dish waiting to infect you with the norwalk and other viruses.

There you were trying to do the right thing, and instead of eating the burger and fries you went with the salad.  But what you didn’t take into account was the bajillion or so calories from that thousand island dressing you glopped onto your virus infected petri dish salad.

Might as well do yourself a favor and order the burger next time kid…just saying.

Craigslist For Perennials? Yeah Susan Kelly and Terese O’Connell Got That Covered at www.generousgardeners.com

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Freshly Launched This is Just Brilliant For Sharing What’s Already In Your Garden or To Locate What You Would Like To Have In Your Garden!

This from Gloucester resident Susan-

What is your garden worth? “Find out by listing your extra plants, seeds and produce on our new website.” says co-founder and Gloucester resident Susan Kelly.

Gloucester gardeners now have an online site that lets them choose the option of selling, swapping or donating their extra plants, seeds or produce to other local gardeners. “We are so excited to be able to help gardeners make some extra money from plants right out of their own backyard.” says Kelly.  GenerousGardeners.com uses Google maps to allow gardeners to find listings from neighbors, as well as list their own plants for discovery by local gardeners.

Started by two avid New England gardeners, one a long-time year round Gloucester resident, Generous Gardeners knows that gardeners love to share plants. This new website facilitates what has been common practice among gardening friends and garden clubs. It also includes an extensive plant database for propagation and maintenance information.

Gardeners can now start listing plants for sale, swap or donation on www.generousgardeners.com

Current plant donations are needed for the Second Annual Generous Gardeners Plant Sale benefiting the Gloucester Education Foundation. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, May 19th at Stage Fort Park, Gloucester, MA. Donating gardeners will receive a tax deductible receipt equal to the amount of their donated plant’s sale proceeds.

Last year the sale produced over $2,000 for the Gloucester Education Foundation (GEF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to making Gloucester one of the five best school districts in Massachusetts. For more info contact susan@generousgardeners.com

Susan Kelly

susan@generousgardeners.com

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Community Stuff

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro
The Essex Shipbuilding Museum presents “Voyage to the Island of South Georgia ” with Dick Low

Tuesday, March 20, at 7:30 pm the Essex Shipbuilding Museum presents local resident Dick Low who will give a slide show about his voyage from the Falkland Islands to the Island of South Georgia and back with seven fellow sailors aboard the sailboat Spirit of Sydney. See and hear about South Georgia ’s spectacular scenery and prolific wild life. Walk in Shackleton’s footsteps on the final leg of his epic traverse across South Georgia to seek help for the stricken crew of Endurance.  Experience the amazing weather conditions and icebergs they encountered in the Southern Ocean.  Also see and hear the remarkable story about being rolled by a rogue wave en route back from South Georgia and being able to repair the damaged rig and recover sufficiently to make it back safely to the Falkland Islands without outside assistance.

Admission: $8 – members; $10 – non-members

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 – 7:30 pm

Waterline Center-Essex Shipbuilding Museum

For more information or advance ticket purchase please visit: www.essexshipbuildingmuseum.org

Gloucester native, Vincenzo Di Maio has co-founded geothermal heating and cooling company that eliminates home heating oil and noisy outdoor condensers.
Since the company’s founding in August 2010, EnergySmart Alternatives, LLC has been picking up steam (sorry for the pun!). In addition to being green, geothermal systems pay for themselves by saving over 50% on home heating costs each year.  Savings are expected to be even greater as fuel oil prices pass the $4.00 per gallon mark. Learn more about the technology , EnergySmart Alternatives

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Vincenzo working hard, or hardly working?

Muffy White’s “Hot Mess” Has Had Enough of The Smack Talk From Mamie’s Kitchen Muffintops–This Dodgeball Match Sets Up As Classic Blue Collar vs Preppie Showdown

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Muffy White’s “Hot Mess” has had enough of the disrespect from Mamie’s Kitchen Head Muffintop Alicia DeWolfe according to statements released yesterday-

Joey, We’ve been thinking about the dodgeball trash talk from Mamie’s Kitchen. Here’s our message to the Muffin Tops: We will crush you into a pile of (Speedo- and bikini-wearing) crumbs on the court. Bring it!

For More of The Smack Talk That’s been Going Down In Anticipation of The Second Annual Good Morning Gloucester/Farm Bar and Grille Bikini Speedo Dodgeball Tournament Next Sunday March 4th-

Check Out The 2012 Speedo Bikini Dodgeball Facebook Page Here and Like it!

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Muffy White (left) and Erin McKay (right)

Former Pro Dodgeballers in Hungary

Muffy White Styling & Organizing

Team name: Hot Mess

"we are going to eat you alive…or your dodgeballs"

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HT permanentizodshirt

Muffy also forwards her entrance music for the match-

Prep-Unit Tea Partay

 

Also check out Muffy White  of Muffy White’s Hot Mess Bikini Speedo Dodgeball Fame organizing’s website here-

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Here’s a couple pictures from Mamie’s Kitchen killer breakfast joint across from St Ann’s Church and behind where Savour Wine and Cheese and Beach Gourmet Catering will be.

The Head Muffintop Alicia DeWolfe Doesn’t look Intimidated-

 

These are the organizations- Mamies Kitchen Muffin Tops, Passports Canadian Bacon, Good Morning Gloucester Rubber Rippers, Sugar Magnolias Team Shameless, The Farm Bar and Grill Ass with Class, Saving Private Ryan and Wood, North Shore Cross Fit Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle, , Ed Collard’s House Doctor’s Blinded By the White, Jungle Silkscreening Jungle Fever, Beverly Athletic Club Kiss Our BACsides, another Farm Team Swiss Farmy Knives, Maestranzi Brothers Red, White and Blue Balls, Muffy White Organizings Hot mess, Cape Ann brewing Nacho Libre, Cross Fit Cape Ann With Two Teams- Buns and Guns and Power Snatch, Dog Bar’ American Bacon and  Beach Gourmet’s Drop It like It’s Hot.

If any other teams have pre tourney pictures they want to submit I’ll run ‘em ASAP!

All of the profits from the sign-ups of the Tournament are going to Next Step, an organization that provides support, education and resources for teens and young adults coping with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. www.nextstepnet.org

What Community Is All About- Burnham’s Field Clean Up

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

John McElhenny writes-

Joey,

Seventeen people came to Burnham’s Field on Saturday morning to make the largest green space in central Gloucester a more beautiful place. Mission accomplished! They fixed a fence, erased graffiti, picked up litter and trimmed brush. Local businesses got into the act, too. Paulo, Catherine and Mauro from CleanPro, the Gloucester cleaning company, volunteered two hours of their time. Mamie’s Kitchen, a great little restaurant on Pleasant Street, gave free coffee and cookies to the volunteers. Ben’s Wallpaper & Paint donated paint.

Many of the volunteers came because they had seen the announcement on the blog – yet another example of GoodMorningGloucester bringing people together to do good things for Gloucester. A short time after the volunteers finished the clean-up, more than a dozen kids were playing on the newly cleaned up courts and field.

Thanks to all who came out!

John McElhenny

Holly picks up litter

Holly Makowsky, a School Street resident, picks up litter alongside the basketball court at Burnham’s Field.

Melissa hauls brush

City Councilor Melissa Cox, whose ward includes Burnham’s Field, clears dead brush from next to the fence.

CleanPro guys sweep court

Mauro Silva (left) and Paulo Ferrari, Gloucester residents who work for CleanPro, sweep up broken glass on the basketball court.

Ed fixes the fence

Ed Collard fixes a fallen fence with help from Rich Bean (left) and Ron Gilson (in back). Ron was born in Gloucester during the Great Depression. Rich moved to Gloucester seven months ago. They met on Saturday and worked together to clean up Burnham’s Field.

Group shot

Some of the volunteers who cleaned up Burnham’s Field on Saturday. Front row: Patti Amaral, Melissa Cox, Ron Gilson, Donna Ardizzoni. Back row:  Rich Bean, Ed Collard, Bill Cox, Lindsay Welch.

John Stevens

Posted on by Marty Luster

JOHN STEVENS

 

A weathered and ancient stone contains an

elegant epitaph for John Stevens.

It tells about his honest character,

but little about his inner being.

 

He was a firm patriot and social friend,

a useful citizen and affectionate spouse,

but did he delve into deep philosophies

or have profound, fearsome thoughts about life and death?

 

His monument tells us he was an

exemplary Christian and tender parent,

but did he ever feel anger or jealousy?

And what, I wonder, did he think of himself?

 

Or did those questions die with him, and what we

know  and what we remember and what is

important about John Stevens are not his

deepest thoughts, but how he lived among us.

 

Marty Luster

Click here to read this beautiful epitaph.

Niles Pond and Niles Beach

Posted on by Donna Ardizzoni

Nature at it’s best at Niles Pond and Niles Beach

Boston Skyline from Niles Pond

February 25, 2012 Boston Skyline from Niles Beach

Pretty duck on Niles Pond

February 25, 2012pretty little duck at Niles Pond

Swans nestled together under a small dock on Niles Pond

February 25, 2012 Swans nestled under a pier on Niles Pond

Become One with the Solar System Tonight

Posted on by paultmorrison

OK, checking out the Moon, Jupiter, and Venus last night was a bust on Cape Ann because of the clouds. But tonight is the night. Tonight is the night you can become one with the solar system and all you need is some decent birding binoculars and a view of the sunset.

Sunset is at 5:27PM. Once it gets dark the sky above that setted sun in the west will look like this:

[edit] Donna was going out at 5:15 PM which is too early (and too cold). Nautical twilight is 6:30 PM, good start of the show and astronomical twilight is 7:00 PM which is good for photography unless you want to pick up some foreground lighthouse or something.

OK, here is where the “become one with the solar system” happens. Take your binocs and check out Venus. It’s not quite round. That is because it circles the sun inside the earth’s track around the sun and it is mostly full but slightly “waning gibbous**”. Since you know where the sun is (just below the horizon, duh), you can really feel where it is in 3D. An inner planet speeding towards us.  Now take a look at Jupiter. An outer planet it is lit as a complete circle. But while you are there check out the four moons of Jupiter that you can spot with binocs.  Callisto top left along with Io and Ganymede also on the left and very close together with Europa hanging down bottom right. Look at them tomorrow and they’ll be different. So now you are really picking up on the 3D effect of everything spinning around. And do not forget our moon sitting there lit up on the bottom from the same light source lighting them all up, our sun. With decent wide field birding binoculars you should be able to get Jupiter and her moons and earth’s moon in the same view!!

Now that you have them all burned into your brain and the sky gets even darker as the sun sets consider that the reason the sun is setting is that you are standing on a planet spinning back away from the direction you are looking at about 900 mph. Planet earth, northern hemisphere spinning back so that that the inner and outer planet as well as the central sun of the solar system and even the moon of your home planet slowly moves to set in front of you. Got it all pictured and positioned in 3D? Are you dizzy?  Best show on earth and it’s all free complete with the Dog Bar Breakwater thrown in. You see it first but that dude on the beach in California is 3,000 miles in front of you so his front row seat moves into position in about three hours. Can you see him? Down in front!

I’m going to check it out from Halibut Point if the wind does not blow me away. Click the diagram for more details at Earth Sky dot org.

** Venus is waning gibbous which means it is moving away from full as it speeds towards us. If you check with binocs over the next month as it gets closer to sunset but also closer to us it will become a crescent.

Future Study: Milky Way Galaxy and how you fit in it: The Universe by Monty Python. The song is where I got the 900 mph. A great reference.

Chilly Day at Crescent Beach

Posted on by Alicia Pensarosa

A very windy and chilly day today, but the sun is shining and the water is crystal clear. 

Crescent beach Gloucester

Coconut had to go swimming and also bark at two geese that were just  enjoying their morning swim.

crescent beach gloucester

I found some sea glass, that I will give to my mom.

sea glass gloucester

I hope everyone enjoys the sunny day!

~Alicia

He Won!

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

You may remember that Brad Byrd, who was gimmesound’s Artist of the week at the end of January, was up for an award on Melodic.net.  Well he won Singer/Songwriter Album of the year, for his latest album Mental Photograph!

CONGRATULATIONS BRAD!

Click on the video  above to hear Brad sing Middle of the Road from that album.  In honor of Brad’s win, we edited some footage from last month into a fascinating interview (check it out here).

Then hurry out to catch bluegrass brunch at Alchemy, followed by jazz in the afternoon, folk in the evening and the Bandit Kings Gloucester sound at the Rhumbline.  It’s a musical Sunday in Gloucester!