A couple of people have asked me what stores are participating on Black Friday, here is the list. Hope to see you there.

Year: 2013
Community Photos 11/17/13
Happy Birthday Ed!
Beautiful Video Filmed at Willowdale Estate and Produced by Long Haul Films
Mary Foss Murphy writes ~
I am a faithful GMG reader and enjoy your posts and pictures. Thank you for sharing your talents with us. Knowing of your work at Willowdale and your work as a video producer, I thought you would enjoy this wedding trailer from Long Haul Films of a recent wedding there. The intro to the trailer mentions the beautiful setting; I wish a few more scenes of Willowdale had made it into the trailer. I love the cranes as the backdrop for their vows. I have been following the Long Haul blog for a few years. I’m always cheered by watching two people in love get married!
Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Mary Foss Murphy
P.S. My mom bought me your book Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! for Christmas a few years ago. I garden, though have not had time to do your book justice. I love having it anyway.
My response ~ Thank you so much for sharing Mary and thank you for your good words regarding my book. I loved seeing this film and am so glad to become acquainted with Long Haul Films! The video must have been created very recently as I planted the sunflower window boxes just a month or so ago!
* * *
Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! is currently selling for only $15.00 on my publisher’s website which is a $20.00 value off the list price of $35.00.
Waiting In the Storm
Happy Birthday to our boy Ed
Artist Spotlight Series – Len Burgess
Spotlight on Len Burgess
Len has lived on the North Shore for the last 43 years with wife Joanne, who was a Landmark School special ed teacher and is a painter and graduate of Mass Art. They have four sons. Len grew up in Hingham MA and after graduating from Hingham High School he attended Mass College of Art where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree majoring in Advertising Design. In his early career he was employed as an artist and then art director for two Boston Advertising agencies, designing and creating ads, booklets, brochures, and trade show booths. His artistic abilities were also used to do renderings and illustrations of clients products, and services. He’s now retired after a 45 year career in the greater Boston area including 39 years operating his own company, Burgess Associates Inc. a graphic design/advertising company.
Len has been involved in photography since the age of 15, starting with an old box camera. He gained valuable photo experience through the years in his advertising and graphic design business supervising professional photographers and also taking photos himself. His quest for good closeup photography was realized with his first digital camera in 2006. Since then he has shot thousands of macro photos, many of which are of tiny ice crystal patterns which grow on the old storm windows in his house in winter. Because he loves the ocean and North Shore towns, many of his photos are of the sea, beaches, ships and wildlife, as well as native flowers, sunsets and moon shots. Other photo interests are abstract design, antique autos, WWII aircraft and insects.
As a member of the Essex Shipbuilding Museum he volunteers as a photographer and has been an instructor in 6 digital photography workshops at the Museum. Len is a member of the Rocky Neck Art Colony and contributes his photography on a regular basis to Good Morning Gloucester. He has won a dozen local and regional awards for excellence in graphic design and advertising. His nature, abstract and Schooner Festival photography has appeared in local newspapers, visitors guide pamphlets and on many websites. Len’s photos tend to celebrate the intricate beauty of nature in all its forms. View 2900 of his photos on Yahoo flickr… http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenbo/ or by 41 sets… http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenbo/sets/
You can see more of Len’s photography at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, East Gloucester during the Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival
Saturdays and Sundays, Noon-4 PM
November 30 – December 29
http://www.rockyneckartcolony.org/winter.php
E.J. Lefavour
Rubber Duck asks, “Is it Edible?”
First Snow – Essex
What did you forget? The Cave is here to HELP
Annual Homecoming Celebration!
I know the weather isn’t great but we are New Englanders so get out and enjoy some great music tonight before you do the whole Thanksgiving thing and the tryptophan kicks in.
Tonight (Wedneday 11/27/13)
7:00 pm
JOHN ROCKWELL ~ Alchemy Cafe and Bistro
7:30 pm BATSU ~ American Legion
Hornets Benefit – Batsu, Hairyairya & Jeff Arcari of the Glostafarians $10, food, Cash Bar
8:00 pm JUST LIKE NEWMAN ~ The Landing at 7 Central
8:00 pm
FLY AMERO and “The Band” (Brown, Mattacks, Ginandes) ~ The Rhumb Line
9:00 pm THE RUNAROUND SOUND ~ Cape Ann Brewery
9:00 pm CRAZY JAY Karaoke~ Dog Bar
9:00 pm
DENNIS MONAGLE ~ Minglewood Tavern
with Groove Therapy ~ GROOVE Night B4 Thanksgiving PARTY!

Did You Make Olive Cunsati For Thanksgiving Yet?
I know in our family it would be a holiday without Olive Cunsati on the table. I made it this morning after visiting Joe Virgilio at his family run Italian Bakery here in Gloucester on Main Street….There is still plenty of time to get downtown to Virgilio’s Bakery and pick up Sicilian Green Colossal Olives from Joe and make a batch for your holiday table tomorrow! Tell him Sista sent you in, he and his staff will take good care of you!
Click The Picture For The Video at The Gloucester Daily Times Taste of The Times Site
My recipe and Cooking video tutorial QR Code for Marinated Vegetable Salad With Olives “Alivi Cunsati” is on page 200 in my newly released cookbook Gifts of Gold In A Sicilian Kitchen With Sista Felicia, Harvest” Click Link below to order on line
While shopping at Virgilio’s Bakery this morning Joe shared a sample of their Semolina Olive Bread…It was delicious! I’m planning to make a pork loin dinner this evening for my family and can’t wait to incorporate it into the meal in some way …I’ll keep you all posted I have an idea for a stuffing swirling around in my head right now, but must stick to preparing my feast for tomorrow first!
THANKSGIVING EVE at the RHUMB LINE
Wednesdays Only: Prime Rib, $12.95!
Hello everyone!
Wednesday, November 27th, Thanksgiving Eve
Special Guests: THE BAND IS BACK IN TOWN!
We haven’t done this in a few years. Always festive. Very cool. It’s Fly, Dave Brown, Wolf Ginandes & Dave Mattacks. Know what happens? Da walls get ripped down, that’s what happens!
This is how we kick off the holidays in Fishtown. It starts at 8:30, but you’d better get there earlier than that if you wanna sit… and if you wanna get some prime rib before it’s gone! ~ Fly
Thanksgiving Eve with Fly & the Band: 8:30 – ‘til
*Each week features a special, invited musical guest
Dave Trooper’s Kitchen…
Prime Rib Special – $12.95 (while they last)
Prepared fresh weekly by “Troop”… always good!
Upcoming…
12/4 – John Rockwell12/11 – Dan King (John Lennon Tribute)
12/18 – Amero Family Christmas
Looking forward…
…to seeing you there! 🙂 ~ Fly
East Gloucester and Rocky Neck, 1884
Check Out The Misery Map For A Constantly Updating Video Short Of Where Flights Are Most Cancelled
Downtown Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting This Sunday!
Joe Ciolino forwards-
Mark your calendars – THIS Sunday is the downtown Holiday Parade, followed by the Kent Circle tree lighting!
It’s all free, and it isn’t too late to join the parade if you like! Either way come on down – details here:
Get all the Info at North Shore Kid-
Gloucester’s Santa Parade & Tree Lighting
Community Stuff 11/27/13
Hi Joey,
Thanks for the tweet. Below is our announcement. We are psyched that a Gloucester start up, not Mumbai or Silicon Valley but Gloucester’s incubator.
Would love to share the news.
Sincerely yours,
Charles de Gaspe Beaubien
The Groupize Team has just returned from the 2013 PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit with a trophy. We are pleased to share that Groupize received the honor of being named the most Innovative Emerging Travel Technology Company for 2013. We were selected from a field of 30 finalists and PhoCusWright states that “only the world’s most innovate technology driven products and solutions are good enough to appear on stage and only the best of the best will be named Travel Innovation Summit winners”.
Esteemed judges included Executives from TripAdvisor, Priceline.com, Expedia, Cornell University, Queen’s Road Capital, Thayer Ventures, Triporati, Clear Sky Associates, Google, WeHostels, Salesforce.com and Brook Venture Fund. The critics circle included Miriam Moscovici, Director of Emerging Technologies of BCD Travel, Evan Konwiser Co-Founder of FlightCaster and Erik Blachford, former President of Expedia and Venture Partner at Technology Crossover Ventures.
In the spirit of the week, Groupize is thankful to our team of advisors, investors, associates and clients for their role in receiving this award.
Sincerely yours,![]()
Alisa de Gaspe Beaubien, Chief Operating Officer
Community Photos 11/26/13
M/V Beauport Princess photo from Anthony Marks
Bing McGilvray submits-
Finally fixing the stairs to the Courthouse/GPD from Rogers St. Noisy but necessary I guess.
Sheila Maguire submits-
I am hoping you find this interesting enough to post on GMG…….thanks
Here is a sample of the many new crafts/art that will be available on December 7 th at the Trinity Congregational Holiday Fair and Luncheon, 70 Middle Street. These fish are appx. 18 inches long and have been painted by many people throughout the community.
Tina Ketchopolos submits-
Seacoast Holiday Bazaar
held last Saturday was festive and fun!
Thank you to everyone who attended and
supported this wonderful event!
Plenty To Be Thankful For!
Plenty To Be Thankful For is my favorite video from last year. What are you thankful for on the eve of this most beloved and uniquely American holiday?
Everyday I count my blessings for my beautiful and thoughtful children (now young adults) and today I am especially grateful for my very hard-working and sweet son Alex. The last batch of several hundred bulbs needed to go in the ground. We did speed planting along the HarborWalk and, in less than 45 minutes–done! Thanks so much Alex for your much appreciated help! His new truck, that he saved for with his hard earned money, came in handy, too!
I am so thankful too, for my wonderful GMG family of friends!
Please forgive the old photo–it only annoys my son when I try to take a snapshot!


















