The GloucesterCast Has Been Invited To Be A Station On Stitcher!

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Just got the notice that they want us on Stitcher.  You can listen on our show page here on any device and if your car has Stitcher Radio built in you can listen to us there too!

You can tell anyone to just search “GloucesterCast” in the Stitcher search box if you don’t have access to our show link.

Please give a listen and rating, once we get 5 or more ratings we get better listing placement on the Stitcher page.  Thanks to our awesome GMG community. Woot!

If you don’t know what Stitcher is-

  • Stitcher is radio on demand and what will be replacing traditional radio because you can listen at your discretion.
  • You can download the free app or listen online
  • Listen anytime, anywhere
  • Stitcher is an award-winning free app that let’s you listen to all your favorite shows, plus discover from 20,000 news, entertainment and sports shows
  • Create custom playlists
  • Over twenty thousand shows to discover
  • Rate and review my show on Stitcher**
  • Available on iOS, Android, Nook, iPad
  • In over 4 million car dashboards
  • On Demand and On the Go
  • No downloading, no syncing, no wasted memory
  • Stream your favorite podcasts
  • Don’t have Stitcher? … Download it free today at Stitcher dot com or in the app store

The Body on the Rocks ~ A New Detective Thriller by Tom Hauck (My Husband)!

Body on the Rocks 300dpiThe Body on the Rocks is a page-turning collection of superbly written classic detective stories, set in Gloucester. Very, very proud of my husband!!! One of my favorite passages, found on page 227:

“There are many different ways human being scream.

At the amusement park you hear the shrill cries of rollercoaster riders who, with arms held high not in surrender to the enemy but as expressions of death-defying hubris, giddily anticipate the breakneck plunge down the first big hill. In movie theaters you hear the excited shrieks of patrons who have paid to be scared half to death by the maniac on the screen. There are the squeals of delight from children who tear open Christmas presents to find that Santa has brought that coveted toy. And there are angry howls of sports fans who somehow expect that the nearsighted referee who is far out in the middle of the playing field, surrounded by thousands of the screamers’ fellows, will somehow hear and be affected by each one’s individual complaint.

Of the many varieties of excited utterances made by people, the scream of genuine terror is singular and unmistakable. It penetrates to the core and demands a response.”

The Body on the Rocks is available at The Bookstore of Gloucester and The Book Shop of Beverly Farms, as well as Amazon.com (paperback and Kindle).

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Tom also did the painting for the cover, painted at the rocks at Brace Cove in 2005.

From the press release ~ The Body on the Rocks presents twelve thrilling stories featuring detective Chris Mark. Set in the rugged port city of Gloucester, Massachusetts, each story offers human drama, passion, intrigue, and a glimpse into the complicated life of an Iraq War vet who only wants to help people solve their toughest problems. This fast-paced collection is perfect for a day at the beach or an evening by the fireplace, and will keep you turning the pages long past your bedtime.

Tom is a freelance ghostwriter and editor, and the editor of Renaissance Magazine, America’s leading national magazine devoted to contemporary renaissance faires and culture. Visit his website here.

Tom Hauck Head Shot Body on the Rocks ©Kim Smith 2014

Tom Hauck is a writer living in Gloucester, Massachusetts. His first novel, Pistonhead, tells the gritty story of a guitar player in a rock band who faces a life crisis. Lucas Manson, his second novel, is a literary horror thriller that pits agent Mark Dylan against a charismatic evangelist who is the leader of a bloodthirsty hominid species.

His third novel, Avita Doesn’t Love You (Whiskey Creek Press, October 2014),is an international thriller that traces the moral and physical challenges faced by agent Kevin Lone as he battles an implacable global enemy. Continue reading “The Body on the Rocks ~ A New Detective Thriller by Tom Hauck (My Husband)!”

Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team Update

Logos.AIIt’s warm enough and it’s going to rain. But the rain won’t be until late tonight and I don’t think many of you will want to go on a field trip after midnight. But… tonight’s rain should bring out some salamanders. It’s supposed to be warm tomorrow. So… there will be salamanders in the pools and there should be frogs calling. Although we likely won’t see much migration, it should still be neat. So…Tuesday April 8, 2014 8:30pm
Meet at Walgreens’s Parking Lot on Main St., Gloucester

PLEASE READ THIS
We have a lot of new people on the listserv this year, so I want to go over the field trip procedure. For many of you, this will be review.We have both daytime and nighttime fieldtrips.
At night we hope to see migrating and/or breeding spotted salamanders, wood frogs and spring peepers. Maybe some other things- fairy shrimp, water bugs and leeches.
During the day we are usually searching for egg masses to photograph for certification. We may see frogs, fairy shrimp, insects and leeches.

Night trips usually happen when the air temperature is 45°F or above. Usually rainy or foggy. About 9:30pm.
Daytime trips happen after the amphibian egg masses start to show up in the ponds.

You usually won’t get much notice because there are lots of variables (for instance, the air temp. might be right, but the ground might still be frozen, and the amphibians may decide to stay home). The critters don’t tell us what they’re going to do. And we don’t have a crystal ball here, so I’ll try to give you my best guess as to when a field trip is coming up, but you may only get 2-3 hours notice. So watch your emails.

We generally meet at the Walgreens/Dunkin Donuts parking lot on Main Street in Gloucester at about 9:15pm.

Most people drive their own car (or buddy up) from the parking lot to the pool. That way you can leave whenever you get cold, wet, tired or bored. Many field trippers do not care to stay out as long as I do. Which is fine.

On night trips you’ll need a flashlight. Mag lights and 6-volt lights are good. Some people have some of those nice LED ones. Everyone must have a flashlight so you can shine the ground in front of you as you walk to the pond. Salamanders may be walking too, and they aren’t fast enough to get out of your way. We don’t want to step on any amphibians.

So, anyway, put your raingear, boots (just for a muddy walk, you won’t be wading) and flashlight by the door and be ready. Leave your dogs at home.
I would encourage you to join us if you haven’t already. If we get a good night, it’s an amazing spectacle and really the fun part of vernal ponding.

We’ll need lots of experienced field trippers to assist in leading. I think we’ll have a lot of new people this year.

Check your emails often for the latest updates. We will make every effort to give as much notice as possible, but sometimes it may not be until 6:30-7pm on the night of the trip.

Hope to see you out there. Rick

we only have one earth, save it

Link to Cape Ann Vernal Pond team website.

Local fingerstyle guitar master, Ken Bonfield, brings his Artistry of the Guitar to Rocky Neck

Perhaps you saw him at the UU Meetinghouse Solstice concert in December.  If you did, you already know he’s one of Gloucester’s finest musicians.  If you’ve never seen Ken Bonfield, this is the weekend to do so.  And the Rocky Neck Cultural Center is a perfect venue for his Artistry of the Guitar.

ken bonfield poster

It’s About that Time of Year

Once a summer or so we get the phone call.  Well, actually, the email is more accurate these days.  It is always an email that I look forward to getting, but yet it is also one that gives me a moment of panic.  The email usually reads something like this,

“Hey, we thought we’d make a long weekend out of heading up your way for a quick getaway.  Any recommendations of where we should stay?”

So, my question is this….   Where you do recommend that people stay??  Because it’s about that time of year again, and I’d like to be prepared.

Typically, the emails I get are from college friends (who I am always PSYCHED to see) but who come from places where you can easily book a Hilton…or a Marriott….or a Hyatt….or a Sheraton.  All are choices that we don’t have here.  Now, let me be perfectly clear…I LOVE where we live and I love the variety of quaint choices that we have to offer visitors, but I’m never certain of what their expectations might be. 

I’ve had some good luck…and some bad luck…with my previous recommendations.  I feel like a have a pretty good handle of what the options are, but I haven’t stepped foot in many of them.  Likewise, I know that I can read Trip Advisor or many other reviews, but I’d rather ask you.  And…as I tell my students…let’s keep it positive people.  I have no desire to slam any local businesses so, while I’d really love some feedback, let’s stick to places you WOULD recommend and respectfully not mention the places that made your guests want to bathe in scalding water for days.  Not that we have any of those places here, but hopefully you get my point.

I’m so curious as to what you all have to suggest and share!!  Thanks in advance!!

 

Pet of the Week- Onyx

onyx

Good day!  My name is Onyx, I am an eight-month-old female kitten.  I am affection and enjoy company.   I like to play and then I also enjoy my naps.  I am a sweet and petite little girl looking for a forever home.

I am residing at the Cape Ann Animal Aid, located at the Christopher Cutler Rich Animal Shelter, Four Paws Lane, Gloucester. This is a beautiful shelter and if you have not visited here, please do.  We have lots of cats and dogs who need loving homes.

I do hope you are looking for a cat and you select me.  On the way home, we can stop by the purchase some toys and treats!  When we get home, we can play with them and then the most wonderful part; I will fall asleep on your lap and dream about my new life of being spoiled and pampered!

Tuesday April 8th , 2014 Cape Ann Weather…

Marine Forecast …
Small Craft Advisory through Tuesday Evening…
Tue S winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Patchy fog. Rain. Vsby 1 nm or less.
Tue Night W winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.

Tuesday’s Video Forecast…

Hourly Forecast ….

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