Amazon Is Discouting The Echo By $50 Only Today

I just paid full price for one last week, UGH!!!

This is the cheapest it’s ever been, everyone I know that has one raves about them and it’s at an unprecedented low price for one day only.

So if you ever wanted one now is the time to act.

I got the white version.

So cool!

Here’s the link to buy

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  • Plays all your music from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and more using just your voice
  • Introducing Alexa calling and messaging, a new way to be together with family and friends. Just ask Alexa to call or message anyone with an Echo, Echo Dot, or the Alexa App.
  • Fills the room with immersive, 360º omni-directional audio
  • Hears you from across the room with far-field voice recognition, even while music is playing
  • Answers questions, reads the news, reports traffic and weather, reads audiobooks from Audible, gives info on local businesses, provides sports scores and schedules, and more using the Alexa Voice Service
  • Controls lights, fans, switches, thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, locks, and more with compatible connected devices from WeMo, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, ecobee, and others
  • Always getting smarter and adding new features, plus thousands of skills like Uber, Domino’s, DISH, and more

JAKE WAGNER 2017 GREASY POLE SUNDAY CHAMPION WALKING IN MEMORY OF HIS DAD JOHN WAGNER

Congratulations to Jake Wagner, your Sunday 2017 Greasy Pole Champion. Jake was walking in memory of his Dad, John Wagner, a long time Greasy Pole protégé.
Jake Wagner, with Mom Robin, sister Mackenzie, and brother Nick

Jake and very proud brother Nick

Steven Leblanc always keeping an eye out for, and giving advice to, the young walkers.

Annisquam Arts Summer Studio for Kids

Ignite your imagination this summer at Annisquam Arts!

Developed by artist and educator Dawn Southworth, Annisquam Arts tips off its 23rd season by offering a variety of workshops for young artists. Conducted at Dawn’s open and professional home studio on Goose Cove, we have easy access to Gloucester’s cultural center and Cape Ann’s most scenic spots. The entire program runs for seven weeks, June 26 – August 10, with new courses each week.

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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS

Dawn Southworth is a well-known Boston artist recognized for her mixed media works and installations. Dawn teaches art at Glen Urquhart School, in Beverly, MA, and is a former visiting faculty member at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. Dawn previously owned Clark Gallery in Lincoln, MA. Her work is represented in many public and private collections, including the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, the Addison Gallery of American Art, the US Embassy in Morocco, the Boston Public Library, and Fidelity Management and Research. More information about Dawn and her work can be found at www.dawnsouthworth.com.

Haley Stevens is also a member of the Glen Urquhart School faculty, as the After-Care Associate. Haley has a BFA in art and design from Salem State University, where she focused on education and was awarded a Presidential Creativity Award for printmaking. In 2009 Haley received a Gold Medal from the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition. She is also MA certified to teach art and greatly enjoys working with children. It is her goal to inspire young artists to do their best and find their inner voice.

Courtney Kelly is a local North Shore artist and former first grade teacher at Glen Urquhart School. With a one-year-old daughter, she now practices art from her home. Courtney’s passion for art started at a young age, leading her to study Fine Arts at Drew University. She went on to receive her Master’s Degree in elementary education from Lesley University. She loves inspiring children through art and learning and looks forward to embarking on her second summer with Annisquam Arts.

REGISTER TODAY!

You may register online at www.annisquamarts.com, by phone (978) 290-2107, or by brochure, which can be requested by calling or emailing Dawn at dawn_southworth@hotmail.com.

While there is no official registration deadline, we encourage you to sign up early as our workshops do fill up quickly!

ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS

Young Artists’ Summer Studio Workshops

Monday-Thursday, 9:00am-1:00pm, Ages 6-14, $250 per week

Young Artists’ Summer Studio Workshops run Monday through Thursday, 9:00am – 1:00pm for ages 6-14. We’ll have a blast engaging with a wide range of materials and artistic techniques in a multi-sensory studio environment. Small class sizes and individual instruction allow for all levels of ability to be nurtured. All classes are led by Dawn with assistance from Haley Stevens and a few helpers.

CAPE ANN ADVENTURES

Week 1: June 26-29

This week, we’ll be on the go! Sketchbooks in hand, we’ll follow the footsteps of legendary Cape Ann artists such as Stuart Davis, Nell Blaine, Marsden Hartley, Milton Avery and Edward Hopper. We’ll make daily excursions to some of the area’s most scenic destinations and inspiring galleries and studios. A Gloucester harbor boat shuttle will bring us to explore the Rocky Neck Art Colony…and to get an ice cream of course ☺ Walking shoes, swimsuit and a towel are encouraged this week!

CRAZY COOL COLLAGE

Week 2: July 3-7 (Class runs Monday-Friday with no class Tuesday July 4)

Clip, cut, collect, compose, construct – this week is all about creative collage! Made with a variety of materials, our creations will include 2D whimsical drawings and 3D found-object sculptures, and a whole lot in between. We’ll experiment with a combination of printmaking, photography, and magazine collage, with inspiration from  the mixed mediums of Robert Rauschenberg, cutting edge pieces by Kurt Schwitters, the Twentieth Century’s greatest master of collage, and the crazy upside-down world of Julian Schnabel.

WOODWORK WONDERS

Week 3: July 10-13

This week, the studio door will open to a woodworking shop!  We’ll be inspired by one of nature’s greatest treasures to create abstract wood sculptures like Louise Nevelson, wacky driftwood portraits, and mobiles with wood scraps, sea glass and buttons à la Alexander Calder  We’ll even build our own personalized step-stools. Together, we’ll safely learn about tools like hammers and various joining and gluing techniques to make our constructions sturdy. From the decorative to the functional, wood is a perfect, versatile material to fire-up our imaginations!

FROM TRASH TO TREASURE

Week 4: July 17-20

From the beach to the recycling bin, our art materials this week will come from unlikely places! We’ll cast the sand beneath our feet into whimsical sculptures, and make funky 3D pieces with driftwood and found objects. Colorful shards of pottery, buttons, marbles, shells, and other collected treasures will help us see that art is truly everywhere. Come with your imaginations revved up as we transform discarded remnants into modern masterpieces!

PLAYING WITH PATTERN

Week 5: July 24-27

Pattern, color, and designs galore! We’ll use a variety of fanciful techniques to flex our creative muscles. From collage to block printing, you’ll have your family and friends mesmerized by your creations! We’ll experiment with a craypas-watercolor resist and try our hands at bold optical illusions. Looking to color experts like Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, and Frank Stella, we’ll turn blank canvases into eye-popping masterpieces.

ANIMAL KINGDOM

Week 6: July 31- August 3

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Come on an artistic safari, guided by the works of Henry Rousseau, Deborah Butterfield, and Franz Marc. Along the way, we’ll use a variety of fun and sophisticated techniques. Make animals spring to life in colorful 3D paper-mache masks and beautifully detailed metal embossings. Channel your spirit animal in an Aboriginal dream drawing and get messy with a big chalk-pastel masterpiece. This week, set free your imagination to run wild!

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!

Week 7: August 7-10

Learning to draw is the goal! Ancient cave paintings, modern-day graffiti, traditional Chinese calligraphy, what do these varying techniques have in common? We’ll spend this week celebrating the humble line, the foundation for every great masterpiece! With tools like ink, charcoal, oil stick, and pastels we’ll draw inspiration from the textured drips of Jackson Pollock, the spirited marks of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and the punchy dots of Roy Lichtenstein.

Afternoon Specialty Workshops

Monday-Thursday, 2:00pm-5:00pm

Ages 6-14, $225 per week

 

For two weeks this summer, Dawn is teaming up with Courtney Kelly to offer Afternoon Specialty Workshops. Together, the morning and afternoon workshops provide an exciting full day option for those students who desire a longer day of artmaking fun!

DRAW IT!                                                                            

Week 4: July 17-20

 

Are you up for an artistic challenge? Whether an avid drawer or a curious beginner, students will learn advanced techniques using graphite pencil, color pencil, and markers. Each day, students will learn the essentials of drawing by experimenting with new and varied subjects. Students are instructed step by step and encouraged to incorporate their own creative vision and personal flair!

 

PAINT IT!

Week 5: July 24-27

 

This week’s class is designed to build on the “Draw It” class, but it can also be taken as a single class. Students will experiment with several unique painting mediums, including watercolor pencil, watercolor paint, oil sticks, and acrylic. From portraits and landscapes to animals and abstract work, we’ll will explore different techniques and tricks to make brilliant masterpieces to hang on our walls!

LOCATION

Dawn Southworth’s studio

63 Bennett Street South  • Gloucester, MA 01930

Phone: 978-290-2107 • Email: dawn_southworth@hotmail.com

 

Cool science at Good Harbor Beach | sign up for Piping plover watch

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photo caption: Dave Rimmer, Director of Land Stewardship, Essex County Greenbelt (Left) with Ken Whittaker, City of Gloucester Conservation Agent (Right)

Contact: Ken Whittaker kwhittaker@gloucester-ma.gov

Ken Whittaker, City of Gloucester Conservation agent, put the word out seeking volunteers to help monitor the piping plovers (Gloucester Daily Times). Today was the first organizational meeting and informational session with Dave Rimmer, Essex County Greenbelt. Ken is coordinating the schedule, and there are plenty of open slots available. “We will take this a day at a time until I have the opportunity to put together a formal schedule.”  More than one volunteer is welcome on any shift, so please email if you’re interested in helping. Ken, Dave and other officials monitor the birds. When Kim Smith is there, she’s working on critical filming.

For those of you who could not make it, Ken Whittaker is holding a second meeting tomorrow evening about 4:30; Ken will be at Good Harbor Beach from about 3:30 to 5.

Piping Plover volunteers can receive free parking!

Planning on a beach day and can devote an hour of your time for observation? Email Ken to sign up for a shift and to learn more.

Volunteers are asked to bring binoculars and feel free to jot down some observations about the parents and the 2017 brood of 4. It’s simple. The birds need to be left alone and given wide berth when they’re on the move.  Don’t follow after them. Look but don’t touch. Maybe intercept trash tumbleweeds. What gets tricky is when the birds are going back and forth from the water to the enclosed area.

Thanks to the enclosure, it’s obvious to stay away from inside the protected area. What’s less obvious is where to put your towel outside the fence.  If you know your beach visit wouldn’t be complete without a vigorous paddle ball, can jam or football game, lining up your towels right outside the fencing is a little dicey. It happened today and the group was happy to move when Ken explained the situation. However, if you’re not one for major games and are happy to sit in your chaise for a long read and full day, you might want to think about doubling up as a piping plover volunteer for one hour. You’re there anyway. They are super cute and you’ll feel good helping out! Midday is low on sign ups.

You could make it a first class retreat: Good Harbor Beach rents umbrellas and cushy recliners. See “Good Harbor Beach Day: How To Pack Light”

Ken writes:

“I have been in contact with the animal control officer who says she has been monitoring the situation but will kick it up a notch.  Dogs are not allowed on the beach and you can remind scofflaws of this.  If this becomes an issue I suggest people immediately call 978-281-9746 – Diana Corliss is the animal control officer and she can guide you from there. (Note, three essentials for monitoring include cell phone, binoculars …. and sun screen!)”

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Essex County Greenbelt is responsible for the fencing of the protected area which is to the right of the boardwalk #3. They’ll tweak the fencing as needed. This year’s nest is within a close distance to last year’s nest.

 

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The piping plovers nested on the beach by the dune’s edge to the right of boardwalk 3 

 

LIVING LEGENDS!

Legendary Greasy Pole Champions Peter “Black Frontiero” and Salvi Benson meet up on Pavillion Beach during Sunday’s Greasy Pole. Salvi has the most wins (11), followed by Peter (9). Salvi walked the walk Sunday.

JAKE WOOD: FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY GREASY POLE CHAMPION

After Randy Sweet’s stunning two Greasy Pole victories in two straight competitions, lots of folks were wondering if anyone has ever won the Greasy Pole contest three nights in a row. The answer is yes, Jake Wood captured the flag all three nights back in 1999! Jake still walks today and he is in third place for all time Greasy Pole captures, with seven wins. He is superseded only by Salvi Benson (11) and Peter “Black” Frontiero (9). Thank you to Jake, Joey D, and Steven for the record. 

Not the Super Crescent Moon

Saturday too early, Sunday clouds, maybe Monday at 9:22 PM a shot down the Dogbar Breakwater. Who am I kidding? There wiill be a cloud.

No crescent moon here because Saturday and way too close to full moon. If I was on a Colorado Mountain top in crystal clear air maybe but New England? Forgetaboutit.
But if it is a clear sunset, drive out to the lighthouse, wave at the guard he’s just a private dude he has to let you through and take a shot down the Dogbar for an award winning Super Crescent moonset.

Map from Photographer’s Ephemeris