Although Niles Pond had refroze, I wasn’t expecting to see the young swans, especially after sunset. But there they were, all three, sitting in the near dark on the ice.
They were taking turns drinking fresh water from a small opening in the ice. I watched for a moment when suddenly all three stood. In unison, they took a running start across the ice and were quickly airborne, flying in a northwest direction.
Where had they been and where were they flying to when nearly dark?
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Artists’ Talk: Rocky Neck Now 2019: Looking All Around
Sunday, March 10, 3:00-4:00 PM
Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA
Galleries open: Thursday-Sunday, 12:00-4:00 PM
Rocky Neck Now 2019 Artist’s Talk
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On Sunday, March 10, five artists from the exhibition “Looking All Around: Rocky Neck Now 2019” will speak about their artwork from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester. Visitors are invited to tour the exhibition with artists Loren Doucette, Robin Colodzin, Cindy Journey, Andy Matlow, and Vanessa Michalak as they pause by their work, answer questions and share their processes and inspiration.
Thursday nite: Chris “Stovall” Brown parachutes into the RhumbLine with his wild toolbox of groovey toons, guitar lix and trix to regale you with his wide palate of soul and Blooze. Along with Mike Clarke on drummps, our li’l trio makes a lot o’sound. See for yourself!
This message is to let you in on an exciting upcoming Shalin Liu Performance Center event!
Founder and current member of the pop group Orleans, legendary songwriter John Hall joins his longtime bandmate, certified gold singer/songwriter Fly Amero for an intimate evening of acoustic music packed with famed classic hits, exciting new collaborations and insider tales from the “ghosts” of music industry past.
Take a look at these awesome photos of the humpback whales .. amazing.
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SnotBot DR Blog 3 – Everything we had hoped for!
It gives me great pleasure to advise you that our last 3 days on the water have been fantastic, each day better than the previous. The weather has fallen into a typical trade wind scenario, calm in the early morning and picking up as the day goes on. We were on the boat this morning by 6:15 and had the pleasure of watching a sunrise at sea (with a whale of course).
Today we had our 1st sample by 7:15 am and had our 9th sample by 9:00 am, by 12:30 (when the winds picked up) we had collected a total of 14 samples bringing our expedition total to 54. Our goal was 50 samples, so we are now ahead of the game with 3 days to go. As the sun rose we were with a mother, calf and escort, we collected two Snot samples from each whale so we could have comparable samples, then we collected another sample from each whale flying at a higher altitude than the first set so that we can try to determine what effect height might have on the success/productivity of the biological data (snot) that gets onto the dish.
Angie Sremba is here from Dr. Scott Bakers lab at Oregon State, Angie has been focusing on the DNA analysis. She brought us some exciting information with regards to how our biological data capabilities have (successfully) evolved over time. It is important to remember here that part of this whole process is developing the collection tools and protocols and while Dr. Bakers lab is developing the preservation and analysis protocols. In summary 2016 we had a 39% success rate with regards to sexing the animals from the DNA and a 55% success rate on the mitochondrial DNA. In 2018 we had a 92% success rate with regards to sexing the animals from the DNA and a 96% success rate with the mitochondrial DNA. This is clearly exciting as it demonstrates that we are learning and getting better on all fronts.
Another exciting data point today was the collection of some whale feces, the whales here are not feeding so it is unusual to find feces in this location. I think this is another amazing benefit of using drones for whale research, the drone saw the whale defecation (look very carefully for the brown stain in the last photo) and Britta and Andy were ready to collect it. This will prove invaluable in trying to put into context the hormone levels that we collect in the blow. We had a number of fun whale moments today but one of the best ones was a mother and calf lob tailing together (lifting their tails up and crashing them down onto the water). The mother would throw her tail down with an enormous crash and then the baby would do the same hardly making a splash. Andy caught one of these moments on camera (see attached photo).
Today we also did some sea trials with EarBot, after this expedition I will have four days at home and then Chris and I go to Cabo San Lucas with EarBot to work on a BBC special, so we need to make sure that EarBot is in tip top shape.
Last but not least I am happy to report that this blog is supported by some amazing photos from Christian Miller and Andy Rogan.
Rescheduled to this Saturday due to last weekend’s snow, this event is a rich cultural experience. Upon arriving the children will be given a passport to get stampled (stickered) as they tour through several different nations of the world. Along the way they will complete activities, try international foods, hear music, and more. At the end of the morning all “travelers” will gather to watch live entertainment provided by a Chinese dance group, A suggested donation of $10 per family.
Saturday, March 9th 9:00-12:30
Harborlight Montessori: 243 Essex Street, Beverly
Pick #2: Cape Ann Lanes!
One of the best fun spots on Cape Ann for sure. We are very fortunate to have Cape Ann Lanes in our community. It is such a great place to spend some time with the kids…..or time out w/o the kids!
Cape Ann Lanes should be on your short list of places to visit often, but also be sure to take this opportunity to sign your kids up for “Kids Bowl Free” now. The program runs from June 1st to August 31st. For a small one time added fee you can register up to 4 adults to also bowl all summer long! Such a great deal. I already registered Thatcher and Finn.
Register your children for “Kids Bowl for Free” at Cape Ann Lanes by following this link
Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras (NMYO) present a free community concert on Sunday, March 3rd, 2:30 pm, at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, MA.
The concert will feature thirteen of NMYO’s string, woodwind, brass, and percussion chamber ensembles performing music by composers such as Holst, Mozart, Haydn, Rachmaninoff, and more.
Gloucester, MA. The March 4, 2019 winter storm dropped great snow for sculpting. Check out the “Gloucester Island” snowman on Hartz Street near Jeff’s Variety thankfully lasting as long as the weather stays cold.
Please leave a comment if you know of another must see snow sculpture in Gloucester.
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We started the day with a walk in a different direction than the ones we’ve been taking from our neighborhood just to explore more. Walked down Saint-Germain past quite a few shops and cafes, that could be said about any neighborhood And it’s fun window shopping along the way. Although the cafes are mostly open, the restaurants are pretty much empty right up until noon.
After settling in for lunch we headed to The Louvre. If you know about Paris probably third behind the Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triumph in popularity is The Louvre, the world’s largest collection of art.
It is massive. Ginormous. Getting there early was key because we only waited on cue for about 15 minutes to get in but when we were leaving the lines looked outrageous.
So much to see we winded our way through the Sully and Denon sections, marveling at the mummies, tombs, Murals and paintings. Found our way to the massive room where The Mona Lisa is displayed. It’s a massive massive room and the Mona Lisa is a relatively tiny painting. I guess you’d be regret going through and not laying your eyes on the world’s most famous painting. Does it make someone sound dumb if they tell you they don’t get why this particular painting is the world’s most famous? The entire museum is just incredible.
After the Louvre I was determined to find a place that was playing the Champions League soccer match between Paris St Germain and Manchester United. Fired up the trusty strip Advisor App on which a user had suggested Frog et Rosbif was a place likely to have the game on.
As it turns out it was3PM or so and after the 25 minute walk we find out the game doesn’t start til 9PM. We sat down anyway as Frog et Rosbif is also a brewery. Kate got an Aperol spritz and I fell in love with their Ginger Twist beer. The game didn’t start til 9 PM but there were English fans from Manchester United pouring into the place and they were getting after it at a pretty ferocious pace 6 hours before the game was to even start. We chatted with a few of them learning that most of them actually came from all over Europe but were all Man U fans. There was no way we could drink all day and keep up with these animals.
Our server from the Ukraine who spoke perfect English mentioned a fun place to check out called “Player One”. It’s got oversized classic video games to play. We walked about fifteen minutes down Rue Saint-Denis and Kate was in heaven. Stayed for a bit and then started our walk back home.
On the long walk home we discovered Rue Montorgueil. It’s a pedestrian area that’s a permanent market with cheese shops, bakeries, salumierie, all kinds of food and wait for it……..cafes and restaurants! I really love this town. When we come back I’d like to stay up here in the second arrondismont. Kate’s still sleeping but she’d probably tell you she’d prefer where we are staying because it’s quieter.
We made our way back to the apartment to freshen up and head back out to Frog et Rosbif to watch the soccer match. We got there by Uber and the crowd of Manchester United fans all dressed in black had grown considerably. And they were LOUD. I was there to cheer for PSG and my favorite player Mbappe. We met a knowledgeable soccer fan Pierre and a couple of other PSG fans that we sat with and had a great time. The bar was crazy. Each side trying to drown out the other with victory chants. I was surprised the place didn’t get wrecked as there was an air of danger in the Man U large mob. Lots and lots of fun. PSG lost and got knocked out of Champions League in a wretched way with little time left on the clock and a penalty kick.
Uber home and we got let out of the car where I thought was close to a corner store where we could pick up a European outlet as ours broke but got off course and it started to pour. We went around the neighborhood twice trying to find it in the pouring rain only to finally find it and it was closed. Good for a laugh and the memories. Total miles walked day 3= 8 miles.
Here’s the pics-
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Seaside Garden Club invites you to our March 12th Meeting
Life’s So Sweet with Sugar Maples, talk and demonstration by Trish Wesley Umbrell
Sugar maples provide shade, beautiful autumn color, and delicious maple syrup. Trish will share tips on tree identification and uses in home landscape; and share the rich history and traditions of New England maple sugaring. She will give a virtual tour of her local favorite sugar shack, and provide practical tips for making your own maple syrup on your stove top.
The Seaside Garden Club is a group of fun, active, civic-minded and hands-on gardeners. We welcome all types of gardeners from beginners to experienced… there is always something to learn and share. We invite you to become a member of our club and enjoy our monthly programs which feature interesting guest speakers and creative workshops. Guests are always welcome; a $5 guest fee is charged.
Good Morning Gloucester 