Day: March 25, 2019

Adventureman and His Peeps are as Fun as they are Awesome

Posted on by Nichole S.

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Adventureman and his team at Sweeney Park in Manchester-by-the-Sea at 6:00 tonight (Monday) to absolutely zero pomp and circumstance. It felt a little weird to meet them with no real grandeur, but…as we all know…that is because we are saving the giant welcome for WEDNESDAY at 4:00 pm.  Tonight was about a quiet finish….as they prepare for a day of rest and most likely LOTS of reflection. It will be nice for the group to take some time together before sharing their tremendous finish with the city of Gloucester, the far reaching social media universe, fans around the world….and, of course, their beloved Gloucester, England.

They landed at Sweeney Park clearly spent, but in super good spirits….hugged, danced and sang a bit (there may have been a harmonica…it’s kind of a blur)….and then went about the business of tending to Caesar and their gear.  Speaking of Caesar….he (it?) was safely tucked away at a neighbor’s house (THANK YOU if you are reading…you know who you are) and then we tended to the task at hand…Dinner….and maybe some drinks. Thanks to Callas for a great night!

Dinner out with this crew was exactly how you might expect it to be.  Hysterical….crazy fun….and like Thanksgiving dinner with dear old friends.  Joey, Pat D. and I were so happy to sit down and break bread with Adventureman, his phenomenal dad, the unbelievable support team, and a new friend who ran the last 30 miles with them.  You couldn’t ask for a kinder, funnier, and more gracious group of people….and we can’t wait for you to meet them all on Wednesday.

Thanks to the amazing generosity of some good people who will be named later, the team is getting some great rest and are further planning their monumental finish.  PLEASE be sure to be there to celebrate them and this epic adventure.  And, if you’re able, consider making a donation to help the sick children that Jamie (Adventureman) cares so deeply about.  DONATE HERE 

Some of my favorite video of the evening is Joey schooling the group about the Greasy Pole….after they had schooled us on the sport of cheese rolling and a quick rendition of “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore” after Joey suggested that they might be interested in taking a dory out for a row tomorrow (after running 210 marathons). Gloucester, England and Gloucester, Ma have a lot to learn from each other….such as some vocabulary differences (but that’s a post for a different day).

Welcome to Cape Ann, Adventureman!  We are SO HAPPY that you are here!

IMG_E7188

IMG_7211

IMG_7199IMG_7195IMG_7193IMG_7203IMG_7171IMG_7186

$450,000 call for Public Art | East Boston Police Station

Posted on by Catherine

RFP East Boston police station march 25, 2019.jpgBid is open-
Eligibility – This Call to Artists is open to all artists, artisans, architects, landscape architects, or teams with experience in public art, site responsive design, project management, and construction administration.

Percent for Art: East Boston Police Station

Deadline April 25, 2019

Introduction
The City of Boston, as part of its Percent for Art program, invites artists or artist teams to apply to create permanent public artwork to complement the new East Boston Police Station.

Call released: March 25, 2019, 12:00 PM EDT
Deadline for responses: April 25, 2019, 11:59 PM EDT
Budget: $450,000

Click here to read the full RFP. To print, please download first.

Click here to read the Press Release

Sawyer Free Library new building presentation March 27

Posted on by Catherine

Sawyer Free Library Gloucester Massachusetts_20190306_© catherine ryan

Keep What Works at the Library – “Keep What Works at the Library”, Martha Bowen letter to the editor, Gloucester Daily Times, March 23, 2019

Keep What Works at the Library LTE by Martha Bowen Gloucester Daily Times_March 23 2019.jpg

UPCOMING MEETINGS THIS WEEK

  • ON Tuesday       March 26, 2019 Library Trustees meeting from 5:30-7:30PM
  • ON Wednesday March 27, 2019 there is a Library (new) Building Committee meeting from 4pm – 6pm. The monthly meetings sometimes follow the traditional schedule of meeting on the last Wednesday of each month at 4:00 pm, and sometimes they have been/will be combined with Trustee meetings, etc. Do confirm ahead: 01/30/2019, 02/27/2019 02/26/2019, 03/27/2019, 04/24/2019 LOCATION: confirm SFL location if Friend Room or one of two rooms upstairs/downstairs in Saunders. There may be other informal ad hoc meetings.

Since the last meeting February 26, 2019

 

City Hall from Sawyer Free Gloucester MA_20190306_© catherine ryan

library event page March 25 2019
website 3/25/19

Continue reading “Sawyer Free Library new building presentation March 27” →

BREAKING NEWS: OUR PIPING PLOVERS HAVE ARRIVED AT GOOD HARBOR BEACH!!!!!!

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Our beautiful Piping Plovers have returned! This afternoon we observed them foraging at the shoreline, then chased up to the wrack line by a bounding off-leash dog. After the dog departed the area, the two PiPls dozed off in the drifts of sand and dry beach grass.

The pair look plump and vigorous, not nearly as weary looking as the PiPls that arrived last year on April 3rd, after the four March nor’easters.

Unbelievably, the male is already displaying courtship behavior! And even more amazingly so, he was doing it within mere feet of where they have nested for the past three years.

I know I sound like a broken record, but today was an on-leash day. There were at least a half a dozen dogs off-leash in the forty-five minutes Charlotte, Tom, and I were there. I purposefully bring Charlotte to the beach on on-leash days because of the out of control dogs. A forty to fifty pound off-leash Golden Retriever puppy came bounding up to Charlotte, while its owner stood back shouting he’ll slobber all over her. I was more concerned with the oversized pup knocking her over and used considerable force to hold the puppy back, while Tom scooped up Charlotte. Everyone I spoke with was not aware of the dog laws, old laws and the new laws, and the new 300.00 fines. All the ordinances on the books are not going to do a thing, unless they are enforced.

 

ADVENTUREMAN IS ON SCHEDULE TO ARRIVE ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON!

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Please help give Jamie a true Gloucester welcome! Jamie hails from Gloucester, England and it is an honor that he chose Gloucester, Massachusetts as his final destination on his 5,500 mile cross country journey.

See Joey’s up-to-the minute schedule of when Adventureman will be arriving to Gloucester, posted at the top of the blog, and for Facebook readers, at goodmorninggloucester.org.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvZZbq3nNqz/

A message from our friend Iain Kerr from Ocean Alliance

Posted on by Donna Ardizzoni

Dear Friends,

Chris, Andy and I have just arrived in Loreto. As advised previously we are pretty damn excited to be taking part in the BBC Blue Planet Live Series. You can find more information on the show here: BBC Blue Planet Live. As I understand it the first show went live today, with Chris Packham and the crew in San Ignacio Lagoon. I have it on good faith that Chris was downwind of a grey whale and he got Snotted!

I made a mistake in my last e mail, I thought that there were three shows but it turns out there are four.

I am also excited but terrified to report that they have asked me to take part in the 4th live show on Sunday. So you can catch us on live TV on Wednesday the 27th (SnotBot with blue whales….🤞🤞) and Sunday 31st of March, EarBot and Humpback whales (🤞🤞).  Right now my biggest concern is finding whales and good weather, preferably both at the same time, then of course not making a fool of myself on live TV.

For those of you not in England, there is a way to watch the show live on your computer, Chris says you have to get a VPN, which before last week I had never heard of.  In short if the BBC website thinks that your computer is in England it will let you watch the show.

Clearly if you can’t watch the show live I am sure BBC will put it up on their website so I will send that information out next week.

So here we go – Get a VPN

  1. Download NordVPN 7 day free trial (https://free.nordvpn.com/trial/)
    1. Make sure to remember to cancel before the 7th day to avoid being charged $100+ for the 3 year subscription
    2. Alternatively, you can buy one month for $11.99
  2. After you’ve signed up for the trial, download and install the VPN app on your computer https://ucp.nordvpn.com/downloads
  3. Open the VPN app, log into your account
  4. Search for “United Kingdom” server in the country list
    1. Once connected to a server, now the internet thinks you are in the UK

Create BBC account

  1. Go to BBC iPlayer (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer)
  2. Register for an account (https://account.bbc.com/signin)
  3. Choose United Kingdom as your country, and put in a UK postal code, this one should work: SW191AA
  4. Verify your email address with the email sent to you after registering

Watch BBC ONE

  1. Log back into BBC iPlayer and search for Blue Planet Live if it already aired, or if you’re trying to watch live go to channels and click on BBC ONE, then click “watch live”
  2. When asked if you have a TV License, click YES
  3. Press play
    1. If you get a message that says “This content doesn’t seem to be working” – go back to your VPN app and click United Kingdom again, it will give you a new server number, refresh BBC iPlayer and try again. You might need to try a few different UK servers before you get one that works.

I will try to send out a few blogs from our time here, until then….

Best Fishes from Loreto.

Iain

Iain Kerr

Cell: 978 760 1784

http://www.whale.org

Serendipity’s Playhouse 88 Bass Avenue #GloucesterMA | Grand Opening Friday March 29, 2019 4:30PM

Posted on by Catherine

Serendipity's Playhouse_Gloucester Massachusetts_20190325_grand opening March © catherine ryan (15)

John and Phyllis Linquata announce their new business, Serendipity’s Playhouse, Cape Ann’s first indoor play space! Join them at 4:30PM on Friday, March 29, 2019 for the Grand Opening!

Serendipty’s Playhouse
88 Bass Avenue
Gloucester, Massachusetts
(978) 283-4335

After a year of renovations & permits and the challenges & kismet of converting a former tile store into a family- friendly destination, Serendipity Playhouse is open! The entryway tile design became a plus, matching the new vision at the site. This welcome playland features amusing attractions, an expansive wooden climbing structure, pint-sized imaginative activity stations, foam pit, ride on train, airplane see-saw, and a separate padded toddler space. Families can sign up for extra programs like Zoomba’s “Zoombini” package on Saturdays at 9AM.

The Linquatas sussed out an ideal location with plenty of parking and neighboring businesses that are a natural fit. Families and caregivers can refuel, meet up and juggle errands with a play break: Cape Ann Coffees is right next door; Charlie’s Place is across the street; Stop & Shop plaza is out back; and Good Harbor Beach is a walk away.  The Linquatas are Gloucester residents and parents which is evident because 1)see their location intel and 2) the convenient hours…they open early enough for those families with wee early risers. The new venture is very much a family endeavor. John is running the day to day operations. Phyllis dreamed of opening an indoor wonderland and brings her professional expertise as a preschool teacher into building the business. Their daughter is helping out after school. They are determined to provide an active indoor play haven that’s super clean and engaging.

Serendipity's Playhouse_Gloucester Massachusetts_20190325_grand opening March © catherine ryan (14)
special offers for grandparents, police, fire, military and twins!

OCEAN ALLIANCE’S IAIN KERR TO APPEAR ON BBC BLUE PLANET LIVE!

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns


Amy Kerr writes the following:

Below is a message from Iain, who is in the Sea of Cortez preparing for the BBC’s “Blue Planet Live” for this Wednesday and Sunday. He said he’d never do a live show with whales again, but here we are! The following are his instructions on how to watch outside of the UK (4:00 EST?), and if you can figure them out and DO you are a good good friend. At the very least, send him your positive whale-y, snotty thoughts!

Dear Friends,

Chris, Andy and I have just arrived in Loreto. We are pretty damn excited to be taking part in the BBC Blue Planet Live Series. You can find more information on the show here: BBC Blue Planet Live. As I understand it the first show went live today, with Chris Packham and the crew in San Ignacio Lagoon. I have it on good faith that Chris was downwind of a grey whale and he got Snotted!

I am also excited but terrified to report that they have asked me to take part in the additional 4th live show on Sunday. So you can catch us on live TV on Wednesday the 27th (SnotBot with blue whales….🤞🤞) and Sunday 31st of March, EarBot and Humpback whales (🤞🤞).  Right now my biggest concern is finding whales and good weather, preferably both at the same time, then of course not making a fool of myself on live TV.

For those of you not in England, there is a way to watch the show live on your computer, Chris says you have to get a VPN, which before last week I had never heard of.  In short if the BBC website thinks that your computer is in England it will let you watch the show.  

Clearly if you can’t watch the show live I am sure BBC will put it up on their website so I will send that information out next week.

So here we go – Get a VPN

  1. Download NordVPN 7 day free trial (https://free.nordvpn.com/trial/)
    1. Make sure to remember to cancel before the 7th day to avoid being charged $100+ for the 3 year subscription
    2. Alternatively, you can buy one month for $11.99
  2. After you’ve signed up for the trial, download and install the VPN app on your computer https://ucp.nordvpn.com/downloads
  3. Open the VPN app, log into your account
  4. Search for “United Kingdom” server in the country list
    1. Once connected to a server, now the internet thinks you are in the UK

Create BBC account

  1. Go to BBC iPlayer (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer)
  2. Register for an account (https://account.bbc.com/signin)
  3. Choose United Kingdom as your country, and put in a UK postal code, this one should work: SW191AA
  4. Verify your email address with the email sent to you after registering

Watch BBC ONE

  1. Log back into BBC iPlayer and search for Blue Planet Live if it already aired, or if you’re trying to watch live go to channels and click on BBC ONE, then click “watch live”
  2. When asked if you have a TV License, click YES
  3. Press play
    1. If you get a message that says “This content doesn’t seem to be working” – go back to your VPN app and click United Kingdom again, it will give you a new server number, refresh BBC iPlayer and try again. You might need to try a few different UK servers before you get one that works.

I will try to send out a few blogs from our time here, until then….

Best Fishes from Loreto.

Iain

Howard’s Flying Dragon in Essex

Posted on by Pat D

We like to go antiquing and one sure sign of spring is when the shops start expanding their hours. Howard’s Flying Dragon in Essex May not be familiar by name, but it’s location is well known for the window messages it shares with the world. I check the window every time we drive by.

You can see their message this past weekend was Then and Now. It drew me in! And look who greeted us; Beatrice-showing every bit of disdain any self respecting cat does quite naturally.

As you can see, the place is jammed full of stuff old, new and delightful.

It’s one of our favorites and I look forward to returning. I was told their winter hours will end this month,so….yahoo!