Month: June 2023

Happy Father’s Day to all the father figures in our lives. My own Dad (Gloucester born and raised) has been gone for several years now but the story I tell here rings true of many dads throughout time. This (apparently male) Baltimore oriole was dedicated to feeding its offspring clinging to a stem not far from the home nest. I watched for about a half hour as the young bird cautiously worked its way up this stem then eagerly accepted the sustenance presented by the parent. I think the chick is fairly young as some of the feathers are still downy. This repeated several times as I watched in fascination. It brought to mind how hard parents work to provide for youngsters, though I suspect this youngster wasn’t quite where it was supposed to be! Some of you may related to the constant open mouthed offspring! Happy Father’s Day!

Out on the deck overlooking the boats coming and going- just beautiful!

Hello, Kitty…

Schooner Adventure is thrilled to launch sailing for the Gloucester 400+ season with sails beginning during St. Peter’s Fiesta.  Adventure is inaugurating Gloucester Sails!  funded in part by Beauport Financial Services and an official event of the Gloucester 400+, over the Fiesta weekend, June 23-25. During these three days, with help from Wellspring House, Gloucester Housing Authority, Open Door, and Pathways for Children, Adventure will give free sails to 350 passengers who have never sailed before!

In her 97 years sailing, this is the first time Adventure is helmed by a woman, Captain Christa Miller-Shelley. With the help of a new crew of 8 plus seasoned Mate Natalie Warren, Captain Miller-Shelley has been bending on sail, running safety drills and inspections as well as leading many a shake-down cruise in preparation for sailing in service to the community. This capable Captain impresses with her skill, tenacity, and good humor. She has been overheard saying ““I can’t wait to get the water in the scuppers!”

Adventure also offers ticketed sails to the general public for St. Peter’s Fiesta weekend:

FRIDAY JUNE 23, 10 AM – 12:30 PM – Be the First to Sail on Adventure this Season!

SATURDAY JUNE 24, 4:30 PM – 7 PM – Greasy Pole Sail! We’ll try to get a glimpse of the greasy pole challenge, one of the highlights of Saint Peter’s Fiesta.

SUNDAY JUNE 25, 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM – Blessing of the Fleet Day! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

I have covered most of the Gloucester cemeteries in this Cemetery Stroll series so we will move on the local burying grounds including Old First Parish Burying Ground on Beach St in Rockport. According to Find A Grave, this is also known as Sandy Bay Cemetery. It’s on a rather steep hill directly facing the ocean. There are many many very old stones there, including several of my favorite slate markers. There’s a side area along the street that runs behind the cemetery (Mill Lane) with a few stones in it too which appear to be family markers. I am uncertain if these are part of this cemetery or not but they appear to be a separate plot. You see them here as well. This location draws curious tourists on a regular basis. Maybe I will see you there sometime!