My View of Life on the Dock
Photos: Winter snowfall #2 on landmarks and rooftops in Gloucester 12/6/2023. Easy morning errand 🙂 Right click for caption / pinch and zoom for full res.
Antoinetta was checking on the Chris Williams installation–“Will you be there? Don’t forget December 9th! Saturday is the big reveal and dedication ceremony!” [Scheduled with the Middle Street program, right before the Lobster Trap Tree Lighting which is on Harbor Loop by Maritime Gloucester’s Deck the Docks!]
December 5th and already there’s an abundance of merriment and creativity! Enjoy another 50 or so sparkling homes. The 2023 map has reached 100 homes with streets and turns still to explore.
photos caption: C. Ryan. Batch 3 selection of enchanting homes down these roads in no particular order: View from Rt. 128; Centennial; Cherry St. (just a couple); Cherry Hill Road; Eastern Ave; Elizabeth St. Frosty; Finch St. (just one–will circle back); Wolf Hill Road (and Glenmere); Grove Street; Harrison Ave.; Hartz (will circle back); Harvard St. (from Centennial); Lendall St. correction; Macomber inflatable characters way; Maplewood; Marsh St.; Washington St. up to Marsh
These additions (and a couple do-overs from other nights) were added to the Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives map as of December 5, 2023. (Pinch and zoom to enlarge photos and right click for info).
More homes and neighborhoods will be added, so be sure to check back. Photos will be posted on Good Morning Gloucester in separate batches.
More to come. Roads not taken, yet :)!: East Gloucester, Washington Street past Marsh St. to Rockport, Annisquam, Lanesville, Magnolia, Rt. 133, W. Gloucester, and return trips for new sparkling additions or repeat visits.
Here’s the flyer, spread the cheer! The Cape Ann YMCA presents HOLIDAY DELIGHTS at Annisquam Village Hall December 15, 16, and 17th.
“The 2023 Holiday Delights cast is delighted to perform at Senator Bruce Tarr’s final stop on his toy drive at Cape Ann Savings Bank on Ladies Night downtown Gloucester Thursday Dec. 7 from 4:45 to 5:30.”
Heidi Dallin merry news
photos: 12/5/2023 first winter snow- a dusting with fairy hail, split sky, brief rain
photo: Shadows, ladders and lines. Workers hand scrape and sanding Restoration Works building facade, 16 Rogers St., Glouc., MA., on Nov. 20, 2023
See the 2023 flyers below. Follow http://www.jambalayahorns.com to see the upcoming schedule for these joyous outdoor events (and/or cancellations as sometimes happens with the weather!) Gloucester Ladies Night Main Street! Mens Night! And several more: They’re bringing the party music of the season all around Cape Ann.
Check out Brassfed Nation https://brassfednation.com/ for the indoor brass blasts. The December gigs at Shalin Liu sold out fast. Hammond Castle has one. **Venmo tip jar donations by the QR code on the posters**.
Gloucester blocks and streets are merry and bright! The magic grows daily with houses decorated simply, elaborately and everything in between. One design trend is a duo light scheme that’s solely red and green. Don’t you think that homes from batch 2 will surely be contenders for the Mad Merry Highlights Tour in 2023?
photo caption: C. Ryan. Batch 2 includes photo series of twinkling homes seen on Abbott Road, Eastern Avenue, Elizabeth Road, Harrison Avenue neighborhood, Harrison Avenue to Crestview Ter., Lupine, Reservoir Road neighborhood, Reynard Street, Spruce Street, and Starknaught Heights; plus 2 Gifs. These additions were added to the Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives map as of December 1, 2023. (pinch and zoom to enlarge)
Gloucester’s lobster trap tree is built out in its temporary site on Harbor Loop, soon to be enlivened by buoys hand painted by children. The lighting ceremony is on Sat. Dec. 9, 2023.
First group of photos 2023 (click here) includes the pink house, the first house spotted sparkling for 2023. Alas, not more pink themes out there yet.
For the 7th year in a row—and the 4th accompanied by a map with photos—enjoy snapshots of Gloucester’s decorated homes. More homes and neighborhoods will be added, so be sure to check back. Photos will be posted on Good Morning Gloucester in separate batches.
December 2nd, 2023 is busy all over Cape Ann! Activities in Rockport are scheduled all day (from 11-4) leading up to Rockport’s Tree Lighting Celebration in Dock Square. Literary Cape Ann’s 2023 Holiday Book & Author Fair at Brackett’s, next to Brother’s Brew, will be bustling 12-3.
Meet special guest Andre Dubus III along with 22 authors of fiction, memoir, cookbooks, mystery, sci-fi, children’s books, local culture…and many more books from The Bookstore in Gloucester!
SHOP FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Literary Cape Ann poster 2023
Dock Square singers for Rockport’s annual tree lighting meet up to practice at 2pm. See below.
caption: Literary Cape Ann poster 2023; photos Rockport, MA 2023; upcoming events Dec. 3 & 9th
Rockport Public Library Sat. Dec 9th 10:30-11:30: Celebrating the History of Rockport’s Annual Tree Lighting on its 38th Anniversary. A conversation with Mike Costello, former Executive Director of Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and Dorothy Ramsey Stoffa, Time Honored Emcee and Lyricist for “Christmas in Rockport” with Jean Woodbury, author The Tree in Dock Square.
Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) announced the release of a new interactive map, MAPC’s Homes for Profit: Speculation and Investment, showcasing some of their multi year research specific to housing and investment in Greater Boston.
(You can zoom in to Gloucester and greater Cape Ann or all of the North Shore.)
Today, to mark the public release, MAPC hosted a panel featuring Angie Liou, Executive Dir. Asian Community Development Corp; Brian An, Dir. Public Policy Georgia Tech; Katie MCann, Rent Control Campaign Coordinator, City Life/Vida Urbana; and Tim Reardon, Chief of Data & Research, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, a newly established cabinet level area in Gov. Healy administration. Prior to taking that position, Reardon had led the data and research for MAPC.
Moderators announced at the outset that there were 168 participants on the Zoom meeting including elected city officials– Sue Moran, Falmouth; Steve Owens, Watertown; Rita Mendes, Brockton; and Liz Breadon Alston-Brighton, Boston City Council–, city staff from multiple towns too many to name, and partner/organizations.
Before introducing the panelists and moderator, MAPC’s Jessie Partridge Guerrero gave a quick overview about the report findings and how MAPC wanted to focus solely on the speculation challenge in this particular report. The panelists spoke briefly about their own areas of expertise and to a one confirmed “not surprised” regarding the report findings. As they engaged in a guided discussion centered on the report, the panelists’ approaches and experiences were not all the same, nor were the comments by attendees.
Closer to home, the city of Gloucester has worked with MAPC on several projects. Some dating back to 2011 involved research that is relevant to the housing discussions since 2017–a series I wrote about and shared on GMG. You may have participated in some of the meetings 10+ years ago held at City Hall. I’ll add in some of those links below and one to the MAPC zoom meeting today. I still have notes from all the feedback received when I served on some panels.
It’s great to see some of that MAPC data and mapping available to the public in a format similar to MEMA- MA power outage map.
Who Owns America? A Methodology for Identifying Landlords’ Ownership Scale and the Implications for Targeted Code Enforcement
Abstract
Brian An touched on AI tools to help with research. One GT paper he cited ,https://repository.gatech.edu/entities/publication/472788f9-a5e6-4d9b-8238-422d20333bcb
Scholars and practitioners are increasingly interested in understanding who owns real estate in communities and resultant implications for targeted planning approaches. Yet, practitioners lack an efficient and comprehensive methodology to assess landlords’ ownership scale, namely how many properties they own in a given geographic area.
MAPC moderators mentioned the Boston Globe spotlight series and the Boston Globe articles on Somerville, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/09/25/metro/somerville-tenants-rally-over-soaring-rents-gentrification-green-line-extension-corridor
PDF from the new MAPC research site
Generous art dealer announces a Special Exhibition in support of ‘400 Trees Gloucester’, a Gloucester 400+ program. The show features work by 26 artists. The Opening Reception is on Saturday December 2nd, 2023 from 1-4pm at Jane Deering Gallery, 19 Pleasant Street, in Gloucester, Mass.
“Dear Friends of JDG, Come and celebrate the holidays with us as we support the planting of 400+ Trees throughout Gloucester.
Jane Deering
Press Release:
In support of 400 Trees Gloucester, Jane Deering Gallery is pleased to present Branching Out. Two weekends only: December 2nd & 3rd; December 9th & 10th. The gallery will donate 30% of its proceeds to the 400 Trees project, founded by Gloucester resident Peter Lawrence. The project has three stages:
26 participating artists: Aaron Fink, Adin Murray, Ann Conneman, Celia Eldridge, Coco Berkman, Elizabeth Awalt, Esther Pullman, Gabrielle Bazarghi, Geoffrey Bayliss, George Wingate, Hélène Falcon, James Paradis, Jesse Mireles, Juni Van Dyke, Karen Matthews, Katherine Richmond, Kristine Fisher, Laura Gettler, Liz Fletcher, Maria Malatesta, Michael Porter, Neeta Madahar, Paige Farrell, Ro Snell, Sue Willis, Tom Fels
Holiday refreshments on each day. Gallery hours: 1:00-4:00pm
Works from the exhibition can be viewed at http://www.janedeeringgallery.com
Nov. 26, 2023 – in this 400+ anniversary year the Kent Circle tree lighting is lit
Added to Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives 2023 🙂 which is just getting going with a few early elves. 350+ homes were featured in 2022. Compare Kent Circle lighting through the years. Link to archive maps here.
Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives is just getting going. This gem was spotted November 15th, the first of the season. Will Barbie pink be among the 2023 trends? Maybe. More homes and neighborhoods will be added, so be sure to check back. Photos will be posted on Good Morning Gloucester in separate batches.
photo caption (pinch and zoom to enlarge): For the 7th year in a row—and the 4th accompanied by a map with photos—enjoy snapshots of Gloucester’s decorated homes. Scroll down to see the first batch of twinkling houses that have been added to the Holiday Lights and Cocoa Drives 2023 map edition as of November 25. Also, scroll down to a list of area ‘Mark Your Calendar’, not-to-miss, seasonal events.
In addition to the area’s rewarding drives past cheery homes, beautiful seasonal tree lightings and festive sparkling downtowns are bustling with activities.
2023. Annual events (days and times differ year to year)
Treat yourself to a visit to The Scrapbook, an art and framing shop operating in Essex for decades, formerly dealing primarily to the trade, open most Thursdays-Sundays, 12-5pm, 978-768-7404.
Give yourself time to browse. Loose and framed antique and vintage Americana maps, botanicals, ephemera imprints & decorative illustrations—as well as original prints and watercolors—are hung salon style or matted in racks and bins.
Film & TV production and set design were a brisk business back in the day. Owner Vincent Caravella is thrilled to welcome clients, and credits his granddaughter’s help setting up social media reach during the Covid-19 pandemic (Facebook here).
photos: C. Ryan, Oct. 2023. Entrance out back, between the historic homes
caption: sunrise photos 11/23/2023–Fisherman at the wheel, GHB marsh oxbow, salt marsh, Wingaersheek
caption: Long Beach photos—sunshine, seaweed and surfers at noon
photos. video clips: evening walk on Long Beach. Thanksgiving eve 2023.
Occluded moon and resolution was a bit Albert Pinkham Ryder-esque.
photos Sept./Nov. 2023: construction progress for 3 homes on the Back Shore, ‘Back Shore Place’. #2 and #4 built. If you’re taking the scenic drive to Atlantic Road from the Niles beach side, the turn off for this road would be on your left.
Further along Atlantic Road, on the Google map birds eye view 191 is annotated Philips Auction House – 1 “L” and no apostrophe (vs. renowned Phillips Auction http://www.phillips.com) former Ocean View Inn property.
Virgilio’s new-ish freezer & refrigerator cases alongside their wrap around Italian pantry market shelves are stocked with Virgilio classics–homemade prepared meals, soups, and specialty items. Save time while you’re grabbing lunch to go or buying bread and cookies!
Is it lunchtime?
photos Sept. 2023 — there was even Virgilio’s Italian ice after the season 🙂
photos: Fall vistas and Thanksgiving decorations in Gloucester, Mass., November 2023.
Bases readied for Stacy Boulevard Chris Williams public art & commission, four bronze planters, a 400+ Legacy Project, led by Generous Gardeners for Stacy Boulevard landscape design by Ann Gilardi Johnson. Save the date: Saturday December 9, 2023, 3pm
Working with DPW, Ann Gilardi Johnson and Generous Gardeners design enhancements have been incorporated all along the Boulevard. See the plans and read more about that scope in a prior GMG post from 2017 here. The new flower beds and curved bench design astride the Fisherman at the Wheel replaced bench pairs and barrels long present.
Before | prior (no landscaping/flower beds 2019, 2021)
Original concept designs for Stacy Boulevard in 1908 were by Thomas Warren Sears, major 20th century landscape designer and Olmsted student. Recent garden expansions were designed by Ann Gilardi Johnson with DPW for the City of Gloucester and with Generous Gardeners. Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives memorial by Morgan Faulds Pike. Gloucester Fisherman at the Wheel Memorial (Man at the Wheel) by Leonard Craske
5 short video clips October 2023 vs. November 2023 on Atlantic Street: past #167 Atlantic St. on right; hairpin turn signs; forest and hillside clearing for future town houses; and clearing on left before parking lot entrance. (Mute to silence wind. Adjust video for higher resolution)
caption: 2023 Oct. 7. Driving to Wingaersheek Beach on Atlantic Street. Forest clearing on right.
2023 Nov. 10. Drive on Atlantic St. past clearing on right to clearing on left #222R, before Wingaersheek Beach parking lot
I love this drop hill reveal! Brief video clip fall foliage and Great Marsh near Cape Ann Campgrounds on Atlantic Street, Oct vs November 2023.
You can drive the route BEFORE via GOOGLE MAPS 2019
Good Morning Gloucester 