My View of Life on the Dock
From Salt Island side walked the beach and circled round Thacher Road at the back of Good Harbor Beach, about 6:30-6:45am. Photos possible from the safe and great new walkway (thanks Gloucester DPW)
January 7, 2020 GHS boys basketball home games tonight vs. Beverly
Freshman game at 4pm
JV game at 5:30PM
Varsity at 7:00PM
Sample This is now located at 116 Main Street Gloucester Massachusetts (formerly the Deborah Coull Salon, Gloucester location)
I noticed the open window because a bird hopped in. I didn’t stop to see what ensued but I was reminded about a GMG reader question: Who remembers Cher Ami and homing pigeons of Gloucester?
There’s a 2nd little pane missing on the Main Street side.
What’s in a name?
The 1810 brick building, Gloucester’s first, at the corner of 2 Main and 3 Washington Streets, now features Tonno Restaurant. The exterior has remained relatively unchanged since it was built in 1810 by Col. James Tappan. On the inside it’s been mixed use more often than not (various businesses, restaurants and lodgings). As a result it’s gone through a lot of rebranding: Puritan House, Tappan’s Hotel, Atlantic House, and Capt Bills are a few of the names associated with this historic structure. The Blackburn Tavern signs were added in 1978 for a restaurant.
Still Standing
The brick building at the other end of Main Street with Halibut Point Restaurant & Pub was Howard Blackburn’s actual tavern.
Fun fact: Col. Tappan taught young Daniel Webster.
The new Registry of Motor Vehicles is situated in a long empty, 6,983 ft’ free-standing building in the Danvers Crossing Shopping Plaza, 8 Newbury St. (Rt. 1), Danvers, Massachusetts. The Hardcover and Costco are across the highway. Businesses sharing the parking lot include Ann & Hope, Dollar Store, David’s Bridal, and Monkey Joe’s. (I didn’t know there were still Ann & Hopes.) A number of vacancies remain. The shopping center was originally built out in 1990.
Prior to this move, the RMV had landed at Liberty Tree Mall. This new branch was expected to receive 500 visitors per day. It’s open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. rather than the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. broadcast ahead of time. We have been a couple of times recently to this new one; they were quite helpful. (Make certain to arrive by 4pm on any given day or you’ll have to make a second trip. We learned this the hard way arriving for the first time at 4:35pm.) I never visited the RMV when it was in the mall. I have mostly been to the Revere location.
Reporter Paul Leighton followed the RMV Danvers relocation for the Salem News,
“The good news for North Shore residents is that the Registry of Motor Vehicles is finally planning to open a branch in Danvers after two years without one in this area. The bad news? The new place will cost taxpayers a lot more than the old one.
The registry announced last week that it had signed a 10-year lease to open an RMV branch in a former restaurant building at the Danvers Crossing shopping plaza on Route
The rent for the first year will be $350,616 — nearly 10 times as much as the $41,729 that the state paid in the final year of its lease at the Liberty Tree Mall.
A spokesman for the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, which handles leasing for the state, said the agency does not comment on lease negotiations.
Danvers state Rep. Ted Speliotis acknowledged the new lease payments will be much higher at Danvers Crossing. But he said that’s more a reflection on the great deal the state had at the Liberty Tree Mall.
Speliotis said the registry moved into the mall during tough economic times, when malls and other retail landlords were desperate for tenants. Liberty Tree even offered the space for free for the first three years, from 2010 to 2013.
“We were in the worst recession of our lifetime and the mall needed the foot traffic,” Speliotis said. “That was a once-in-a-lifetime deal.” Read the full article, “RMV deal finally done, but taxpayers will pay” April 30, 2018: here
The Danvers RMV wasn’t busy the times we went December 2019. Still, it remains a bit of a slog* to get to that RMV (or Revere or Wilmington) from Gloucester. Having been to this new one, I’m not sure why there can’t be a branch in Gloucester as well, perhaps at Gloucester Crossing.
*Having to go 5x in the past two months plus needing to get there by 4pm makes it a slog. Revere and this are a toss up.
Photos below: Gloucester Crossing December 2019 looking in the direction of Starbucks (on right) and future pharmacy (free standing building on left, next to Aspen Dental)
Before the Danvers build out- What about a DMV at Gloucester Crossing post here
New decade dawning: Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year.
12 more hours to go 2019!
clocks! goodlinens studio, Gloucester, Mass.
Temple Ahavat Achim, Gloucester, Mass. Hanukkah December 2019
Pier 23 Kitchen on 23 East Main Street closed. The restaurant is for sale: contact (978) 887-9895. Pier 23 owners and AJ’s contributed major upgrades and renovations at this busy spot. (Mooters, LaRosas, and Cacciatores preceded AJ’s at the Harbor.)
The new sign for Oliver’s Harbor Restaurant and Bar features tiles at each end and heralds a change in ownership at 64 Main Street. The Bragas sold Trio which they had reconfigured after opening Italiano Restaurant in the former La Trattoria space and completing a major renovation and build out replete with a new industrial kitchen. Last year they added additional outdoor seating.
64 Main Street on Gloucester’s West End as Italiano 2017 and Trio 2018:
PRESS RELEASE from The Arts Council of Princeton:
Three Individuals Who Became Artists By Chance to be the Focus of
“Inside Out…When Worlds Collide” An Exhibition at the Arts Council of Princeton January 4 through February 22
Princeton, NJ – The Arts Council of Princeton will present “Inside Out…When Worlds Collide,” an exhibition of works by three individuals who became artists by chance. The exhibit will be on display in the Arts Council’s Taplin Gallery, from January 4 through February 22, 2020. (website here)
Join us on Saturday, January 4 from 2-3PM when the three artists will be creating works of art while the public can watch prior to the Opening Reception to be held from 3-5PM.
Becoming an artist was not the initial intention for Jon Sarkin, Jennifer Levine, or Kenneth Lewis Sr. Through distinct circumstances, art and the need to create became the driving force in their lives. Despite receiving no formal training, these artists are consumed in the process. Their work conveys joy and frustration and questions life on the canvas. It is out of the ordinary, provocative, imaginative, and even obsessive-compulsive.
According to co-curators Ruthann Taylor and Colette Royal, “The show addresses the power of self-taught artistic talent and the drive of the human spirit to create.”
Meet These Extraordinary Artists
Jon Sarkin, of Gloucester, MA, was working as a chiropractor when he suffered a massive stroke one hot day in 1988. He felt a throbbing, excruciating pain in his head and heard a ringing in his ears. After surgery, his brain began to swell and bleed. When Sarkin woke up, he was a completely different man. After the critical phase of the stroke passed, Sarkin began to have a ferocious need to draw and paint. The stroke, says Sarkin, “made art my top priority in life. It made it more important than just about anything.” Sarkin is the subject of the book Shadows Bright as Glass, which traces his journey from doctor to manically-compulsive artist. website here:https://www.jsarkin.com/
Jennifer Levine, of Montclair, NJ, started painting at age 40 when she was going through a divorce. “I had no experience, but needed something to hold onto as I faced the ordeal. I read Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and it led me through a process that ultimately changed my life in the most profound and wonderful way. Through drawing and painting, I was able to unearth the depth of my being and find a way to express myself that served others,” says Levine. “Now I paint because I love the process – the feel of the paints and the brush on the canvas. I love the unknown magical alchemy of going from nothing to something. I like discovering the images that appear on the canvas I like how people react and get nurtured or informed or uplifted by the pieces.”
Kenneth J. Lewis, Sr., of Trenton, NJ, is a self-instructed artist who began painting on canvas at the unusual age of 47 years. Kenneth has a spiritual relationship and deep sensitivity for what he produces. On New Year’s Day 2008, Kenneth painted his first piece; he called it “Contemplation”. It was an inner reflective painting as he sat home contemplating his future after 24 years of marriage. He quickly learned he had a very raw and latent gift that could no longer be held back. Lewis painted more as a hobby from 2008 until the death of his mother in 2012. His mother could draw, yet she never attempted to embrace or further explore her talent. He knew that he had to create, not only for himself, but also for his late mother, and for generations that follow. Since that time Lewis has created enormous collections of work. To date he has hosted/curated over 30 group shows, 22 solo shows, and participated in many group shows. He is the curator for Starbucks Trenton.
About the Arts Council of Princeton
The Arts Council of Princeton is located in the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, 102 Witherspoon Street in Princeton, NJ. For more information, please visit artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924-8777.
The Arts Council of Princeton, founded in 1967, fulfills its mission of Building Community through the Arts by presenting a wide range of programs including community arts outreach, exhibitions, performances, free community cultural events, and studio-based classes and workshops in a wide range of media. Housed in the landmark Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, Arts Council of Princeton programs are designed to be high-quality, engaging, affordable and accessible for the diverse population of the greater Princeton region. Visit artscouncilofprinceton.org for more information.
*The press release included two photos of Jennifer Levine and Kenneth Lewis works.
PRESS RELEASE from Jane Deering Gallery janedeeringgallery.com 917-902-4359
Jane Deering Gallery presents Jack Evans | AS IS opening Saturday January 4th, 2020 with a reception from 3:00 – 6:00pm at 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester MA. AS IS is a selection of new paintings and prints by Gloucester’s well-known Jack Evans, owner of Mystery Train Records and respected poet. Evans, self-taught painter, fell in love with the paintings of the 20th-Century abstract expressionists and developed a style influenced by the energy and improvisation of those giants — Kline, De Kooning, Pollock et al. Evans’ passion for art and his tireless commitment to study and exploration is impressive. The exhibition continues through January 31st. Gallery hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1-5pm and by appointment.
Barrels outside Marshall’s, Gloucester Crossing
One store employee said everything outside is Market Basket’s responsibility. Not sure why they’re not emptied or why people keep adding. It reeks back here. (Barrels by pizza shop were empty.) It is their front door entrance.
Scatterday’s Driving Schoolis located on the ground floor in the office building at 85 Eastern Avenue, Gloucester, Mass., in the former Eastern Avenue School. Entrance is at the back. There are various learner permit and driver license packages. Some are concentrated full days; for those, Jeff’s Variety is a quick walk away for class breaks.
Great job artists! Thanks for sharing your buoys for our radiant community lobster trap tree
What a merry sunrise!
Dash of practical and plenty of modern whimsy designs make for great browsing and last minute shopping at goodlinens studio on Main Street in Gloucester. The store carries gorgeous linens plus beautiful kitchen, bath, office, and homegood products– hand made and sustainable plus good design.
Fantastic shopping at Pop Gallery on Main Street in Gloucester, Mass. Open from 11-4:30 Christmas eve day.
“…The simplicity was part of the selling point. So was the history of Celtics centers past pulling this off. “As soon as (I was told) Shaq did it, I was sold,” Fall said.
Videos and more here: https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/12/boston-celtics-tacko-fall-conducts-boston-pops-video.html
Great gifts and vintage finds at Alexandra’s Bread bakery and shop on Main Street Gloucester, Ma. Festive selections are folded in during holidays year round.
December 22, 2019 the first light Temple Ahavat Achim Gloucester, Ma., 2019 – An additional (buoy) candle on the giant lobster trap menorah will be lit each night until full illumination on the 8th night.
