Lisa Smith from Cape Ann TV submits:
Author: Kimsmithdesigns
HALLOWEEN PIC!
South of the Border Wine Tasting at Savour Wine and Cheese
PAINTED TURTLE RESCUE AT NILES POND
A friendly sort, this little guy was found in the middle of Niles Pond Road headed towards the brook. He posed patiently while I filmed him for the swan film, took his photo, and tested out my new phone 4K video feature. I placed him near the brook but he started to cross the road again and then just plopped there in the middle! I was late getting back to work so I marched him down an overgrown path and positioned him near a rock at the water’s edge. We can only hope. Perhaps he was confused by the gorgeous warm weather this morning.
An exciting turtle instagram 🙂
https://instagram.com/p/9bYvOIDylD/
Eastern Painted Turtles live in fresh water such as Niles Pond, and hibernate in the mud during the winter months. Painted Turtles are the most widespread turtle species of North America.
GLOUCESTER HARBOR DREDGER IN PLACE
PLOVERS AND SANDERLINGS!
Semipalmated Plover and Sanderling
Last week after presenting my Pollinator Garden program in Orleans and visiting the Nauset lighthouses, the next stopover was to my grandparent’s beach in Dennis, or I should say, the beach where my family summered as our grandparents are no longer living. It was close to sunset and I had the overwhelming wish to watch the sun go down from the same place where we perched atop the bluff and had watched the sunset thousands of times as children. It was more than a little dismaying upon arriving to see my Grandmother’s glorious seaside garden gone, replaced by grass, but even more so, to see that the great stairwell and wild rose-lined path to the beach, once enjoyed by all the neighbors, had been privatized. Despite all that and feeling very melancholy, I had a lovely walk along the shore, watched the spectacular sunset from the cliff’s edge, and came upon a gorgeous mixed flock of shore birds. They stayed awhile resting and feeding in the surf at the high tide line and none-too-shy, allowed for both filming and photographing in the fading rosy light.
I believe these are Black-bellied Plovers in their winter plumage. Not only were they standing on one leg, they also run, or hop, along the beach at top speed, on one leg!
You can read an excerpt about my Grandmother’s Cape Cod garden in my book Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities in the chapter titled “My Grandmother’s Garden.”
See More Photos Here Continue reading “PLOVERS AND SANDERLINGS!”
Gloucester Stage Presents Halloween Playtime Stories
GLOUCESTER INNER HARBOR ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP PROJECT IS UNDERWAY
The scheduled clean up by National Grid has begun at the site of the former Gloucester Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP). An area has been cordoned off however, Maritime Gloucester is fully operational and accessible and there is a crew working onboard the Schooner Adventure.
Geoff Deckebach, Schooner Adventure’s lead shipwright, works unfazed on ship’s improvements.
National Grid has created a website to provide the public with information about the environmental remediation project in and adjacent to Gloucester’s Inner Harbor.
“From 1854 until 1952, the former Gloucester Gas Light Company (GGLC) operated a facility along the Gloucester waterfront to convert coal and oil into manufactured gas. Compounds from this Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) operation are present below the ground surface along portions of Harbor Loop and Rogers Street and in the harbor. This area is referred to as the former MGP Site and includes both upland and marine areas in and along Gloucester’s Inner Harbor.
Portions of the United States Coast Guard Gloucester Station, Solomon Jacobs Park, a commercial property owned by National Grid, commercial properties associated with fish processing, cold storage, retail operations, and portions of city streets are located within the upland areas of the Site. The marine area of the Site includes piers, floating docks, and other structures associated with some of the waterfront properties along Harbor Loop, as well as portions of the Federal Navigation Channel. Studies have confirmed the MGP Site does not pose a risk to current occupants on any of these properties or to members of the public.
As required by state environmental cleanup regulations (i.e., the Massachusetts Contingency Plan), National Grid is proposing to conduct cleanup (“remediation”) activities in both the upland and marine portions of the former MGP Site. Various state agencies, including the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office, have or will review and approve the remediation approach.” READ MORE HERE
LINDSAY CROUSE STARS IN ONE-NIGHT ONLY PERFORMANCE TO BENEFIT GLOUCESTER SATGE!
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE LINDSAY CROUSE STARS
IN ONE-NIGHT ONLY PERFORMANCE TO BENEFIT GLOUCESTER STAGE
Gloucester Stage proudly presents a one-night only benefit performance of A.R. Gurney’s funny and touching modern classic Love Letters starring Gloucester Stage favorites: Academy Award nominee and Gloucester resident Lindsay Crouse, and star of 2015’s Sweet and Sad Joel Colodner on November 1 at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA. All proceeds from the evening benefit Gloucester Stage, a 36 year old non-profit professional theatre. The festive evening begins at 6:30 pm with a special Backstage Pre-Show reception featuring hors d’oeuvres from Willow Rest, fine wine, and craft beer plus an exclusive opportunity to explore behind-the-scenes at Gloucester Stage. At 7:30 a short live auction of unique items begins on the stage led by auctioneer Jeff Zinn, Gloucester Stage’s new Managing Director followed by the main event, a one-time only performance of A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters. Following the performance the cast and audience can enjoy a fine dessert buffet and gourmet coffees in the lobby. Tickets are $150 per person for the entire evening of events including the backstage pre-show reception, performance and dessert buffet, or $100 per person for the performance and dessert buffet only. All proceeds benefit Gloucester Stage. For more information and to purchase tickets, call the Gloucester Stage Box Office at 978-281-4433 or visitwww.gloucesterstage.com
Lindsay Crouse made her Gloucester Stage debut in 2007 in The Belle of Amherst; followed by a return to Gloucester Stage in 2008 inGoing To St. Ives, in 2010 in Table Manners, in 2011 in Living Together and in 2012 in Round and Round The Garden and most recently, in 2013 in Driving Miss Daisy. Upcoming projects for Ms. Crouse include the lead role in the world premiere of Tracy Lett’s new play Mary Page Marlowe with the Chicago’s acclaimed Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2016. A long-time veteran of the New York stage, Lindsay Crouse has performed off and on Broadway, and has won the Obie and Theater World Awards. At the Geffen Theater in Los Angeles, she starred with John Mahoney in Conor McPherson’sThe Weir, breaking the theater’s box office records. On television, Ms. Crouse has guest-starred on C.S.I., Criminal Minds, Law andOrder, E.R, NYPD Blue, Colombo, Murder She Wrote, Touched By An Angel, Hill Street Blues, Frasier, ARLI$$ and Alias. She spent a season as the infamous Professor Maggie Walsh on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. She appeared on all three television networks simultaneously playing recurring characters on Providence for NBC,Hack for CBS, and Dragnet for ABC. She has played three different characters on Law and Order, and appeared as the formidable Judge Andrews on Law and Order SVU. A feature film veteran, some of Ms. Crouse’s best known films include The Insider, The Verdict,House of Games, Slapshot, Communion, All The President’s Men,Prince Of The City, Daniel, The Arrival, Indian In The Cupboard,Mr. Brooks and Places In The Heart, for which she received an Academy Award nomination. Continue reading “LINDSAY CROUSE STARS IN ONE-NIGHT ONLY PERFORMANCE TO BENEFIT GLOUCESTER SATGE!”
DINE OUT CAPE ANN!
MUST GO TO CAPE ANN BREW PUB DURING DINE OUT! Read more about all the restaurants that are participating during Dine-Out here and listen to our podcast with Mark McDonough and Kerry McKenna here.
HANGING OUT!
With my friends the Barton-Anderson Family at Niles Beach

As Michelle mentioned, an entire beach on which to play, but the kids generally gravitate to the stair railings at Niles. More photos here ~ Continue reading “HANGING OUT!”
Kim Smith Monarch Butterfly Program at the Sawyer Free Library
Dear Friends,
Please join us at the Sawyer Free Library on Thursday November 12th at 7:30 pm for my Monarch butterfly program. I am especially, especially excited to present to our community. I hope to see you there! Please note that this is my photo and lecture program, not the new film, which will be coming soon.
For more information visit my website Kim Smith Designs.
Special thanks to Valerie Marino at the Sawyer Free for creating the program flyer!
YOU CAN NEVER GO WRONG WHEN DINING AT PASSPORTS RESTAURANT!
There are so many delicious appetizers and entrees to choose from at Passports, and all are very reasonably priced. On a recent visit my husband had melt-in-your mouth swordfish, grilled to perfection, served with super yummy scalloped potatoes, and a medley of veggies, all for only NINETEEN dollars. For the first course, I had the special French onion soup, which was not too salty as is so often the case; it was perfect and really hit the spot. Although an appetizer, for the main course I next had the fried oysters, which IMO are the absolute best around, hands down, without a doubt. We love the the always friendly and welcoming wait staff at Passports and our dinner was made especially outstanding by Sally!
Open for lunch and dinner, with community events happening often and throughout the week, make Passports one of your regular go-to dining spots!
BEAUTIFUL ATMOSPHERIC OCTOBER MORNING
Brace Cove and Niles Pond in the lifting fog ~ When I first got to the causeway, Brace Rock was completely obscured. As the fog drifted away an army of cormorants began to appear, joining the gulls on the rocks and feeding from the surf.
More photos here Continue reading “BEAUTIFUL ATMOSPHERIC OCTOBER MORNING”
LIVE FROM SMASHING WEAVER, GORVETT, VINCENT EXHIBIT AT THE CAPE ANN MUSEUM
SPOOKTAKULAR GIFT IDEAS FROM NICHOLS CANDY HOUSE
DON’T MISS JEFF WEAVER, DON GORVETT, AND PETER VINCENT OPENING TODAY!!
NAUSET LIGHT ~ A BEAUTIFULLY CARED FOR AND BELOVED ICON OF CAPE COD
Nauset Light, moved from its previous precarious perch above eroding bluffs, is today beautifully maintained by the Nauset Light Preservation Society, a group of dedicated locals who are committed to preserving and interpreting its important story for visitors.
From the Nauset Light Preservation Society website: The Coast Guard owned Nauset Light and had no plans for saving it. Modern instrumentation has diminished the need for lighthouses. However, the lighthouse is still used by the fishing fleets and small recreational boaters who navigate close to the shore. Nauset Light is an important part of Eastham’s cultural and maritime history, and is the most well-known and photographed lighthouse on Cape Cod.
A group of citizens in Eastham formed the Nauset Light Preservation Society, a non-profit volunteer organization whose original mission was to rescue the lighthouse. This was accomplished in November 1996. Read More Here.
























