Author: Kimsmithdesigns
Documentary filmmaker, photographer, landscape designer, author, and illustrator. "Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly" currently airing on PBS. Current film projects include Piping Plovers, Gloucester's Feast of St. Joseph, and Saint Peter's Fiesta. Visit my websites for more information about film and design projects at kimsmithdesigns.com, monarchbutterflyfilm.com, and pipingploverproject.org. Author/illustrator "Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Notes from a Gloucester Garden."
GMG FOB Marty Morgan Shares Her Welcome Spring Photo!
Thanks so much Marty for sharing your welcome spring photo–wonderful!!!
Marty writes,
Hi Kim,
My husband leaves the sliding seat from his rowing shell hanging under our back stairs. Some little bird decided it was the perfect place to build her nest.
Marty
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Cape Ann Tv’s Lunch and Learn
Submitted by Rebecca ~
Thank you to those of you who attended CATV’s most recent “Lunch and Learn” presentation by Kevin Roy of Green Banana SEO. We hope you enjoyed learning about Search Engine Optimization along with us!
The presentation will be airing on Cape Ann TV’s Channel 12:
Saturday, April 12 at 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 13 at 1:00 p.m.
Here’s a clip: http://youtu.be/nxZA0r58xYA – The full video will be posted on our website soon:
You can view Green Banana’s Powerpoint presentation here:
http://www.greenbananaseo.com/fts/ – You just have to enter some contact information to download.
CATV’s next “Lunch & Learn” event is scheduled for May, 8th at 12pm, featuring Steve Brettler, Principal of smallfish-design – a website design and development company that specializes in the unique needs of the small business owner and artist.
Steve will be presenting on WordPress: Creating a blog/website.
Seating will be limited for this event so please RSVP to rtober@capeanntv.org ASAP!
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GMG FOB Pat Morss Submits Monarch Photos from 1999
Thanks so much for sharing Pat!
Pat writes, “My wife and I have been following the postings about the challenges to monarch butterflies migrating from Eastern Point ( and elsewhere) to Mexico. We visited the El Rosario Sanctuary in the hills west of Mexico City in 1999 before the current reduction in population. Attached are a few photos from that trip:” 
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Not One, But Two, Super Events from Eastern Point Lit House this Sunday, April 13th!
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Signs of Spring from GMG FOB’s Jacqueline Bennet and Cathie
Jacqueline writes, “these photos were taken late April at Long Hill.”
Spring Breeze
Cathie submits: Turtles sunning themselves in Tewksbury, MA
Thanks so much for sharing Jackie and Cathie!
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Retirement Celebration for Carol Gray Saturday April 12th at 3pm
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Poetry Reading with John Ronan at the Sawyer Free
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First Annual Spring Wine Tasting at Savour Wine and Cheese with Cristin Connors
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Simply Gorgeous Spring Flower Photos from Len Burgess
Len Burgess welcomes spring–thank you Len for sharing–just beautiful!
Pussy Willow
Crocus
Lily
Daffodil
Crocus
Send us a photo of your favorite signs welcoming spring. Send photos to me at kimsmithdesigns@hotmail.com. The photo need not be a nature-related image, but of anything!
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Next Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team Trip is This Coming Friday Night, the 11th
Rick writes,
“If you want to be on our email list and get updates about events and field trips, let me know at cavpt@yahoo.com.
We had a nice field trip last night to Nugent’s Stretch. Lots of chorusing peepers and wood frogs. Nice congress of about 25 male spotted salamanders. Lots of spermatophores, no eggs yet. Various other sals, a few females mixed in. Sam Bevins found a very cuddly small newt. And fairy shrimp. Thanks to our experienced and most helpful field trippers- Colleen Anderson, Tracy Bowen and Sam Bevins.
Next trip:
Friday April 11, 2014 8:30pm
Meet at Walgreen’s parking lot on Main Street in Gloucester…
look for White Lightning, my big white van.
Did I mention… we need a treasurer?
Rick
we only have one earth, save it”
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A Huge Thank You to Everyone for Your Milkweed and Aster Orders!!!
My Deepest Thanks to Everyone
The above is a favorite photo from my trip in February to film the Monarchs. This week we will be bringing you the short interview film with Tom Emmel at the summit of the Sierra Chincua Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve!
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WOW and DOUBLE WOW!!! Today we totaled the excel spread sheet and placed the order for our wildflower seeds. I hope everything is fully in stock, and if all is, the seeds should be arriving by early next week! I thought everyone would be interested to know our amazing grand totals:
Marsh Milkweed Packets: 36 Marsh Milkweed 1 Ounce Quantity: 21 Common Milkweed Packets: 74 Common Milkweed 1 Ounce Quantity: 11 Pink New England Asters: 58 Purple New England Asters: 44
A HUGE THANK YOU to EVERYONE participating in the Cape Ann Milkweed Project!
Below are several GMG posts with lots more information about the Cape Ann Milkweed Project. For more posts, type in the search word milkweed or Monarch Butterfly.
ORDER YOUR MILKWEED SEEDS TODAY!
Cape Ann Milkweed Project Continues ~ Plant Milkweed Seeds to Save the Monarchs
Setting the Table for a Regal Butterfly Comeback, With Milkweed
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Sawyer Free Library Presents Celebrate Brain Building
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The Body on the Rocks ~ A New Detective Thriller by Tom Hauck (My Husband)!
The Body on the Rocks is a page-turning collection of superbly written classic detective stories, set in Gloucester. Very, very proud of my husband!!! One of my favorite passages, found on page 227:
“There are many different ways human being scream.
At the amusement park you hear the shrill cries of rollercoaster riders who, with arms held high not in surrender to the enemy but as expressions of death-defying hubris, giddily anticipate the breakneck plunge down the first big hill. In movie theaters you hear the excited shrieks of patrons who have paid to be scared half to death by the maniac on the screen. There are the squeals of delight from children who tear open Christmas presents to find that Santa has brought that coveted toy. And there are angry howls of sports fans who somehow expect that the nearsighted referee who is far out in the middle of the playing field, surrounded by thousands of the screamers’ fellows, will somehow hear and be affected by each one’s individual complaint.
Of the many varieties of excited utterances made by people, the scream of genuine terror is singular and unmistakable. It penetrates to the core and demands a response.”
The Body on the Rocks is available at The Bookstore of Gloucester and The Book Shop of Beverly Farms, as well as Amazon.com (paperback and Kindle).
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Tom also did the painting for the cover, painted at the rocks at Brace Cove in 2005.
From the press release ~ The Body on the Rocks presents twelve thrilling stories featuring detective Chris Mark. Set in the rugged port city of Gloucester, Massachusetts, each story offers human drama, passion, intrigue, and a glimpse into the complicated life of an Iraq War vet who only wants to help people solve their toughest problems. This fast-paced collection is perfect for a day at the beach or an evening by the fireplace, and will keep you turning the pages long past your bedtime.
Tom is a freelance ghostwriter and editor, and the editor of Renaissance Magazine, America’s leading national magazine devoted to contemporary renaissance faires and culture. Visit his website here.
Tom Hauck is a writer living in Gloucester, Massachusetts. His first novel, Pistonhead, tells the gritty story of a guitar player in a rock band who faces a life crisis. Lucas Manson, his second novel, is a literary horror thriller that pits agent Mark Dylan against a charismatic evangelist who is the leader of a bloodthirsty hominid species.
His third novel, Avita Doesn’t Love You (Whiskey Creek Press, October 2014),is an international thriller that traces the moral and physical challenges faced by agent Kevin Lone as he battles an implacable global enemy. Continue reading “The Body on the Rocks ~ A New Detective Thriller by Tom Hauck (My Husband)!”
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Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team Update
It’s warm enough and it’s going to rain. But the rain won’t be until late tonight and I don’t think many of you will want to go on a field trip after midnight. But… tonight’s rain should bring out some salamanders. It’s supposed to be warm tomorrow. So… there will be salamanders in the pools and there should be frogs calling. Although we likely won’t see much migration, it should still be neat. So…Tuesday April 8, 2014 8:30pmMeet at Walgreens’s Parking Lot on Main St., Gloucester
PLEASE READ THIS
We have a lot of new people on the listserv this year, so I want to go over the field trip procedure. For many of you, this will be review.We have both daytime and nighttime fieldtrips.
At night we hope to see migrating and/or breeding spotted salamanders, wood frogs and spring peepers. Maybe some other things- fairy shrimp, water bugs and leeches.
During the day we are usually searching for egg masses to photograph for certification. We may see frogs, fairy shrimp, insects and leeches.
We have a lot of new people on the listserv this year, so I want to go over the field trip procedure. For many of you, this will be review.We have both daytime and nighttime fieldtrips.
At night we hope to see migrating and/or breeding spotted salamanders, wood frogs and spring peepers. Maybe some other things- fairy shrimp, water bugs and leeches.
During the day we are usually searching for egg masses to photograph for certification. We may see frogs, fairy shrimp, insects and leeches.
Night trips usually happen when the air temperature is 45°F or above. Usually rainy or foggy. About 9:30pm.
Daytime trips happen after the amphibian egg masses start to show up in the ponds.
You usually won’t get much notice because there are lots of variables (for instance, the air temp. might be right, but the ground might still be frozen, and the amphibians may decide to stay home). The critters don’t tell us what they’re going to do. And we don’t have a crystal ball here, so I’ll try to give you my best guess as to when a field trip is coming up, but you may only get 2-3 hours notice. So watch your emails.
We generally meet at the Walgreens/Dunkin Donuts parking lot on Main Street in Gloucester at about 9:15pm.
Most people drive their own car (or buddy up) from the parking lot to the pool. That way you can leave whenever you get cold, wet, tired or bored. Many field trippers do not care to stay out as long as I do. Which is fine.
On night trips you’ll need a flashlight. Mag lights and 6-volt lights are good. Some people have some of those nice LED ones. Everyone must have a flashlight so you can shine the ground in front of you as you walk to the pond. Salamanders may be walking too, and they aren’t fast enough to get out of your way. We don’t want to step on any amphibians.
So, anyway, put your raingear, boots (just for a muddy walk, you won’t be wading) and flashlight by the door and be ready. Leave your dogs at home.
I would encourage you to join us if you haven’t already. If we get a good night, it’s an amazing spectacle and really the fun part of vernal ponding.
We’ll need lots of experienced field trippers to assist in leading. I think we’ll have a lot of new people this year.
Check your emails often for the latest updates. We will make every effort to give as much notice as possible, but sometimes it may not be until 6:30-7pm on the night of the trip.
Hope to see you out there. Rick
we only have one earth, save it
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Signs of Spring from GMG FOB William Dugan
Send us a photo of your favorite signs welcoming spring. Send photos to me at kimsmithdesigns@hotmail.com. The photo need not be a nature-related image, but of anything!
Thanks Bill–love it–so cheery!!!
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Waiting for the Ice to Melt on Niles Pond
GMG FOB Sue Ann Pearson from Kettle Cove Studios in Magnolia submits her lovely painting, along with a sweet note to Joey ~
A big thank you to Kim Smith for all of her lovely nature photos. Here is a painting I did of one of her inspiring photos. I call it “Waiting for the Ice to Melt on Niles Pond.”
I am very touched Sue. Thank you for sharing!
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Sing Your Heart Out Fella!
Male Red-Winged Blackbird
Although Red-winged Blackbirds are spied around Niles Pond during the winter months, spring brings flocks, and the males are an especially welcome sight chortling atop the pussy willow branches along the water’s edge. Red-winged Blackbirds are one of North America’s most abundant birds. If you were a male of the kind, you might be singing your heart out, too. The species is highly polygynous and some males have been known to have as many as 15 mates during a single season!
Female Red-winged Blackbird Image Courtesy Wiki Commons Media
The males are glossy black with distinctive red epaulettes and yellow wing bars, which they often puff out confidently when singing from their perches. The females have a streaky brown song sparrow-like wing patterning and stay close to the ground feeding and building their intricately woven nests at the base of cattails and reeds, along the marsh’s edge.
If you have a spare moment, send us a photo of your favorite signs welcoming spring and we’ll post them under a group ‘welcome spring’ post. Send photos to me at kimsmithdesigns@hotmail.com (thanks Lenny).
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I am presenting 2 lectures this coming week, Monday on Butterfly Gardening in Shrewsbury and Wednesday evening on The Pollinator Garden at the Flint Library in North Reading. Please visit the events page of my website for more information.
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Thank you Friends of the HarborWalk Cleanup Dream Team!
Thank you Beth, Susan, Jessie, Catherine, George, and Charles–an awesome team and an awesome job well done!!!
We had our first Friends of the HarborWalk cleanup this morning and made great progress. We didn’t get to I4-C2 and hope to next weekend.
If you stop by to have a look, you’ll see the diminutive Dwarf-crested Iris (Iris cristata) just beginning to show their sweet little faces. Dwarf-crested Iris are native to Massachusetts and bloom in shades of sky blue, lavender, and darker blues and purples–the HarborWalk’s iris are are deep purple with gold on their crests.
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A Palm Sunday Concert at the Annisquam Village Church
All Those Hands and Feet!!
A Duo of Players : A Trio of Instruments
Carolyn and John Skelton bring their combined virtuosity to bear on the Gallery Organ, the Chancel Organ, and the Harpsichord at the Annisquam Village Church on this Palm Sunday program, April 13 at 4 PM, in a delightful concert of duets and solos that includes works of Bach, Handel, Buxtehude, Couperin, and Pinkham. From an antiphonal organ piece to a brilliant exchange between the harpsichord and gallery organ, these two expert players will take full advantage of the three instruments built by Jeremy Adams and the lively acoustic of the historic Village Church at the head of Lobster Cove in Gloucester. Contact: Kathleen Adams, Music Director, 978.283.6416
Jeremy Adams Gallery Organ, Chamber Organ, and Harpsichord
Good Morning Gloucester 