I am a translator, origami artist/teacher, and photographer, a blogger, former philosophy professor, and I love to sing.
You can see my photos on Flickr and buy prints of some of them on Fine Art America.
You can find me on
Instagram, Twitter (@mehjg), and in various and sundry other social media sites on the web.
On Thursday night, I joined the other GMG contributors, FOBs, local artists, friends, and passers-by at EJ’s show opening at Alchemy. I got there right at the start. Of course, EJ was there with her radiant smile, putting the last touches on things.
Wine and munchies were served, with Alchemy’s usual aesthetic and culinary flair.
There was a good turnout of people, and EJ made a number of sales in the time I was there (including a print that I bought on the spot and another I ordered in a custom size…). Not surprising, given the beauty and uniqueness of her work.
Other illustrious visitors:
Go down and check out the art! Maybe you’ll find just the right painting, photo or print to give to a family member or friend for Christmas.
Right away I was offered coffee or tea, so I opted for a hot cup of decaf tea. The soup options for the day (my first stop practically everywhere) were corn chowder and Southwest chili. They let me try the chili before ordering, and it was very good, but a bit too spicy for me to eat a whole bowl (my stomach is a bit sensitive).
Instead, I ended up getting a Grilled Veggie Wrap on a tomato basil wrap, with potato chips (other options were mashed potatoes and home fries). It was served piping hot!
The waitress was very attentive and friendly. The wrap, chips, and cup of tea, came to $8.29. On my way out, I was also given a coupon for a free 16oz cup of coffee (their special this month: egg nog coffee!) or a jumbo fresh-baked muffin! Here are some of the muffins:
I think I will get one of these muffins with my coupon, maybe on Saturday…
In Brown’s Mall, there is now a new cozy restaurant, the Cape Ann Diner (7 Pleasant Street)! They are currently open 7-2PM, Monday-Saturday (closed on Sunday).
There aren’t big signs outside yet, but they sometimes have a sandwich board outside. The closest entrance/exit is the door between The Hive and the Pleasant Street Tea Co. I came in that way, and chanced upon some friends who were enjoying a delicious lunch at the diner.
I joined them for a cup of hot cocoa (with a mound of whipped cream) – perfect on a cold early winter day.
The prices are very affordable. A bowl of the soup of the day – my favorite item on most menus – is just $2.95! The most expensive item I could find on the lunch menu (all good traditional American fare) is the Burger Bomb – two fresh patties, American cheese, crispy bacon, grilled pepper and onions, bbq sauce and mayo on a grilled seeded bun with lettuce and tomato with choice of potato chips, home fries, or mashed potatoes. All of that for $8.95! That sounds so good, I am almost drooling on my keyboard. No, they didn’t bribe me to say that.
If you go in the front door of Brown’s Mall on Main Street, you get to enjoy the decked halls as you head up one flight of stairs towards the back left.
I folded this on Thanksgiving from a foil paper hexagon, for my parents’ Christmas tree (which we put up on Thanksgiving!). I made it up as I went along, but someone may have done it first, because it isn’t very complicated.
Fred wasn’t kidding when he said the stuffed clams at his gallery on Saturday were a hit. I was there early in the evening and had a couple of the clams (and ‘shrooms etc.) and I wish I could’ve made it back on Sunday for more! If I had known there would be leftovers, I would have eaten a few more on Saturday night…
The Artist with her WorkKathie’s Klams (Kloseup)
They taste as good as they look. If you want to try some for yourself, here’s the full info:
There was a fairly steady flow of people through the gallery while I was there, increasing as the evening went on.
While the stuffed clams were a big part of the draw, it’s always great to hang out with Fred and friends and chat. I always meet interesting people at Fred’s events! And, of course, let’s not forget that he sells beautiful art. One of my favorite things is the pottery, which is spread throughout the gallery. This time, I bought a beautiful mug that was on sale, but I have bought a couple other pieces from him as well.
I could fill my cupboard with these things – I love the colors and textures, and the fact that they are made relatively nearby. Besides mugs, there are bowls, small pitchers, etc.
Stop in at Bodin Historic Photo during the upcoming events:
•December 6th, 38th annual Ladies Night. Party starting at 6 pm until whenever. Love it, a crazy night!
• December 13th, 38th annual Men’s Night. Rockin’ at 6 pm until 10. Guys get it done at this event.
• December 14th, 2nd annual GOOD MORNING GLOUCESTER HOLIDAY PARTY, 6 pm until late. Last year, we had so much food that we ran out of table space, but somehow managed. Restaurant owner Mark McDonough brought a plank (not a mere platter) of sushi from Latitude 43. And Joey’s Sista Felicia stepped up with dishes from her Italian kitchen, as she always does (yum). And Joey himself bought 20 Scalifani’s pizzas. Beer was donated by Sam Adams and spirits from Ryan & Woods Distillery. Mayor Kirk was here, as was a significant portion of the City Council. Over the top! Not to be missed!
• December 20th, 1st annual Family and Friends Night. Bring your “home for the holidays” guests in for gallery offerings, free deserts or appetizers at many restaurants, and Carolers strolling Main Street. My theory is that last minute shoppers will get their buying done before panic time. Also a great time to bring the kids.
We had a very nice meal – just my parents and I, as my brother was with his in-laws. The menu also included pumpkin pie, and a few other treats that didn’t make it into this photo. We have leftovers to last us for a while!
Seen on the east end of Main Street. The orientation of the letters is right from this side, but “nepo” isn’t a word. On the other side, the letters are in the right order to say “open”, but the letters are flipped the wrong way. Was this an intentional compromise, knowing the banner would be seen from both sides, or is it a mistake?
Proof that cats and dogs can get along just fine. The RCA dog behaves himself and knows his place, so Mr. Pumpkin doesn’t have to go out of his way to prove he his the boss.
… was the first purchase! They had a slight delay in opening the point of sale due to technical difficulties, and that gave me time to be the first one in line to buy something on opening night:
I got a few more photos too, of course. You can tell what GMG contributors like when three of us show up at the same event without any prompting…
I am glad to have this great new store as a neighbor; they are right across the street from the parish parking lot!
As I mentioned yesterday, there is a Christmas Fair fundraiser today at Holy Family Parish, being held in the parish hall at St. Ann’s Church on Pleasant Street. The tables are overflowing with items for sale and for raffle. Here’s a photo of the room being set up:
There will be food available – the menu looks good:
Here is a sampling of the items available for sale:
One uncut sheet of paper each. The reindeer is folded from a design by Peter Engel, and the Santa is designed by Steven Casey. I folded them to be among the items raffled and sold at the Holy Family Parish Christmas Fair, to be held this Saturday, Nov. 17, 9am-2pm.
Here on the blog, I read that there is a seasonal “pop-up” store on Main Street called Present. However, I couldn’t find any mention of the address, so I headed out with my camera to hunt the store down and shoot it (shoot photos of it, that is). I found it at 271 Main Street:
Full information about hours is in the window:
They have a nice variety of “locally designed gifts”…
…many of them made from re-purposed or recycled materials, like the uber-warm woolen mittens in the photo below, made from recycled sweaters:
Other items include beautiful (locally made) nature-themed tee-shirts:
Last Sunday, I stopped by the Gauthier Gallery grand opening on Main Street.
I had visited (and posted about) the Gauthier Gallery before, so it was nice to see how things have been coming together. Most of the artists involved were there:
There is a great selection of art there right now! Here are some sample shots:
It’s not just paintings; there are elaborately decorated boxes…
Painted wooden trunks…
… and colorful scarfs:
Elizabeth Gauthier has started a new activity at her gallery: painting parties! From her website:
The-Painting-Party offers an upbeat evening of painting and socializing for both the artistic and the not so artistically inclined. You will be guided through step by step instructions by an accomplished art instructor. It’s fun and totally stress free.
And by the end of the night you will be amazed at the work of art that YOU created. You will go home with a painting that is uniquely yours – and perhaps a new found talent you’ll want to nurture!
Practically since I arrived in Gloucester, people have been telling me I have to try breakfast at George’s (178 Washington Street). For one reason or another, I had not made it until this past Sunday when I had breakfast there after Mass with some parishioners. From among the many appetizing things on the menu, I chose “breakfast boats”:
That’s three potato halves, hollowed out and filled in with scrambled eggs and bacon, topped with shredded cheese and served with salsa and sour cream. Wow. It tasted as good as it looks! However, it was twice what I could eat, so I ended up with leftovers for later. Definitely worth ordering! We were all satisfied with our meals. I had tried a bite of someone’s plate-sized pineapple coconut pancake, and it was delicious too…
While we ate, I saw this unusual sight:
I’ve never seen a sign like that on a car before. The owner must have real problems with people trying to get friendly with those beautiful hounds. It reminds me of this scene from “The Pink Panther Strikes Again” (which I just watched again):
I made it to the Temple Ahavat Achim (just around the block from where I live) on Saturday for their “Café Shalom”. I am so glad I did – I kept saying “wow!” to myself for about half an hour after the music was over!
The first band was “The Blueberries”, consisting of Fozzie Hill, Dave Brown, and Wolf Giandes. Great folk/blues vocals and guitar!
Then came Klezwoods, a Boston klezmer band (whose leader, Joseph Kessler, is a Gloucester local). They play a sort of fusion of traditional klezmer with jazz and other middle-eastern music. I had no idea what this would be like. Although I expected it to be good, I was still blown away! They play with fantastic energy and skill. I bought their CD without hesitation about half-way through their set.
For more photos of both bands, click on the block of thumbnail images below:
Another Café Shalom is scheduled for January 12, 2013. I don’t have the name of the band(s) that will play, but there will be an announcement on GMG before the event.
There was a good turnout of people, and EJ made a number of sales in the time I was there (including a print that I bought on the spot and another I ordered in a custom size…). Not surprising, given the beauty and uniqueness of her work.
Other illustrious visitors:
Good Morning Gloucester 