My View of Life on the Dock
We made it to Plum Cove Beach just moments before the sun set and I took this quick little time lapse of the last couple of minutes. It always amazes me how quickly the sun drops below the horizon. If you’re viewing on Facebook, click the link to see the time lapse.
Honestly, I haven’t watched Saturday Night Live in years, but I happened to catch this skit with Bill Burr the other night. Pretty funny….and I love my pumpkin beer.
We are loving Gloucester Fall Ball thanks to some great organizers, volunteers, and coaches….not to mention the players. Finn’s travel baseball team endured plenty of scorching hot double-headers this summer…. I can’t believe how quickly we’ve transitioned to super chilly night games with this league. No matter what the temperature though, it is always fun to watch these kids play.
The beautiful colors shimmering in yesterday’s sunshine over the salt marsh caught my eye enough to turn around, park, and take a few photos.
I was honored to be in attendance yesterday, at The Open Door, as Julie LaFontaine happily accepted a very generous $10,000 check on their behalf from Warren Waugh and the Lyon Waugh Auto Group. That check was made of behalf of Gloucester Police Department’s Community Impact Unit, headed by Lt. Jeremiah Nicastro, who challenged the community back in September to come together in a big way. Mayor Sefatia Romeo Thekan was also in attendance as her continued support of The Open Door has always been incredibly important.
You may remember that back in September The Open Door held a food drive at the Gloucester Market Basket, the Building Center, and Crackerjacks in Rockport. The food drive was hosted in partnership with Gloucester Police Department’s Community Impact Unit, the We Are All in This Together Gloucester community action group, Awesome Rockport and the Rockport Exchange. At the day’s end the food drive was able to collect over 15,000 pounds of food and more than $11,000. It was a beautiful example of how this community comes together and Lyon Waugh was there along with many others to present a truck load of groceries.
While donations are always incredibly important to The Open Door these unprecedented times certainly create even more need. Thanks to community generosity, like that of the Lyon Waugh Auto Group, they have been able to make a significant impact in more than 5,000 households. The number of meals distributed is well over 800,000 and almost 30,000 meals have been prepared in Open Door’s very own kitchen. The food pantry has recently reopened for shopping as well on Tuesdays by appointment. With the holiday season soon approaching and many annual fundraising opportunities missed due to Covid restrictions, help and support are critical. Not only did Warren Waugh present a $10,000 check yesterday, but he pledged another $10,000 to come when the holidays are upon us. Lyon Waugh is well known, rightfully so, for generosity in the Cape Ann community and beyond….but, also for treating their many employees incredibly well. One of the many ways that is demonstrated is through a much anticipated holiday party. With large gatherings not taking place this year, and that holiday event canceled, Waugh was pleased to announce that they would use those resources to make the second donation.
There will be more opportunities to support the Open Door this Fall. Please check back for the many ways you can help.
I happened to be on the deck at Mile Marker One when this short lived rainbow made a quick appearance yesterday afternoon. I missed last week’s rainbows so I was happy to snap a photo of this one (or two).
Check out this awesome photo posted by Pelagic Gear on their Instagram page. It credits photographer Al McGlashan with capturing the moment a giant mako shark attacks a blue marlin that was in the midst of being released boat-side. Yikes. Tough break for the blue marlin….easy meal for the mako….probably quite a scare for the crew.
I couldn’t help but be impressed watching this kid come in on The Boys after what I imagine to be a tough trip out harvesting horseshoe crabs. Salty kid for sure.
I was going through photos from this summer and the Charles Seabrook caught my eye. I was taking a photo of Finn fishing on the waterfront of Hyannis Harbor. I’m pretty certain that I’ve photographed the Charles Seabrook in Gloucester as well. Can someone tell me if she is usually up in Gloucester Harbor?
While out in Menemsha on Martha’s Vineyard we stopped in the Under the Surface Gallery to enjoy Benjamin McCormick’s photography. I bought three prints for Finn’s bedroom. Each are brilliant with bright green and blue hues. I purchased “Tuna Trip”, “Mackerel Backs”, and “Working the Rip” and they look fabulous on Finn’s wall.
Click on the link below to see his work as my photos do not do it justice!
https://www.benjaminmccormick.com
I aspire to someday own a large fish print from Joe’s Fresh Fish Prints, but for now I am in love with how great these four placemats from his Bearskin Neck shop look on our counter.
Saw this while away a few weekends ago. The music had already ended by the time we arrived, but are we to assume that someone was actually playing inside that box? Yikes.
Hockey is indeed in back, so this shirt may not be necessary anymore, but it made me laugh when I saw it last night nonetheless.
I mean, if the weather has to get colder, let’s look on the bright side. It’s time for pumpkin beer with a shooter of caramel vodka and either a sugar or cinnamon rim….or up your game with a some straight up caramel squirted into the glass. A good friend made me one (or two) of these the other night and they certainly hit the spot.
Row your boat ashore. We spend a lot of time on the beach at Owen Park when we’re down on Martha’s Vineyard. Finn always loves to fish….and the photo opportunities are endless.
I had the pleasure of photographing Becca Pizzi as she finished her 17th Boston Marathon last weekend. Her 16th and 17th were virtual….as the official marathon date back on Patriots Day in April was canceled. Even more impressive than running 17 Boston Marathons (hard to beat, right?!) is the fact that Becca has also completed the World Marathon Challenge….twice.
The World Marathon Challenge consists of running 7 marathons, on 7 continents, in just 7 days. Becca started her world marathon in Antarctica and finished in Australia. You can learn more about Becca’s amazing “feat on feet”…..and order her book, with of course, the very same name HERE. My two copies of “Becca’s Feat on Feet” arrived on Thursday and I was so excited to share her story with my students. Later in the day I overheard them playing “marathon runner” on the playground. Talk about inspirational. Thanks, Becca!
This third post in the series shared with us from David W. Teele and Betsey Horovitz from the The Annisquam Historical Society’s “Notes from the Firehouse” gives us a wonderful look back at clamming with some amazing photographs dating back to the late 1800s.
You an also read prior posts in this series by clicking on these links:
The Lobstermen Cometh, the Bugs Goeth
Hoop Nets, Cunners, and Lobsters
Visit the Annisquam Historical Society HERE: https://www.annisquamhistoricalsociety.org/
You can also read all entries in their Notes from the Firehouse Series HERE: https://www.annisquamhistoricalsociety.org/notesfromthefirehouse
Below is an excerpt from “Happy as a Clam at High Tide.” See attached screen grabs to read more.
“It was not only illegal to dig clams at high tide, it was virtually impossible.
Few creatures as apparently simple as the clam have proved so useful, for so long, for so many. Great piles of shells (middens) testify to the importance of clams to Native Americans. From the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (then including Maine) coastal towns had the right to regulate their clam banks; mostly, they still do. Owners of the “uplands”, land above the high tide mark, did not own the clams, although they did, and do, own the inter-tidal flats.
Clams not only could be served up for dinner, but they also were a cash crop. During some of the worst economic depressions, the clam banks might be the only banks that would honor the check of a destitute seaside resident. Clams went to Gloucester, Boston, New York, and Cleveland* in their shells, on ice; shucked clams, raw or salted, went by uncounted barrels-full to serve as bait. What would a clam bake be with no clams? Children need no tools to dig for the only crop that squirts back at them.”
Between buoy sticks, shovels, and lobster tank overflow pipes…..sails the Lannon. I love Gloucester Harbor.
I stopped to take a few photos of Walker Hancock’s Triton Statue in the Betty Smith Park at the far end of Stacy Boulevard the other day. It is one more reason that we are so fortunate to have such a beautiful spot to visit. From end to end the boulevard has really developed into such a magnificent destination.
Good Morning Gloucester 