Author: Nichole S.

So much fun to be had for all ages downtown last night….and certainly all weekend. Kudos to everyone who is working in the midst of fiesta. Be it the police and fire departments, DPW crews, store employees, and restaurant/bar staff! It was fun to sit at Tonno for a bit and watch fiesta unfold.

We had a really delicious dinner at The Burn last night. Yesterday was opening day….and they’ll continue to open at 11:00 each day. During the day I was thinking about how nice it would have been to pay them a visit so I’m glad it worked out later in the evening. After a day of work, a late afternoon boat ride down the Annisquam into Ipswich Bay, and some great reggae music on the rooftop of the Beauport, we went to The Burn and were so happy to land some seats at the bar and eat a delicious dinner. A few of us tried their Rice Bowls (I opted for no protein….pictured below….but, my friends had chicken and shrimp and the portions were impressive for sure), one ordered the Grilled Shrimp Skewers, and another ate the Buffalo Chicken Dip. All were tremendous! Congratulations to their team for a job very well done and no doubt some fantastic success going forward! Get on over there. The Burn 289 Main Street, Gloucester

Here’s this week’s live music schedule at the Rhumb Line

Caught this boat heading, presumably, home to Gloucester Harbor…..past Thacher’s Island. Seeing working fishing boats always makes me appreciate where we live and how hard these crews work.

The Burn at 289 Main Street will be opening on Monday, June 23rd at 11:00. We did a livestream from there on Sunday morning and I can’t wait to stop in next week for a drink and a bite to eat. The inside is reminiscent of the tradition of Howard Blackburn and the former Halibut Point restaurant while infusing a new stylish and sleek design that is perfectly paired. Yes, the fish stew and clam chowder will be back (fantastic news!)…..but, there are also some intriguing menu choices that will no doubt become fan favorites! With outdoor patio seating, a gorgeous bar (featuring the iconic cash register for those who know), and several tables this will no doubt become a new favorite local stop on people’s rotation.

This week’s live music schedule at The Rhumb Line

Here’s this week’s live music schedule at the Rhumb Line

This week’s live music schedule for the Rhumb Line! Including Friday’s early show …the debut performance from Line’s End….including these talented band members: (not to be missed!)

AnnMarie Shimanoski – vocals
Chris Langathianos – vocals
Dennis Monagle – percussion & vocals
Geoff Small – guitar & vocals
Ken Steiner – upright bass
Peter Hoare – guitar & vocals

You and me go fishin’ in the dark. No surprise that my son was down on the docks looking for striper late last night.

This week’s live music schedule at the Rhumb Line

The early bird catches the… fish. Woke up to see this boat heading out past my window early this morning.

This week’s Live Music schedule for the Rhumb Line.

Bocce. These bocce courts were such a wonderful addition to our beautiful boulevard. My father built a bocce ball court in his yard years ago. When these courts were first built we would meet my dad down there every so often to play. It made me smile to watch these guys enjoying the courts last night.

The stripers are arriving and this salty kid couldn’t wait to get out there and catch his first of the season.

I love finding these little “beach trees” in the sand as the tide recedes. Magnolia Beach, in particular, is often covered with them.

This week’s live music schedule at the The Rhumb Line

Fair winds and following seas, Jaxson Marston. On Thursday I posted a photo of several scallop boats at Cape Ann Marina….and the very next day the fleet lost one of their own in a horrific accident… “Perhaps I should not have been a fisherman, he thought. But that was the thing that I was born for.” Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea. Cruelly, with just a couple of short days left in this year’s scallop season Jaxson Marston, just 26 years-old, lost his life to the sea on Friday after a horrible accident on the F/V 25 to Life. Another reminder of how dangerous the livelihood of fishing is for those who are called to it. Sometimes, fishermen don’t choose fishing….fishing chooses them. I’ve sat and watched the scallop fleet outside of Gloucester Harbor after dark several times this season. It is such a beautiful, albeit somewhat solemn, sight. I also found myself compelled to turn around and finish my coffee at Cape Ann Marina after seeing the boats tucked safely in their borrowed slips for the day. Scallopers in town from Maine have rolled into the bar while I’ve been working for the last several years….always so nice…and funny….and young. Full of promise, excited about the day’s catch and the money that was temporarily filling their pockets. This year I’ve sat on the periphery at The Lobster listening to them joke, and share stories, and enjoy a needed respite from the long day done ….and the full day ahead of them. Gloucester, Massachusetts is an incredibly special place. The rich fishing history and heritage defines so many families and should be appreciated and revered by others. The work can be grueling….the days are long….and it is always dangerous. I took these photos of the Fishermen’s Statue almost four years ago to the day. There he is, doing his thing…Honoring and protecting the fleet and serving as a memorial for “Those Who Go Down To Sea in Ships.” Fair winds and following seas, Jaxson Marston. So, so sad. Thinking of his Captain, his fellow crew, his family, and his friends.

Scalloping

Scalloping. I spend a lot of time over at Cape Ann Marina and have taken more than my share of photos, but this scene caught my eye the other day while driving down the causeway. I had to turn around and go back to sit and enjoy it for a bit. This dock, typically home to sport fishing boats, pleasure boats, and a few lobster boats…is now full of large scalloping vessels here for the season. It struck me as kind of a juxtaposition of what I normally see and photograph, but is equally as beautiful. The boats and hard working crews in all aspects of our fishing industry always strike me…and remind me how fortunate we are to live somewhere so special. And seeing Finn’s view, across the river at Gloucester High School, always makes me laugh. If I know my son, he spends 1/2 his day looking out the window wishing he was on the water.

Ramping Up. While walking through Magnolia you can’t help but feel that summer is coming. It was a foggy, yet beautiful, day along the harbor yesterday.

This week at the Rhumb Line. As always, music 7 days per week. Nine shows in all.