Author: Pat D

I am jumping on the dahlia bandwagon in case you were unaware that you can help out our Generous Gardeners in a couple of ways including sponsoring one. You see here the tags added to the sponsored plants. Here’s a link to this and other ways to help : https://generousgardeners.org/staging/ways-to-donate/ Wouldn’t you be pleased to know your name was attached to a beautifully blooming flower along the boulevard?

In a related note, a woman stopped by the store to ask if I could make a nightlight using a photo of the dahlias. And yes, we can do that. If you have a favorite subject or photo of your own, we can help you make that into a nightlight, glass print, magnet or more. “Special orders don’t upset us.” If you’ve started thinking about the holidays and have a special project in mind, this is the time to start working on it so we can guarantee delivery in plenty of time. We’d be happy to speak with you about your ideas. Store hours this week will be tomorrow Thursday Sept 17 from noon-5 and Friday/Saturday from 11-5. No Sunday hours this week. You can also message me or comment to get in touch. My email is pdalpiaz19 at gmail.com (not a link to avoid spamming)

Two views of our iconic Paint Factory for those who visited over the summer and want to return. Here’s what you are missing.

Save the date to celebrate Adventure’s 100th birthday.

When I encounter visitors during my shift at the Stage Fort Park Welcome Center, I usually recommend they take a walk down to the pier at Harbor Loop. This lighting is one of the reasons it’s such an attraction there.

Like it or not, we are at the start of a new season. September and October are fantastic months here on Cape Ann but Mother Nature is signaling Fall. It’s evident at Marini Farms in Ipswich.

We usually take time to visit Felix’s Family Farm for the sunflower field but this year it worked out that we went to Marini Farms on Linebrook Road in Ispswich instead. Though the sunflowers were a bit past peak, the entire flower field experience was pretty cool. You are invited to cut your own and there are plenty of colorful blooms left if you are interested. I hope to get to Felix’s Farm also in Ipswich before it’s too late in the season.

If you’re of a certain age, you remember this day precisely.

We spent a lot of time downtown over the weekend killing time between sails and events. Minglewood on Rogers St. provided the perfect respite. The nachos are outstanding. Highly recommended. Thanks Zach and Minglewood staff for consistently good service and food options.

Here’s my version of a final wrap up post for Schooner Fest 2026. Thank you Maritime Gloucester for a great weekend. Special thanks to our local captains including Heath Ellis and Harold Burnham for the extra efforts toward making this a memorable weekend for all! We appreciate all the efforts over the years to build this festival into an iconic event for Gloucester. I think you know who you are.

It was so nice to get back to The Lobster on East Main St for lunch last week. I had been craving a taco salad and theirs is outstanding. Love the spicy tang in that salad. Jim got the smashburger which was a nice welcome back from our recent road trip. And, only for the sake of this blog post, I also ordered the key lime pie. Honestly, it’s the BEST. Thank you Lobster staff for such a wonderful experience.

It’s Labor Day so it’s time to wrap up the Margarita Monday series. Today we are featuring Blue Collar Lobster on Rogers Street and their house margarita. This one squeaked onto my list of top 3 for the last post of the summer. Refreshingly tart and served with a smile which is the way I like them.

A reminder that the motivation behind this series is to point out which places are open on Mondays and serve margaritas. This year we visited Beauport, Tonno, Azorean, Seaport Grill, Salt Water Grill, The Lobster, The Burn, Shipyard Tavern, Blue Marlin, Sam and Joe’s, Jalapenos, Minglewood, Cala’s, Boat House and Blue Collar. We only forgot one Monday! My Gloucester based top 3 include Blue Collar, Minglewood and The Lobster. Cheers and see you next summer!

Each year for Schooner Fest, we try to select a new schooner to sail aboard. This year it was Adirondack III out of Boston. It’s a lovely vessel and the crew was outstanding in hospitality as well as sailing expertise. Though the “sunset” portion of the evening didn’t quite pan out the way I hoped, we were more than happy to see so many local and visiting schooners out in the harbor as part of Schooner Fest. These included Ardelle, Isabella, Thomas E Lannon, Lewis H. Story, Elizabeth, Phra Luang, American Eagle, and Alert. What a blessing to be able to be out with all these beauties.

The Gloucester International Dory Racing Committee held the 75th race yesterday at Jodrey Pier. Though we were only able to stay long enough for the Men’s Open, there was a fair number of enthusiastic spectators and supporters on hand from both sides of the border. Congratulations to Sam Taormina and Peter Taormina for winning the Men’s Open. And also congratulations to all the participants. It’s so nice to see this type of event held in Gloucester especially in tandem with Schooner Festival as there is so much shared maritime heritage.

Image credit CDRC Canadian Dory Racing Committee

We were aboard Schooner Thomas E Lannon for a Greet The Fleet sail yesterday to kick off our own Schooner Fest activities. We sailed out to greet the Denis Sullivan on a perfect afternoon. What a wonderful start to the weekend. Thank you Captain Heath and crew.

Couldn’t resist sharing this favorite of my sister-in-law. Shoutout to Linda and Scott! Heron is a beauty on Rocky Neck.

As we were leaving Minglewood after dinner recently, I noticed how the still waters in the harbor reflected the lights. I hope you find it as beautiful and peaceful as I did.

It’s starting to get real! Are you ready for Schooner Fest? Welcome back to town American Eagle!

My favorite event of the year is on our doorstep: Schooner Festival to be held Sept 3-6 this year. I am looking forward to seeing all the guest schooners at the local docks and in the harbor. I hope to spend significant time on board our local schooners. I hope you do too! Here’s some memories from previous years to whet your appetite. Stop by 44 Main St to check out our various schooner related items including hats, shirts, sun catchers, notecards and nightlights. Open noon-5 Thursday, 10-1 Friday (Block Party!); 11-5 Saturday and noon-3 Sunday.

The Primary elections are being held today from 7 am to 8 pm. There are a couple of locally pertinent primaries you might want to have a say in……I’ll be at East Veterans working the desk. Stop and say hello.