Author: Pat D

We had a lovely dinner at Oliver’s Harbor on Main Street recently following an afternoon of shopping and errands. It was a welcome respite. Always friendly (thank you Jeovanna), always delicious! We tried the turkey meatball appetizer, the squash ravioli and the burger! I find the fries especially good. It had been a while between visits, but we’ll be back sooner next time.

Best wishes to Beth and Nick in the opening of Bravo By The Sea Two on Main Street at 4 pm today Dec 14. Great pizza, salads and wings! Order online at BravoByTheSea.com or stop in. Keith the Wreath stopped by to take a look at the wood fire stove. Hot, hot, hot.

This eagle appears to be wintering in Gloucester as we have seen it several times in the area of Stage Fort Park, often flying over the harbor and swooping down for food. I am assuming it is the same eagle though it easily could be a pair following similar patterns. Thanks to FOB Susan LaRosa for giving me the heads up yesterday that it was hanging out for me to find.

Here’s the progress along the back shore for the Trident townhomes as part of Aquarius on the Back Shore. Honestly it looks a little different than I was expecting.

I recently paid way too much money for this beautiful wreath, but it made me smile and happy inside, so I brought it home. I can’t help but carry it around on my daily travels to see how it looks at some of our favorite local stops along the way. I call it Keith. Yes, Keith the Wreath. You may see him again before the holiday!

I hope you will stop by the Pat D’s Photos table tomorrow at the Elks Holiday Fair to say hello! Discounted price offered to GMG fans ($10 for a pack of 4 notecards). New images and products will be available as you see below. Notepads, puzzles, notecards, mugs, placemats and more with these images and others. Stop by to visit our wonderful local vendors tomorrow Sunday Dec 21 10-3 at the Elks on Atlantic Road.

The Unitarian Universalist Church Bell Tower work made me take a closer look recently and I thought you might be interested also.

Cape Ann Whale Watch shared some news on Facebook which I plan to take advantage of since we ALWAYS have a great time on these adventures, AND our company love it!

Juniper Point Investment is making some progress at the site of the former Espressos on East Main Street. Juniper Point Investment now owns this site (obtained from Bevilacqua Company recently) and has started construction after the building demolition recently. This new developer Marc Trano and his team will be holding a meeting tonight at 6:30 PM at the East Gloucester School Auditorium on Davis Street for interested parties. The stated plan is to continue the project of building 8 townhouses including one deemed affordable.

We stopped at Cafe Bischo on Main Street for lunch recently and were pleased to be able to sit and enjoy our meal in a cozy comfortable atmosphere. Jim had the soupl and half sandwich and I ordered the chef salad. Always delicious, efficient service and great people watching! Easy phone in ordering is available as well. Thanks, Cafe Bischo!

Nichols Candies is a great little spot (dare I say “sweet”?) to get a little shopping done for others as well as spoil yourself a bit. Off 128 and standing alone, it’s a little visit to the past as you step inside and are greeted with seemingly endless choices and fragrant smells. Individual assistance is on hand and I can attest they are very patient. It feels familiar and friendly and if you haven’t been lately, I suggest you put it on your list.

If you drove down the boulevard yesterday, you noticed work going on around the edges of the Fishermen’s Memorial Statue and maybe wondered what was going on. Beautification efforts are underway led in part by the Generous Gardeners for new flower beds and seating adjacent to the Fishermen’s Memorial. Concrete was being poured while we were there under watchful eyes. Gloucester is going to look great for the 400th anniversary! Thanks to City Hall and all others involved in these efforts!

The long renovation of Halibut Point State Reservation was recently unveiled so we went for a look-see. It does look very different especially from the parking lot to the entrance path. The paths have been re-done with firmer footing and seating along the way. There’s a new wildflower field, though that was not blooming at this time of year. The main changes were done to the Visitor’s Center which is open on Saturdays and Sundays so we were not able to go up to the observation tower that day. Overall the idea was to improve accessibility and it seems that was accomplished! The parking kiosk is covered up leading me to assume the parking is free for now (but be prepared to pay for parking if not a DCR member).

We stopped down at Maritime Gloucester to check out some of this year’s Deck the Dock events and found it to be cheerful and bustling! There’s an art gallery, tree sales and museum store still open for the Deck the Docks event Sunday and Monday, December 5-6 – 10AM to 4PM. Stop by Monday 10-1 and say hi to Jim and I who will be selling trees and manning the art exhibit. **LATE UPDATE FROM MARITIME: all 40 trees and 48 wreaths have been purchased! Thanks for your support and if you are like us, start looking for another place to get your tree.

Even cats are finding things to shop for downtown this year!

FOB Susan LaRosa alerted me to these seals resting on a rock off Cressy’s Beach recently so it gave me a good excuse to go down there and enjoy the view. I thought you might like it too. Great spot for a little quiet contemplation. Thanks Susan!

It’s been too long since we have stopped at Sugar Magnolias on Main Street for lunch. They have set up socially distanced stations as a COVID precaution, but it’s still nice and cozy in there with excellent staff (thanks to our server Amy!). They have great food as well as some swag available. We had the BLTT (bacon lettuce turkey and tomato) sandwich and the corn chowder/grilled cheese lunch special. Delicious and filling. The place with hopping with sitdown customers as well as pickups at lunchtime. We won’t wait as long between visits for a yummy meal in a comfortable setting.

Interesting morning on the boulevard on this unsettled Thursday.

The lobster trap tree is back up on Main Street sporting a bit of a different look this year. There is no entrance and it’s constructed with working traps which gives it a very authentic look. The green and yellow is quite festive. Always an impressive engineering feat! Thanks to all for sharing your talents and traps with us.

We took a ride to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge seeking a snowy owl sighting and we were unsuccessful in that attempt, but we did get to see these beauties: swans, red tailed hawk and snow buntings. That’s always a great ride to take. You just never know what you will find there.