Author: Pat D

We have been meaning to get back to the Cove Cafe in Lanesville for a while now, so we stopped to pick up sandwiches recently. I quickly remembered why this place enchanted me! So many options are available with efficient friendly service. It was perfect for our light lunch of “make your own” wraps with roast beef (for me) and chicken salad (for Jim). We also picked up some salad to go-with. the roast beef was tender and perfect. Jim’s chicken salad was loaded with cranberries and other goodies which he enjoyed.

I am intrigued by the Prep Meal Menu option and intend to head back soon to give that a try.

I took a little ride recently and found myself at Brace Cove on one of our nicer days. There, a woman equipped with binoculars asked me some questions about a nearby bird. I could not answer the question, so I re-affirm that we are NOT birders. However, there was an awful lot going on down there that I thought I could share. The appearance of a black crowned night heron convinced me to pull out my camera and start looking. I also found some killdeer which are among my favorites.

We were invited to attend the premier of the Apple TV movie CODA held last night at the Gloucester Cinema. The theater was packed with a wide variety of people with ties to the movies and the story of a teenage girl finding her way as a talented singer in a family where only she can hear. The writer/director Sian Heder described her work as a “love letter to Gloucester” and I think you will agree. Shot in Gloucester in 2019, you will see familiar sights and faces and connect with the struggles of the fishermen. Contemporary story lines will strike a chord and the main characters are well developed.

CODA is an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults but this is not thrown in your face as you watch the story develop. It also means an ending and this is the implication I found myself thinking about throughout the movie. I was surprised by the emotions the story evokes: we laughed heartily and felt a little tearful as well. It is a great story and I highly recommend you find a way to see it when it is released on Apple TV and to movie theaters on August 13 2021.

The after party was held at Mile Marker One and the chef and staff knocked it out of the park. Food stations were set up with hors d oeuvres inlcuding shrimp and flatbread pizzas. The staff was plentiful supplying drinks and restocking the food. It was a great setting for the cast and crew to enjoy the fruits of their labors. The LA premiere cannot be held due to COVID concerns out there, and director Sian Heder noted Gloucester’s premiere was THE premiere. It was an honor to attend and PLEASE do yourself a favor and watch the movie!

We discovered the parking lot at Halibut Point State Park has reopened, although construction there is still underway. It looks very different and is honestly a little confusing so take care to follow the signs when you go. The pathway we have always taken from the lot to the path down to the quarry is no longer available directly from the parking area. It appears the bathroom building is not directly available from the lot either, as least for now. Construction continues down there and seems to have a way to go to completion, but the lot is now available. See you on the trails!

If you listen to the GloucesterCast, you know that new-to-GloucesterCast-guests are asked for their choices of Death Row Meals and Subs. These choices need to come from an establishment and not someone’s personal kitchen. We have been asked to share the results.

An unscientific tally indicates that Virgilios St. Joe’s (including Chicken St. Joe’s) is the most popular choice with Destinos Cheesesteak as a close second. Sclafanis Italian comes in third for subs.

Dinner choices were more wide ranging but the local favorites include Hangar Steak at the Franklin, Bolognese at Tonno and clams at Causeway.

Here’s the sheet for your own perusal! What are your choices?

I thought it might be interesting to open my Gloucester Daily Times newspaper books to a random day in 1956 and see what was what. Always intriguing to find that as much as history changes, it stays the same. I noticed some familiar names and establishments on the list of licenses granted in April 1956. The “Dun Fudgin” boat landing was just a sparkle in the eye of the city. The high school baseball team played on. Young homemakers had new and modern furniture options available on Main Stree.t Enjoy your stroll.

Someone we have come to love recently celebrated her 16th birthday. To help make the day a little more special, we went to Audrey’s Flower Shop on Railroad Ave. The minute I walk in there, the smells and colors make me smile. I told Heather we wanted a bouquet for a 16th birthday and she expertly guided me through the selection. I was very pleased with the results and so was the birthday girl! I can always count on them. PS Heather tells me she is hoping to start classes up again soon!!! Hope to see you there!

As you may know, we spent the weekend at our New York house. The night before we returned to Gloucester, a fellow eagle enthusiast and photographer called to invite us over because a young eagle was hanging out in his yard. I don’t need to mention how fast we got in the car to make our way over there. He lives on the Susquehanna River and a nearby tree has an eagle nest which, this year, hosted 2 baby eagles. It’s a rare opportunity to get such a close up look at an eagle that is only several weeks old. It has fledged, but is apparently not entirely ready to be on its own (typical adolescent!).

This youngster wandered around the yard a bit, screeching and awkwardly attempting flight. A parent (we suspect the male) watched from above, occasionally responding with its own screeching. I was surprised by its size.

Due to concerns about its well being, a wildlife specialist was called in. He arrived to capture the bird gently and efficiently by throwing a net over it. It immediately fell onto its back so that the talons could be used in defense as needed. It was placed in an ordinary tote for transport to Cornell for examination and tagging before it is returned to its home turf as soon as possible. What a sight!

Additional video, pictures and story detail at Pat D’s Photos and Adventures Facebook page.

I recently returned to our tradition of seeking out places to enjoy margaritas on Mondays so I can revive my personal Margarita Monday posts. Where better to start than Jalapenos on Main Street? Frozen raspberry is my favorite one there. We also had dinner! Always delicious and friendly at Jalapenos. Where to today? Where’s your favorite?

There’s always something eye-catching down at Rocky Neck, so I love to take a stroll around every so often. It’s particularly enjoyable at this time of the year with blooming flowers and green grasses.

As I have mentioned, we got a new feeding station intended for hummingbirds. It is a plastic red tube with feeding holes allowing the birds to access the sugar water. It has performed perfectly and the hummingbirds love coming to our “bar” or “saloon” for a nip. It has also drawn the Baltimore Orioles and they are lots of fun to watch, except I would kind of prefer they stuck to the oranges and jelly we leave for them and allow the hummingbirds their sugar water. But, tis not to be…… Here, you see an oriole couple having the classic argument at the bar…………..we’ve all been there and witnessed such a disturbance between couples at a bar! The female really seems to be giving the male the business. In one picture you can see a green blur of a hummingbird trying in vain to get back to his spot at the saloon. It’s not easy to capture these guys through a window and in inclement weather, but it’s a story I had to share. Please go to Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook for additional pictures and details.

Recent cool and rainy weather called for soup and a hearty sandwich at Bischo on Main Street. It was hopping at lunch time, so clearly others had the same thoughts. We are happy to see inside seating return and there are a few cosmetic changes to the inside. We had the Italian sub and Italian wedding soup (I guess there was a theme I didn’t notice at the time!).

Shore Road in Magnolia shrouded in fog has a very calming effect.

You never know what you might see from the Harbor Loop, including GMG Jimmy giving tourists from Illinois some local insight………sign him up for the Welcome Center at Stage Fort Park!

We appreciate Sue Wheeler at Arts Abound for being so generous and willing to be the pickup point for the podcast prizes. It’s always a treat to stop by the store because there are so many beautiful things there, especially from fellow contributor Donna Ardizzoni. Sue showed me her brand new (not even on the shelf yet as I write this) Magnolia T Shirts. She and Deb Schradieck worked together to bring these awesome new T shirts to the store. I immediately purchased one each for Jim and I. Love the design, love the color! Get yours at Arts Abound on Lexington Ave in Magnolia. And pick up those prizes if you haven’t already……

It is not at all uncommon for a number of deer to make their way across the marsh behind our apartment late in the afternoon. It makes for a very pretty sight with the sun starting to set and the lush green grass so it’s quite fascinating to watch. So, I photograph them. Google very nicely created an animation for me using a series of photos taken of a leaping-in-the-damp-marsh deer and I thought it was cool enough to share.

I got a call from one of my informants (Rhymes with Mate–first letter K) that there was an animal hanging from a tree along 128 that I really needed to see because it would make a great post. It happened I was already on the road so I took a little detour to find this. It does indeed appear to be an animal, tail and all, hanging from the tree. Upon closer investigation, I conclude this is a piece of plastic wrapping stuck in the tree branch. Case resolved. Sharing so you don’t wonder yourself as you ride along 128.

The skies were threatening so we decided to have our meal at The Cupboard while seated inside. We had never been inside, which seems kind of surprising. It was a pleasant surprise from what I was expecting. It’s diner style seating with counter seats and just a few tables. The service from Pam was friendly and the atmosphere homey. The fare is simple and satisfying. I had the Cape Ann Reuben and Jim had a Cuban. Perfect for what had been a hot sticky day.

Then the skies opened up! A brief but torrential rain came down outside but we were comfortable inside. Water collected quickly in the parking area and on the street, so I got my feet wet to watch the stunning rainbow develop.

We recently had a great lunch experience at Salt Water Grille on Washington Street (former Friendly’s). On a quiet weekday afternoon, we were greeted cheerfully and received service attention from Erin in a very timely manner. The Saltwater Spritzer was exactly what the humid day called for….light and refreshing. I had the Blackened Haddock Tacos which were seasoned precisely to my preferences. The pieces were larger than I anticipated and DELICIOUS. Jim got the Fish and Chips after the Potato Skin appetizer. I had enough room left for a brownie sundae!! The atmosphere is casual and friendly. We had not been back since before the pandemic and we are glad to add Salt Water Grille back into our meal rotation! Thanks Erin.

We took a trip with Cape Ann Whale Watch last night for a Sunset Cruise under threatening skies and came home with these wonderful memories. We had travelled back from Long Island earlier in the day and since the weather did not look promising, I was sorely tempted to bail out on this trip. But my faith in the Cape All Whale Watch staff to make the trip memorable overcame my temporary reluctance. It turned out that my faith was absolutely justified.

Several family groups including a number of excited children were also aboard, as were photographer friends Jessica and Melissa. Tina was our naturalists, Capt John was at the helm and several interns were along to make our trip successful (shout out to intern Keirsten!) . Although my expectations were VERY low, we did make our way out to the feeding grounds and spent time with Jabbaroo and her calf. The calf was super-playful displaying behaviors such as chin breaching, pectoral slapping, AND a full spinning breach or two! This calf was recently injured in an entanglement and you can see the damage done to its body in some of these pictures. It was a life threatening injury but it appears the calf is recovering. Although the lighting was poor under clouds and light rain, we were treated to the full show and some of the pictures turned out well enough to share.

We got NO sunset, but I would 100% recommend an evening ride with Cape Ann Whale Watch even if the weather is not ideal. Additional pictures and story details posted to Pat D’s Photos and Adventures Facebook page.