Author: Pat D

Ripple on the Water restaurant in Essex has reopened on Main Street! This place holds a soft spot in my heart so we were so happy to see they have returned that we went for dinner on opening day. We were not disappointed. The atmosphere is perfect for the view of the launch and landing on the Essex River. Endlessly entertaining view and the menu is nicely varied. We were greeted by owner/chef Thomas who remembered our last visit which wasn’t long before they had to close two years ago. Other familiar faces (Rachel and our server Cathy) were warm and friendly. We gave a GMG sticker to Thomas and his wife Michelle as our very own “Welcome Back.”

We enjoyed clam chowder, vegetable spring roll, the burger and mahi fingers and chips, but the key lime pie definitely stood out –tart and tasty! Just about a perfect meal. I hope you will find an opportunity to give it a try yourself.

One thing we are noticing in our area restaurants is the increased need to adjust hours due to lack of help so, wherever you go, check their current hours before heading out.

I was able to fulfill a long-time dream of taking a ride out to Thacher Island on the rides offered by the Thacher Island Association yesterday. What a day! It was a wonderful photo opportunity so I was glad to be able to go with a photography friend Melissa Cox. If this is one of your dreams, I suggest you check out their website which is very robust and offers reservations for these rides.

We were on the island for almost 2 hours and walked all over, including climbing to the top of the South Tower (156 steps). It was a lovely day for a walk. However, the birds (mostly gulls and some geese) were VERY aggressive protecting their young, so the docents recommend you take a big stick with you! And we used ours once or twice as poor Melissa got dive-bombed more than once.

The ride out and back was delightful. The captain allowed the young man to drive the boat which was thrilling for him. The children were on the tour with their great-grandmother (!) and climbed the tower with her. I noted nearly no one gets to climb a lighthouse with their great-grandmother!!! So it was a special day all around.

The Lyon Waugh Auto Group sponsored a Drive to Remember Rally on Monday June 21 as a fund raiser for the Alzheimer’s Association and the rally ended with a picnic at Stage Fort Park. By all indications, the rally was a great success giving drivers the opportunity to participate and showcase their vehicles. Even so, it’s never too late to donate. Thank you Warren Waugh and Cidalia Schwartz for your unending efforts on behalf of Alzheimer’s families and caretakers. We saw quite a few familiar faces in the crowd!

It was breezy but beautiful as these ladies (the Novena Girls) gathered at the Fishermen’s Wives Memorial to recite St. Peter’s Rosary. Thanks to Felicia for the altar to our pets which have sustained many of up through the pandemic and for gathering everyone together to pray. I think I missed a couple of latecomers to the group but the entire group is devout and dedicated.

This article from Monday June 18 1956 could have been written today! Except perhaps suggesting that few people know how to get to Good Harbor Beach …… It’s summer now officially. Enjoy!

A turkey, a deer and an Impala! Magnolia wildlife.

You may remember I recently posted some pictures from Fisherman’s Pier with a bird posing on the sign. We recently noticed that sign is now missing. It does not appear to have been torn off by wind or stormy weather. No debris remains so perhaps it is being refurbished. Any insight appreciated. We love to go down there and the scenery is definitely missing something without the lovely worn signage. The cool birds are still hanging around over there though.

This is my dad with his mom on Long Beach in 1930. It makes for a sweet Father’s Day post, but I really would like to hear your input on “Dad Jokes” to celebrate Dads today. Share a Dad joke here to honor all the fathers and father figures out there. I’m sure they will love them. I’ll start with a classic: “If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims….”

We really missed Stone’s Pub on Main Street over the last year or so, so it was with great pleasure that we returned recently for a nice relaxed lunch. The inside is the same as you remember and there is now additional outdoor seating available. I ordered a turkey Rueben and Jim had the fig jam and prosciutto panini. The service was a friendly and efficient as it has always been; the atmosphere relaxed. It was a real pleasure to be back.

The deer come pretty close to the back deck in our yard in Magnolia. And even though deer might seem pretty common they are still worth dragging the camera out.

The Antonio Gentile 2021 Summer Concert Series at the bandstand in Stage Fort Park is returning beginning Sunday July 11 at 7 PM. Yeah! Raindate for each is the following Wednesday. The schedule is posted . Additional Cape Ann music opportunities are listed at David Benjamin’s (of the Cape Ann Community Band) website here. Summer is really back!

It’s been so glorious out there, we can’t stop taking photos. We stopped by the Little River Landing to take in the view. We weren’t the only ones enjoying the scenery that day! This heron poised so nicely for me right by the proper signage. Thanks buddy. Picture perfect.

It’s been quite a while since I have just spent the afternoon watching the birds in the backyard. Jim was golfing so that’s how I decided to spend my time. Yesterday’s quiet time with the local songbirds was very fruitful. There’s a young female cardinal that’s been hanging around learning the ways of the world. The darn oriole keeps investigating the hummingbird feeder rather than feasting on the oranges I leave for them. There are several orioles out here and the males are constantly chasing seach other around. The hummingbirds are also feisty and hungry.

The male and female cardinal feeding together brought to mind my breakfast table. The female is chattering away and the male is staring off into space.

So, this sight in the middle of the Seaside/Locust Grove cemetery brought a few questions to mind. With tongue firmly in cheek: Shouldn’t it be “resident” only parking? Isn’t everyone already “ parked”? Who’s issuing tickets, Casper the Ghost? Just how do these people pay their tickets?

This BEAUTIFUL barn is not along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway, which is my normal rule for these “Barns Along the Byway” but I just had to share this gem. It’s fairly close to the Byway on Water Street in Ipswich. It appears to be part of the Glazier-Sweet house property though I am not finding too much about this barn yet. There just has to be a story here! Simply gorgeous.

I’ve been following the osprey nest behind Lobsta Land on the Essex Greenbelt Osprey Cam and was recently able to catch the “changing of the guard” at the nest. If you scroll down to read the summary offered by the Essex Greenbelt experts, you will note the eggs are expected to hatch in about a week!

But photo opportunities over there are not optimal for the equipment I have available, so I’ll take an osprey sighting in the backyard as a fair replacement. Though ospreys are rare sightings at this location, we have seen them around other times. This time, I got some decent pictures. The “pooping” picture is a direct result of my trigger happy shutter finger getting excited to see the bird lean forward as if to take off in flight……but instead…..poop.

For additional pictures and story details, please visit Pat D’ Photos and Adventures on Facebook.

It’s Flag Day. Fly ’em if you got ’em. It’s Flag Day everywhere and this display in Ipswich is pretty impressive. The Rotary honors military heroes with this flag display that rivals our own boulevard flags. Kudos Ipswich!

The Gloucester Elks will be holding their annual Flag Day celebration today Monday June 14 starting at 6 PM at the club on Atlantic Road. Among other presenters and dignitaries, our own GMG Jim will be playing taps. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

Brenda Leahy, Gloucester Elks Exalted Ruler, invites the public to the annual Flag Day activities tomorrow Monday June 14 at the Elks facility on Atlantic Road. It will begin outside at 6 pm. The middle school Flag Day essay winners will be recognized. We hope to see you there.

I wasn’t planning on it, but I stopped for lunch at the Blue Marlin Grille in Essex and was not disappointed by my choice! Brittani was my server and she did a wonderful job making me feel welcome and answering any questions. And, again, though I wasn’t planning on it, I ordered the Nantucket Reuben. Messy, but well worth the effort! I was alone and felt totally comfortable. The setting is lovely. They have not missed a step over the pandemic. I understand they are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year! Cheers! We’ll be back soon. GMG Jim is going to love it.