Author: Pat D

From our friends at Cape Ann Veterans Services comes the news that the Vietnam Moving Wall is coming to Newbury today Sept 2 and will be available for viewing throughout the weekend.

From Vee Chipperini’s Facebook page:

The Vietnam Moving Wall is in Newbury, MA for the long weekend if anyone is interested in visiting. Opening ceremonies begin this evening as follows:

5pm- Ceremonial Escort from Amesbury to the Plum Island Airport

6pm- Opening ceremony, Speakers, and wreath laying

7pm FlyoverThe wall will be open to the public around the clock beginning today thru Monday.

Additional information available here.

We finally got ourselves to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge after a long hiatus and were treated to the antics of a couple of egrets hunting at high tide. I find it difficult to get decent shots of these pretty white birds especially in bright sunlight (so kudos to all of you that do this so very well!) but I am not too displeased with these and thought you might enjoy them too. More photos and details available at Pat D’s Photos and Adventures Facebook page if you are interested. Please feel free to give it a follow.

The Tree of Life has arrived and seems to be ready to start the Schooner Fest 2021 party! Welcome! We are looking forward to the weekend’s events and hope to see you all there. Further details available from Maritime Gloucester.

Thought this might interest some of you boaters out there. Can you imagine? Also, I highly recommend a follow on this Twitter account if you need a little smile every day.

A new take out window has been installed at Little Red Rooster on Rogers Street! Yeah!

This site surprised me a bit. I haven’t seen a duck group gathered on power wires too often. It was like a Cormorant Convention meet and greet.

During the summer, we like to celebrate Margarita Monday at different establishments around town. The idea is to try new margarita recipes in local places. Last week we went to the Topside Grill on Rogers Street for a late lunch. It was Monday, so………Margarita Monday with the Topside traditional margarita. I had the meatball app and GMG Jim tried the bacon wrapped scallops. Relaxing and delicious. Perfect for a Monday afternoon. Cheers!

What a delight these recent summertime skies have been! Maybe I should republish these as a reminder during some of those darker gloomier winter days that are coming up soon!

I chuckled to see this gull taking a bath in a boat recently at the dock. Cleanliness is next to gull-ness, I suppose.

We have had the chance to entertain several visitors over the summer and each visit presents an opportunity to show off Gloucester and its many fine restaurants. We took Jim’s brother and sister in law to the Azorean on Washington Street for a farewell dinner and it hit all the right notes. Drinks were delicious, the food wonderfully tasty and satisfying and the atmosphere relaxed and friendly. We had the fish cataplanas, a seafood casserole and the salmon special. I also had my favorite beef and it was cooked TO PERFECTION. It’s a great spot for a relaxed meal with or without company.

Classic harbor shots taken in fog. Just a couple of additional shots from our recent post storm fogginess.

I am very happy to see this eagle in Magnolia this week! It didn’t stick around long and we are hoping for another sighting soon.

We are trying it again! The postponed Cape Ann Makers Market WILL BE HELD tonight Thursday Aug 26 at the Paint Factory and Ocean Alliance from 4-8 PM. I will have notecards, prints and other gifts available and if you mention GMG, there is a discount on whale items (excepting notecards)! Contributor Donna Ardizzoni will also be there along with Cape Ann Sea Salt and Hold Fast. Looking forward to meeting you tonight to benefit Ocean Alliance. It’s the final Culture Splash event for Summer 2021 so don’t miss out.

Here are some of the images I have featured in products such as notecards, prints, towels, coasters, puzzles etc that will be available tomorrow from 4-8 PM at the Paint Factory/Ocean Alliance Cape Ann Makers Market. Whale items will be discounted for anyone mentioning Good Morning Gloucester (except for notecards). Please stop by and say hello.

The post storm fog around town this week created some moody scenes. All beautiful and worth sharing. For some additional shots please visit Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook.

We met friends recently at the new oyster bar at the Beauport Hotel 1606 Restaurant. FOBs Susan and Leo LaRosa joined up for drinks, appetizers and entertaining stories from Adam the bartender. It’s a winning combination for sure. The oysters, flatbread and the Northeast Family Farms Artisan Tray were outstanding along with the drinks and the company. You cannot beat the atmosphere! We had a wonderful visit and we recommend you give it a try as well.

We had not had a chance to walk through Halibut Point until recently and (honestly) we were a little disappointed. Construction has dictated trail closures but we did take a decent walk around the quarry. We found a few pleasant surprises along the way including a branch laden with apples hanging over the quarry and some birds we did not recognize. Help identifying these birds would be appreciated. There were a pair hanging out a rock next to the quarry and another sitting in a nearby branch. They allowed us to watch for quite a while. We will go back on a prettier day after the construction is done and out of the way.

I love everything about this barn found just a little bit off the Byway at Halibut Point State Reservation. The location, the weathered exterior, the character all appeal to my eye and I hope you agree.

Important update from the Gloucester Waterfront Festival being held at Stage Fort Park today Saturday until 6 pm: there will be NO festival tomorrow Sunday as originally planned. So get down there today Saturday if you intend to go! Great food, music and vendors.

Boats of all shapes and sizes pass by the Paint Factory but fishing vessels are my favorite, especially if we see some familiar faces onboard and coming home! Welcome back Anita & Natalie, Kristina Marie, Reliance, Allison & Carol (Hi Capt Pete!), and the Stanley Thomas (shout out to Mark Ring and mate).