Author: Pat D

We had dinner at the Antique Table on Central Street in Manchester a couple of nights ago for our Friday night “date”. We hadn’t been back in a while and we had a gift card waiting to be used, so off we went. The online reservation system is easy to use and you can access it here at the restaurant’s website.

The manager Oscar greeted us warmly to make sure we were happy with our seating next to the fireplace. Our server Victor was friendly and thorough. My lemon drop martini was served in a chilled glass, making it extra refreshing. Jim ordered prosciutto roll ups and I had chicken vegetable soup (tomato based with lots of vegetables and big chunks of chicken). Our entrees included chicken florentine and shrimp scampi. Jim had lemon cake for dessert and I finished with a Mexican coffee. It was a lovely evening, not rushed yet efficient. We were safely distanced with plastic barriers helping. I understand they are also open for lunch but we haven’t tried that yet. We will be happy to return sometime soon!

I have mentioned previously that I obtained a copy of the 1948-49 Gloucester City Directory complete with a wonderful map. Every now and then, I get it out and wander through looking for historical inspiration. 1948 is the years Truman upset Dewey in the presidential race; Dinah Shore was singing Buttons and Bows; and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Rope was a popular movie. I do not have firsthand knowledge of these things, but the city directory and the accompanying map help give me a good picture. The Gloucester Daily Times provided a slideshow (link here) to some photos from the 40s and 50s which give us a more local glimpse into these bygone days.

I didn’t realize that we live in Fresh Water Cove Village, for example! This map also gives me a good lead on the schoolhouse locations….and that a city park preceded the current high school building. So much to learn!

We saw this very interesting barn when driving along a route near Rockport that is part of the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway, which stretches further than just 133! This one’s a classic.

Good morning Gloucester! Just when I thought sunrise wasn’t going to be picture worthy, it blossomed onto something spectacular. It’s just a cell shot from our deck but WOW

Lane’s Cove Cemetery is also known at Cove Hill Cemetery and is tucked off a lane at the rear of 1052 Washington Street. It is not visible from the street, though it is only a short walk to this small cemetery. It sits just above the Lane’s Cove breakwall and the Greenbelt Harvey Reservation abuts the cemetery.

My copy of A Guide to Cemeteries in Essex County Massachusetts from the Essex Society of Genealogists c 1991 says “Abandoned, small yard in a grove of trees with stone wall. Vandalized. John Lane, Lanesville’s first settler, buried here. His original stone is at the Cape Ann Historical Association.” The Guide also notes this cemetery was active approximately 1729-1905.

I took a few gravestone photos to demonstrate something I have found interesting in nearly every cemetery I have studied. If you go by ages at death, people had longer average life spans than I had been taught in school. I’d been taught people “died young” back then. It seems not necessarily, as you can see here: I see ages 92, 86 (twice), 85,and 45 in these examples. Worth a walk if you combine it with the Harvey Reservation Trail, otherwise it’s a pretty short stroll.

It’s always a good bet that you will find a bunch of dogs walking the boulevard, especially on a beautiful day. Belle is the beautiful dog posing so nicely with the Fisherman’s Statue; a very good girl!

If you love dogs, you might consider following Thoughts of Dog on Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter @dog_feelings. Makes me smile every time. Also We Rate Dogs is fun on Twitter @dog_rates, Instagram or Facebook.

Two well known local establishments have recently announced permanent closure: Sherry’s Corner Cafe on Lexington in Magnolia (which you probably saw here earlier, thanks Donna!) and the Cape Ann Brewing Company. Jim and I will sorely miss them both and I am sure we are not alone. It’s a reminder how hard we all need to work to end this pandemic.

Images borrowed from each Facebook page:

The Coast Guard appeared to be doing some exercises off shore yesterday. Someone would leap from the helicopter then be pulled back up. One Coastie seemed to stick the landing! Thank you Coast Guard for keeping your skills up to benefit the rest of us.

The Gloucestercast (#455 ) recently featured Matthew Murray and his @cape_ann_history Instagram account. This reminded me I hadn’t checked eBay recently for random Gloucester ephemera that I might have to add to my collection….and sure enough, I found and purchased this post card discussing visitors taking a trolley ride around Cape Ann in 1905. I loved the details provided by the author which matched up nicely with the information Matthew shared about the days of trolleys on Cape Ann. These visitors were staying at the Grand View Hotel in Annisquam and there’s a great blog post about Cape Ann’s grand hotels in 1905 found here.

Additional information about trolleys in Gloucester can be found here at the Gloucester Daily Times written by none other than Ray Lamont.

It doesn’t take long for me to get totally wrapped up in the history with the assistance of our own Gloucester Daily Times and eBay!

Halyard has made a preview of a model apartment available (2 School House Road Gloucester) for those interested: https://realync.com/share#!/shareVideo/5fff6453a8e100f274fb8ae8/5fecb0ef9f170acd62caba1b/60006a6219f300523f7a77e4 PLEASE NOTE image is not a live link. Click link above for video

Application information available here

Following please find a couple of shots taken yesterday at different points during a changing-weather day. Also, as an added note, our boss Joey allows contributors to shamelessly self-promote our own projects…..I’d like to introduce Pat D’s Photos and Adventures Facebook page where I intend to post stories and additional photos about some of the things in my life (some not Gloucester related) that I care about. My most recent post there tells a little story about the unfortunate dolphin behind Captain Hook’s yesterday, but there are other stories you might like if you enjoy my daily GMG posts. Thanks for checking it out at https://www.facebook.com/Pat-Ds-Photos-and-Adventures-105596528079294/

For those “from away”, maybe you’ll like to see some scenes from Good Harbor Beach and the Back Shore just prior to high tide today Jan 16 2021. Not long after, the sun came out!

The early part of the day yesterday was quite pretty, especially on the water. We saw the Coast Guard, Midnight Sun, Marilyn Louise, Cat Eyes, Aaron & Alexa and others.

It was a 2 raptor day recently. which is a huge bonus for me. First, we got close up and personal with a hawk near Salisbury State Reservation. Then we went to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, hiked for about a mile into the blowing sand and wind (uphill both ways of course) to capture this snowy owl. Quite a day for us.

Some scenes from Rockport taken recently on another lovely day in paradise.

This is Part II of the new lens report. Of course, I had to take my crystal ball (CB) around for the ride when we were testing out the new 50 mm lens. I think my grandson won’t be the only star in the show with this new lens. Here are a few shots from around the Cape. I think you will recognize most locations.

I finally took the dive and got the Canon 50 mm 1.8 lens that our boss Joey C strongly recommended. My main purpose is to take better pictures of the grandson, but we took it out for a spin to see how she works. Lane’s Cove was one of the settings where this new lens seemed to shine! The day had been a little grey, but the sun unexpectedly shone as if it knew what I was doing……

We found ourselves in Magnolia a few days ago in time for sunset. Our friend Donna Ardizzoni is my mentor in this special time of day in Magnolia, and, of course she was there as well taking her own gorgeous shots. Some of these are a little different than her view and I thought you might enjoy them.

It was a very pretty day at Plum Cove Beach recently. It’s almost always pretty, so it’s a fair bet…. Anyhow, this post is for one of my special followers for whom Plum Cove is a favorite. I thought you might be missing it1

Several days ago, we stopped to check the progress of rebuilding Essex Seafood on Eastern Ave in Essex. It’s coming right along and looks like it will be “bigger and better”! Great news for all of us. Check them out on Facebook under Essex Seafood.