Author: Pat D

The Gloucester Elks are trying to make this Halloween a little more fun this year by hosting a pumpkin decorating contest for children. Here’s the information copy and pasted from the Elks Facebook page:

Kid’s Halloween Fun
Decorating Pumpkin Contest
Ages 3-12 Welcome to Participate

“Decorate your pumpkin at home and drop your decorated pumpkin to the Gloucester Ellks Lodge
between 10am-12noon on Saturday 10/31”

Judging begins at Noon

Winners will receive
1. $50 Gift Certificates to Toodloos prizes award to each age group below
3 – 6 years
7 – 9 years
& 10 -12 years

Due to Covid 19 only Judges will be allowed to stay and all participates will drop of wearing a mask.
Please give a volunteer an idea card with your child’s name – age and parents contact number in case you win

Images also borrowed from Elks Facebook page.

***The Elks are also seeking a short order cook*** Also copied from their Facebook page:

Elks Kitchen Help Needed
Now hiring 20+hour week position
Hours increasing very soon
Please email resumes to
Don Ressel

barmanager@gloucesterelks892.com

There’s never a shortage of activity around our harbor.

This big guy was roadside as I was driving around Niles Pond a couple of days ago. I am told it’s likely to be a snapping turtle (Amy’s actual words were “ Freakin’ snapping turtle”) and it seems to be a pretty good size. Beware of them though, they have a vicious bite and can extend their necks further than you might expect. I also understand they can move more quickly than most of us assume. You never know what you might see over there!

Long Beach wave action attracted surfers, kids and dogs yesterday. Great afternoon to be outside, epecially at the beach.

A reminder copied and pasted from the Mayor regarding COVID testing results if you were tested at Stage Fort Park:

REMINDER ABOUT COVID-19 COMMUNITY TESTING RESULT NOTIFICATIONS: For those who have gotten tested at Stage Fort Park you should expect test results in 24-72 hours via an email with the results from careevolve@lknotification.com. You will need to register an account with an access code and then finalize registration with another access code that will be sent to you. If you did not leave an email address you may also receive a text message from Transformative Healthcare or by calling the test hotline between the hours of 10 a.m and 8 p.m. at 617-765-0176.

One of the great things about fall is the morning fog. These were taken at Buswell Pond one recent morning as the fog was lifting.

Sun rising on a new day. Thank you Gloucester! What a gift from Mother Nature to start my birthday off right.

The new mixed use development being built on the former Cameron’s site at 206 Main Street seems to be progressing nicely! The bare bones are taking shape. More information here.

We had another wonderful dining experience at Minglewood Harborside on Rogers Street a couple of nights ago. Hands down, it is my favorite “comfort” go-to restaurant. Delicious margaritas help quite a bit……Though the baked haddock is my favorite there, this time I had a craving for wings. I got mild Buffalo wings and coleslaw. They really hit the spot! I rarely eat all the wings on the plate, but this time I did. Great Buffalo flavoring! The homemade blue cheese is dynamite. Jim went for the short rib sandwich. Todd was our server, efficient and attentive. Safe distancing and masks are part of a protocol that made me feel very safe. We like to bring our guests there to show off our city’s restaurant choices. It’s friendly for families and small groups. We love it there and suggest you give it a try.

And, if you don’t have the FREE Serenitee app yet, check it out here and get ready to receive discounts and free stuff! Minglewood is one of the Serenitee restaurants and last night I was informed I have an entree and dessert on the card for my birthday! Win Win.

The very tree that hosted the eagles in our backyard recently served as respite for a blue heron yesterday. The respite didn’t last long as the crows began to gather and harass the heron. To the heron’s credit, he remained steady while making sure the crows knew who was boss of the branch. He stayed calm and still though I did notice his head feathers rose to a crown as if to add to his height to appear tougher. Pretty soon the crows flew off to annoy another creature and the heron got a bit of a break. I haven’t seen blue herons in trees but this one stayed a good long time resting in the afternoon sun. This is one amazing tree to attract so many visitors to the neighborhood!

I took a ride over to Niles Pond on a pretty afternoon recently and came across these guys enjoying the fall sunshine on their faces.

To follow up on yesterday’s post regarding the Azorean Restaurant on Washington St. , it was announced on their Facebook page that the reopening has been briefly delayed to Wednesday Oct 21. We wish everyone well and look forward to their return.

From their Facebook page:

*UPDATE*
Not all of our staffs results have come back yet. We have decided to stay closed until Wednesday the 21st. We are taking this uptick in local cases very seriously so we have decided to extend the reopening date. Stay SAFE be WELL and on behalf of Braga Management and the Azorean stay we miss you ALL!!!

This seems like a great way to help a local family enjoy Thanksgiving a bit more than they might otherwise. I’m in!

We have started having Sunday dinner at the Azorean…I think Jim likes to watch the games on their numerous TVs….but I don’t complain as my meal is always outstanding and the service friendly and efficient. Virus protocols are carefully followed making us feel very safe. The restaurant’s Facebook page has recently announced that they will be closed on Tuesdays for deep cleaning. It further announced plans to close until today, Friday Oct 16 as a precautionary measure. As of this writing, they plan to reopen today so I’d like to share our dining experience from last week. Jim chose the chicken and butternut raviolis and I had scallops in lemon cream sauce over rice which was one of the specials. We were delighted. As I told our waitress, whenever I order something with lemon from the Azorean, I know I am going to taste the lemon. This is not always the case and I happen to love the lemon flavor, and the scallop dish did not disappoint. Get there when you can.

I decided to take the short ride to Appleton Farms in Ipswich to get a view of fall from the perspective of a working farm. From the welcoming greeting at the gate to my walk back to the car, it was a delightful experience. It’s only a short ride to this scenic working farm with sweeping vistas and open skies. The day I visited there were additional vendors offering various treats in a socially distanced manner and several families enjoying the weather and the activities. Members park for free, there is $5 weekdays/$10 weekend parking fee for nonmembers. More information to plan your trip is here. This short ride “off-island” is well worth it.

It’s been a little while since I have found a worthy Barn Along the Byway to share with you, but this seems worth the wait. The glory of autumn in full display!

The Gloucester Brazilian Steakhouse Buffet is now open at 151 Main Street 11 am to 11 pm daily.

It was very nice to see the Lynx in Gloucester Harbor, docked at the Paint Factory as well as out on the water. More information about the Lynx can be found here.

A pair of magnificent bald eagles came to rest in a tree in our backyard yesterday afternoon in Magnolia. One was calling out and it sounded as though “she” was right next to me. The call went right through me. If you look carefully at these pictures, you can see the one on the upper branch calling out. The pair flew off and a singleton landed again a few minutes later, so I can only confirm 2 in the area though it could possibly be 3. Hoping to see them again soon. What a sight!!!!