Author: Pat D

My sister Judy saw mirror lens attachments for cell phones advertised and thought I might be interested, so I ordered one. I thought you might be interested in the initial test results. Of course, our beautiful dahlias made perfect subjects for this test run. It’s fairly easy to use though I need some practice in positioning it to the best advantage. So far, I’d give this model a B rating (and the photographer gets a C) but I think it might get better with practice. There are several models available at very reasonable prices and this is a link to the one I choose: mirror lens.

We decided to go to Lobsta Land on Causeway St. for dinner once we thought some of the summer traffic would have died down. When we entered, it was fairly quiet with plenty of deck and inside seating remaining. By the time we left, the parking lot was jammed! It’s a very popular spot for visitors and locals! As usual, we enjoyed our meal. Jim loves the chowder and he had a fried seafood plate. I got the NY strip steak that was on the specials menu. We ate inside by the window so got the benefit of the nice view and the sunshine. It’s always a great experience.

Thanks to the generosity of friends and neighbors, we went to The Burn on Main St recently to use our gift card. We were seated quickly and it was busy in there! All staff were friendly and helpful. Jim got the half and half chowder and a chicken pesto sandwich that was on special. I ordered the rice bowl with carne asada (and I LOVED it!). It was all tasty fresh and served in a timely manner. Jim just loves the chowder there. For the sake of the blog, Jim also ordered cheesecake (The Burn has desserts now!) while I sipped a perfectly made Irish coffee. We enjoyed the vibe and look forward to returning soon.

As you are probably aware, there are 3 candidates running for Gloucester Mayor. As a result, a preliminary election is scheduled for today to narrow that down to 2 candidates so go to your polling place from 7 AM – 8 PM today to vote for your choice. Here’s link for more election info if needed. (PS that’s why no school today). I’ll be manning a table at Ward 1! (*totally stole this meme so kudos to creator**)

If you have any interest in the Civil War or Gloucester history, I recommend you go downstairs at City Hall the next time you stop by. There’s a small but powerful exhibit demonstrating some of Gloucester’s role in Civil Ware history mounted along the hallways you will find fascinating. Thank you Archives Committee!

I visited the Gloucester Marine Railways on Rocky Neck to see what’s new. As always, they are very busy down there repairing, refurbishing and spiffing up vessels from all over!

In case you are one of those residents wondering why you haven’t heard any trash/recycling updates, I urge you to sign up for the City of Gloucester Alert messaging system by clicking this link: https://bit.ly/Emergency-Alerting

Here’s the latest update FYI

Based on how many people walk up to Caffe Sicilia every day I am at the shop, I thought these are important dates to note. I hope the staff has a restful break!

I noticed activity at Sailor Stan’s a couple of days ago. It appears it’s being prepared to be sold. Good luck to all!

The Sept 11 attack was 24 years ago. For many of us, myself included, it’s a day etched in memory. That day and the days and weeks that followed seemed to stack up horror upon horror in unimaginable ways. I will never forget, but there’s an entire generation for whom the day does not live in memory. That day changed our nation and the world in ways evident even today in the safety measures, airline precautions and more. Please take a moment today to pause, reflect and remember.

This is a blog post I wrote in 2009 that expresses some of the thoughts 16 years ago when I was still teaching and my children were young adults. It still feels relevant.

https://dalpiazryan.blogspot.com/2009/09/september-11.html

We had fun watching the shore bird antics along Pebble Beach late on recent afteroon. I believe you’ll see sanderlings and plovers here but if someone knows more than I, please share!

We got to take a little walk around the grounds at the Paint Factory recently. I don’t often get to see this side of things and I find a lot of character down there.

For our final Margarita Monday of 2025, we stopped for lunch at Oliver’s Harbor on Main St which was open on Labor Day Monday. We were not disappointed. I love the lunch menu! I had the sausage sandwich and Jim had the eggplant sandwich. The margarita was served in a chilled ice-cold glass and was super refreshing. We always enjoy the atmosphere there and the friendly service. Cheers to Oliver’s!

A friend visited recently and wanted to view sunset so we went off to Lane’s Cove. It didn’t miss the mark!

There’s something extra special about the light as dusk approaches in the late summer, as you see here from Pebble Beach on Penzance Road.

I made my fist visit to the newly renovated Sawyer Free Libary on Dale Ave recently and…WOW! What a great job has been done for our community by the library staff and supporters. Three spacious floors filled with quiet nooks, research materials, meeting space and BOOKS! You might want to consider attending today’s ribbon cutting from 3-4:30 or tomorrow’s Open House 10-3. I have always loved our library and I didn’t think I could love it more…..but I do. Get yourself down there and check it out (librarian humor).

It’s impossible for me to select just a few photos from over the course of the 2025 Schooner Fest, but here you go. I hope you can tolerate just a few more. So much impressive beauty! For additional photos and story details, check out Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook.

Evening offers a unique opportunity for some pretty cool scenes on the Inner Harbor, especially during Schooner Fest.

An interesting story submitted by David Calvo:

Hello, Mr. Calvo.  

I’m Jason Chu, living in Korea.

I took your one-week class in 2015. Do you remember?

Your teaching was excellent, and I’m grateful.

And the beautiful scenery of Gloucester was so inspiring and unforgettable.

I still enjoy woodcarving. However, it’s hard to find people in Korea who enjoy it as a hobby.  So, I set up a small workshop in my home and work alone. Last year, I entered my woodcarving work for the first time in a local art competition and was honored to receive a special award. This December, I’ll be holding my first woodcarving exhibition. This is my first exhibition. I’m not a professional artist, but an amateur, so I’m not looking to make money.

I want to introduce people to woodcarving through this exhibition. So, the provincial government provided a small grant to hold this exhibition.

I’m 69 years old. My eyesight is deteriorating, so it’s going to be increasingly difficult for me to continue woodcarving. How many more years will I be able to continue?

I’m sending you a photo of my special award piece. In Korea, there’s a folk belief that tying dried pollack with a string wards off misfortune and brings good luck. So, I carved dried pollack out of wood. I’m sending you a few more pieces of my work and some photos I took there 10 years ago.

I’ve been receiving your emails with pleasure. Your emails bring back memories of that time there 10 years ago. I hope your workshop attracts many students and your classes are enjoyable.

I wish you continued health and happiness. And please give my regards to the owner of “The Colonial Inn,” where I stayed. I still remember his kindness and hospitality.

Regards, from Korea

Jason Chu

And more from David on background:

Here is the back story on Jason chu

Jason Chu 나무방 came all the way from South Korea (a two-day flight) to take a workshop. His son contacted me and said my father has wanted to learn woodcarving from you but he can’t speak English. He said, “is that going to be a problem?” I told him no, I don’t need words to teach him. He said “okay, I will sign him up.” So his father got his plane tickets and showed up on the first day of class. He did great in the workshop and he managed to learn everything through hand demonstrations. On his last day, he had a car service pick him up to drive him to the airport for his flight back to South Korea. As he was driving away, he stuck his head and hand out the window, looked back, waived and yelled “Bye Calvo” that was his english.

When a friend visits and it’s Margarita Monday, you go to Seaport Grille on Rogers St to show off a li. We have the meal she was looking forward to and I had the pineapple jalapeño margarita….a whole bucket of it!

We will seek out our last official margarita of the summer Margarita Monday series later today. Maybe we’ll see you there? Who knows?