Author: Pat D

We sailed aboard Schooner Alert last night and learned that Schooner Fest is about more than just schooners. It’s about caring for all the creatures on Earth. The captain (Perry) noticed a juvenile gull struggling in the water and it was determined it was stuck in a fishing lure. The crew (Bethany) jumped into action and the gull was rescued. With the assistance of passengers, the lure was removed and the gull was released. We were all happy to see it fly off safely. These videos aren’t the best cinematic effort, but things moved quickly and it was tight quarters. Cheers to the Schooner Alert who managed to give even more meaning to this wonderful weekend by being kind humans.

When the schooners come to town for Schooner Fest, I like to book as many sails as I can fit in. I like to select schooners I haven’t yet experienced so my first sail this year was aboard the American Eagle. Intermittent storms cancelled our scheduled sail on Friday, but we were offered an alternate trip Saturday morning for a 4 hour sail. And I jumped on it. It was a lovely sail that took us out almost to Salem. The winds were in our favor, the sun was shining and the crew was outstanding. We even got a yummy lunch.

Launched out of Gloucester in 1930, it was the last fishing schooner built here. Its home port now is Rockland ME under an enthusiastic Captain Tyler King. I thoroughly enjoyed my sail and look forward to seeing American Eagle return to Gloucester.

I went to 44 Main St and found a lovely little gift on the doorstep. It’s very beautiful but I don’t know where it came from! We plan to give it away as a podcast prize and we’d love to credit the artist/giver if you’ll give a us a clue!

The Block Party is regrettably cancelled for tonight but the shop at 44 Main St will be open until at least 1 p.m. today; tomorrow Saturday 11-3; Sunday following Parade of Sail until 3; and Labor Day 11-3. Enjoy this festive weekend!

As summer winds down, it seems the sunsets remind us how spectacular summer has been! This was from Plum Cove last week.

It’s here! Check out all the activities offered for the 41st Schooner Fest this year! Full schedule available here.

The entire team from Lyon-Waugh Auto Group are to be congratulated on yet another outstanding Bluefin Blowout event. A check for $473,000 was presented as a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association. We are proud to play a small part in this amazing cause.

Cape Ann experienced the outskirts swells from Hurricane Erin last week so we chased the waves at Good Harbor Beach and along the Back Shore. We were blessed with beautiful sunny skies under which to observe the majesty of the ocean.

The sunflower field in Ipswich at Felix’s Family Farm on Lowes Lane (behind Dairy Queen) has recently opened for the season. Copied from their Facebook page: (*For additional photos and story details please check out Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook. We’d appreciate comments on your favorites as I consider new notecards and prints*)

Our sunflower field IS NOW OPEN FOR THE SEASON!

We are open EVERYDAY from 9am-sunset and we are dog friendly.

The location of our sunflower field is at 20 Lowes Lane in Ipswich this year. For GPS you can use the Dairy Queen in Ipswich (158 High Street) and once you are at Dairy Queen, you will see Lowes Lane next to the Dairy Queen

Our sunflower field will have more and blooms everyday and we expect peak bloom for the first sunflower field over Labor Day Weekend

We have another sunflower field that will open up early in September, so we will have sunflowers in bloom everyday until later in September. So a whole month of sunflowers!

In addition to sunflowers, we have lots of other flowers in bloom!

Dahlias, Snap Dragons, Zinnias, Marigolds,etc

Additionally we have lots of farm animals too! Cows, sheep, goats, bunnies, chickens, etc

Weekday Admission for Adults is $10

Weekend Admission for Adults is $12

For Kids Ages 4-17: Admission is $5

For Children under 4: Admission is Free

Our 2025 sunflower field theme is LOVE and if you read our post from yesterday (8-22) and respond to the 3 questions in that post, we will select one person at random to win $369 at the end of the sunflower season.

Recently a plea for some help was posted to Facebook regarding the need to fill up the shelves of the Little Free Library on the porch of the Welcome Center at Stage Fort Park. During my shift last week, I took note that some material has been added but it still could use a boost. If you are looking for a good home for some extra books you have around, this is a worthy solution.

When your friends Susan and Leo call and ask to go out for lunch, you go along and you celebrate Margarita Monday in a new spot (at least for us). We went to the Mission Boathouse on Water St in Beverly last week for lunch and Margarita Monday. The space is expansive and lovely with a water view. The menu is nicely varied and our server was helpful, efficient and cheerful. We enjoyed our meals which included a rice bowl, haddock sandwich, fish tacos and a meat lover pizza (*if you go for the $1 oysters, take note that you must be seated at the bar to get that pricing* ). I got a raspberry margarita which was tastefully tart and hit the spot for another Margarita Monday in the books!

We recently found our pair of eagles together in West Gloucester. It’s hard to see in these photos as one was pretty well hidden from my viewpoint but the eagle pair were roosting together along the river. It’s the first time we’ve seen them together in quite a while so it was a relief. If you look carefully to the left of the eagle sitting out in the open, you can see the mate.

We went chasing the waves from Hurricane Erin and the sunset last night (more on each in a later post). I thought some of you might like to see how the ocean was responding at Good Harbor Beach near low tide.

The last Block Party sponsored by the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce is next Friday (yes, FRIDAY) Aug 29 from 6-10 PM. Yours truly and Joey will be there outside the shop at 44 Main St so please stop by and say hello.

From the Chamber:

Main Street is the place to be on Friday, August 29, from 6–10 PM, for the final Gloucester Block Party of 2025!

We’re closing out summer with a night full of music, food, shopping, and fun for all ages—right in the heart of downtown.

This isn’t just any Block Party—it’s the kickoff to Labor Day Weekend and Schooner Festival! That means more energy, more excitement, and the perfect start to a weekend packed with Cape Ann magic.

Important beach update:

Some scenes from a night on the water around sunset. What a blessing!

We went to the DPW to drop off our recycling and were asked to share a reminder about what goes to our recycling and (mostly) what does NOT go to recycling (see below). I think our DPW is pretty great, but they are doing a particularly wonderful job under the current circumstances, so CHEERS DPW!

I was the grateful recipient of a lovely random act of kindness a few days ago when I arrived home to find a small vase of flowers awaiting me. The Flowerbuds effort is “Connecting Community with Flowers” and I’d heard about it, but have had the extra bonus of experiencing the special feeling when you realize somebody was thinking of you. Random person: thank you for putting a smile on my face. For more info, check our Flowerbuds at this link. Well done!

We selected the wonderful Oak To Ember on Rogers St for our Margarita Monday celebrtation last week. I settled on a spicy margarita, and boy, did it live up to the hype. A little extra on the spicy but very enjoyable. Jim ordered the beef cheeks tostado which also had a kick to it that we enjoyed. Although it was late on a Monday afternoon, the vibe was just right and, as always, excellent service. Cheers Oak to Ember!

The team at Castaways Surf Co (Castaways Vintage) on Main St and Rogers St recently introduced their newest items and you have to get down there to check them out! Many newly branded bags, shirts, hats, blankets and more for both men and women are now featured at this cool coffee shop. You won’t be sorry.