Author: Pat D

Work is coming along nicely on the back shore for the new Aquarius on the Back Shore project.

Our first stop back home yesterday was Halibut Point. GMG Jimmy was craving chowder and he was not disappointed. I allowed myself an Irish Coffee. Thanks Halibut Point for the warm welcome back. Same to those of you traveling home for Thanksgiving!

I stumbled across a very interesting online exhibition presented by the Smithsonian Institute yesterday called On the Water.  The specific portion of this online exhibition that I found to be a time-sucker is called Atlantic Cod. Click here for the link, but you’ve been warned about the hole you’re going to fall into…….

Two of the items I found especially interesting were the depiction of the Schooner Dauntless, build in Essex in 1855 and lost at sea just 15 years later in 1870. One of the men aboard that vessel may be a cousin (Martin Costello) but I haven’t yet been able to confirm it’s “my” Martin Costello. If it is the correct Martin, he was only 17 in 1870 when the Dauntless went down, a mere 2 years older than the schooner.

Schooner Dauntless model  as depicted on the Smithsonian website for this exhibition:

Other items in the collection of special interest to me were the ones related to the ship’s cook. A senior Martin Costello in my family tree was a cook on the Schooner Paul Revere with Captain John Bentley (Martin’s son in law) which was lost in 1882. Pictured here from the Smithsonian collection is a shirt typically worn by cooks on fishing vessels:

I like thinking of my 3 times great grandfather looking pretty snazzy in such a shirt as he was prepping meals for the hard working fishermen. Thankful for online exhibits such as this. I hope you enjoy.

So much has changed in our lifetimes…..an understatement that came to the fore when I saw this 1914 New England Telephone ad:

When I was a kid, we were on a party line….for those of you who may not remember, these were shared phone lines. Your neighbors essentially had the same line as you did so you could eavesdrop on their phone conversations and vice versa. You paid a premium for a private line.

When you called someone, you were pretty sure you knew where they were located at that moment but they had no idea who was calling.

A phone number was typically shared by everyone in the household so you had a chat with whomever picked up the call.

You VERY carefully planned “long distance” calls for the cheapest rates because you were charged extra for each call made outside your zone…..and, as referenced in this ad, you could rest easy if no one answered.

Today you can make those Thanksgiving calls anytime you like. When your college kid comes home for the long weekend, your line is no longer tied up making their plans with friends. It’s a wonderful world we live in (mostly)! What else do you remember about phones back in the day?

Here’s a link to a cute Ellen video demonstrating some of this. Might provide some guidance for Thanksgiving family fun.   https://youtu.be/Gjin8t633pc

I’m stuck in New York for the time being taking care of business and I’ve been missing my Gloucester family. These are from about a year ago on a dreary day down on the harbor. Iconic Gloucester.  I will see you soon.

The dreary weather has me digging through old memories and I came up with this gem from 1958 showing me rocking a Gloucester shirt…….even then……

I have previously posted this picture taken in our grandparents’ backyard in 1966 but it’s appropriate today to say Happy Birthday to my brother Chris! I have pretty clear memories of this visit so long ago. I hope he does as well. Happy Birthday brother!

Perhaps this is not technically a barn, but if this was on my property I would be calling it “the barn”.  I find it quite charming each time I drive by. I think there must be some interesting stories in those walls!

Are you ready? We are on the 10 day countdown to Thanksgiving….a time for families to gather, give thanks and ….well, watch here. I found the premise of sideline commentary amusing and thought you might too.

Pretty critters enjoying fall at Niles Pond. I enjoy regular trips over there to watch the seasons change.

After October 31, Salisbury Beach State Reservation charges no parking fee so we look forward to when we can return there to take a look around. On our first trip in the off season, we were rewarded with frolicking seals. Apparently a number of them had been hauled out on the rocks during low tide, but something spooked them back into the water just as we arrived (I do not believe there is a correlation here 🙂 ) Only one remained on the rocks with a sunning bird for company. Others were swimming a flipping themselves around as if they were glad the off season had arrived too.

We took a ride to Danvers recently to have dinner at the Berry Tavern. One of our Gloucester friends works there and we wanted to check in with her. It was well worth the ride! Efficient, friendly service was enhanced when our waitress was thoughtful enough to bring seltzer water to assist with cleaning Jim’s stained shirt. It’s a very busy spot, even early on a Friday evening but we were served quickly as if we were alone in the restaurant. Shout out to our friend Emma!

We noticed these Sunday labors underway recently. No rest for the weary apparently.

We are very happy to see a new branch of Bank Gloucester being built in Ipswich!

My Dad, shown here, was just one of the hundreds of Gloucester residents who answered the call of duty when he enlisted in the Army just out of high school in 1945. It meant delaying his entry to college but ROTC training in high school must have prepared him somewhat for what was ahead. It was a different culture at the time and he never talked much about any of his military service, but I believe it likely that he felt it nothing less than his duty to enlist. He further interrupted his college career a few years afterward by re-enlisting for the Korean War. This time I expect a major factor was the GI Bill’s promise to support his college aspirations.

Like thousands of others in the “Greatest Generation”, he was tight-lipped about his military experience. I was curious so I sent away to the National Archives for his records. Did you know these are available to descendants for (often) no cost? Here’s a link for more information. I was hopeful that I’d gain some insight into his experiences during those enlistments, but, alas, his particular records apparently were lost in a fire. Just by the way, if you are doing family history research you will learn there was ALWAYS a fire that destroyed important records. You might have better luck if you are curious about an ancestor’s military experience. I encourage you to request the records.

Regardless, his story is the story of so many of our veterans. Not all went willingly and some share their stories, but all deserve recognition for their sacrifices.

Last Sunday we decided to go to Tonno and try out the Sunday dinner special featuring an appetizer and an entree for a fixed price. GMG Jimmy had the eggplant appetizer and I had the shrimp bruschetta. They were each amazing and nearly a meal to themselves.

I chose chicken parmigiana and Jim ordered spaghetti with meatballs and sausage. We were not disappointed. Lovely evening out! Thanks Tonno for bringing back some of Jim’s childhood memories in an Italian household.

Hello Gloucester from Maryland!

Mass Audubon and Hunts Photo recently sponsored a birdwalk in Canton MA at the Museum of American Bird Art which we attended. It’s only about an hour’s drive and the trails are accessible and manageable. We definitely plan to return without a crowd of photographers and birdwatchers trailing along. Although no birds were sighted during the actual birdwalk (probably due to the healthy number of participants stomping through the woods all together), we were also treated to a show of rescued birds being rehabilitated and allowed to photograph them to our heart’s content. I am very sorry I did not get the name of the rescue organization as they were extremely knowledgeable and open to the desires of the photographers present.

Here are some of the rescues we met. They included a male American Kestrel, screech owl, saw-whet owl, and barn owl.

Coming in, going out, at rest…….our working boats are magnificent.

FYI:  Be aware that the Registry of Motor Vehicles will be closed for all customer service transactions (licensing, registrations, inspections, internet/phone transactions) from 6 PM Friday Nov 8 to 7 AM Tuesday Nov 12 in order to complete technology upgrades. No inspections can be conducted Nov 9-10-11.  Further information can be found at their website which is linked here.  I hope the impact on our readers is minimal.

**image obtained from link above and no infringement is intended**

The hawks we typically see in our neighborhood have been somewhat scarce lately but recently  have returned. I love that they seem to accompany me on my walks, so I call them my “Walk-Hawks”.   The hope of spotting them pushes me out the door for the walk on days I might be reluctant.