Author: Pat D

We are very happy to have several hummingbirds that show up pretty regularly in our Magnolia yard. I knew they can be attracted by the color red, and I knew they like to feed on sugar water so we set our feeder up accordingly. Then we sat back and watched.

We also worked on attracting orioles by using an orange colored feeder, fresh oranges and grape jelly to tempt them. It worked well, even if other birds also like oranges.

What I was not expecting was to see hummingbirds feeding off the grape jelly! Bonus! Makes sense considering the sugar content and texture, so perhaps this is a tip some of you looking to attract hummingbirds (Joey, Chris etc) could use.

A couple of modest examples of the outstanding beauty that surrounds us.

This turkey family accompanied me on my morning walk near Magnolia recently. I guess it’s probably more accurate to say that I accompanied them! My own turkey trot.

Visited Joey on the dock and there was lots going on down there. Gorgeous morning.

As you might recall, we watched 3 baby hawks in a nest in our backyard here in Gloucester. They have since fledged and begun exploring their world as juveniles. I believe these are the hawks we see and hear nearly everyday out ver the marshy area behind our house. I have become quite attached to them as I watch them develop. They appear for me nearly every time I take my walk and I’ve begun to wonder if they are meant to be my “spirit animals”. So far, I have only verified 2 of the three together and I’ve started calling them Luke and Leia. I thought you might like to see how they have grown.

Both are seen here together

Hawk liftoff

We took a ride to Manchester and decided to have dinner at Cala’s (in part thanks to our Serenitee card). We had not been there in a while, but were put at ease immediately by the friendly neighborhood atmosphere. Domenick was our server and he was very efficient, which added to the experience.

Monday is Taco Night, so I tried my very first fish taco, blackened haddock. Loved it! Jim tried the tuna and the beef. His plate was clean when Domenick came back for it.

Great atmosphere, service and food. Serenitee points a plus! Thanks Cala’s in Manchester at 7 Beach Street for a lovely evening.

Back to the 1937-38 Gloucester City Directory! You can see here the lighthouse keepers and harbor masters for this time period; you might recognize some of the family names on this page of the directory!

I was curious about Carl D. Hill, so I checked the 1940 census for him (available free here). You can see he and his family, along with the assistant Coast Guard Lighthouse keeper Francis Macy and his family. I note with interest that Carl D. Hill was his own enumerator for this entry. This is unusual. That’s a pretty good sized number of people living out there. It is listed as “Federal Property Eastern Point Light Station”.

At this LighthouseAntiques.net website, I found this WONDERFUL picture of the Eastern Point Light Station from about 1939 with the keeper in the picture! I am supposing this teeny tiny figure must be either Carl D. Hill or Francis Macy.  What a great find! I thought you might enjoy this little stroll back to the late 1930s with me.

We are happy to share our backyard with any number of wonderful birds. These are some that make me especially happy.

Hummingbird: one minute resting in a branch and gone the next!

We hadn’t seen orioles for a while so were are happy to welcome them back. So lucky to live here!

We had not been over to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newbury recently, so we took the ride a few days ago. We battled the greenheads in order to bring you this post, so please keep that in mind! We saw several bird species we had not seen there previously; many unknown to me (not being an actual bird watcher). I thought you might enjoy these anyhow…..please remember several greenhead bites were suffered to obtain these! 🙂

Sandpiper of some sort I think:

Killdeer:

Unknown and very interesting:

Some sort of mating ritual or perhaps defending territory?

Great Blue Heron in flight I believe:

GMG Jimmy has been thinking about getting himself a bicycle and when we heard about Cape Ann Electric Bikes, we just had to go see them at 214 Eastern Ave Gloucester ( The Commons). These are bicycles equipped with battery power designed to give the rider an extra boost as needed. And I believe Jim may need an extra boost now and again getting himself from here to there, so it would relieve me a great deal to know he had some extra power at his fingertips. As manager/owner Kathy told us, electric bikes allow you to do what you’ve always done and accommodates the rider’s needs so we can go further together (well, the royal “we” anyhow). Jim was allowed to take a ride, which definitely brought a smile to his face. Rentals are available by the day or weekend. We are giving this serious consideration, so if you are curious I encourage you to stop in and talk to Kathy. Take the ride! It’s a game changer for those of us whose minds are much younger than our bodies are.

We took a walk out to Rafe’s Chasm after the heat broke. Fisher-people on shore, off shore and on-the-way.

We’ve been looking for a chance to sit outside on the newly redesigned patio at Minglewood, so we stopped for lunch recently. We were not disappointed! There is plenty of outdoor seating, attentive staff and yummy menu choices. I noticed a wide range of customers: families, senior citizens, young adults, locals as well as visitors. We ordered freckles (fried pickles) and I had a fish burrito; Jim had the Cobb Salad and we treated ourselves to dessert.

Bonus—I submitted my Serenitee card and our server Lucas informed me I am almost to a free entree!

Beautiful blooms are busting out all over. Take a moment to relish the color, the texture, the aromas.

Some scenes from last week’s Drama Camp Showcase at O’Maley Innovation Middle School. The students performed two short plays to the delight of their directors and families. We were delighted to attend. I had some assistance with these pictures; thanks, Claire! Kudos to all involved.

A recent visitor to Gloucester, Mary Louise Downey, reached out to GMG recently wondering if we were aware of a plaque somewhere in the City commemorating the 1905 arrival of Uraed, the first enclosed lifeboat to cross the Atlantic after a 5 month journey.  I immediately began to research this intriguing event. Although I have not yet found a plaque, I did find the story fascinating.

The Uraed was built in 1904 in Norway by Ole Brude in an effort to design a safer lifeboat. It was his intention to sail it across the Atlantic from Norway in time for the World’s Fair in St. Louis in 1904.  Apparently the voyage went pretty smoothly for Brude and his 3 man crew for the first part of the journey, but then trouble set in and the trip took longer than expected and they missed the World’s Fair. They landed in St. John’s NF first but wished to reach New York so set sail again, this time into wicked winter storms.  The Uraed and its crew landed on Pavilion Beach in January of 1905.

Brude did succeed in designing a safer lifeboat and this adventure made news headlines around the world. One of the crew, Iver Thorsesen, remained in Gloucester and became a citizen according to the Gloucester Daily Times account of the 2005 commemoration (Jan 5 2005). There is a good account and some pictures available online here. There is also a free ebook available in Google Books available  here.

Although I found no evidence (yet) of the plaque, this historic event is another marine related story that brought worldwide attention to Gloucester. Cheer Ole Brude and crew! Thanks Mary Louise for bringing it to our attention!

Gloucester Daily Times Jan 9 1905 after a bad winter storm:

Gloucester Daily Times Jan 5 2005 for the commemoration:

The first Marciano Challenge Fish Filleting event was held at the Gloucester House last night in front of a good sized crowd interested in the finer aspects of fish cutting. Haddock donated by the fishermen was filleted, timed and judged for quality by Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken and event creator Tina Greel. National Geographic filmed the event for everyone’s enjoyment sometime in the future. The fillets were donated. Dave Marciano was crowned Haddock King (fastest at 5 haddock in 2 min 40 sec) and was generous in sharing the honors with Samuel Sanfilippo (with best fillet) because (as he says) that’s what we do in Gloucester, we share. Thanks Tina, the Gloucester House, the fishermen and fish cutters!

Have I mentioned recently how much I love Sawyer Free Library? As a librarian myself, I have made it a point to visit and use as many libraries and library services as I can. Sawyer Free stands out among the very best. I am sometimes there for research and have the opportunity to overhear exchanges between patrons and workers. The staff has been unfailingly patient and helpful. If you haven’t been there recently, I suggest you make a visit. Maybe I will see you at the microfilm machines!

Audrey’s Flower Shop hosted a Sip & Sunflowers event last night at Mile Marker. About 20 aspiring floral designers attended and had an opportunity to hear Audrey’s Flower Shop proprietor Heather Peatfield demonstrate arranging sunflowers and greens to their best advantage. Artistic efforts are not my forte but I was made to feel I was a floral genius! Thank you Heather and I look forward to the October Drunkin Pumpkin event!

Updated Tuesday July 16 thanks to reader comment from Brenda D.  Thank you Brenda!

We had a small welcoming committee greeting us upon our return home. I just love our neighborhood!

Apparently the fawn needed a little corrective action.

Fawn zoomies