Author: Pat D

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

A lovely map of the Gloucester/Rockport area is a bonus find from the 1937-38 Gloucester City Directory. Here’s a small portion of it which generates a few observations:

The current Tavern on the Harbor was previously the site of a home for “Aged Women”!

Trask Oaks appears to have been a neighborhood in the vicinity of Trask Street. Were there prominent oak trees nearby perhaps?

It’s interesting to note that many of the wharves are named.

So many schoolhouses! I don’t think those kids walked “five miles uphill both ways in the snow and rain” , though it may have been uphill!

Do you notice the steam ferry route?

I hope you like looking at old maps as much as I do!

I am hoping someone with sharp eyes can verify which Gloucester beach is shown in this photo of my grandmother Catherine Pierce Ryan and her son Paul Jr. taken probably early 1930s. It might be Long Beach? I like seeing the bathing fashion of the day, which apparently included beaded necklaces and just-so hairstyles.

An interesting ad from the 1937-38 Gloucester City Directory showcases the “Coolerator” from Cape Pond Ice and I love the selling point that “only ice is trouble free”! Perhaps some of our followers remember these ancestors to the current high tech refrigerators? This one makes ice cubes too. Anyhow, the ad makes me feel cooler just looking at it so I thought I’d share it.

Cape Ann offers an amazing variety of dining options, varied in both atmosphere and cuisine. Among the most popular are these very casual restaurants where the atmosphere seems unrefined but the food astounds. With only love and absolutely no disparagement, I refer to them as “fine shack dining”…..Woodman’s aptly calls it eating “in the rough”. This represents only a selection of what’s available on Cape Ann.

Here’s our current oyster chart. It is limited to local (Gloucester) restaurants that offer regularly scheduled oyster specials at $1.50 or less. If you know of additional specials that should be added, please contact us through the blog or comment on Facebook. Bon Appetit! 

Safety Day on the Harbor this Saturday July 13.

We were delighted to discover Paul’s Closet on Center Street. It’s an eclectic collection of vintage, new and unique pieces. Located in the former Post Historic Studio at 6 Center Street, Paul calls is an artisan retail shop. You can see Paul’s reflection in the mirror below! It’s aptly named Closet as it is a bit small, but definitely worth a stop just to see what’s new.

Curiosities is the new name for the former location of Cape Ann Auction, which was Fred Bodin’s shop prior to that. The name is most appropriate to describe what the visitor will find inside. Stock rotates frequently and is always intriguing. It’s worth noting they are always looking to add to their inventory.