Author: Pat D

This amazing man is running the perimeter of the United States to raise money for sick children. He plans to end his run right here in Gloucester. His latest update says he estimates only 806 miles remain! His goal is to run the equivalent of a marathon (26.2 miles) a day and if he keeps that pace, he will arrive sometime in early March.  Looking forward to being part of this epic journey:

https://www.facebook.com/AdventuremanJamieMcDonald/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARB_ri-VMXBDWDOjwnMn9dvNNS-8qF-vacdmvcGEOKzthm9SazJethRoVMnZFrqHIRHDtaHu1m1qkdDp&hc_ref=ARSB_Ma4EdlWGDp_HeACwu1HQZIl0ymvbGMKrzoauHE56xgnOiqmbgyAbmQbmL4ogh4&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBqUr2T9pJtVDzuVpnCK2bpSVWTx7rBHHRGACIWiqjX-3T2wIxLvhTZ_NFZ6VNsLtbY4ns8zkumesuUkQ5-CYWrDKaCtW8c9SZrNHNzcMiFw5mDvQEi5rMoZ-A2x1wvZNkaGO9HY2KlbumbeREXWdHNxI_0L4oc1-yJib0CVXRYogcCMXCJOrmSRPlHlCPadKE0BY8G0cF75kSoYxZhriWZTb6STIH5bseQ6vvKg6KK9FtcCH-83mt653RmU7EXy3kuGvjl_QUpA8Gy-eRgrX1C4zPbSBmXnPnPFH0mqFQU_nuwgaQaWmsPEOUyt6mVdyKLXv-f2i3CDSiQTCI02mFt2MUuUJpDlSFi3Q

Signs that say “Gloucester!”:

One of the interesting facets of family history research is the study of the neighborhood,  city and social history your ancestor experienced.  It brings to mind the Sesame Street song about the people in your neighborhood.

Lucky for those of us that like to study such things, there are plenty of ways to determine where your ancestors lived. One is the decennial US census records as they become available (1940 is the most recently available). This is part of the 1910 census record for  William E. Pierce and family who lived at 31 Sargent Street in 1910.

Over the years, the Pierce family lived at 389 Main (1900); 106 Maplewood (1920), 3 1/2 Alpine Court (1930) and 3 Smith St (1940). There were 12 children born to this couple, so there were years where additional room was needed such as seen here for 1910.  So I went to go see those neighborhoods as they look today:

I realize house numbers may have changed over the years, but today’s 389 Main:

Today’s 31 Sargent Street (1910)

Nearby 106 Maplewood (1920)

4 1/2 Alpine Court (1930)

3 Smith Street (1940 just 2 years prior to William’s death):

I am proud to learn immediate family members lived in and near these neighborhoods along with other hardworking residents. It makes me feel even more connected to our city.

We stopped at the Azorean late one afternoon specifically so that I could try one of their winter cocktails. I highly recommend the Winter White! Can’t really beat Portuguese soup and pizza. And, of course the bread……which disappeared too fast for a picture.

There’s something majestic about the Greasy Pole sitting out there. But, I wonder……when the Greasy Pole isn’t greasy for the Fiesta, is it still called the Greasy Pole? I suppose so since that’s what makes it infamous.

January 2019

January 2018

I love these iconic symbols displayed downtown. They have so much character.

The Bryan Adams song comes to mind when I see these stalwart reminders of days gone by.

An update on the travels of my crystal photo ball (I call her CB)!  Where in the world on Cape Ann has CB been?

The first one is a little difficult, so I’ll share an additional image as a hint.

These next two are much much easier!

This view available for a limited time:

I am very lucky that my in-laws are truly gifted as well as a gift to me. Jim’s sister and her husband came for a visit last fall.  They are each artists in their own right and were quite taken with the beauty of Gloucester and Cape Ann. Lucky for me!

Linda Hartman recently shared her first mixed media work of 2019 and Gloucester comes shining through!

And here’s Gloucester Lookout next to the photo that inspired it:

I love it! I’d also like to add a Happy Birthday shoutout to both Linda and Scott who are both celebrating a landmark birthday today! Looking forward to more Gloucester inspired artwork at their studio Hartman Studio 44

We watched this little story develop on the shoreline recently. It’s a story as old as time, I suppose. Scavenging seagull interrupted by persistent shore bird. I realize we shouldn’t attribute human traits to animals but that’s one way to make sense of observations. This appeared to show an annoyingly persistent little bird’s efforts chasing away the big bad seagull. Fun to watch regardless.

A recent afternoon on Eastern Point was enough to take your breath away…..and the wind nearly did exactly that!

We saw an interesting ship on the horizon and chased it down to get a decent view:

I couldn’t figure out what it was so I asked Chris at Cape Ann Weather for his thoughts. He noticed it was being towed and suggested it might be a dredging or utility barge probably heading to Boston. I was disappointed but thankful for the information. Thanks Chris!

All was not lost however as we find a pretty new spot (new to us at least). In this picture, you can see this vessel way out on the horizon. The view was worth chasing the vessel down!

Brrr……it was cold down on the water last week.

Jamie McDonald, known as Adventureman, is running a marathon distance each day on his quest to run across American raising money to benefit children in need of medical treatment. He plans to end his journey right here in Gloucester!

This is a recent video diary entry:

As we report on the podcast, he is currently in North Carolina. You can follow him by searching Adventureman on Facebook.

Different perspective on the Fishermen’s Wives Memorial taken on a recent frigid morning.

What a treat to see bright color out on the water yesterday taking advantage of the winds!

It was a busy morning on Singing Beach last Saturday! Lots of dogs, children and walkers.

Not sure what is going on with this person in the background here. I’d like to say I noticed this and that was the reason for the photo, but instead my eye was drawn to these  curious dogs.

The FREE Serenitee reward program now has an app available! Downloading the app rewards you with an appetizer. Now, that’s a good deal. An app for an app.