Author: Pat D

Wait, I think it was supposed to be a Winter Birding Boat Trip sponsored by Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce last Sunday.  For me, it was mostly about the boats on a crisp, sunny morning on the ocean.  Captain Jay and the Seven Seas crew did a great job despite choppy conditions and I think the bird watchers were happy.  I did get this shot a a king eider:

Mostly, however, I was more interested in those things on the water with motors, nets and gear like these:

But this classic view ties the beauty of the boat and birds together in nice fashion:

The sun and blue skies pushed me out the door to explore Stage Fort Park.  I love the way the snow is still stuck to the tree trunks, all facing the same direction like soldiers standing duty.

I call this one “Sentinels”

Some other scenes from Stage Fort Park on a beautiful morning. It all just looked different somehow, fresh and new.

The heavy wet snow made for some interesting scenes yesterday.

“Weathered” is a descriptive term I would rather not be used on me, BUT for a wide variety of other aged relics, it is perfect. Weathered beauty:

Not all beautiful weathered paraphernalia is rusted iron or red, however.  I will post others in the future.  May we all weather as well as these.

I found this program in a downtown Gloucester shop.  It states: “We, the members of the Gloucester Service Chest welcome you to our entertainment, an Old Time Minstrel Show, which is given for the benefit of all our own boys in the Armed Forces.”  It was held on January 20 1944.  I was tickled to see my dad listed (“Patty Ryan” though he was generally known as Paddy) as a performer.  My childhood memories of his many performances are full of End Man/ Host duties at variety shows for various charities, so this was perfect.

He must have been only about 16 at this time and it’s gratifying to see that his End Man experiences had a long history.  Another cousin, Edna Handran, is listed on the ticket committee so it was a bonus. Some of the other names include Virginia Friend, Priscilla Cahoon, Theresa Sylvester, Buzzy McKinnon, Norman Ball and Lester Bragg.  There are others but perhaps some of you recognize these.  Presumably the ladies were members of the Junior Women’s Club at the time.

Performances included songs like My Shining Hour, My Heart Tells Me and Pistol Packin’ Mama; and, of course, Yankee Doodle Dandy. You’re humming right now, aren’t you?

Now that everyone is recovering from the recent storm, I thought these might be a good reminder that summer winds provides a different kind of beauty on the Boulevard. These are from last June:

Imagine my surprise when I visited a special nature photography exhibit at the Roberson Museum in Binghamton New York only to find a wonderful Piping Plovers photo taken on the “north shore of Massachusetts”. I felt one hundred percent certain I knew exactly which Plovers these were! Sorry the photos aren’t perfect, I only had my phone and I was pretty happy to see these and explain the story to my companion.

GMG Jimmy found this iconic Gloucester scene while I was drooling over the new digital reader at Sawyer Free Library.  Not having coffee, like I assumed! Well done Jimmy!

Resting boats are peaceful and yet bob a bit as if anxious to get out on the water with their masters.

Today’s post is a result of a request from FOB Paula Ryan O’Brien, who found the weather vanes around Gloucester to be as varied as they are numerous.  We either don’t have as many weather vanes at home or I just haven’t noticed them, but Paula made a good point to “look up” and check out Glosta Vanes.  And this is some of what we found:

The variety and artistry of these seem to speak to the personalities of the property owners.  Though I realize wind direction is vital information for fishermen and boaters, it appears to me most of these vanes are more decorative than informative.  I’m pretty sure my own roof would be sporting one if I had a roof available around here.

And, of course, (because it’s me and I  can’t help myself) there’s an interesting history to the use of weather vanes throughout history that you might find interesting here. Before you scoff, did YOU know their use dates back to Ancient Greece???? I’m imagining Socrates studying a vane for wind direction. Or maybe he just liked the way it looked atop the Parthenon.

We found a Snowy at Salisbury Beach State Reservation recently perched at the top of a tree at the edge of the property.  A mockingbird joined briefly and it brought the lullaby to mind.

We also saw several turkeys that day, including one pretty high up in a tree. They looked (and sounded) a great deal like those lawmakers you see streaming out of a building looking all official and ready to burst with some kind of rhetoric.

On one of the beautiful days we had this week, GMG Jimmy and I headed over to the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary.  Apparently we were not the only ones in the region to do the same thing and they turned us away because the lots was full.  Not to be deterred in our hunt for wildlife and/or scenic pictures on a gorgeous day, GMG Jimmy set out to find us some beauty.

We found the Bradley Palmer State Park nearby and pulled in.  Though we were delighted that the parking was free, we were a tad concerned about the number of people saddling up their horses for a ride.  It felt as though we should have brought one along with us so we could fit in better.

Again, of course, we were not the only ones seeking to enjoy the temperatures and the sunshine.  Kids on bikes, walkers, runners, and the aforementioned horses were all out to revel in the day.  Wildlife took a hike themselves and we didn’t see any.

But we did see some pretty neat reflections and shadows. We were a little surprised to see ice still covering the water.  Except for the texting teenagers, it felt a little primeval.

Somebody’s been busy on Plum Cove Beach.  I guess this could be another dreamcatcher.