Author: Pat D

How lucky are we to have such a unique collection of lighthouses right here on Cape Ann? Here are a couple of photos taken on a sunny day recently.  They seemed to be standing taller in the sun, showing off. I captured both of these within a short distance of each other.

Straitsmouth Island Lighthouse–I like the effect of the horizon running along the paint line of the lighthouse, creating a kind of underwater effect.

Thacher Island just gorgeous against the blue sky and ocean.

It’s very pretty at Plum Cove Beach even on a blustery January day. I see it has been designated for the perpetual use of the people of Gloucester….how fortunate!

Some pictures from this morning’s live Facebook video and podcast. Nate Cahill showed us all around and answered all our questions with confidence and good humor. It’s shaping up to be a great space for work, research and networking. Contact Nate for a tour via this link to Wheelhouse. You won’t regret it!

The vault lock and door handle that Kim thought was so intriguing!

I caught a re-tweet from Sefatia Romeo Theken last night which contained very exciting news for Gloucester from Adventureman Jamie McDonald, who is running 6000 miles across the United States to raise money so that no child will have to forgo medical treatments due to financial concerns. He has decided to end his run right here in Gloucester, in part due to the fact that his hometown is Gloucester England.  At the moment, he thinks he might cross his finish line sometime in March. He’s on his way up the East Coast after starting in northwest Washington state.

You can follow him on this link as well as on Facebook by searching for Adventureman. Donations can be made at SuperheroFoundation.org. This is very exciting news for our city! Thanks to the Mayor for sharing the information!

Some scenes taken on a sunny day at Dunfudgin Ramp. Of course, I needed to do a little research on this and imagine my surprise to learn that Dunfudgin means pretty much exactly what it sounds like! From A Guide to the Maximus Poems of Charles Olson by George F. Butterick available on Google Books: “When a boat was brought through the Cut three hundred years ago, the crew had to fudge it along with poles. As soon as they reached deeper water, however, with broader steerageway, they could ship their poles and hoist their sail; they were done fudging. Hence that became the name of the spot, a name which suggests welcome relief from tiresome struggles against tide and wind.”

Buswell’s Pond beginning to freeze over and providing interesting reflections:

Quiet day at Niles Beach recently. This solo lifeguard had an easy job that day.

It was very windy at Salisbury Beach recently and the water was roiling at the mouth of the Merrimack River as well as off the shore at the beach.

Our patience with the wind and blowing sand was rewarded with a majestic sunset.

We always like to go down and see what’s new at St. Peter’s Square.

We visited Salisbury Beach on windy New Year’s Day and noticed this guy removing his shirt and running straight into the waves. I think the people on the shoreline just happened by and were unrelated to the plunger. His name is Shawn and he told me it’s his annual tradition. Good on you, Shawn!

I was struck by the differences between this solo plunge into the wild waters at Salisbury Beach and the numerous plungers into relatively calm waters on Rocky Neck earlier in the day.

We like taking a ride up to Salisbury Beach in the off season. A snowy sighting is a bonus.

We always enjoy a trip down to Cape Pond Ice. The outside is a study in the history of the company as well as Gloucester.

This time, we needed to stop inside and pick up a t shirt requested by a family member. As always, we were greeted in a friendly manner and we were able to complete our purchase easily (even if it did require a trip back for additional shirts!). Thanks, Cape Pond Ice! It’s always a treat.

I’ve been seeing rock piles such as these in more and more locations in recent months. I can’t quite decide how much I like them. They are a testament to someone else’s patience and engineering skills and they are made of natural rocks but they aren’t “natural” either.

I will admit I like looking at them while reluctantly understanding why some might urge us not to build them: moving rocks can disrupt nature; they can be mis-read by hikers and walkers who know the signage; or, as one website put it, they are “an unnecessary reminder of humanity”.

So, I guess I will leave it to others to decide. I’m not starting a debate: I don’t build them, but I kind of like looking at them. PS Some apparently call them “cairns”, but random rock piles are not cairns, which are meant as memorials or landmarks and are usually much larger.

A few of my favorite things (who’s humming right now?):

I almost missed that seagull resting in there, providing a nice contrast in Rockport Harbor recently.

A great day for scavenging on the beach.

Great job plungers and pit crews. The nice weather brought out a crowd and I hope the Open Door benefited from that! Well done all!

Starting 2019 with some classic views at the Marine Railways seems like a good idea. Welcome 2019.