Author: Pat D

Our friends the seals at Brace Cove seem to be a good way to say good-bye to 2018. Some of them even seem to be waving. Stay safe everyone!

I saw this ad in the Gloucester Daily Times and thought it was worth sharing. The 2020 Census will be held soon and I understand these jobs are interesting and challenging. As you may know, the US Constitution provides for census taking; its main purpose being to determine Congressional representation. The federal census is taken every 10 years and the details become available 72 years later.

The most current census available is from 1940. This screenshot is shows residents of Fort Square and includes many familiar area family names such as Frontiero, Favazza, and Parisi. If you are curious, the 1940 census records are available for free at Family Search, Ancestry and the National Archives. They are very interesting!

View from Fort Square 2018, perhaps not much changed from 1940.

Ahhh.  Very peaceful day at Pebble Beach a few days ago. Gently lapping water and bright sunshine. Can’t beat it.

I was taking pictures at Fort Square when Bobby (“from down the Fort” or “down the beach” as he described himself) tipped me off that a hawk had caught a rabbit nearby.  He noted there are a lot of rabbits down there, but it’s obvious that now there is one less. Thanks Bobby!

Blue jays in the backyard recently enjoying a feast enough to ignore the squirrel’s company.

I hope you are able to take the time to enjoy the beauty of the season. Merry Christmas to you all.

Gloucester High football has been in the news this week with the resignation of the current football coach Tony Zerilli after 8 seasons.  We wish him well.  I never know what I might find in my stash of treasures, but I found this Gloucester High football article from the 1958 season that I thought might make some of you smile. Shouting out to Red Rudolph, Henry Pascucci, Tim Ryan and Bobby Lopes.

It’s no wonder Donna (and others) love it here so much.  Some views from a recent mild Saturday down at Magnolia Beach.

A little bit of a different perspective of the beautiful decorations on Main Street these days.

Peaceful reflection on a day in December.

Tomorrow, Wednesday Dec 19, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at Stage Fort Park for the newly installed Essex Coastal Scenic Byway Kiosk. There are nine of these along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway and this is the last of the ribbon cutting ceremonies.  All are invited to attend the ceremony later this morning. I think it looks pretty snazzy at Stage Fort Park (and PS..it’s also informational!)

These are some of the cool holiday things available at Second Glance. The place was hopping on Saturday so you’d better get down there and give these items a new home in time for Christmas!

I had not been out to breakfast in a while and since I was downtown, I went to Sugar Magnolias. It was very busy Friday morning but the staff was friendly and efficient.

Yummy sounding offerings on the specialty drink menu.

The menu offered plenty of choices so I went with the East Main omelette with tomatoes, spinach, swiss and bacon. It would normally come with home fries but that’s not my favorite thing so the omelette might look a little lonely here but it was delicious and filling nonetheless. Thanks for a great experience Sugar Mags!

Seen taking off recently at the little airport near Parker River Refuge. I think it’s a red tailed hawk that was beautiful enough to share.

I found this 75 year old Gloucester Daily Times article intriguing as it describes local fishing boats as pin up material for overseas soldiers. As described by Sgt. Robert C. Strescino, pictures of local boats are his “pin up girls. Every time I look at them it makes me appreciate home all the more.” It was published in the Dec 30 1943 edition of the Gloucester Daily Times.

In one of those hard-to-believe coincidences, I happened to be at Joppa Flats today chatting with the volunteer at the Mass Audubon desk. She mention her family were Havners of Gloucester and worked at Gorton Pew! I wonder if Edward mentioned here is her ancestor!  Anyhow, here are some boats that  might have deserved pin up status back in the day: Kathryn Leigh; Lisa Ann III; Lucy and Angel Fisher

A while ago, I promised I would continue this series of pictures of CB (crystal ball) around Cape Ann. Round 1 was pretty easy; round 2 is more difficult. Can you tell where CB has been recently?

We came across two swans trying to make their way across ice recently at Parker River Refuge. They tread oh-so-carefully across the ice, testing their weight and slipping across the expanse until they eventually plopped through a thinner layer.

Maybe it will work better if I sit on the ice.

They seem to be discussing the issue as they form that irresistible heart shape together.

One down!

See what you’ve gotten us into?

Peace restored.

We took a ride up 1A and happened upon a large group of obviously agitated crows (a murder of crows?) so we stopped to see what the excitement was all about. Imagine our delight to discover two immature eagles in the marsh feeding and fending off the crows!

We watched for a while then went on our way. A few hours later we returned just to check up and were rewarded with the sight of one young eagle testing his wings and practicing his landings. Such graceful swooping and soaring!

But, at the end of the day, this is the image that stuck in my mind

Bay View Cemetery, according to A Guide to Cemeteries in Essex County Massachusetts, is also known at Third Parish Cemetery. It is said to be the third oldest in Gloucester established in 1728 (according to Find-a-Grave).  One of the most notable items from my recent walk through are the slate stones. These always fascinate me and it appears the slate stones in this cemetery are  much wider than the slate stones I typically see in New York cemeteries. The etchings are art in themselves and it makes me want to study up on the stone carvers of the era.

It’s very hilly and uneven so take care. There are also signs of disrepair so be vigilant if you are doing  your own walk through.

I wondered if there was ever a view of a bay from here and it seems perhaps so: water is visible off in the distance.

It shows beauty even in winter:

This is the scene that attracted me to this cemetery in the first place one October day a while back. Even cats sometimes want to pay respect, although I suspect a different motivation here.