Author: Pat D

I’m driving back from New York, having that classic discussion.  “Where do  you want to eat?”  “I don’t know, what do you feel like?” “I don’t care.  Whatever you want.”  We’ve all been there.  And you might have even been by yourself like I was.  The miles rolled by as I considered all my choices and how they fit into what I was craving.  I went back and forth a couple of time and then thought of the Azorean.  I smiled to myself, relaxed and drove the remaining my miles very pleased with my decision.  It checked all the boxes and was my first stop upon returning to town.

I wasn’t disappointed.  I have to say I kind of love the recent availability of Fall Sangria type drinks everywhere we go.  It was a nice, easy, light choice for my late lunch.  I’d been craving pizza so I ordered the Italian.  It was just the right (smallish) size and loaded with meat and firm fresh veggies.  I also wanted to have something different for later, so I ordered the sirloin tip appetizer to go—-perfect!!!  They will be yummy later this evening–I can see big chunks of garlic making me glad I’ll be alone tonight and won’t have to share.

Can we all agree that there are just a lot of dogs in Gloucester?  I’m not really a “dog person”, but even I have to admit it’s hard to resist a friendly dog (unless it is pooping on the beach or some-such).  It truly is a Dog Town.  So much effort and energy is placed on their very existence around town.  They are everywhere, and yet I hardly ever hear continued barking.  They have made their presence known in the very fiber of the popular history of Gloucester.

You have Dogtown.  We have a lot of cows in my hometown, but there is no area with the specific designation Cowtown!  You have Harry Chapin singing about it:  Yes, it’s a Dogtown and it’s a fog town, And there’s nothing around ‘cept the sea pounding granite ground.  

So, as a homage: here are some pictures from Dogtown in the fall and some pictures of Dog Town in the fall.

Hey, I think they match up! Maybe there’s something to this whole dog thing after all.

Today we observe Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day and meant to note the anniversary of the end of World War I.  I’m a little fascinated by World War I, mostly because it was 100 years ago (a nice round number) and I’m a little surprised we don’t hear more about this anniversary.

This is an article from the Gloucester Daily Times Nov 9 1917 noting the Sawyer Grammar school’s 85 member Roll of Honor of alumni serving the war effort as members of the military.

I see many familiar Gloucester surnames on this list, including at least one relative.  Family stories indicate he was “never right” after he came back from the war, sadly not unusual then or today.  Many years later he was driven to commit suicide and it was supposed his war service had an impact on his decision to end his life.

It’s when military service gets personal like this that makes days like Veterans Day so meaningful.  Veterans Day may be observed today, but is actually tomorrow November 11.  If you can, fly your flag over the weekend.  Let me know if any of these names have stories you’d like to share.

Gloucester really has some awesome looking doors to welcome visitors and family!  Some are modern and slick, others remind you of your grandparents’ house.  Speaks well of the city and the residents.

From Rasheed Ogunlaru: ” Just because a door appears closed it does not mean the door is locked-nor that it will not open with the right heart, call or touch.”

Virgilios for dinner on a New York table!  The St. Joe’s sub comes to the rescue again for dinner and takes the sting out of having to return to New York for a few days.  You could still smell the fresh bread as we opened the wrappings after the long drive back.  The cookies topped things off! Delicious freshness from Gloucester to New York!

True in 1916, true today.  This is from the Gloucester Daily Times Nov 6 1916.  The article states ” …it is quite evident that it will be a Hughes and Fairbanks sweep….” in discussing the presidential election and local races.  Never heard of President Hughes?  That’s right.  Your vote counts.

Of the many things I have to thank Donna Ardizzoni for, making me aware of Rafe’s Chasm is among the top three.  GMG Jimmy and I took a little walk Saturday to explore.  As we were making our way from the parking lot to the ocean, I amused myself thinking about all the walks through the woods we take around here to get to water:  Halibut Point, Coolidge Reservation, even Dogtown.  And now, Rafe’s Chasm.

As we were making our way in, we took note that (many) others had preceded us:

What a pretty, peaceful place!  We just sat there for quite a while taking it in.  We were there long enough to posit that the big stone at the top of the gap looked like an eagle.  I thought the squarish stone just below looked like a picnic basket.  GMG Jimmy did not agree.

Of course, there were fishermen.  Wynken, Blynken and Nod here did not appear to catch anything while we were watching.  Probably our fault.

But, of course, the real beauty of the place is in the sitting, listening and looking. Thank you, Donna for introducing us.

Apple cider mimosa! Picture perfect.

GMG Jimmy had the Rockport omelette with orange marmalade and linguisa. It was already marked with ketchup graffiti by the time the camera clicked.

I enjoyed a crab cake wrap. Made me fall in love with crab cakes again.

To prove I wasn’t only looking at food, I noticed the Again and Again bags on the walls. Nice touch!

Thanks Sugar Magnolias for a lovely lunch. See you again soon.

I know we keep saying it, but it was another beautiful day today!  Got my feet wet at the beach during high tide.  I wasn’t the only one having fun at Good Harbor Beach today. Gulls, dogs, friends and some crazy guy swimming.

I recently purchased a copy of the 1944-45 Flicker, the Gloucester High School Yearbook and was intrigued by the story it told.  So step back and take a look through the eyes of high school students in 1944-45:

The high school football team apparently had a very good season!

Remember these?

Something you will NEVER see again:

And something I’m afraid we will see again, even as we have seen similar statements in the time since.  Words from what turned out to be called “The Greatest Generation”

The Elks hosted their annual Children’s Halloween party Sunday afternoon.  It seems fun was had by all! Great costumes, fun games and music, cookies and pizza! Can’t go wrong.

Our friend Joey talks about “no brainers”–things you should consider doing because they are just that good.  I consider a visit to Crane Beach and Castle Hill on the Crane Estate as one of those “no brainers”.  We visited over the weekend on a gorgeous day.  Oddly, we weren’t the only ones thinking in a similar manner because there were many many vehicles in both parking lots.  People and horses enjoying the beauty of the day and their surroundings.  Unless you are a member of The Trustees.org ($67 family membership / $47 individual annually for access to ALL Trustee reservations, you pay $10 to access the beach AND Castle Hill on the Estate!  It was $10 well spent for us.

As you can see, there was a standing piece of driftwood that made an excellent staging area for CB and her “sista” from New Yawk.  If you peek into the looking glass, you can get an idea of what the beach looked like, but I figure many of you already have a handle on that.  Except this beach seems to often have horses on it and I haven’t seen that on other beaches in the area, so it’s definitely for horse lovers.

The Estate grounds offer many many photographic opportunities, as well as options for a brisk walk.  Tours are offered and I saw some dressed in period costume at the mansion.

One single sawbuck.  Priceless beauty.

Mother Nature using the sand as her canvas.

I hope you were able to spend some of this wonderful day outside.

We attended the first public showing of Ron Gilson and Jim LaBelle’s film Gloucester’s Golden Age of Fishing Part 2 at the Rose Baker Senior Center yesterday morning.  The room was packed and the film was well received by the group, which seemed to recognize many of the names and places that were shown throughout the film.  Another GMG intrepid contributor was there with his camera, so you may see those soon.  It’s a GREAT movies and I encourage you to see it.  It will be shown again at the Sawyer Free Library Nov 18 at 1 pm.

Thank you to the Rose Baker Senior Center for hosting and making last minute adjustments to accommodate the crowd for the film.  Thank you Ron Gilson for your expert and thorough coverage of Gloucester’s fishing industry from about 1940-55.  We loved the film and will hope to see it again.

We were so moved by the movie, that we went right over to the Cape Ann Museum for a further dose of Gloucester history.

It’s one of my favorite places to go.  We were anxious to see the World War II veterans display but that opens today Oct 27 so we’ll have to go back.  Not a problem!

It was a little bit dreary and wet so we mostly stayed indoors today to watch the day develop.  There’s something cozy about the laundromat on a rainy day. Great for reading and catching up.

Cafe Bischo for lunch! It’s a busy place with a relaxed atmosphere.

Afternoon view.  Even though it’s grey, it’s still beautiful.

You never know who you might see there!

Author Anita Diamant appeared at the Azorean Tuesday evening to discuss Cape Ann’s role in at least three of her books:  Last Days of Dogtown, The Boston Girl and Good Harbor.  The event was hosted by the Gloucester Writers Center and was sold out.  More than 40 interested participants were treated to tapas from the Azorean staff like this:

Ms. Diamant considers Gloucester “home” and writes with authenticity about the area.  She considers Good Harbor Beach her special place , and though she stated she finds writing “painful”, she seems to be able to incorporate Cape Ann seamlessly into her stories.  She read an excerpt from each of her Cape Ann related titles, demonstrating the character driven stories so popular with readers.

It was a lovely evening and I look forward to more Cape Ann stories from Ms. Diamant!