Author: Pat D

We stopped by the Lowell’s Boat Shop on Main St in Amesbury this week for something to do on a cold January day. It’s an unassuming exterior but inside is PACKED with boat building paraphernalia, history and sawdust. We were warmly greeting by docent Patty when we entered through a very small entryway, but the rest of the time that we were there opened up a world of craftsmanship, education and (again) sawdust. It’s a working museum which was orginally established in 1793 and stayed in the same family for almost 200 years. Ownership transferred but the traditions remained to crown it the oldest working wooded boat shop continuously operating in America. This National Historic Landmark mostly features dories, but other boat styles are also featured as well as wooded boat repairs. There is a close tie to Gloucester dories.

In particular an interesting artifact is the hand carved record of the year and the dories built in those years….hundreds of them each year! (Check out the photo). The staff provides education in many ways including the after school apprentice program, adult classes and programs open to the public. It was really quite a delight and I recommend you take the short ride to this little gem along the Merrimack River. Thanks to director Graham and Patty for the intense and interesting lesson in the history of the boat shop and dory building. So many photos because there are so many intriguing spots within.

Sharing information from the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce:

Here’s a recent udpate from Charlie’s Place on Facebook. For those awaiting re-opening, put on your patience pants.

Something about a bright shiny New Year makes me want to change things up at the house with furniture or household goods (I’m keeping GMG Jim around) so we took a ride to Second Glance on Pond Road for a look around. There happened to be a BIG furniture sale going on and the place was hopping at both stores. Others have similar things on their minds apparently……anyhow, though we didn’t find anything that sparked an interest this time, I am always impressed by the variety and reasonable pricing. PLUS purchases support the Open Door services so it’s a win-win.

We joined friends for dinner at Jalapenos on Main St to take part in a fundraiser being held for the GHS Girls Ice Hockey team. As always, we were greeted warmly and seated in our preferred location. Menus were presented and drink orders taken by our server Autumn. Our friends were delayed in arriving but the staff remained patient and attentive despite the crowd building to support the fundraiser. We are very appreciative of Jalapenos efforts to assist local organizations in their efforts and we try to attend as many of these events as we can. We ALWAYS see friends and acquaintances when we go there and the food is very good. I had the steak fajitas, Jim had the shrimp tacos and our friends had the nacho plate with pulled pork. See you soon at Jalapenos!

On its Facebook page, the Rockport Brewing Company has done the math for us: 135 steps from the train platform to the soon-to-open venue at the site of the former Whale’s Jaw Cafe on Railroad Ave in Rockport. The first brewery established in Rockport, the new venue will contain seating, a display area for art and a music area when it (hopefully) opens late this month or early February. We went a took a peak. Looking forward to this opening!

After a bit of a break, we will plan to be back at 44 Main St Sat Jan 18-Mon Jan 20 from 11-3 each day. We plan to be open at least a couple of days each week through January but the most up to date info on hours and inventory is at Pat Ds Photos on Instagram. We are refreshing our inventory and restocking. We now have some new night lights available, along with some of the most popular ones. We also have a very limited number of calendars in response to requests to get more. Please feel free to stop by, comment or email us with questions.

We stopped by Essex Seafood on Eastern Ave in Essex recently for lunch. I’d heard there were some baked entree options that I wanted to check out so I ordered the baked haddock. Jim got the shrimp plate. We both enjoyed our lunch very much. We were delighted to note that they are also offering take-home kits for the shrimp, scallop and haddock baked entree options. I had enough left over for another meal so it was well worth ordering. Take note that the baked entrees take a bit longer to prepare so if you’re going to be in a hurry this isn’t your best option (but it’s very worthy of the wait).

Gloucester Bites shares the following:

David Calvo shares the following event information for February 2025:

Even though the day was a bit grey and dreary, I still find immense beauty in places like the landing at Little River. Frigid but also breathtaking beauty.

We were invited to podcast from Magnolia 525 on Lexington Ave Sunday morning and their brunch menu was at the top of our list of discussion points. Brunch is served 10:30-2 on Sundays then the full menu becomes available. If you haven’t tried this place out in a while, it’s definitely a worthwhile stop for delicious food, warm and welcoming atmosphere and to see your neighbors! Tamie and Larry were very gracious hosts and we had a great time. Some brunch menu items include a variety of mimosa flavors, eggs, french toast, quiche, crab cakes benedict and MORE!

Special thanks to my undercover photographer who gets all the photo cred but can’t be revealed because of the undercover nature of the work 🙂

Sharing information provided on the Cape Ann Veterans Services Facebook page:

We attended the GHS Girls Ice Hockey game recently and were very impressed by the level of skill and teamwork the group demonstrated. Although Beverly won, the team has had a very successful season so far and are exciting to watch. We are keeping our eye on this group! Here’s a photo dump for the game. I hope you see your favorite player.

I popped into the Bookstore of Gloucester on Main St recently as I hadn’t been by in a while. Winter is a good time to gather up some reading material and cozy up. They are getting ready to celebrate their 50th (!) anniversary this year which should make it extra fun to stop by. You can follow them on Facebook as their social media person (Nicole I believe) is doing a great job! It’s a warm and inviting atmosphere and not at all overwhelming like large box stores can sometimes be. Interesting small displays are set up in several areas to grab your attention. Let’s just say it’s a good thing I didn’t take my wallet with me this time! Best wishes for a great anniversary year Bookstore of Gloucester and owner Arwen!

We took a ride recently and noticed this new “installation” on Pebble Beach. I was soothed by the tide coming in and rolling out musically over the resident pebbles.

Well, this looks invigorating…….for someone else besides myself! Good Harbor Beach Wind Surf Warriors making the best of a kind of crummy weather day.

Perhaps you already thought the magnificent Bald Eagle was the national bird of the United States but it wasn’t until very recently. President Biden signed a bill into law designating the Bald Eagle as the national bird only about a week ago–on Christmas Eve 2024. It seems right to start a New Year with a new national bird. According to Smithsonian Magazine:

” The U.S.’s national tree is the oak, and its national flower is the rose. The national mammal has been the bison since 2016, and all 50 states have a state bird. But until this month, there was no national bird on the books.” PS The Massachusetts state bird is the black capped chickadee and its flower is a Mayflower (surprise).

This is an eagle we saw on our recent trip to visit family. He just looks so proud high atop that tree! The Bald Eagle is probably my favorite raptor. (It shouldn’t surprise you to learn I have a favorite raptor)

I shouldn’t need to explain this one……hoping the same for you all!