Author: Pat D

Pat D’s Photos will be at the Craft Fair next Saturday July 19 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lanesville (Washington St) along with a variety of other vendors. Mark your calendars as this promises to be a fun event with food and fun. Also, Pat D’s Photos will be at the Bluefin Blowout this Wednesday July 16 as part of the Food Truck event and we hope you will stop by Mile Marker 1 marina and join us for the Bluefin Blowout to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. Thanks to everyone who stopped by at the Block Party last night! Great job, Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce! Next Block Party Aug 9. Another date to mark in your calendar!

Our sister and brother in law visited recently and stayed in the Bulfinch House at Yankee Clipper Inn. We decided to check out the Captain’s Compass Bar on the grounds of the Yankee Clipper Inn on Granite Street in Rockport. They were super pleased with their experience there and we enjoyed an afternoon of drinks and snacks on the lawn. The bar is open summer weekends only Friday 4-8 PM; Sat and Sun 2-8 PM. Drinks and snacks are available from friendly efficient servers such as Cam. Pictured here you see prosecco, mojito, turkey panini, cheese and fruit plate and quesadilla. It was just right for the afternoon we were there visiting. Jim and I will plan to go back and take friends!

The first Block Party of the season will be held tomorrow Saturday July 12 starting at 6 PM along Main St but we will be at 44 Main Street all day (11 am – 9 pm) so plan to stop by and take advantage of our special ALL DAY SATURDAY offer of $3 for any and all notecards. These individually packaged notecards are blank on the inside and are beautifully giclee printed to make the colors pop. Everybody needs a few on hand and this will be your chance to stock up. These are some of the newest ones to give you an example but there are many more to select from. Stop by and say hello!

We haven’t seen a fawn in a couple of years so this was a little surprise and a fun treat.

I’ll never tire of watching children play in the ocean. It’s wondrous and joyful.

Last Tuesday, we started our day on the water with a ride out to Straitsmouth Island and ended the day aboard the Ardelle for the weekly Tuesday Schooner Challenge. This time, Isabella was crewed by the Schooner Adventure mates as we ventured out into the harbor for the “race” pitting Maritime Gloucester interns against the experienced Adventure crew. As opposed to the previous week, we were able to stay dry this time! There’s always something going on for these outings and this time we experienced a “man overboard” drill which included rescuing a lead filled bumper which was dropped overboard. We love watching these interns learn such a variety of skills during these sails. Highly recommended (PS there’s a Tuesday ticket discount). Tickets available here.

We stopped by The Burn on Main St (formerly Halibut Point) to celebrate their opening and Margarita Monday. The place was hopping for a Monday dinner time, which we were very happy to see. I got the margarita, expertly prepared. I also ordered the baked haddock and Jim got a veggie burger. We sat at the bar with friends and watched some of the grill prep as we visited and waited for our meals. To top things off, I had an Irish Coffee which was delicious though it lacked the whipped cream I like. That’s because they haven’t started offering dessert yet, so that was an acceptable reason…..Thanks Maria and crew at The Burn!

We checked something else off our bucket list this week when we took a ride out to Straitsmouth Island with the Thacher Island Association. This is a short excursion from the Rockport Granite Pier out to the island. After a brief introduction from the docents on duty (thank you Karen, Kate and Caroline!), visitors are invited to tour the island and lighthouse. *Don’t wander far off the trail thought, as there is posison ivy as demonstrated by Kate* In contrast to Thacher Island, both the island and the lighthouse are much smaller but there is no loss in the enjoyment we took from the surroundings and environment. I highly recommend this for yourselves if you’ve never been and especially for visitors that might especially enjoy lighthouses. Tickets book up fast though so don’t wait too long.

Are you exhausted from all the Fiesta/Horribles/July 4th activities? That’s too bad because the first Block Party is just one week away, so mark your calendars. Joey and I will be manning a table in front of 44 Main St starting at 6 PM Friday July 12. Stop by for some surprises and cool merch!

Machaca on Rogers St. for lunch during Fiesta was a great call. The Caldo Tlalpeno soup hit that spot on that coolish afternoon. Always outstanding. They also had the Bar Bites menu available and the taquitos were AMAZING—I am definitely getting those again. Jim had the slider variety from the Bar Bites menu which looked really tempting. Thanks, as always, Machaca for greeting us in a friendly manner, the efficient service and the wonderful menu!

Thank you to Boo Bird on Central St in Manchester for a lovely respite after our long drive home from New York. It was the perfect place to stop and refresh ourselves before we arrived home. I had the American Rice Bowl and Jim had the Fish and Chips. Jim was very happy with the fish batter..not too heavy with good flavor. Everyone has their batter preferences for fish and this hit the mark for Jim. I loved my salad. The screened open window seating was super comfortable on that warm day. We’ll be back soon!

And right on the heels of the Antonio Gentile Bandstand Concerts, comes the Harbor Loop Concert Series starting next week July 10. Again, mark your calendars as we share the info from their Facebook page:

The Antonio Gentile Bandstand Concert Series schedule for 2025 follows. First concert Sunday July 6 2025. Mark your calendars!

Update released by city of Gloucester regarding track and recycling services:

Fiesta 2025 is in the books and here are a few favorites that didn’t make the cut the first time around……

The final sporting event of Championship Sunday was run under sunny skies and perfect conditions following the heavy fog that delayed the earlier race but Tonno, WarriOars and Magnolia 525 put on a great display of teamwork and talent. Magnolia 525 won a squeaker just edging out the WarriOars to bring home the Junior Mens Championship for 2025. Well done!

Last Monday was Fleur Cuisine’s turn to shine for Margarita Monday. Boy, did that bet pay off in a big way for us. Not only did we get to say hello to Daphnee but we were also treated to DELICIOUS food and drink. First of all, I like to take the bartender’s recommendation for a margarita especially if I don’t see something on the menu that jumps out for the purpose of a Margarita Monday post. This watermelon margarita was recommended by the outstanding bartender (who’s name I forgot to note..apologies). I normally avoid watermelon flavored drinks because I expect them to taste like watermelon candy from childhood (blech) but this is not the case here! This margarita was light and refreshing on a warm day so thanks for the tip! We had plantains, steak salad and pineapple rice bowl which were PERFECT. I had to take an order of the Caribbean Wings appetizer because I can’t leave Fleur Cuisine on the T Wharf in Rockport without them. As an added note, Daphnee informed us the outdoor pergola is nearly finished on their deck which will make outdoor dining that much nicer! Awesome idea.

By the way, I write the Margarita Monday posts mostly to highlight establishments that are open on Mondays as well as to taste-test margaritas in our area. Generally we will visit a location on Monday then post the outcome the following Monday. We have several more weeks to go so if you have suggestions, we are open to them.

You can see from some of these photos how thick the fog was as the Midnight Hammer (former Merger) team; Iron Wake and ZFG prepared to race in the finals last night. The race was postponed and was able to be run in much better conditions following the Greasy Pole walk. In a tight finish, ZFG prevailed to retain their championship. The teams did not seem to lose any steam or momentum during the delay. It was a well run race and a thrill for the spectators.

It was quite the Championsip Sunday on Pavilion Beach for the sporting events last night. A large fog bank rolled in shortly before the scheduled start of the mens seine boat finals. The race was called off at the last second in favor of running the Greasy Pole contest first. The conditions were even worse than Saturday’s fog but the walkers were enthusiastic and so was the crowd. I think I can safely say it was a surprise to watch Nick White from the “Protege” category take the flag in the first competitive round. The actual flag-grab photos may be the worst I have ever taken but I am sharing them to document the details of the night. Derek Hopkins gets the prize the for heartbreaking “Oh, Soooo Cloooose…” award.

As promised, here are some additional photos from last night’s Greasy Pole activities at Pavilion Beach. Honestly, there wasn’t much opportunity to take walker photos since Max Allen made such quick work of it! Well done. We hope for better conditions tonight.