Author: Pat D

Pat D’s Photos will be at a number of upcoming holiday fairs and we hope to see you there! Most of these fairs benefit worthy organizations AND offer great gift ideas ….. sometimes food too! We will also be expanding our store hours at 44 Main St. after Thanksgiving, so stay tuned for updates on when you can stop by and shop in person for your Gloucester based gifts, keepsakes and apparel. Hope to see you Saturday Nov 16 at the Magnolia Women’s Holiday Fair!

This majestic Great Blue heron was watching roadside activity from a perch riverside.

David Calvo forwarded this video to share for his Woodcarving Studio. (thanks David!)

51 Rocky Neck on Rocky Neck (formerly The Studio) has closed its “regular” service for the season but is extending the season on Fridays and Saturdays only with a limited pub style menu and music. They are calling it Speakeasy Socials which seems like a very logical name for the fun, food and drinks we experienced last weekend. I had a rhubarb sour (yum) and GMG Jim tried the Savage Beast. (*tip if you want to hear an interesting speakeasy/pub style story, ask Patrick about Savage Beast*) We also ordered one of the pot pies they had available that night: Irish Fish Pot Pie and I ordered the Crazy Pizza. We got there on the early side and by the time we left, the bar was full and several tables occupied. We sat comfortably at the bar with friends and enjoyed friendly service and good food. Give it a try! PS GO VOTE TODAY

We took a ride up to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge about a week ago and noticed that it appeared work had begun at the famous Pink House in preparation for demolition. We had learned that an anonymous donor and Gov. Healey had taken steps to pause the demolition plans. Indeed it seems the house is sitting there awaiting its own fate. I’ve rarely seen it as “spiffed up” as this with the roof completely clear of debris.

I am by far not the only one interested in how this proceeds. Several people have spoken to me about the last minute Hail Mary pause.

This sounds like fun…..breakfast items in a dory! Next time you go to the store, perhaps consider picking up an item from this list.

“New” lighthouse along the river in Ipswich…….

We stopped at the Bradford Inn on Haverill St in Rowley on Sunday afternoon for a late lunch. We asked to be seated in the spacious bar area so we could watch the football games. We were accommodated by a great waiter who was friendly and efficient despite being pretty busy with other tables. I had a mimosa cocktail special which was fun. We ordered an appetizer plate, chicken parm sandwich, fish and chips, chicken wrap, and blackened haddock tacos. It was ALL delicious and FOB Susan brought home a generous portion of her fish and chips to have later. We had not been there in a while only because we kind of forgot about it, but we’ll go back soon!

The City is updating the playground at Fort Square and it is looking pretty swell. If not yet open, I imagine it will be soon. Some Before and After shots.

There are several ways you can cast your vote including at your polling place on Election Day Tues Nov 5; mail in/absentee or in person early voting. I happen to be working a couple of shifts at City Hall for the in person early voting. The pace has been steady and I have found it very interesting. More info on hours at this link. And I get to see some very nice people such as fellow GMG contributor Cat Ryan!

Anyhow, I was intrigued to learn that you can track your mailed in ballot by going to the MA state website (link here) ; enter a few pieces of your info and BOOM. You get a report on the status of your ballot such as the example shown here. It’s a big comfort to know your mailed/dropped off ballot is in the proper hands.

FOBs Susan and Leo won a wine tasting and tour in a raffle and offered to allow us to join them. So off we went on a pretty fall day to Sandown NH to the Zorvino Vineyard. The ride was just a little over an hour and the we arrived to the beautiful grounds of the winery. Megan was our wine educator and she was very personable and knowledgeable. We tried four different wines and then were given a quick tour of the inside wine production facilities. We haven’t had a wine tour in quite a while and this was very enjoyable. I understand that Zorvinos hosts events such as weddings and that seems like a very nice venue. Oh, and there are alpacas with the cutest names.

Here’s GMG Jim assisting with the grape preparation. (Yes, Joey, I forgot to go landscape……again……) Thank you Susan and Leo (some of these photos are Susan’s). For additional photos and story details, please check out Pat D’ Photos and Adventures on Facebook.

It’s time to say Happy Birthday to Joey C! Clearly I need to work on updating my Joey Photo File as many of these are repeats, but they are worth repetition.

This Great Blue Heron was actively hunting in the bright fall sunshine when I stopped to watch. They are fascinating. Though it’s backlit, I think the photos came out well enough to share. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to watch one of these beauties.

I took a little ride up to the O’Maley school to see the new sculpture installation on the outside wall facing the street. It’s quite lovely and, as you can see from the clip included, a joint project with students and teachers and artist Tim Mears. Funded by Gloucester Education Foundation and the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation. We look forward to any future work done!

Big big news from CATA for the holiday season! FREE rides. Check it out.

Received the following from an FOB who prefers to remain anonymous (but thank you!) regarding Jeanne Sullivan and Louise Welch’s art work. Using CapeAnnMA Facebook post for information.

I enjoy watching the fishermen and their boats any time I get a chance to be on the water. Some I saw while whale watching recently include Tully IV, Generations, Hard Merchandise, Sabrina Marie, Freenmantle Doctor, Marissa & Julie and Net Profit. Stay safe out there!

This magnificent fall color and texture caught my eye in the vicinity of Lanesville recently. So much character and color! I thought you might enjoy it too.

We had a sPECtacular whale watch with Cape Ann Whale Watch earlier this week. As you know, it’s been gorgeous and I decided it was time for our fall whale watch. What a day out there! As we arrived to the feeding grounds, we were greeted with an extended “pec slapping” demonstration as you can see here. This whale remained unidentified but we also saw Boat Hook, Quarternote, Owl, Lichen, Rope, Jigsaw and Decimal. Seeing Quarternote and Decimal made this retired librarian and music teacher very happy. Tina, the naturalist, was as informative as she always is. Capt John did a great job maneuvering the Hurricane II and the crew Lisa, Sierra, John and Sophia were quite helpful. We met some visitors from NY (shout out Rosie and husband) and Texas which made the trip extra enjoyable. There’s about 2 weeks left in the season and I highly recommend getting out there if you can.

For additional photos and story details, check out Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook.

The Essex Clamfest is back this Saturday Oct 26 and Pat D’s Photos will be there along with many other of your favorite vendors (AND clam chowder!). Hope to see you there.