Author: Pat D

One thousand chowder cups in the process of being labeled for the upcoming Fish Chowder Taste Test event at St. Peter’s Club April 5 at 6 pm. 100 tickets sold ($10 each to benefit scholarship fund) if you want to participate in the tasting. No pre sales. The ticket gives you the opportunity to taste 10 different fish chowders and vote for your favorite.

Sharing information regarding 5 Star Phresh Phood from their Facebook page:

We took a ride and stopped to watch happenings along the Ipswich River a day or so ago. We were delighted by this trio of loons hanging out and feasting. They obligingly stayed close enough to watch for a while. It’s another sign that spring is upon us! Check out additional pictures and story details on Facebook at Pat D’s Photos and Adventures.

We stopped by the newly re-done Charlie’s Place for lunch this week. For the record, it feels like exactly the same Charlie’s Place on Bass Ave that you remember, just a bit fresher. The service is the same friendly efficient service you are accustomed to. I ordered the reuben that was on the specials sheet for the day and Jim got a grilled cheese and tomato. The reuben was outstanding….I like my to KNOW there’s sauerkraut on my reuben and this one hit the spot. Jim always enjoys his grilled cheese which must be fairly popular as I heard others placing the same order. But the highlight of my visit to Charlie’s is always the strawberry shortcake. I love the warm biscuits and the real strawberries. Perfection. Thanks Charlie’s! We are very glad you are back!

David Calvo shares the following information about the newest woodcarving class. Learn to Embrace Your Creativity!

I received an inquiry from Kim, an FOB wondering if I had any photos of Shellfish Warden Robert “Stubby” Knowles (1933-2004). I responded that I did not but that I recommend she try the Sawyer Free Library online digital newspaper resources. Then came the day I needed a post so I followed my own advice and here you see some of the results. I did find a couple of photos (obviously newspaper photos so not great digital quality) from the Gloucester Daily Times April 18 1987 and Oct 11 1978. My research also turned up notification that he had been awarded the NOAA Hero Award in 2005 honoring him for being a “patriarch of coastal wetland protection and restoration”. He himself reported having been threatened numerous times and having his home firebombed so extra kudos to him for his service to our City and the coastal wetlands.

I am including a photo of the icon you should use if you would like to do your own newspaper research using Sawyer Free Library resources. Fair warning, it can be a BIG time suck because it’s hard to turn it off once you hit your research mark. You may need your library card number for some of the resources but for the Cape Ann Newspapers 1827-1990 you do not. Happy hunting!

We went to Salem recently just to have a walk around for the day and we found ourselves at the Salem Armory Regional Visitor Center on New Liberty St. What a cool respite in the middle of a city that can sometimes get a little overwhelming. There are guides to assist you with questions, several historic displays, AND a bathroom. Currently there’s a display demonstrating how close Salem came to being the start of the Revolutionary War (look up Leslie’s Retreat if you are intrigued). With the upcoming Bunker Hill re-enactment in Gloucester June 20-22, viewwing it makes for good background info. Cheers to our National Park Service.

Sharing information from Pauline’s Gifts on Essex Ave. We look forward to stopping in to see what’s new.

We stopped for lunch at the Brown Dog on Central St in Ipswich recently because we were looking for a welcoming sit down pub like atmosphere. This fills the bill. Friendly service, varied menu and welcoming atmoshere are my top 3 parameters. I tried the (new to me) Northern End style sausage and pepper sandwich and Jim had a yummy fish sandwich. My sandwich was excellent and I think Jim agreed as there were no leftovers. The place is adorned with dog pictures and not just brown dogs either! I finished off with an Irish coffee which was a perfect ending to a lovely lunch.

Sharing information so Elmo returns home soon.

We saw one of our West Gloucester eagle pair recently in a favorite perch. I got the classic “wink and nod” making me feel like one of the crew.

I found these two items featured at Stop and Shop recently and I think they are both a little weird and off-putting. Do you agree or are you all over one or the other? Post Malone Oreos and Orange Cream Coke.

Sharing information from the Boat House Grille Facebook page. The Shipyard Tavern will be opening soon in Essex MA at the site of the former Ripple (Before that Periwinkles might be more familiar to some).

We needed some suet and were in the neighborhood, so we stopped by the lovely little Essex Bird and Pet Supply Shop on Easter Ave in Essex. All manner of pet supplies can be found here as you will see in these samples. One of their mottos is “You Supply The Pet, We Supply You.” They really do have that covered! It’s a small space crammed with all kinds of interesting pet related items. You could almost get lost just standing in one spot looking around but the service is warm and friendly.

As spring is right upon our doorstep (at least according to the calendar), I have to admit defeat in my effort to get to each of the Serenitee restaurants over the winter. BUT we did get to stop at one of the newer ones on Railroad Ave in Rowley: Casey J’s. We stopped in for lunch and it was as pleasant as each of our Serenitee experiences has been. They feature BBQ and every table is equipped with its own paper towel roll! Jim ordered the Kitchen Sink and it was jam packed full of pulled pork, waffle fries, baked beans and much more. I had a delicious Reuben. The service was very friendly and efficient. We enjoyed our visit very much and were glad to widen our Serenitee repetoire just a little bit.

Wondering what to do with your Saturday this weekend? Join Pat D’s Photos at the Seaside Spring Market March 22 from 10-2 in the Captain Corageous Room Minglewood (Rogers St). We’ll be celebrating the arrival of spring with the Minglewood staff and other local vendors and hope you will stop by. It’s the first of a new season of shows for Pat D’s Photos. We plan to be at 44 Main St Saturdays and Sundays in March from 11-3 so if you can’t come to the Seaside Spring Market, stop by the shop on the weekends to say hello. Remember that Minglewood has a tasty menu so maybe plan for lunch there Saturday March 22.

Sharing information regarding National Vietnam Veterans’ Day Wreath Laying Ceremony March 29 at 9 am rain or shine.

We took a ride north, as we often do to see what we might see. On this wonderful day, Jim found me 2 long eared owls resting within a bunch of bushes and small trees. One was very hard to see well but the other one was sitting there like he was waiting for me. They are really quite beautiful. I appreciate the helpful nature of birders as there was one helpful kind soul who helped us out quite a bit. For additional photos and story details, check out Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook.

In the final segment of random and occasional Irish Coffee posts for 2025, I conclude with a logical choice: 525 Tavern in Magnolia on Lexington Ave. We stopped by after having been away for a while because it’s like joining a group of good friends for a relaxed evening. Who could resist it when Chrissy, our server, said to as we were seated: “Should I start the coffee for your Irish coffee?” YES please. This is the result with the very well placed creme de menthe top-off! It’s a “sturdy” Irish coffee served in my preferred style of mug. A perfect end to my meal AND this series for 2025. Slainte!

Today is our daughter’s birthday and this post is for her. Perhaps many of you could use the helpful information presented here. I wrote this in 2013 but it has aged well. (*Longer than usual post ahead*) Many in the younger generations use the Post Office services much less than we did throughout our lives, so these tips might help. Here’s the link to the actual post in case you’d rather not scroll through it here: https://dalpiazryan.blogspot.com/2013/12/snail-mail-for-millenials.html

PS Happy Birthday Amy!

It has come to my attention that we failed our children in at least one life lesson: how to use the United States Postal Service (USPS or “snail mail”).  There is ample evidence that we did not cover this life skill and I thought you might be in the same boat.  If it hasn’t become apparent to you yet, I promise you–it will.  My gift to you this Christmas is this 2013 Snail Mail for Millenials.  Share this with your children if you feel they might benefit.  There will be a test later.

The USPS is an independent agency of the federal government.  It moves paper and packages from your house to mine.  It’s pretty efficient and cost effective especially when you consider what its customers ask of it sometimes.  However, for many people, going to the post office personally can be challenging–like spending Thanksgiving night with your parents.

Despite current technologies, there will be a need for this service for the foreseeable future.  So buckle down and learn how to use it.  Stop calling your mother while she is in the cemetery to ask “how do I send this phone back again?  I’m at the post office and the lady says she can’t help me.  I have the phone right here in my hand.  What’s the problem?”

Sorry, I wandered a little bit there.  When you need to send mail out–like a birthday card to your father or a wedding invitation — you’ll need envelopes, addresses and stamps.  An envelope needs to be addressed to the desired recipient.  Put this in the middle of the envelope when it is in landscape format.  Usually you want the back flap on top but it doesn’t really matter.

There should be 3 lines: the first is the person’s name (first AND last is helpful).  The 2nd is the street address and the 3rd is City State Zip.  It’s a little like sharing on Facebook–you have to find the person by name with whom you want to share that crazy link.   This information should be clearly written to be legible by your most elderly aunt.  The print should be in contrast to the envelope (white envelope: blue or black ink creates contrast).  Avoid using gold ink on a gold envelope for example.

You MUST add postage.  One Forever stamp per envelope is generally sufficient.  Put the stamp in the upper right hand corner without obliterating any portion of the TO address.

This is a “Forever” stamp.  You can use it Forever, I guess.  Currently they cost 46 cents each.  It will not go down.  You can pay 46 cents for this bonsai stamp today and use it a year or two from now when the cost of a stamp is 48 cents.  As millenials, you will not have that precious experience of looking across the table at a friend and saying “Remember when we stamps were 6 cents?” while smiling fondly and shaking your head.  You’ll never know how much it cost to send that envelope because the stamp won’t tell you.  Back in the olden days, looking at the stamp could tell you quite a story:

Yes, this was in my lifetime thank you very much.

A third item on an envelope is the return address found in the upper left corner.  Contrary to popular opinion, a return address is not mandatory but is quite helpful if you haven’t followed USPS guidelines to the T.  The return address is your name, street address and city state zip.  You’ll get the envelope back if you fail one of the postal guidelines.

The USPS has a great deal in common with the TSA in that the rules change regularly and you never quite know what new thing will be disallowed (and it’s always something new that you CAN’T do–never something new that you CAN do).  If  you send a sister pin out without a return address because you want to surprise your sister, it can’t come back to you because you aren’t allowed to send pins through the mail and you’ll never know your sisters did not get theirs unless they come back to you with a nasty note from our friends at the post office.

Then you have to put the letter in a mailbox or give it to the person manning the desk at the post office.

 That’s what these blue boxes are for–you can drop your letters in these to mail them OR

 use your own mailbox.  It helps to put the little flag up to let the carrier know there’s something in there for him to pick up.  It’s also a good way for you to tell if your own mail has been delivered yet since the postman will put the flag back down after he picks up your mail.

Mailing packages follow similar guidelines.  You need postage, an address and a properly sealed package.  You may re-use boxes you might already have if you scribble out any barcodes and do your best to remove any labeling that might cause confusion.

Seal it up really well –the kind of sealing up that makes people nuts when they try to open it.  The USPS designed the rules that way.  Usually you put the name and address on the top of the box–I like to use a clean sheet of paper so it stands out.

Then you’re probably going to have to take the package to the post office to pay the postage and have them put it on their trucks.  This can be tricky sometimes as postal hours can be a little finicky:

Ha Ha!  Just kidding, USPS!  I’m feeling like the NSA might be lurking in blog posts so …..