Author: Pat D

Gloucester Ladies Day is Thursday Dec 5 and the shop at 44 Main St is ready to celebrate. We have some surprises up our sleeves and here’s an example: buy ANY print from Pat D’s Photos and select a pair of holiday socks or a holiday coozie as my gift to you while supplies last. Prints range from $25-$135 and are available framed, matted or on glass. **Pssst EXTRA bonus: the ready to hang glass prints are 20% off through Sunday December 8** stop by Thirsty Seahull Gloucester Apparel Wednesday-Saturday 11-5. Open til 8 Ladies Night.

We noticed some activity inside and outdoor signage posted at Fish Takes (former Topside) on Rogers St today.

Pat D’s Photos will be at the Gloucester Elks Fair on Atlantic Road Sunday Dec 8 from 10-3. Many of you already know this is a great sip and shop show at a beautiful location. AND so many wonderful vendors will be there with great holiday ideas. These are some of the 3″ glass ornaments we will have available, in addition to notecards, prints, nightlights and more! Stop by and say hello.

How relaxing is this? Well done Cruiseport!

This handsome buck appeared in FOB Susan’s yard a few days ago and she allowed me to share the photos. Sure sign of seasons changing!

Hope to see you at many of the upcoming holiday events!

Recently, I went on another owl tour with a nearby owl expert in search of screech, barred and snowy owls. While we were somewhat successful as you see here, it was disheartening to learn that several of the screech owls we previously located had since died. The manner of death ran from Mother Nature (larger predators) to human intervention (rodenticide). But there always seems to be treasures to find such as these. As an added note, it’s been reported that the snowy I posted several days ago has also since been killed by an automobile. That one hurts especially as it was so beautiful. But **I will repeat what I have previously stated for anyone concerned about the owl’s well being: I have a nice long lens and I zoom with my lens and not my feet in order to respect the wildlife. Some of these images are cropped.

Pat D’s Photos and many, many other fine local vendors will be at Cruiseport Sun Dec 1 from 10-4. Hope to see you there! Have a great day with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving! It’s a short ride until Christmas.

The Happy Tails Shoppe at 186 Main St was recently opened by Lauren so I stopped by to check it out. And you should too especially if you have any dog or cat lovers in your life. It’s a bright space jam packed with all manner of pet necessities and accessories. So many cool items to browse, it’s hard to know where to look at first. Lauren is gracious and helpful. Stop by and welcome the shop to Main Street!

Many of you know we have been gallivanting across the northeast lately for a number of joyous family events. So it was an extra treat to spot an unusual (perhaps rare) leucistic red tailed hawk along the way. We have been on high alert for snowy owls so that was our first guess, but it was apparent this is definitely a hawk with unusual coloration. As a favor to me, he flew off in such a way as to display plumage, so enjoy this unusual sight. For additional photos and story details, check out Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook.

Since we stopped at Turtle Alley for a special gift, it seemed only fair to also go to Nichols Candy when I needed some special sweets for a baby shower. It always feels so cozy and homey in there and the staff is exceptionally helpful. I successfully selected a bucket of sweet treats for the shower and lingered a bit looking at the tempting treats. Thanks Nichols!

Please mark your calendars and join the Cape Ann Makers Market event at the Cruiseport in one week! Pat D’s Photos will be on hand as will Ardizzoni Photography, Cape Ann Sea Salts, Hold Fast and many other favorite vendors. Looking forward to seeing you there and at the many other upcoming holiday events!

The ocean reflected my mood one day recently: a little bit blue and a little bit roiled up! Maybe you need a dose……

I took a little walk around the Marine Railways on Rocky Neck recently just to see what there was to see. Thought you might like to check it out too!

We impulsively decided to stop at 525 on Lexington Ave for dinner recently and it was a great choice! It is so nice to have a nearby spot that is so comfortable, cozy and welcoming so kudos to Tammy and the crew for making that happen. I had the Haddock Francese and Jim ordered Seafood Marinara. The menus are changing over to the winter but I welcome the heartier choices when it’s so chilly and dark. The place was nearly full early on a Thursday evening which is great to see. Shout out to our server Kirsten who juggled her tables admirably.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Snowy owls have begun to appear! We found this owl resting in the gorgeous sunshine yesterday a bit north of Cape Ann. I have a good feeling about this season for snowy owls in our area. **I will repeat what I have previously stated for anyone concerned about the owl’s well being: I have a nice long lens and I zoom with my lens and not my feet in order to respect the wildlife. Some of these images are cropped.**

Since we were in the vicinity, we decided it was appropriate to try out an Irish pub for lunch after our tour of the Titantic exhibit, so we stopped at MJ O’Conners Back Bay on Columbia Ave for lunch. You might remember that we visited Ireland last spring and the first thing I noticed when I walked into O’Conners was that I felt like I had landed back in Ireland again. I loved it! Although there were no Irish accents to be heard on this occasion, we enjoyed our lunch very much. I ordered Guiness Onion Soup (in honor of the French Onion Soup tour) and corned beef/cabbage egg rolls. Jim got the chicken BLAT. The food filled us up and we went on our way to return home. The atmosphere was very pleasant and relaxing. It was a nice little change from our usual routine AND it reminded us of Ireland.

Like many others, I have always been quite fascinated with the fateful story of the great ocean liner Titanic, so it was a no-brainer when I saw there was an artifact exhibit coming to Boston. We bought tickets and traveled to the Castle at Park Plaza to see it. We’d been to this venue a couple of other times and they do a great job with events such as these so we knew it would be well done. And it was. You approach the boarding area through a kind of alley way set up to look like the docks (it’s actually a little confusing for a minute that the signs lead you to this alley). You are given a “boarding pass” that lists an actual passenger and a few details about their background and journey to this point. At the end you can scan your boarding pass to find out the fate of your passenger.

Visitors wander through a number of areas filled with photos, sounds, touch displays, and videos. Perhaps the most moving and impressive displays are those that include artifacts from the sunken vessel. I was most moved by the everyday items retrieved such as cash, eyeglasses, buttons, hairbrushes etc. These evoked the everyday lives shattered by this tragedy in a way no other movie or book has ever done for me. It’s a great idea for the history buff in your life. Further info at this link.

We have several joyous family events coming up and they call for a few treats so we made a stop at Turtle Alley on Rogers St. to load up on something special for someone special. It’s always such a treat to go in there with the yummy chocolate smells, prettily wrapped candies and assorted fun stuff.

While we were out and about these week, we came across Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln. Of course we had to stop and it turned out to be quite a delightful side excursion. We are Mass Audubon members so admission was free but the rates are modest. It’s a great spot for a family outing with youngsters (we plan to take the grandson next time he visits). This working farm and sanctuary are only about an hour away. There are enough trails, activities and sights to make the trip well worthwhile. The farm animals alone will keep the children engaged. There are a number of birds and animals on display in a zoo-like manner which appear to be very well cared for and fascinating. AND there are meats and other farm fresh items available for purchase. Yes, I realize it’s “off island” but if you’re looking to entertain visiting children, this is a good take.