Author: Pat D

I’m probably a little late to the game with this news, but I noticed this update at Stop and Shop at our last visit there. Thank you Stop and Shop for taking the stress out of remembering my reusable bags.

I had not been to Main St Arts and Antiques on Main St in Gloucester for quite a while. It is one of my favorite “comfy” shopping pleasures. Though I miss seeing our friend David Cox there on a regular basis, the current staff is friendly, helpful and welcoming. A little bird tells me you can sometimes catch David in attendance if you are fortunate in the timing of your visit. Anyhow, this lovely little shop is full of fun items and worth the time it takes to browse and appreciate the beauty and practicality of some of those gently used daily items from the past. I’m especially drawn to the glass, especially Depression era glass. I also like to check the “local history” area for updates on Cape Ann historical memorabilia. Follow them on Facebook for updates. Maybe I’ll see you there soon! It’s a great feeling to support local business AND repurpose useful items.

We attended a recent O’Maley Shamrocks Ice Hockey game recently to keep an eye on a couple of our favorite eighth grade players. It happened to be the game at which the 8th graders were recognized …there are 14 of them I believe so the impact for the future of the high school teams is significant. The team performed very well and although the lighting stinks, here’s a bit of a photo dump. Both teams started in white jerseys so the Gloucester team put on red or black jerseys in order to play. This made it difficult for me to try to make sure I got most of the players hightlighted, so I apologize for anyone overlooked in the following selection.

I saw my first Gloucester’s So Salty ice sculpture in front of Oak to Ember on Rogers St! Join the fun tomorrow Saturday Jan 25 and Sunday Jan 26. Activities, special deals and family fun in the downtown area. Don’t miss out.

Sun and snow around town following this week’s snowfall.

A very good friend of the blog, David Collins, kindly alerted me to Friday’s funeral service for 3 long forgotten veterans at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Winchendon MA. The Campbell Funeral Home has 3 locations including one here in Gloucester. Aaron Mizen, funeral director of the Beverly location is a retired Marine who does background research and crosschecking of unclaimed remains in hopes of either reuniting them with their families or laying them to rest. I don’t know the stories of these three Cape Ann veterans but Mr. Mizen has ensured they will be remembered with a service scheduled for Friday Jan 24 from 1-3 PM at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery 111 Glenallen Street Winchendon MA. All are welcome to attend and pay final respects.

These veterans include Sergeant First Class Phillip Tutino of Gloucester (died Nov 23 2005); Aviation Machinist Mate Petty Officer Third Class Suzanne Gleason of Rockport (died Sept 21 2001); and Boatsawin’s Mate William D. Carver of Gloucester (died Aug 19 2017). Their obituaries can be found at the Campbell Funeral Home website link here. I recommend you take a few moments to read and reflect.

Mr. Mizen tells me he has been able to return 12-15 veterans to families or lay to rest 12-15 previously unclaimed veterans from among the 40-50 remaining among the three funeral home sites. He’s doing this out of a feeling that “no one should be left behind.” I thank him for doing his part to finishing their stories on their behalf.

Thank you David Collins for the information and story idea!

Linda Brown Floral Design recently offered a spring flower design workshop at 206 Main St and I decided to take the dive and give it a try. I have taken such classes with Linda previously and have enjoyed it very much. It’s nice to have a colorful floral display you’ve created sitting on your counter during these bitter days. You may remember Linda from the former All Purpose Flowers in Magnolia, but she is currently working on her own and details can be found at this link. I have been enjoying the finished product for several days now. Even if you think you are not creative, Linda gives you the confidence to keep trying.

There were about 8 people in attendance and Linda had the place all set up for us to get started right away. She had sent an video guide to prepare us, which was a big help. Once designing got underway around the table and everyone had questions, I found myself trying to recall what the video instructions suggested. With such a relatively small group to assist, Linda does a great job getting around to every person but a little extra boost doesn’t hurt.

It’s worthwhile to note the class took place at Borrowed and Blue Collective at 206 Main St which is Britt Miller’s initiative. In addition to event planning, Britt is offering the space for events such as the floral design class. It’s a nice open, welcoming space for small gatherings.

During GloucesterCast 768, the cast mates shared some of the shows they are streaming and recommend to others. Our viewers chimed in and, at Joey’s suggestion, have compiled the list for your reference. This is probably not a complete list of all that were mentioned and feel free to add your own thoughts. I will keep a running list as best as I can and update occasionally. Happy watching!

The things we do for our dogs……Chris and Jamie walking the dogs at blustery Good Harbor Beach. The post storm waves were pretty cool too.

When we visited Lowell’s Boat Shop recently, the tour guide mentioned the nearby Powwow River and some waterfalls in Amesbury. So, our adventure last week was to find those waterfalls. They are, as advertised, right smack in the middle of Amesbury. They are not exactly the waterfalles I was expecting, but instead more like waters tumbling down a hillside. It was still an interesting walk around Amesbury and produced some interesting photos. If you go, I’d suggest parking at the Friend St public parking lot and the “falls” are just a few steps away. There’s a walking path you can follow down into town (very short distance) and follow the water’s path. If you go to Lowell’s Boat Shop, just keep going and add it to your day. Well worth the ride for each.

In anticipation of a snowfall tonight, this update from the City’s Facebook page:

I’m not sure how much longer we will have to enjoy this year’s Lobster Trap Tree on the Harbor Loop so if you haven’t been down there (especially when lit in the evenings) maybe this long holiday weekend is the time to do that! It’s stunning no matter the time of day, but these were as the sun was setting.

We hadn’t been to The James on Main St in Essex for a while (formerly The Village) so we stopped for lunch on a cold but sunny weekday. The atmosphere is cozy and the customers ranged from working people to senior citizens while we were there. I had the Salt and Pepper Wings and Jim ordered the classic Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup. Jim’s go-to dessert is carrot cake so he ordered that as well. The cake was not your typical carrot cake…he reported it was almost like fruitcake because it was dense and moist. He enjoyed his whole meal very much. I liked the wings because they are prepared a little differently. The skin was nice and crisp and lightly seasoned. These weren’t Buffalo wings, but I would certainly order them again. They offer an interesting variety of events and weekly specials. If you haven’t been, perhaps give it a try next time you’re in Essex.

We were driving through Essex a day or so ago and noticed the dredging project underway. So we watched it for a bit. Pretty interesting…..

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!