Author: Pat D

The fog settled in for several hours last week and so I went seeking some different atmosphere for some of the “same old” scenes. Here’s Motif resting in the fog from a couple of different angles. as if in a winter slumber awaiting the onslaught of summer visitors.

This was taken about 10:30 am with high tide still more than an hour away.

Congratulations Flavia Ryan on the official opening of Grover Tree Spa at 28 Washington St! The Greater Cape Ann Chamber held a ribbon cutting Friday afternoon and wished the new business well. A representative from Senator Tarr’s office brought a proclamation on behalf of the State; Mayor Verga also presented a proclamation. Councillor Jeff Worthley was also able to attend in addition to family members and friends. For more information click here. A wide variety of services are available in a comfortable relaxing setting. I suggest you check them out!

There’s a hint of spring coming soon so maybe you are thinking about your garden and outdoor plans. Or perhaps you realized Easter is right around the corner and you’d like to give a little gift to someone special. Either way, Pat D’s Photos has you covered with these 12.5″ x 18″ garden flags. You can order them here or stop by the store at 44 Main St to see for yourself. We will be open today Saturday 11 -5 and Sunday 11-3. As always, free delivery to the Cape Ann area!

Sharing information from Vee Chipperini and Brenda Leahy:

Mark your calendars… March 29th is National Vietnam Veterans Day. Please join us at 11am at the Vietnam Memorial for a wreath laying ceremony in honor of the service and sacrifices of Veterans who during Vietnam Era hosted by Cape Ann Veterans Services and Vietnam Veterans Committee.

ALL Veterans and their spouses/partners are welcomed to join us following the ceremony for a Veterans Luncheon at the Gloucester MA Elks Lodge #892. Hosted by the Elks Veterans Committee members. Please call 978-325-5730 (Cape Ann Veterans Services) to RSVP.

I noticed these intriguing stone designs recently at Crab Beach. What a lot of patience those represent!

We noticed new signs at the storefront next to Bananas on Main St. Looking forward to a new business just up the street from our shop. The new venture at 80 Main will apparently feature antiques!

The fog settled in at Buswell Pond recently and made for some interesting images.

We noticed this signage on Main St at the former location of Sugar Magnolias. Looks like we’ll have a new dining option on Main Street!

We took a 3 hour ride to the Shepaug Bald Eagle Observatory in Southbury CT one rainy gloomy day last week seeking out eagles. It’s a well designed observation area near the Shepaug Hydroelectric Power Station manned by knowledgeable and friendly volunteers. There are opportunities for bird watching above and beyond the majestic eagles too. That was a good distraction because it was gloomy and rainy so the eagles were deterred from visiting. We did observe one eagle flying in to hunt, feeding at waterside and in a tree but it was from a pretty good distance as you can see here. Can you see the eagle in flight?? (It’s there I promise you)

Anyhow, 6 hours round trip and only one distant eagle. We returned to Gloucester and immediately located the pair we’ve been following near Little River as if they wondered where we had been. Up close and personal right in our hometown. Lesson learned.

We came across this very cool buoy shack while we were in Maine recently. Of course because we were not far up the coast and because Maine is well known for lobsters, we expected to see similar landscapes. And we did, but this particular shack could probably serve as a graphic definition for the word “ramshackle” ( which is a great word by the way). I just found it fascinating as it seems to be on the very edge of falling apart.

It’s always interesting to take a little walk around the Maritime Gloucester Pier on the Harbor Loop. On this day, the gig rowers appeared to be doing some reorganization so their oars were out and made for a a striking sight. The pier is open to the public and available throughout the year.

I recently reported on our overnight trip to York Maine to visit the Nubble Lighthouse. In passing, I mentioned our hotel : Viewpoint Hotel. We had a room overlooking the lighthouse which we were able to book at nearly the last minute for a very reasonable price. So, for whatever reason, I wasn’t expecting to be staying in this ultra modern (for our experience) room. Amenities included one of those showers with 4-5 different shower spray options, electronic curtains, touchscreen mirrors and other items we are just not used to having available to us during a hotel stay. Here are two examples. I am not sure how I feel about the vertical placement of the toilet paper but I can report I loved the hospitality tray! What do you think about vertically placed toilet paper? I guess it’s not that much different from placing the roll on the back of the toilet for easy access…..

We went to 525 Tavern in Magnolia on Lexington Ave recently for dinner. It is basically in our backyard and we just wanted comfort and good food. The visit was a win on both those counts. Although I did not take my usual number of photos, the meals were so yummy that I just had to share. I had something from the specials menu: chicken parm and Jim had the Haddock Francaise. He loved his so much that it was “The Best Thing He Ate” this week for the podcast. I very much enjoyed the generous portion of chicken parm and took enough home for another meal. Thanks again 525 for a wonderful experience! PS Happy Leap Year Day and special Happy Birthday wishes to Leap Year Baby Paula Ryan O’Brien who will love this food post…….

It was a quiet morning amidst the fog yesterday morning at Stage Fort Park. Eerie yet a little bit like a comforting blanket. The tribute left to honor a birthday was especially poignant. Rest in peace Michael.

We took a quick overnight trip to York Maine to see the Nubble Lighthouse at sunrise. We stayed in a wonderful hotel (ViewPoint Hotel) right in York that allowed a view of the lighthouse right from our room. It was very reasonable in the off season and if you ever decide to take the short ride north (less than 2 hours) to stay overnight, I suggest you give them a look.

Views of the lighthouse are accessible and well marked. Here are some daytime shots, evening and early morning views for you to enjoy in case you can’t get there yourself. It’s well worth a day trip especially for anyone who likes lighthouses.

We stopped by Boo Bird on Central St in Manchester for lunch recently. We had not been there in quite a while and we’ve been wanting to return. It was quiet in there that afternoon and Jennifer took great care of us. Jim really enjoyed the opportunity to build his own burger to enjoy with the tater tots. I tried the steak and cheese sub which was just a little different that a typical steak and cheese. I liked it very much. Thanks, Boo Bird, for a great lunch experience!

The light was so pretty along the back shore recently and drew my attention to these carefully placed cairns.

We hadn’t come across clammers in quite a while and I always find this interesting. The tides have been quite low recently and I hope these clammers had good luck.

Apparently it was one year ago that I posted about how pretty it was at Tuck’s Point that day (click here for post). We recently went down to check out how the recent high tides had been affecting that area and this is what we found. Mother Nature at work.