Author: Pat D

The footbridge sustained some damage over the last 2 storms and is currently closed to foot traffic.

A nighttime view through the fog at St. Peter’s square. Haunting yet comforting.

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone for your support of our opening weekend at 44 Main St in the West End (Gloucester). We saw so many of you in person which we are thrilled with. We hope you will come back and say hello. If you couldn’t make it yet, we hope to see you soon. All the retailers, bakeries and other businesses in that vibrant area of town benefit from your support.

Joey and I are making our plans for the store hours as we gauge our customers’ needs. We plan to have the store open on weekends Fri-Sat-Sun from 11-5. Weekdays will be as we are able to but any special events or holidays will certainly find our doors open. We will try to keep you all posted and I expect we will fall into a routine after a few weeks. Meantime, if there’s anything you need from either of us, please reach out to Joey via Gloucester Apparel or Pat via Facebook Pat D’s Photos and Adventures. (email GMGPatD at gmail.com) You can also comment as needed. Here are some samples from our new storefront! We appreciate all the kind words and support.

The Schooner Adventure at the Marine Railways on Rocky Neck offers a version of the Stairway to Heaven.

I am not certain when the amazing Lobster Trap tree will be dismantled until next year, so you might want to consider paying your last respects sooner than later. It looked especially majestic following the recent snow. The children’s painted buoys are scheduled to be available Jan 27 so plan your visit accordingly. **I believe the buoys may have been removed by the time this post publishes but I hope you enjoy a last look by these means.**

From Bill Bartlett yesterday: “I got home 25 minutes ago and looked out the back window and this is what I saw over the Cape Ann Marina resort. God made an absolutely beautiful painting in the sky.” “It did not last long but my timing was perfect. After all of the rain and flooding earlier today, this was something special.” Agreed! Thanks for sharing.

Joey and I hope to see many of you this weekend at 44 Main St in Gloucester’s West End as we open our new storefront featuring Gloucester Apparel (designed by Joey C) and Pat D’s Photos. Pat D’s Photos offers photography gifts with a local flair as you see below. Joey’s apparel is good quality at a very reasonable price for you to show off your favorite town! We plan to be open today Saturday Jan 13 at 10 AM , tomorrow Sunday and Monday 11-5. Future hours TBD and announced. Stop in and say hello. Lots of great retail opportunities along Main St and throughout Gloucester this holiday weekend. **Photo credits to Joey C on his vest, quarter zip and hats**

I took a little walk around the Harbor Loop after the recent snowfall and took a few minutes to check on Fitz Henry Lane at the top of the park. As always, magnificent.

Maritime Gloucester is holding a fundraiser on Sunday Jan 14 from 4-6 PM at Cape Ann Lanes and YOU are invited to this family friendly event! Ticket link here. Bowling AND help Maritime Gloucester??? Win-Win.

The Rocky Neck Marine Railways is unfailingly interesting. I went down to check on our schooner Adventure to make sure she knew we missed her. There’s always something going on there.

Update from Delisis Facebook page: opening today on Mt. Pleasant St in Rockport. Best wishes and see you soon!

What an amazing day to be out there with a camera! The storm misery was well worth yesterday’s beauty and wonders of nature.

The Delisis recently posted that their new signage had gone up on Mount Pleasant St in Rockport at the site of the former Red Skiff. The sign looks sharp! We look forward to their opening! We miss the family from the former Capt Hooks here in Gloucester and wish them the best in their new venture. Follow them on Facebook for updates.

Beautiful new granite benches have been recently installed on each side adjacent to the Fisherman’s Memorial. These benches nicely complement the stunning new planters that were recently unveiled. I noticed the absolute genius in the details of these planters when I was down there recently. Take a minute to sit and enjoy them too! What a beautiful place we live in.

If you want to stroll through a significant portion of Gloucester’s social history, do not miss the Above the Fold exhibit running now through March 17 2024 at the Cape Ann Museum. I have always had a special interest in newspapers and photojournalism so this opportunity could not be missed. The curators have done an amazing job culling through the thousands of images and selecting a thorough “slice of life” for several local photojournalists here in Gloucester (though Essex, Rockport and Manchester are not forgotten).

My personal favorite photo is by Josh Reynolds from 1997 from the Schooner Lettie G. Howard during a Mayor’s Cup schooner race. I love that Mr. Reynolds commented that a goal of his was to have one of his photos displayed at the Cape Ann Museum…..wish granted! It was hard to select a favorite there are so many snapshots in time for your consideration.

Remember also there are several ways for you to visit with free admission on Jan 20-21 Gloucester’s So Salty event; First Fridays, Second Saturdays and passes at the Sawyer Free Library. Do it! I don’t think you will be sorry.

I understand Sal’s Pizza is well known to some and that people were looking forward to having Sal’s in Gloucester. Now that they have opened in the new Haffner’s gas station on Essex Ave, I thought we’d give it a try ourselves. For the benefit of the blog, of course…..

We are not familiar with Sal’s but we are somewhat familiar with various “gas station pizzas” as we travel the highways fairly often, so we made that our basis for comparison. We are not comparing it to storefront pizza although the set up inside Haffner’s very much appears to be a storefront. We got a slice (which was cut in two) which is a quarter of the 19″ pizzas they advertise, so the portion is large. It cost about $6 for the portion you see here. As expected, it wasn’t freshly made but it was warm and tasty. The sauce is more tangy tomato than sweet. The crust is thin with a crispy bottom. A variety of pizza toppings are available along with garlic knots and other items. We even noticed Haffner’s carries Virgilios sauce and bread which was a nice surprise on the Magnolia side of the bridge.

We did not order a freshly made pizza but the slice did the trick for a late afternoon snack. The staff was very friendly and helpful so that’s a big plus. Easy parking and close to home makes it a winner for us. Keep your expectations reasonable and I think you will be satisfied.

I have told the story of John Handran of Gloucester who was awarded the US Medal of Honor for saving the lives of fellow sailors in 1876 and later was lost in the wreck of the Schooner Cleopatra in 1885. He left behind in Gloucester a wife and 3 small children. (Here’s the link to one of the previous GMG posts: https://goodmorninggloucester.com/2021/09/12/join-us-for-the-john-handran-memorial-dedication/)

At the time, I was struggling to find documentation that my family’s John Handran was THE John Handran who was awarded the US Medal of Honor. I did find the evidence in old newspapers I was able to locate at the Cape Ann Museum Library and Archives. But I never stopped looking for more, so when the Sawyer Free Library announced it’s updated digital collection of Cape Ann newspapers, I was very excited to find additional evidence to support that one of the Navy’s heroes was a Gloucesterman.

I thought you might benefit from some step by step guidance in case you’d like to do your own research. If you find something cool, please share it! (Carol M I’m talking to you!) First you will search “Sawyer Free Library” for the link. Then you find Cape Ann History Digital Resources on the front page. Select whichever date timeframe interests you (if you select the current dates 2009 forward, you will need your library card number). I selected the older ones and searched the surname Handran. 

Scroll through the results until you find something that looks interesting. It’s a bit of a jumble at first but your search term is highlighted which helps a great deal. Click an article you find interesting and read away. You can download to review later if you prefer.

This is how I discovered that John Handran’s 12 year old son Herman saved a child from drowning in Newburyport in 1895. The story titled “A Brave Lad” hightlights the Handran search term and tells a pretty cool story which includes additional proof that we have the right John Handran in our family stories.

Sharing information and advice from the Gloucester Harbormaster’s Office. It’s good advice the check your junk folder in email now and again. Email isn’t as smart as it thinks it is and you might regularly find emails you prefer to see in your inbox going to junk mail instead. Maybe that’s a resolution you could make and actually keep in 2024!

We had a lovely dinner with friends at Oliver’s Harbor on Main St to end 2023 and celebrate a new year approaching. A special menu was offered which Jim and I took advantage of. I had the surf and turf preceded by lobster bisque. Jim had braised lamb following an eggplant appetizer. Our friends, Susan and Leo ordered chicken and salmon risotto from the menu. It was all well prepared and delicious! The service, as always, was friendly and efficient. It’s a family run establishment and comes with the advantages of family ties to make it an extra enjoyable experience once again. Thank you Oliver’s for helping us celebrate a special meal with special friends to end 2023 and welcome 2024! We’ll be back soon!

If you listened to yesterday’s podcast, you may be wondering how the bidet installation went for Joey’s newest life game-changer. Here’s the photo I was sent by “Chris”….am I at fault for thinking it came from Chris McCarthy rather than any other Chris in my life (like my own brother???–thanks for listening to the podcast, brother Chris!). I laughed until the New Year came in…. Here’s to “More in 24!”