Author: Pat D

It was a very busy morning with school field trips when we took a little stroll on the pier behind Maritime Gloucester on the Harbor Loop. It’s easy to see why students and teachers like the opportunities these field trips provide. The pier is open to the public and the museum will be open this weekend. Check it out!

Sharing Porchfest to celebrate 525 Day in Magnolia today.

A year ago this month, Sebastian Junger came to Gloucester to speak at a Gloucester 400+ event. Last night, he returned as a guest of the Bookstore of Gloucester on Main St to talk about his newest book In My Time of Dying. The book evolved from a near death life changing experience of Mr. Junger’s about 4 years ago. As with last May, his presentation was entertaining, informative and engaging. The City Hall Kyrouz Auditorium was packed to the gills with friends and interested residents for this intriguing topic.

I’ve read the book and am duly impressed (again) with Sebastian Junger’s writing style. He clearly does an overwhelming amount of research into his subjects. In fact, an impressive 19 pages of source material is listed and it’s obvious from the text that he’s done his homework. I noted several medical phrases such as you hear on those doctor shows. Some of them are complicated but he presents them in a way the reader can understand.

He presents the large questions of life and death in a thought provoking, but safe manner. I am of an age where my other retired friends are beginning to die and I’ve suffered several losses recently. It may be that my frame of mind was exceptionally ready to read and contemplate these exact questions. But I think the book will have wide appeal and suggest you put it on your reading list. Thank you Mr. Junger for sharing such personal insights. Well done on the Bookstore of Gloucester in arranging the event!

We stopped by Googans Galley on Martin St in Essex recently to see what was new. We learned they will be celebrating their second anniversary with a special event Wednesday May 29 from 6-9 pm! We are very happy to see this special place thriving. There is seating available which we noticed many people were taking advantage of for visiting or remote work. There are local products available, including Cape Ann Sea Salt! AND there are yummy goodies. Win Win. Congratulations on the anniversary!

Jim and I had made a habit of going to the Azorean on Washington St on Sundays but had fallen out of that tradition recently. And I missed it. Last Sunday we returned after a bit of an absence and we were not disappointed. Jim had the shrimp cataplana and I had lemon chicken (I’m a big fan of lemon dishes that actually taste lemony!). Naturally I am also very happy to see the Spring Sangria special.

The planned boring operation in Blynman Canal is underway and expected to continue today. It seemed to intrigue many passers-by. More info can be found at the Harbormaster’s Facebook page or here.

Sharing some good news from Minglewood. Another sure sign of summer…..

I was out on the water for the whale watch and had the opportunity to take some photos of Half Moon Beach from the water. A few days later, I also got some shots from land (including 2 intrepid plein air painters). Thought you might enjoy the perspectives.

I love having the chance to take photos of various vessels from the water! Here we have Gennet, Ginny & Joe, Ardelle, the Coast Guard, Charles Seabrook, Emily Teresa and Dead On.

I had heard some talk that a pair of ospreys were nesting in the chimney on the famous (and endangered) pink house in Newburyport, so I wanted to go check it out. Though one of the pair was resting on the chimney when we arrived, it flew off shortly after and then I played the waiting game. Since there was a pair out in the fields hunting, I came to the conclusion it was unlikely that they had an active nest on the pink house. I wouldn’t expect them to leave eggs or hatchlings alone for any length of time. But there is definite evidence that some nest building was going on there so we shall see.

The pair eventually returned to the immediate area though neither actually landed on the chimney this time. It was pretty fascinating to watch them circle, fend off smaller unhappy birds and call to each other. Annie and Squam’s life is much easier to follow but this was pretty interesting also. Not sure what the future of the pink house is but it seems we may not be able to enjoy its view very much longer so I take every opportunity to visit.

I took a little walk around the docks in areas I don’t normally go in order to see things from a different perspective. I thought you might enjoy the same.

All members Team Pat please stop to the shop at 44 Main St for your very own Joey button. Big enough to cover up the Blame Pat button that may have been forced on you.

The James Pub recently opened in the former location of the Village restaurant in Essex. We stopped by to have dinner and check things out and were very happy we did. First, if you are expecting to go in and be reminded of the former restaurant, you’ll be disappointed. The inside has been remodeled and looks great. Even the entry door has changed location (we saw many people approaching the old entryway) but the flow works nicely.

We were seated in a front room and Donna was our attentive server. It was pretty busy for a weekday evening, though, as usual, we were there on the early side for dinner. There a very nice bar area we look forward to checking out when we return. We easily found menu items of interest: Irish Nachos, fish sandwich, steak frites (done to perfection), and strawberry pavlova for dessert. Naturally I also tried the Irish Coffee. *I recommend the sangria* Things seemed to be running very smoothly for a newly opened restaurant. There’s another location in Needham as well, so make sure you are checking the right location for hours and such.

One of the owners came over to say hello and informed us they will be expanding their hours eventually to include Mondays and lunch hours. It was a very enjoyable atmosphere and dining experience. The pricing is on par with most area restaurants and we look forward to returning.

We went on our first whale watch of the season with Cape Ann Whale Watch this week on a beautiful morning for a ride. Normally I would have gone earlier in the season but schedules preventing our going any sooner than this. I LOVE going in the spring when the whales have returned and are actively feeding. We headed south to the Stellwagon Bank and the trip out took quite a bit longer than it usually does, so I wasn’t feeling too optimistic about our chances.

Boy, was I proved wrong. Naturalist Tina, Captain Johnny and the crew found areas FULL of interesting whale activity including feeding, breaching and calf play. We saw Dross, Wigwam and her calf and Milkweed (who breached a number of times in our presence). We also saw Atlantic White Sided dolphins and a HUGE basking shark. The seas were a bit rough so there was a lot of rocking and rolling (tough for photographers), but what a trip for the memory banks!

If you haven’t gone in a while, I strongly urge you to go!

I am pretty well addicted to the Essex Greenbelt Osprey Cam to follow the development of the nest for the osprey nicknamed Annie and Squam. They return to the LobstaLand nest each year and provide insight to bird life through the web cam provided. David Rimmer provides occasional updates on their progress. This year it appears there are two eggs and we might expect to see the hatchlings in early June (if my math is correct). In the meantime, I watch the osprey cam. This time I got to observe a “changing of the guard”. If you look very carefully inside the nest, you can see one of the eggs. Thank you David, Essex Greenbelt and the army of volunteers!

Special shout out to Linda and Sage Floral on Main St. for helping GMG Jim get just the right arrangement to celebrate Mother’s Day! It’s beautiful and I appreciate the personal touch Linda put on the project. The colors are gorgeous and it’s such a treat to have a fresh arrangement in the house.

We decided to take a ride to watch the sun setting at Lane’s Cove recently. Although it wasn’t a spectacular sunset, there were plenty of opportunities for some decent photos. And sunset was at 7:55PM!! Woot Woot.

Two cannons have been restored and returned to Stage Fort Park. A recent project enhanced that portion of Stage Fort Park to ease access and it’s nice to see the cannons back in place. I understand David Dow was instrumental in this project, so thanks David!

Great job paving Main St! The work crews were very impressive in their task completion and were able to finish a day or so ahead of time. Lines will be painted Sunday evening, so heads up on the Main St parking restrictions.

Our backyard has been popping with familiar colors and sounds this week. Welcome back my friends! When I took these photos, it appeared that Mr. Oriole was still awaiting his mate, but she’s made an appearance as well. Looking forward to a fruitful spring and summer in the bird world!