Author: Pat D

We decided to take a ride to Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury a few days ago to see the sunflower field. The field was a little past peak so that was a small disappointment but the 50 min ride up there did not go to waste. They have a great farm shop AND lots of kid friendly (free) activities including a trike playground, chickens, equipment to explore and more. If you have children looking for some thing to do, you might consider taking the ride with them. It will provide a couple of hours of free entertainment.

We’ve had so much fun on the Tuesday Schooner Challenges from Maritime Gloucester that we had to go out again last week. It wasn’t the prettiest day, but it we were still out on the water with some of our favorite local schooners. We were aboard Isabella with AJ as our captain and Amanda as crew. The Ardelle and the Thomas E. Lannon were also participating. Always fun and a great take if you have guests in town.

I chased the sun around the harbor a couple of nights ago. It had been raining a bit as dusk approached but then the sun popped out in time for some interesting skies. I am sure many of you will recognize these locations. The sights included a small rainbow across the harbor which you can barely see in these photos as I only had my phone with me.

Maybe some of you have followed my travails with putting together the mini block Lego-style puffin that I recently purchased from Pauline’s Gifts on Essex Ave. This is the final result. He looks a little pixelated due to the teeny tiny mini blocks used to construct him: 443 of these according to the 31 steps of instructions! There was more than a little bit of swearing and searching on my knees for fallen pieces but we got there! I challenged my Facebook friends to guess where we would end up over/under on pieces at completion and I thought you all might be interested in the results. Drum roll…….there were 90 (!!) EXTRA pieces left over! I found that astonishing. Pauline has suggested I work on the lobster next and I think I’m going to take her up on it. This puffin will reside at 44 Main St. Open this week Thursday 1-5; Saturday 11-5 and Sunday 11-3. (Taking Friday off with company in town).

Cat Cavallini submits these photos and reports “You’ve probably seen this on Main Street! I’ll check it out just for the name.” Thank you Cat!

I’ve said it before, but here it is again: Sometimes you just need a little Tonno time in your life. Margarita Monday at Tonno with a strawberry margarita made to perfection by Paolo. Add in some Olympic soccer and it’s perfection. Thanks for a relaxing afternoon Alex and Paolo!

Being out on the water allows you to notice just how many different types of vessels are using our harbor. Here you see the Coast Guard, gig rowers, Generations and Shearwater coming and going.

I love taking random walks down to the Maritime Gloucester pier and dock. It changes each and every time and you never know what you will see. This time it’s the donation of a small boat currently sitting there just waiting. (It’s a beauty). When people ask for recommendations during my shift at the Welcome Center at Stage Fort Park, I ALWAYS suggest they go down to the Maritime Gloucester museum and pier. No matter the makeup of the visitors: families with young children, young couples, retired folks all would enjoy stopping by. If you haven’t been there in a while, put it on your list.

From John Abisamra regarding his Rockport solo show open until August 15:

We stopped by Marini Farms in Ipswich recently and I was delighted by the pops of color everywhere! AND there’s a bakery….. win win. Anyhow, it’s a nice little ride out there and it offers a lovely variety of fresh items and baked goods. Give yourself some time to look around as there are little surprises everywhere.

I was alerted to Arctic Schooner Bowdoin‘s presence by FOB Susan L who saw it in the harbor and let me know. Little did I expect to see her tied up with Schooner Adventure at Maritime Gloucester to spend the night. She’s the official vessel of the State of Maine and is built specifically for the arctic. In fact, she very recently returned from a two month voyage. The ice barrel at the top of the foremast is designed for ice work and exploration. It is really beautiful and quite a lovely surprise in our very own harbor.

From the Gloucester IDRC Facebook page regarding the scheduled elimination races Saturday Aug 10:

Linn Doyle Parisi submits the following info and graphic:

The Cape Ann Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution have been working on a project for a few years to commemorate and honor the August 8, 1775 Battle of Gloucester between Gloucester residents and the British ship Falcon, as well as the two Gloucestermen who were lost in the battle. 

We’re happy to say that the project is finished and ready to be unveiled close to the 249th Anniversary of the Battle to help lead us into MA250 in 2025, the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution!

The DAR project, a large bronze plaque affixed to a big Gloucester granite boulder, will be dedicated on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at 10:00AM to 11:00AM, rain or shine.

The public is invited!  BYO umbrella to the Gemmellaro/Ciaramitaro Playground, aka the playground down the Fort, before 10AM.              Some covered seating will be available.

As soon as I saw this Puffin puzzle set offered by Pauline at Pauline’s Gifts on Essex Ave, I knew I would need one for Pat’s Puffin Emporium at 44 Main St. It’s turning into a challenge I wasn’t exactly expecting. 443 (!!) pieces, many of them pretty darn tiny, and 31 instruction steps before I have a completed puffin on my hands. I set a goal to have the puzzle done by the time FOB Paula Ryan O’Brien came back to Gloucester for a visit in mid August. Let’s just say we aren’t having fun with it yet.

We are up to step 11 and this is our progress. When I took the photo for this post was the first time I saw the puffin feet looking like puffin feet. Step 12 is proving a killer and I am ready to call the project DOA. What’s your call? Forge on or forget it?

I was walking in this area lately and noticed how spiffy the new Middle St housing complex is looking! The John J. Meany Senior Affordable Housing information is available at this link.

It was time to return to Jalapenos on Main St and Margarita Monday seemed a perfect opportunity. I just love the frozen raspberry margarita there! So refreshing. We were surprised to find their back room full of people enjoying sea shanties. Apparently every other Monday the sea shanty group gathers for some fun and the place was packed. We ordered flautas and carne asada which we enjoyed very much as we always do. It’s one of those places you go and are made to feel welcome and “at home”. Perfect Margarita Monday adventure.

I made my first stop ever at Kings Roast Beef on Main St for lunch a few days ago after hearing roaringly good reviews. I was not disappointed. We sat inside at tidy table set-ups and had a chicken salad club and an Italian wrap…. (no roast beef this time…). I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of items offered on the menu. It is definitely more than just roast beef, although that was clearly a popular order in the time we were there. Our sandwiches were fresh with generous portions. The service was friendly. It’s a win-win so give it a try especially if you haven’t already.

If you see this guy around today, wish him a happy anniversary of his first visit to Gloucester 39 years ago. Jim’s first visit to Gloucester was on our honeymoon in 1985 and he never looked back. We are very happy as Gloucester residents and thank you all for embracing us. A good deal has changed over the years, but our love for this place remains steady. Wait….this also applies to our marriage I guess….Happy Anniversary GMG Jim!

Our friend Chris L invited us out for a boat ride a couple of nights ago. It was a perfect Gloucester afternoon so we agreed. As we were returning, we ran into 4 of our local schooners together out on the water for the weekly Maritime Gloucester Schooner Challenge. It was a delight to find them there all together on such a perfect evening. Chris was patient while I snapped a few photos of Lewis H. Story, Ardelle, Thomas E. Lannon and the Isabella. The Tuesday Schooner Challenges are designed to give the Maritime Gloucester apprentices some experience captaining a schooner. It’s a great opportunity for a sail with a little “extra”. Thank you Chris L!

We took a ride up to Rowley to visit our favorite bakery up that way, Three Sweet Peas Bakery Cafe and discovered it has expanded and moved across Main St. We are VERY happy to see extra space and seating! It hasn’t lost the cozy atmosphere and the staff remains helpful and friendly. Previously located on Main St next to the Post Office, it is now directly across the street. You will see cheerful yellow outdoor umbrellas on the patio as you approach.

Once inside, you’ll see menus for sandwiches, salads and more. There are display cases with freshly baked cookies, cakes, scones etc. Several freezers contain take-home meals, soups, ice cream along with all kinds of other temptations. We brought home eggplant parm, chicken soup, pasta sauce, garlic bread, chicken parm and baked goods. If you’re going through Rowley you definitely should stop. Maybe you even want to make a special trip up there. It was pouring rain or we would have enjoyed some patio time. Next visit we shall!