Author: Pat D

You can find Pat D’s Photos in Manchester this weekend for the Festival By The Sea. The event is sponsored by the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce. We will be in Reed Park. Swing by and say hello. Looking forward to a great event. We have some new items to show off! We’ll be in store at 44 Main St. Thursday and Fri 11-5 and Sunday 11-3 this week. Hoping to see you soon.

I was finally able to capture one of the fledgling eagles we have in the area. The picture and video quality are not great due to the conditions but it was a joy to find the young eagle calling out along the river. One of the parents was in a nearby tree. As I was watching in wonderment, the young eagle lifted off with a great deal of power and strength. I could hear the wings beating and that sound has stuck with me. Watch the video with the sound on especially if you’ve never heard an eagle before. The helpful Merlin app also detected an osprey nearby!

We saw a social media posting from Vita Bella along Eastern Ave in Essex mentioning they were now serving pizza on Mondays so we decided to make that our Margarita Monday stop last week. Brett, our server and bartender, mentioned it was their very first day offering pizza after many experimentations in the kitchen. The pizza is only available on Mondays so take note.

My margarita was a strawberry flavored drink and I was pleased to be able to taste the strawberry. It’s a refreshing margarita! We ordered antipasta, pizza and apple crisp for dessert. I liked the pizza quite a bit. There’s plenty of fresh mozzarella and the toppings are generous. The sauce is savory rather than sweet and the dough was fresh and crispy as I prefer. The pizza was sized perfectly for the two of us. We have been to Vita Bella before but this was our first time sitting at the bar. It is very nicely set up and it’s a comfortable atmosphere. We’ll do that again. If you have suggestions for Margarita Monday, speak up! Remember it needs to be a place open on Mondays in the Cape Ann area.

Jim saw an unusual (for our yard) butterfly on our back deck a few days ago so it gave me a chance to work that new lens. This busy butterfly was extra interested in what bits it could salvage from the bird feeder which I found a bit odd. It hung around quite a while in the tree branch, on the railing and on the bird feeder. I think it is a Red Purple Spotted butterfly which is apparently not very uncommon in our area though I haven’t seen much of them myself. It was a treat to watch it as I unwound from the afternoon at the store.

We have an endless supply of backyard visitors in Magnolia including 2 deer. We’ve been hoping to see fawns this year but that hasn’t happened yet. These two were making a feast of the brush AND the neighbor’s garden.

We had a series of foggy days recently so I went down to my favorite beach to see how it looked in the summer morning fog. What do you remember about Half Moon Beach?

Playboy bunny? In Magnolia? On a Tuesday?

A reminder that John Abisamra’s solo show opens in Rockport this weekend and lasts through Aug 15.

Christmas in July at 44 Main St continues today and tomorrow noon to 5 PM. FREE magnet with any purchase. FREE reusable bag with min $25 purchase AND large banners reduced to $30 this week only. Stop by and see what else we have in store.

It’s time to unveil some of Pat D’s Photos holiday suggestions! Christmas in July will be held at 44 Main St this week today (Tuesday) through Thursday noon – 5 PM. I know it’s hard to think about the holidays right now so that’s why I’ve done some of the thinking for you. Stop down and browse early shopping options from Pat D’s Photos and Thirsty Seagull Gloucester Apparel.

Special offers include a free reusable shopping bag with every purchase of $25 or more from Pat D’s Photos (normally $5 each). NEW holiday themed ornaments, garden sized flags, notecards and more available this week noon-5 at 44 Main St.

I usually try to post Margarita Monday suggestions that you can replicate if you choose to, but in this case it’s unlikely you’ll be able to recreate last week’s margarita fun at the Bluefin Blowout Fundraiser event. Held at Mile Marker Marina on Essex Ave, it was a terrific evening full of food, fun, laughs and fundraising. It’s not too late to donate to the fundraiser to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association at this link: https://secure.etransfer.com/eft/flexblockcode/donation1.cfm?d2org=ECCF&d2tool=BBDonation

At the end of the day in the shop, I am often thinking about what to do for dinner. Oliver’s Harbor is right down Main St and conveniently puts the specials board out on the sidewalk. Bam. Decision made. And we do not regret it ever. Welcoming and friendly staff is among the best things about Oliver’s. The delicious food and atmosphere are another reason to stop in even if maybe you weren’t planning to. I had the chicken parm special and Jim had sushi. Outstanding. We noticed 2 large group set ups in the dining area and larger groups are well accommodated by Oliver’s should you need a place for visitors to gather. Thanks to bartender Scott for another wonderful experience.

Submitted by photographer John Abisamra:

Good morning Pat…hope you are enjoy this nice summer weather. I have a solo photography show at Rockport art association with opening reception next Saturday July 27 from 1 to 3pm.

Shows runs through Aug 15.

I know you don’t want to think about the holidays right now, so I am doing some of the thinking for you. We will be holding Christmas in July at 44 Main St next week Tues-Wed-Thurs noon – 5 PM. We will be unveiling some of our special holiday offerings. Some of these go really fast so maybe a little early planning wouldn’t hurt. We hope to see you at the store July 23-24-25 for some special offerings. such as these ornaments. As always, feel free to reach out with orders or questions. Free delivery to Cape Ann area.

I recently treated myself to a new camera lens and these are some of the first images. I’m not unhappy. It seems to be good to larger and small subjects! Looking forward to more experimentation. The hummingbirds are fighting for space at the feeder with bees which you can see here if you look carefully. The eagle just seems to be seeking a cool perch along the river on these muggy days.

We were down on the Maritime Gloucester Pier in the rain and fog recently as this group was waiting to board the Ardelle for a wedding! You never know what you will see down there! Like magic, the skies cleared a bit and the rain stopped for the procession to begin. It was a privilege to watch this unfold. Congratulations and best wishes.

Pat D’s Photos is pleased to announce its newest item: Joey Fungia Face Dog Toy! The toy is 7″ in diameter made with strong rope for a perfect dog tug /chew toy. AND it has your favorite dog lover on the front. These are available in limited quantities while we determine level of interest. $5 of each sale will be donated to Cape Ann Animal Aid. We will have these available tonight at the Bites By The Sea event at the Bluefin Blowout 5-8 PM Cape Ann Marina. If you can’t wait, order here. Free local delivery.

We purchased Thacher Island Association Sunset Lighthouse Cruise tickets and went aboard the Privateer IV a few days ago to participate. The boat was full of enthusiastic lighthouse fans though it was a bit windy and choppy. Captain Jay, crew Natalie and Gabriel were great hosts and Marty provided informative narration as we toured the coast. The sunset was a bit of a disappointment but our lighthouses never disappoint. I have recently gotten a new camera lens and this trip was it’s first test. Here you see Ten Pound Island light, Easter Point Light, Thacher Island Twin lights, Annisquam and Straitsmouth. There’s another opportunity for this event Wed July 17 so check out availability if you are interested.

We stopped by 51 Rocky Neck (formerly The Studio) to check things out and it happened to be Margarita Monday. The bartender suggested her special watermelon margarita which I happily tried. It was VERY refreshing. Jim ordered the mortadella sandwich which is quite a handful as well as tasty and delicious. I ordered the Banana Smash which is a delightful treat using a banana split as its model. The dessert is brought to you in an ice cream cup, turned upside down on the serving tray and SMASHED! Then a little chocolate drizzle tops it off. Pretty perfect for a warm afternoon. Patrick and his crew have done a wonderful job on the inside and it’s quite a pleasure. Give them a try.

Gloucester hosted their Nova Scotian counterparts in the International Dory Races yesterday morning. Here are some additional images from this terrific event. If it’s not something you have experienced, I strongly recommend you give it a try next year. Congratulations to all the participants and volunteers who make this happen.