Author: Pat D

I think most of you know where this can be found for just a few more hours…….

Happy 4th of July!

Jeanette Marchant sent the following two photos remembering past Horribles Parades! Cheers to the tradition of the Horribles Parade!

About 1954. Stan Thompson, Dan Conant,
Clinton “Ken” Kerr, Everett Anderson,
Wesley Tucker, Jeannette Marchant, representing her father Stanley Marchant who was out of town and had just won Mayor of Dogtown contest.; Winifred Ellis and Phil Feener.
Part of group involved with Riverdale Horribles Parade.

This estimated to be from 1946 of Ted and Jeanette Marchant:

Here’s a handy schedule shared by Maritime Gloucester for the upcoming Rendezvous events. I hope to see many of you there! Most of these event will be taking place on or near the Harbor Loop.

It’s all about balance……..

The City shares the following information.

Here’s an update as of today Sunday July 2 from the Gloucester Fireworks Facebook page regarding the weather. Please note that there is a rain date IF NEEDED scheduled for July 8.

The Surfari store now located on Bass Ave in Gloucester has lots of cool things for you to look over. I thought that since I don’t do water activities too much, there would be nothing much of interest for me….but I was very mistaken! Lots of cool Gloucester merch, all kinds of water related equipment for all ages, AND (bonus and shameless plug) some of Pat D’s Photos notecards are all available at this one stop shop. Easy parking, friendly and helpful staff add to the reasons you should stop in. Tell them Good Morning Gloucester sent you.

We came across this well hidden pair of eagles watching over our harbor adjacent to Stage Fort Park recently. I believe this to be the same pair we have observed many times in West Gloucester. To help me follow them and tell their story as it develops, I think they should be called Fred (the adult) and Ethel (the younger eagle). For those of you that remember I Love Lucy, you may remember that Ethel was generally portrayed as younger than her husband Fred. She was also often dressed in a more drab manner than her costar Lucy. So….Fred and Ethel…. Anyhow, this is a favored perch so we know where to look but we don’t often see them both here at the same time. Fred seems to be a little more skittish than Ethel and it takes off usually after a short roost. This time Ethel stayed for a while.

Sharing information from the City regarding upcoming events:

The Cape Ann Makers Market is hosting a Moonrise Market at the Emerson Inn on Cathedral Ave in Rockport Sunday July 2 2023 from 5-9 PM. Join us outside as we watch the full moon rise over the ocean and shop these wonderful local vendors. Pat D’s Photos will be there featuring (along with many other Cape Ann images) these ready to hang vinyl double sided banners. They are 28 x 40 and very durable and colorful. Come see for yourself or comment here if interested. Hoping to see many of you there!

Sharing an update from Minglewood Harboside on Rogers Street: now open for lunch 6 days a week. You’re out of luck on Tuesdays, but that makes Wednesday-Monday that much better! See you there!

As you have heard me say, I am not a birder though I do love taking bird photos. I was doing just that with this unusual (for me) bird in East Gloucester. I had observed it previously but was without my camera but this time I hit the jackpot as it paddled close by. I suspected at first it might be a loon, something I have always wanted to see, but clearly this wasn’t the loon I was expecting. The Photo ID on the Merlin app identified it as a red throated loon, apparently a bit unusual in our area. Some additional info at this Cornell link if you are interested…birder or not…..

Sharing Instagram info fro Happy Humpback on Lexington Ave in Magnolia

I absolutely love walking along the dock area behind Maritime Gloucester on the Harbor Loop. There is ALWAYS something that catches my eye. You should try it too! Maybe I will see you.

Susan LaRose submits these photos she and her husband Leo took of the rainbow over the harbor Saturday evening just as the festivities along the beach wrapped up. Thanks so much!

Here’s a little review of some of the pictures that didn’t make the blog posts but I still think show the spirit of the weekend, at least up through Sunday’s procession. It was an outstanding event! I appreciate the hard work and long hours spent by so many to put these events together. Well done once again!

Three teams of young men took on the challenge of seine boat racing and made it all the way to the finals. Salty Seamen won the championship and the other teams were Family Strokes and Apostles. It was well worth sticking around for following the Greasy Pole! I imagine many of these guys will continue racing and training and we will be seeing them out there long into the future. Congratulations to all the trainers, coaches, parents and team members.

Here are some memories from Sunday’s Greasy Pole Championship which once again saw 2 near misses before Derek Hopkins took the flag to the water early in the second competitive round. He also loosened the flag in the previous round along with Max Allen who experienced the same heartbreak. That made 3 nights in a row where the flag did not fully detach from the pole when grabbed. It was “unprecedented” according to the announcers. Another Fiesta is in the books! Viva.

I hope these photos give you a little idea of the excitement the seine boat races generates on the beach. KAOS, ZFG and Merger battled it out Sunday afternoon in a repeat of last year’s race though the title goes to KAOS this year. Great job by all. I know I’m hooked!