Author: Pat D

A few photos for those of you from away that might be missing Fiesta. It is off to a great start!

Here’s some of the activity we observed in our backyard here in Magnolia. It’s a neverending tale of shenanigans and nature at work. I was especially interested in the nuzzling/licking behavior of the deer. I had not observed this before and found it fascinating although they seemed to accuse me of being a bit of a Peeping Tom.

Thanks to a tip from FOB Susan LaRosa, I was able to hustle down to the Fort in enough time to catch this spectacular show. Four of our schooners were together out on the water maneuvering around each other as if on the playground at recess: Adventure, Ardelle, Isabella and Thomas E. Lannon. What a wonderful sight! Looking forward to a great season ahead as well as the Rendezvous event at Maritime July 6-9!!

Sharing information about a parking update/restriction on Webster Street starting tomorrow Wed June 21 2023:

A bit of a photo dump of the seine boat race team practices yesterday afternoon taken from Susan and Leo’s boat (thanks guys!). Great work team members!

Many of you probably noticed the large yacht anchored in the harbor yesterday and some of you took note of the helicopter flights in the area as well. We were fortunate to spend time with our friends Susan and Leo on their docked boat and could observe the goings-on in the harbor in the late afternoon. This included the Ardelle returning from a sail with the helicopter as backdrop. The copter seemed to return to the yacht, land briefly and then take off again. The Ardelle, the lighthouse and the copter made for an interesting photo opportunity.

The Fiesta 2023 schedule is worth a repeat share along with the resting race boats. They are ready to rock…..are you?

Happy Father’s Day to all the father figures in our lives. My own Dad (Gloucester born and raised) has been gone for several years now but the story I tell here rings true of many dads throughout time. This (apparently male) Baltimore oriole was dedicated to feeding its offspring clinging to a stem not far from the home nest. I watched for about a half hour as the young bird cautiously worked its way up this stem then eagerly accepted the sustenance presented by the parent. I think the chick is fairly young as some of the feathers are still downy. This repeated several times as I watched in fascination. It brought to mind how hard parents work to provide for youngsters, though I suspect this youngster wasn’t quite where it was supposed to be! Some of you may related to the constant open mouthed offspring! Happy Father’s Day!

I have covered most of the Gloucester cemeteries in this Cemetery Stroll series so we will move on the local burying grounds including Old First Parish Burying Ground on Beach St in Rockport. According to Find A Grave, this is also known as Sandy Bay Cemetery. It’s on a rather steep hill directly facing the ocean. There are many many very old stones there, including several of my favorite slate markers. There’s a side area along the street that runs behind the cemetery (Mill Lane) with a few stones in it too which appear to be family markers. I am uncertain if these are part of this cemetery or not but they appear to be a separate plot. You see them here as well. This location draws curious tourists on a regular basis. Maybe I will see you there sometime!

Sharing information regarding the Dog Park 10th Anniversary at Stage Fort Park event now scheduled for Sunday June 18 9-11 AM. The weather is certainly causing havoc for humans and pets alike!

Casting announcement from Bill Wrinn for Gloucester Story to be presented in August on the Harbor Loop Maritime Dock: (looks like quite an amazing line-up!)

“Gloucester Story” Cast Announced

Annisquam Village Players Director Terry Sands has announced the cast selections for this summer’s historic musical production of “Gloucester Story,” to be held Aug. 10-13 on the docks at Maritime Gloucester.  Free tickets available on the AVP website starting July 10.

“Gloucester Story” 2023 Cast of Players

Narrator                    TBA

Seth Bates                 ROGER GARBERG

John Monson              BILL WRINN

Deborah Wharton      RHIAN WILLIAMS

Capt. Nate Morrison   BOBBY KERRIGAN        

Charlie Fred Monson  SEBASTIAN APARO       

Frenchie Boudreau     MIKE ENGLISH

Cookie Brown             MARTIN RAY    

Myron                          TBA                   

Ike                               BRIAN RANO                      

Liz Brewer                   TARIN McADOO COMER     

Nucky                          STEVE CAMERA-MURRAY           

Dory Plug                    SPIKE RAMSDEN      

Capt. Billy Hall             STEVE LUDWICK     

Waldo                         PERRY RAMSDEN

Waldo’s Friend            JACKSANNA McADOO COMER

Children’s Chorus.       KIKI CAMPBELL, JACKSANNA McADOO COMER, AVERY HANNON, ELIZA MAZZEO, AMELIE MUNROE, PERRY RAMSDEN

Fishermen’s Wives Chorus      SEFATIA ROMEO THEKEN, SUZI CAMPBELL, TARIN McADOO COMER, CLAIRE NORTON, EVY STEWART, LUCY CAMERA-MURRAY, VICTORIA FORTUNE

Fishermen’s Chorus    ROGER GARBERG, BOBBY KERRIGAN, STEVE LUDWICK, MIKE ENGLISH, MARTIN RAY, BECKETT GUEST, BRIAN RANO, SPIKE RAMSDEN, STEVE CAMERA-MURRAY, IAN GARDINER, KAVIKA BABSON, BILL WRINN

More information about “Gloucester Story” can be found at www.annisquamvillageplayers.org. 

Pat D’s Photos was originally scheduled to be on Lexington Ave Saturday June 17 for the Magnolia Block Party BUT the Block Party is postponed due to weather concerns. However, several options for Father’s Day and graduation gift ideas are still available! Free local delivery to Cape Ann area. Stop by and check things out. Much more will be available Saturday from 5-9 PM on Lexington Ave. These are some examples:

Sharing information that may affect your plans today Friday June 16 2023 posted about 7:30 am:

Sharing information from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Facebook post regarding Free Saltwater Fishing days this weekend June 17 and June 18 2023:

As you well know, many recent days have been somewhat overcast, but still very beautiful. So here’s my contribution to those days from a recent “drive around”:

To honor Flag Day, it seems appropriate to give a shout out to some of those listed on the flags currently flying along the Boulevard: Ralph Stanton, Eileen Ryan, David R. Silveira, Raymond A. Fisher, Richard W. Coombs, Brian D. White, James T. Fortado, John Jessica Finley Burns and Helena Ciarametaro. Special blessing on them and on their families and friends who arranged for this tribute. There are many other and I encourage you to check out the names and pause a moment to remember.

Seems that nothing beats having your best friend out on the water with you.

These improvements along Hougb Ave through Stage Fort Park are VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!

I took a little walk around the Gloucester Marine Railways on Rocky Neck recently. I was struck by the contrast between the repairs and fix-ups being done alongside the dismantling of the Phyllis A.

The International Dory Elimination Races were held off the Maritime Gloucester dock at Harbor Loop yesterday, June 10 2023. It was my first time at this event but it will not be my last! Four races were held to determine participation in the July 8 event. Congratulations to all the participants and good luck to Junior Rowers AJ Lewis and Kadin Lewis; Women Rowers Ashley Smith and Rachel Cecilio; Over 50 Rowers Erik Dembrowski and Joe Sanfilippo; and Open Rowers Sam Taormina and Peter Taormina (boy I hope I got the names right! Please correct as needed) . Here’s a photo dump for your viewing pleasure. Special thanks and shout out to Sara Gray who helped inform and explain the races to this newbie.