Author: Pat D

Sharing information provided on the Gloucester Police Department Facebook page so you can plan accordingly for traffic later today:

I took a walk down Commercial St. to check out the honors wall. An outstanding job by the committee honoring past champions! Make sure to check it out hen you are at Mom’s Kitchen for your Fiesta treats.

The final novena was held last night followed by a Mass and procession to Beach Court. It had been sprinkling fairly steadily most of the afternoon, but as St. Peter made his way down to the SanFilippo’s the skies brightened and a rainbow appeared! The crowd was undeterred by potential rain as Joe Novello memorialized those Fiesta family members lost in the last year. It was an uplifting evening especially seeing so many young people participating as you see here in the video.

I noticed a new shop opening on Railroad Ave in Rockport so we took a ride to check it out. If I see “vintage” I’m going to stop in! This newly opened shop is chock full of fun stuff and you might want to take the same ride. The owner greeted us in a friendly manner and allowed us to browse in peace (which I much prefer to small talk). They are just getting started but I think they have a good thing going! Best wishes Vintage Cape Ann!

First and foremost, congratulations and a big “Huzzah” to all involved in the organization and execution of the Battle of Gloucester reenactment this past weekend. Special kudos to Michael DeKoster, Ringo Tarr, Emily Tarr, and Shawn McQueeney.

It was another pitch perfect Gloucester day as the final day of the Battle of Gloucester reenactment. Here are some images from our volunteer post at Tablet Rock (well, I wandered away for a bit to get the beach photos). I hope you were able to attend.

Salt Water Grille on Washington St was our stop for Margarita Monday last week. While we were there we had dinner which included one of the steak and rice specials as well as a baked seafood dish. The specials at Salt Water Grille are always worth a look. The margarita was raspberry. Though it didn’t taste very margarita-like, it was tasty and refreshing. The chocolate chip brownie sundae for dessert was the star of the show! We enjoy the atmosphere at Salt Water Grille especially as it is a great place to meet friends for a meal or a drink.

What a fun event at Stage Fort Park this weekend! The Battle of Gloucester reenactment continues today and I think you’re going to want to get down there. It’s a great family activity (free!) for Father’s Day especially if your dad is a military or local history buff. We watched by water in the morning and on land in the afternoon. Here’s some representative photos for you to enjoy. Additional photos will be posted at Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook if you are interested. Happy Father’s Day!

Here are just a few of the images from this morning’s Battle of Gloucester at Cressy Beach. We were aboard the Ardelle which was portraying the Falcon. More to come soon. Come on down today or tomorrow and join the fun. You never know where a redcoat might turn up.

A brief view of the reenactment of Gloucester fighting off the Brits from attacking the shoreline as seen at the Battle of Gloucester this morning aboard the Ardelle.

The gigs looked extra colorful on a pretty afternoon recently.

Sharing information from Cape Ann Guitar Society:

Here’s your notice: there WILL be extra traffic and congestion Saturday and Sunday June 20-21 especially in the area of Stage Fort Park for the Battle of Gloucester re-enactment. Plan accordingly for extra time and patience.

This is my favorite bird tour of the year: Baby Birds! I have been on several bird photography tours with Cynthia Rand (Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.c.rand) and each has been informative and fruitful. Recently I went out with her again. I don’t know how she does it (it’s hours and hours of research in the field) but each time she introduces me to a new site and I see behaviors I’ve never observed before. The highlight of this tour was the pileated woodpecker nest (not on Cape Ann). The babies have fledged by now and hopefully on to a wonderful bird life. We also saw cygnets, ducks, peregrine falcon chicks, scarlet tanager and towhee. In particular, the towhee posed patiently for us and as soon as our attention was diverted from him, hopped to his nesting area which was behind us. It was as if he was distracting us with his posing in order to protect the nest. Nature is amazing. Thank you Cynthia for another great day! If you are a bird enthusiast or a nature photographer, I suggest reaching out to Cynthia via Facebook messenger to arrange your own tour. Additional photos and story details at Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook. Check it out here.

I was recently on a bird photography tour in search of baby birds but it turned out that it was these Black Crown Night Herons that kind of stole the show with their feeding antics in Winchester. It’s a popular location to observe water birds hunting and feeding. Naturally there are some antics and interesting behaviors shown so it seemed reasonable that they get a post of their own. The Great Blue Heron showed up to assert some dominance though we didn’t actually see any of them get fish.

I’ve been wanting to get back to visit Stone Zoo in Stoneham so GMG Jim kindly drove us in last week. It’s a pretty easy ride and we have a membership we like to take advantage of. (* and I kind of love their flamingos). We arrived to find several school groups in attendance…naturally as the end of the school year is coming soon. We decided to embrace the inevitable chaos and enjoy our visit. Which we did, as always.

But as retired teachers, it added to our enjoyment to watch the various school groups manage their field trip to the zoo. You have the middle schoolers dragging themselves along behind eager adult chaperones while some of the teachers at the back of the line keep urging them on and encouraging them to actually look at the exhibits. Eye rolls were featured everywhere with those groups.

Then you had the younger students who were clearly more enthusiastic. Their teachers seemed as exhausted as the students were excitable. There was a lot of skipping, loud oohs and ahhs, and happy chattering (not unlike some of the animals). From our relaxed and retired unaccompanied by kids point of view….it was so much fun to watch. Anyway, here are a few of the animals we saw that warm June morning. (photo cred to GMG Jim on the otter photo)

I believe Seaport Grille on Rowe Square takes the title for a “bottomless” margarita. The way this yummy pineapple jalapeno margarita is served makes it feel like the deliciousness will never end. Hats off Seaport Grille!

As I have mentioned, this Margarita Monday series is intended to share information about establishments that are open on Mondays which serve margaritas. So far this season we have visited Tonno, Beauport, Azorean in addition to Seaport Grille. Perhaps you have a suggestion for us? What’s your favorite?

Today is traditionally Flag Day and our local Elks will be commemorating the day on June 17. All are invited to the Atlantic Road Gloucester Elks. Image provided by the Elks 892 Lodge.

When you see these staged for installation, you know what’s coming soon!

We noticed a new vendor on Centennial Street (pink building near Mom’s) and I thought some of you might be looking for something for visitors: Salt Island Rentals and Fishing Charters.

We enjoyed a late lunch at Lobsta Land on Causeway Street recently. It was a beautiful weekday afternoon so we decided to eat at the bar on the deck. What a great experience! As always, the service was efficient and friendly. I had the panko crusted haddock sandwich (which was on the specials menu) and Jim enjoyed his fish and chips but we relaxed in the wonderful atmosphere most of all. Hope to catch you there sometime! *PS Annie and Squam’s osprey chicks have hatched and are a delight to watch on the osprey cam**