Author: Pat D

The first Lobster Crate Race was held yesterday at Pavilion Beach to a large and appreciative crowd of supporters. The Gloucester Police Department put this fundraiser together to support the Gloucester High School weight room renovation and by all accounts, it was a huge success. There were 4 classes of participants that took their chances running across a bridge made of plastic crates that bounced and tilted with the waves. As expected, the youngest and lightest were most successful. There was a Municipal group which will need a great deal more practice before next year’s event. The event drew several boats, pedestrians and beach-goers who cheered everyone on with enthusiasm. Follow the Gloucester Fishermen Athletic Association on Facebook for updates and donation information.

Of course, it takes a village to pull these events together so big shout out to all the many volunteers who made this so much fun. We are already looking forward to next year.

Now enjoy the photo/video dump:

I know you want to see the best team in the GMG podcasting biz.

These youngsters were offering cold drinks on a hot afternoon along the boulevard yesterday. Who could resist? Thank you Violet, Felicity, Caleb, Johnny and mom-in-charge Bonnie (who was camera shy) for the refreshing idea! You really brightened our day.

Sharing a screenshot from the Gloucester Bites Facebook page regarding the former Goombadis.

I hope you can tolerate a few more shoutouts to the Bluefin Blowout boats. I happened to catch quite a parade of them leaving through the cut bridge yesterday, their names now very familiar to me following several days of tournament coverage. It was quite a handsome parade including All Risk, First Light, and Double Down. Thanks for a great tournament! I am hooked now…….

Livestreaming from the Castaways Vintage Cafe Fashion Show. There will be NO AUDIO while copyrighted music is playing but we will try to keep up the commentary in the comment sections. Or come on down!

It is our first Bluefin Blowout, but it will definitely NOT be our last. So, I had to share some of it with you. But not so much the tuna, these are more about the friends also there enjoying the excitement of the event to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. Some of the scenes from Wednesday:

A while back, Maritime Gloucester held a fundraising auction and we secured a sunset cruise from Capt Holly Treat, a Maritime Gloucester Board member. We were very happy to support such a worthy organization and got a boat ride as a bonus! After some wrangling over dates, we finally settled on a perfect evening (Tuesday night) for our personalized cove tour from the Annisquam Yacht Club as the sun was setting. The water was silky calm, the heat wave had broken and the company was outstanding aboard the Gizmo. We chatted quite a bit about Maritime Gloucester and its recent improvements as well as its contributions to the community. Truly, if you have not been by since your 4th grade field trip, DO IT! Until then, enjoy some of our coast from the water at dusk. Thank you Capt Holly for your work with Maritime Gloucester as well as for your hospitality!

Sharing news from the Goomabdi’s Facebook page with these screenshots:

As I write this, we are awaiting rainstorms so it seemed like a good idea to think about how stunning our skies can be sometimes.

The skies proved once again who’s in charge around here!

You probably have heard that the temporary Rt 133 bridge in Essex has opened. Although a bit narrow, it appears to be working to keep traffic moving unless there’s a wide vehicle making the attempt despite signage prohibiting such traffic.

I do not know why we hadn’t been to Willow Rest on Holly Street in quite a while, but we decided to have lunch there recently. I really need to spend more time over there! The place is full of local goods, vegetables, drinks, soups, gifts, baked goods AND delicious meals! All in one place with friendly service and smiling faces. There is something cool everywhere you look. We sat at the counter with our sliders and Rotary sandwich and gazed at all the tempting treats surrounding us. We left with some baked goods and soup. Totally a great place to stop and stay a while….. (the take out was also hopping so there’s that too!)

I was startled to see something flashing atop a dead tree in our backyard marsh in Magnolia so I dashed outside with the camera to find this osprey enjoying its catch. It seemed to be wiggling a bit which is why the sun reflected and drew my attention. We do see osprey once in a while out here but not too often so this was fun to observe. The action seemed to draw curious smaller birds to check it out. I did not have a clue what kind of fish that might be so I consulted my favorite fish expert…Finn…who told me it’s probably a pogie. Thank you Finn for the assist!

For additional photos and story details please check out Pat D’s Photos and Adventures Facebook page. It’s also a good spot for updates on shows and products available.

We were heading to a large family picnic and I pondered what I could take with me as a contribution toward feeding a varied and sizeable crowd. Salads that could travel well and please many tastes seemed a logical choice, so off we went to the Mill on Eastern Ave in Essex. I purchased pints of 4 different salads, each gluten free as part of our contribution. They stayed fresh for the journey and were a very big hit! It’s the place to go for sandwiches, salads and prepared foods.

The same afternoon we entertained a visit from a feeding osprey, this young buck took a dash across the marsh. It’s a totally entertaining back yard we have in Magnolia!!!

Please join the vendors of Cape Ann Makers Market tomorrow Thursday July 21 from 4-8 PM at the Paint Factory in an event to support Ocean Alliance. Along with other outstanding vendors and a food truck, Pat D’s Photos will be on hand with some exciting new products such as these. We have glass prints, magnets, notecards, coasters, matted prints and more at very reasonable prices. Stop by and say hello. These are really fun events.

Our friend Joey took advantage of our absence from the podcast recently to throw some shade my way regarding Keith the Wreath and his new Instagram account (@KeithIsAWreath). To fill in the story a bit, Keith the Wreath is a little gimmick I was using to show familiar Gloucester sights and stories with a new twist. He has a bit of a following here on GMG as well as in my own Facebook world, so I created his own Instagram account as a creative outlet. I hope you will show Joey Keith’s popularity by giving it a follow on Instagram. Believe it or not, “Keith The Wreath” was already taken (someone beat me to it) so search for KeithIsAWreath on Instagram to watch his adventures. Please!

Also, just because I am who I am, I had to take Keith a step further and now Aretha is in the mix as a childhood friend of Keith’s. They will have some distinct preferences and you will be seeing them together on adventures here on the blog as well as on Instagram! So, Keith is large and brilliant red; Aretha is smaller and sparkling blue. They make very pretty pictures together.

One of my very favorite spots to send visitors is to the Harbor Loop and Maritime Gloucester in particular. I love the stroll around the dock myself most anytime of day or season. This time I took Aretha for a visit under beautiful blue skies. The Compass Rose looked especially pretty that day.

Nice knobs, but I hear it runs hot and cold…….This Nissan spotted at Good Harbor Beach comes with an unusual accessory.