Author: Pat D

I find sunflowers extremely photogenic and soothing so I thought you might agree that more sunflowers is beneficial to your well being. Relax and enjoy.

Pavilion Beach is a great little spot for many reasons but mostly because it’s relaxing with quite a lot going on in the vicinity. Hail Pavilion Beach!

Sharing information from Maritime Gloucester’s Instagram page regarding Food Truck Tuesday today Aug 23 2022:

Just a stroll along the walkway behind the former Cape Ann Brewing on a perfect August afternoon…….ahhhh, Gloucester!

Despite spending most of our adult lives in Central New York, we had not visited a winery in quite a while. We stopped at San Juan Vineyard mostly out of curiosity and nostalgia. It was a charming sight obviously ready for weddings and other events. The small tasting room offered a flight of 4 for our enjoyment. GMG Jimmy devised a brilliant system for ranking the wines which I thought you might enjoy and learn from. We did purchase a bottle of his first choice to share at some future event.

Friends visited from upstate New York and their agenda had been kind of a hectic agenda up to their stop in Gloucester. We thought a nice calm sail around the harbor aboard the Ardelle was just the ticket. It was a lovely day, the crew praising the dry easterly winds (which doesn’t sound so good, but apparently is). Harold Burnham himself accompanied us following his underwater inspection of the boat just prior to our departure. Capt Phil guided us around the shoreline for about 2 hours with a small number of other passengers. It was just perfectly peaceful and calm way for us to catch up and enjoy the beauties of our harbor and shore. Check it out soon before summer slams the door shut. Thank you Erin and Paul for giving us another excuse to spend some time on the water!

Our backyard is ceaselessly entertaining. It’s August, so the bees start to gather in and near the hummingbird nectar. This poses a dilemma for the hungry hummingbirds. Sometimes they decide it’s best to all get along together for a common purpose. There’s a lesson in there! At the same time, a mother deer and fawn also come for a visit and seem unthreatened by much bigger creatures like us. They allow us to watch and photograph freely while they go about their natural business. We love our life in Gloucester!

We went for a ride in search of a nearby lighthouse (Cattle Point Lighthouse) and came across these eagles along the way. So pleased to be able to report I have now documented eagles on both coasts. On the path up to the lighthouse, we had a face to face with this fox. He’d been running off with an egg in its mouth (which you can see if you look closely) and then we ran into him further along the path. I assume it was the same one anyhow and he seemed to have little fear of us. He almost seemed to be asking us to follow him. I have never been that close to a fox! And he was the size of a medium dog, a healthy well fed dog/fox.

I was on my shift at the Welcome Center at Stage Fort Park with FOB Susan and she mentioned she had an email from Serenitee for $10 off lunch at Hale Street Tavern that day. Lo and behold, I had the same email as well as an appetite so off we went to Hale Street Tavern in Beverly for lunch with some help from Serenitee. We had not been there since the “before-times” (pandemic) so the email offer was a timely reminder to give it a go. (PS: we’ve said it before, but the Serenitee membership is free and a NO BRAINER)

Jackie was our server, the restaurant was busy on this Thursday afternoon. Jim had shrimp chowder and a Cobb Salad. I had the Smokehouse Burger. The food was served quickly and was tasty and filling. We needed to speak with Jackie regarding one of the food items and the minor issue was resolved quickly and in a friendly manner. We noticed a couple at an adjacent table being VERY specific in their requests for changes to their food as listed in the menu and Jackie was gracious and accommodating with them as well.

Sometimes pleasant service such as this goes a long way toward customer satisfaction as it did for us on this day. We all are aware that businesses are struggling with getting supplies and employees so when an employee is especially responsive, it’s a huge bonus. Well done, Hale Street Tavern.

Just how big ARE the pests in Washington state?

Thank you, Linda, from All Purpose Flowers on Lexington Ave in Magnolia for sending my husband home with this gorgeous arrangement of locally grown flowers! There’s something special about fresh flowers in the house. These are wonderful.

Make a stop at Ocean Alliance and the Paint Factory tonight foe the Cape Ann Makers Market. This is always a great event.

We are in the San Juan Islands specifically to see orcas and eagles. BINGO on both counts, but for this post I will focus on the orca adventure. Whale watching in this part of the world is similar to ours in many ways but different in others. One reason is that orcas can be seen here and they have some habits that are a bit varied from our own humpbacks. We took a ride out in a small boat (I’m told it’s a Nyack and there are only 3 in the US) with about a dozen other people and sought the whales nearly to Whidbey Island. Here we found a group of 5 Biggs Killer Whales along with another pair. They seemed very active and playful. We followed them along for a while and they even swam under our boat and a pair surfaced right next to us. Thrilling. The day prior produced zero whale sightings for that trip. We were very fortunate! Thanks to our friend Nichole Schrafft for giving us some tips for this trip which is panning out to be more than memorable.

For additional pictures and story details, please visit Pat D’s Photos on Facebook. If you have never seen an orca penis, you might want to check out more photos there! That should push the views up…….

Some of you may know we are vacationing in the Seattle/San Juan Islands. Much of coastal Friday Harbor is similar to our own island: fishing industry, whale watching, and stunning views. But here was a sobering reminder that we are most certainly no longer on the east coast. More travelogue to come!

Some views from St. Peter’s Landing on a beautiful summer morning several days ago. If you are not “home” (where you belong), maybe you need to see this…….

There’s never a shortage of dogs and their humans enjoying the boulevard. Perhaps you recognize some of these canines on a Saturday stroll?

The Barn Hairdressing Lounge is easily visible from the scenic byway route through Essex at 1 Main Street. More modern than most of the barns I am drawn to take photos of, it’s quite regal and handsome and has an impressive footprint. They do not appear to have a website, but their phone number is easily available using Google.

I love seeing our fishing boats returning to harbor when I am out on the water. Welcome back Opportunaty, Foxy Lady, Nicole Jean, Black Pearl, Jennie-n-Rose, and Carol Ann. Fare thee well to those going out.

We decided to go back to Rosettis on Brimbal Ave in Beverly for dinner last week. It had been recommended by our friends Chris and Charleen and we have been once but hadn’t been back in quite a while. There are so many fine restaurants right here in Gloucester, it’s hard to leave town for another but it was a special occasion and we have been wanting to return here for this Italian themed dining experience. We were not disappointed.

We had the half antipasti board as an appetizer and it was plenty for the two of us. I tried a pomegranate martini (very tasty) and Jim had a pinot grigio. There was a surf and turf special which I ordered and Jim got the Chicken Braciolettini with red sauce. My filet was done to perfection and I appreciated that our server Dan explained that the kitchen prefers to prepare the meat medium rare, which is my preference as well. After we enjoyed our entrees, I had an Irish coffee (not bad for an Italian joint) and Jim ordered the sorbet. In the end, the trip “off island” for this meal was well worth it.

It was busy even for a weeknight, so I would recommend reservations. There are a variety of seating options: bar, table booth, round, patio etc. There was plenty of staff which is tricky for establishments these days. The servings were nicely paced; I did not feel rushed at all. Servers were attentive and helpful. I was happy we made the choice to go to Rosettis.

I hope you can stop by Castaways Vintage Cafe on Rogers St tomorrow Saturday Aug 11 and say hello at Pat D’s Photos and Adventures for our very last summer show. We will be offering a couple of specials including a show special: pick your own magnet and 4 notecards as a package for only $15. Also glass ornaments will be available for $20….at the end of the month I will reluctantly be forced to raise the price. These are some of the images available on Cape Ann Giclee printed notecards and prints. There are also placemats, coasters, magnets, puzzles, ornaments and much more! Other vendors are scheduled to be there as well and there will be live music so stop by! Our next scheduled show won’t be until October, but some of my items are available at Maritime Gloucester too.