Author: Pat D

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.

There’s a small cardinal family frequenting our feeders recently where I have watched the Papa Cardinal feeding 2 young females. These 2 youngsters are always nearby when Papa is around and he makes sure they each get what they need. Reminds me of the Paul Anka song “Papa”: “Everyday my Papa would work/To help to make ends meet/To see that we would eat…”

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Schooner Isabella (to be fair, I have a soft spot in my heart for ALL of the historic schooners….) and was glad to see she is being lovingly repaired/restored at the Maritime Gloucester railways. She’s so beautiful even out of the water!

I just needed a little treat and I had not been to Cape Ann Coffees on Bass Ave in a while, so I stopped by. Closing time was approaching but the staff handled the various customers as though they were the first of the day. There was a minor problem with an order that was efficiently resolved to the customer’s satisfaction. Although I had no idea of “Sammy Cacciatore” and his claim to fame, he stopped by as well. The younger customers and staff seemed to be well aware of actor Chris Romano’s work. He acknowledged the comments and was friendly to his followers.

There’s artwork currently being featured by photographer John Abisamra which caught the eye of several customers; well worth stopping by for a look! There are treats and sandwiches and, of course, coffees. I had a fresh squeezed lemonade and a pastry while I read my newspaper and observed the goings-on. Thanks for the respite Cape Ann Coffees and staff!

Some of you may remember Keith the Wreath from last winter. He prefers to stick close to home during the tourist season, but his friend Aretha is visiting so we went to the Stage Fort Park Welcome Center for a little orientation. Luckily, two wonderful volunteers Jane and Martha were helpful in showing Aretha a little bit about Gloucester and places to see. You may be seeing some additional photos of Aretha around town (say hi if you see her out and about) but here is her stop at the Welcome Center. Again, if you haven’t stopped by there yourself, I encourage you to visit this beautiful building and see what’s what. Lots of great info that might surprise you and be helpful even if you don’t have visitors. Open Memorial Day through Columbus Day 9-6 PM most days. Special thank you to Martha and Jane for being willing to participate in my project!

I am not sure if this is more a story of ducks or of lilies at Niles Pond. Regardless, it’s quite a striking sight to see the regal ducks amidst the glowing lily field. And sometimes you run into a fellow GMG contributor (Pat M)…….so, bonus…..

When friends come to town and you suggest going out to try and catch a pretty sunset……mic drop……thank you Lanes Cove! Never a disappointment. Thanks for the gorgeous glowing evening!

We took an afternoon whale watch with Cape Ann Whale Watch last week and it was the most amazing watch I have yet experienced. Our crew capt John and naturalist Tina and staff took the long ride out almost to Cape Cod in order to find these feeding whales for us. It was very much worth the extra time riding out there. There was very active feeding activity with at least 20 different whales. Honestly, it was a little overwhelming to have activity left, right and everywhere around you. The crew was busily filming the experience for themselves, which is a good indicator right there of how unusual and awesome it was. Tina sums it up nicely in this short video. If you have not been out, you really should go! It’s a great half day activity from any of the whale watches in our area. For additional pictures and story details, please check out Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook.

Sharing news posted to Facebook from Arts Abound in Magnolia. Please support our friend Sue Wheeler and local artisans in whatever way you are able. Fair sailing Sue!