Author: Pat D

This serpent was recently sighted at Niles Pond (a pond serpent?) and it seems to be one of the friendlies.

Our Lady of Good Voyage is raising funds to repair/restore their towers most recently damaged a year ago by wind. It is estimated that the repairs to this damaged tower might be around $150,000 and efforts are underway to raise funds to assist. This historic church is a mainstay of Gloucester’s community and history. Originally dedicated in 1893 and rebuilt after a fire in 1914, there is no question of its significance in the Gloucester history. Online donations accepted at ccgronlineolgv.churchgiving.com

Pictures from early March 2021:

Nothing says Happy Birthday quite like a delivery of fresh flowers, particularly for the last birthday at work before retirement. Congratulations to my sister Paula Ryan O’Brien on her birthday and upcoming retirement! It was a pleasure for me to make a visit to Audrey’s to order a flower arrangement. It’s always an uplifting experience in there and there’s so much more to Audrey’s than simply flowers! So many little gifts and friendly staff make it a no-brainer stop. And I treated myself to some of the lovely tulips as well. Thanks, Heather and staff! And Happy Birthday and Retirement to Paula!

Gloucester congratulates the cast of CODA and especially Troy Kotsur for “upending the Oscar race” (quoted from several sources including Deadline.com) at last night’s SAG awards. The cast was presented with the Outstanding Cast award and Troy Kotsur for Best Supporting Actor. Exciting news and well deserved! Congratulations to the entire crew and also to Sian Heder, writer and director. We hope you will all come back to Gloucester!

The snow was just the right consistency for some pretty awesome snowman-building around town. Our coast has some new sentinels—from the temp agency 🙂

Are you ready for spring? A sure sign that the bulk of the winter season has passed is that Farnham’s on Eastern Ave in Essex will be reopening next Fri March 4! It’s always a welcome sight to see their return on the first Friday in March each year. It’s so pretty there anytime of the year.

The US Coast Guard vessel Sitkinak visited our harbor this week from Portland Maine and met up with our own USCG Key Largo for training exercises. It was very cool to watch this in action yesterday. I couldn’t help but be impressed by the view of these vessels side by side. I am very proud to note that my nephew was participating here as a crew member aboard the Sitkinak. Thank you Coast Guard!

Sharing information for Gloucester residents from DPW

I just love a day with blue skies and sunshine even if it is about 25 degrees outside and this is always a favorite spot from which to observe the sun, shadows, sky and water.

It was pretty choppy on both sides of the breakwater at Eastern Point last week. I like to document the waves breeching the wall so that visitors believe me when I caution them to be careful down there! For additional photos and details, check out Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook.

Our very own Cape Ann Sea Salt was one of the companies featured in a recent Boston. com which can be found here. We are very proud to note Cape Ann Sea Salt is a prominent feature in our pantry as it boasts being made 100% from Cape Ann sea salt. Well done Anna and James Eves!

Good news from the Cape Ann Museum that library hours have expanded to allow researchers more time to work. The Cape Ann Museum library and archives hold a special place in my heart as that is where I finally located the breakthrough documentation I needed to allow Gloucester fisherman John Handran to receive the recognition he deserved. This is a Twitter screenshot with details:

And, in additional good news for researchers everywhere, the 1950 US Census will be released in just 39 days! It’s a 72 year wait for the census to be released and it happens only every 10 years so many researchers have itchy fingers to research this latest census release. What will you be wanting to know from the 1950 census???

The award winning film CODA, filmed largely in Gloucester and up for 3 Academy Awards (including Best Picture!) will be available FREE in selected theaters around the country next weekend Feb 25-27 2022. Although it appears Gloucester is not one of those selected cities, it will be shown in Brookline and it would pay to check to see if it’s near wherever you are. I highly recommend seeing it, especially on the big screen. To check for tickets in your area click here.

From Deadline.com:

The ticket availability screen looks like this for the Gloucester area:

The Department of Public Works for Gloucester has shared the following information you may find useful as of today Feb 19 2022.

These were taken at high tide the day BEFORE the winds were supposed to ramp up earlier this week. I got myself a nice sea water shower in the frigid air. I didn’t mind.

Bishcho on Main Street remains a favorite for a filling lunch with a great people-watching view! I prefer the Italian sandwich while Jim likes to get soup and a half sandwich. In this case, Italian Wedding soup and tuna sandwich. It’s a perfect spot for people watching while you eat. Give it a try if you haven’t yet.

It was deceptively cold in the sun under beautiful blue skies earlier this week when I noticed by snow blankets on some of our favorite sights. The contrast of the sun, snow and blue skies was irresistible.

Once again, we found ourselves at the 525 Tavern on Lexington Ave in Magnolia for dinner and once again it was a great experience. On their website, 525 calls itself your local tavern; a description that really fits the bill along with the note that it’s a “hidden gem”. Comfortable bar and table seating, friendly staff, good food and drink each and every time that we go. For us, it’s right up the road and we look forward to our visits. This time we ordered a pizza and Jim had a burger. Though I did not have it this time, I also love their French Onion soup. Worth stopping by even if you have to drive over the bridge!

I know the weather has taken a turn, but I have recently been noticing a few hesitant signs of spring coming along! The light is changing, the birds are singing and there are occasional gorgeous days especially this one last week at Good Harbor Beach.

A hopeful sight on Main Street at the location of the former Halibut Point Restaurant where some renovations and spiffing up seem to be occurring. Very excited to learn what this will be!