Author: Pat D

It looked like a Roman bathhouse in the creek recently. Hey guys, creek closed to swimming. Can’t you read?

An unusual (perhaps tropical) bird was sighted recently on Magnolia Avenue! A spot of color amongst the dead leaves was delightful. If you go that way to take a look, stop by the Magnolia Library for the Holiday Fair 9:30 – 2 today! Food and crafts offered by some of your favorite vendors!

A crane is poised next to the damaged turbine in the Blackburn Industrial Park. We understand the turbine’s remaining blades and hub will be removed. Applied Materials continues to investigate the cause of the failure and plans to keep the remaining portion in place meanwhile. Residents awoke one morning in July to notice that one of the blades had fallen off but there was blessedly little damage. The red crane is noticeable all over the city!

It appears the process is underway for the new senior housing units at the former site of the YMCA on Middle Street in Gloucester. I understand there are to be 40+ units with some parking and senior services coming to the site soon. I have no further details yet.

Pat D’s Photos is excited to be attending the Magnolia Holiday Fair this Saturday Nov 19 from 9:30 – 2 at the Magnolia Library, hosted by the Magnolia Women’s Club. Notecards, prints, coasters, playing cards, ornaments and glass prints featuring Gloucester scenes will be available. If you haven’t started holiday shopping, this is a great opportunity. Our NEW Fisherman at Dusk Glass Print will be available but you can order one here ahead of time. I expect them to go fast and they are in limited quantities.

Fisherman at Dusk NEW Glass Print

Glass print 5 x 7 includes acrylic stands. Free delivery on Cape Ann

$35.00

Sharing information from the Rockport Police Facebook page:

I noted that The Village in Essex had updated their menu and I was curious so off we went for dinner a few days ago. When we were visiting Gloucester with our children 20 years ago or so, the Village was one of the places we would gather with Gloucester family members so it holds some special memories for us. In the years since, we do go once in a while and have had a lovely experience each time. The recent visit was the same. We made easy online reservations and were seated even though we arrived early. We appreciated that the market prices were posted in the lobby for advance reference. Shout out to Eileen, our friendly server! I noticed several families with young children as well as older couples enjoying their meals so it’s popular for many.

Jim tried the Sicilian Fish Stew and the Seafood Trio. I had the Mediterranean Chicken and I ate every single bite. Strawberry Shortcake for dessert was plenty for the two of us. The choices on the updated menu were nicely varied and suited our tastes. We enjoyed our evening very much and will plan another visit soon!

Just came across ongoing demolition at the former Mobile convenience store site on Essex Ave. such an interesting process.

Sharing information provided on Facebook regarding CATA fares (FREE!) throughout the holiday season!

The holidays are fast approaching and I thought it might be fun to share some of my local shopping experiences with you. For the first installment, we went to Cape Pond Ice to pick up some gifts for some favorite people. I had in mind exactly what I wanted so it was intended to be a quick stop. We immediately noticed the inside of the store (located on Commercial Street) has recently been reconfigured. It looks even better! The merchandise is neatly displayed and easy to navigate. We got what I had planned on and Jim got himself a new hat. These are favorite items for family and friends so it makes the perfect gift especially for those who love Gloucester but live elsewhere. Thanks Scott and team! Well done, as usual.

Sharing information from the Present Facebook page. Opening Sunday Nov 20 at the site of Last Stop Variety 273 East Main St.

It’s been beautiful here these last several days. I wanted to return to Half Moon Beach at Stage Fort Park to see what it looks like in fall. I thought you might enjoy this too. You can see what GMG Jim does when I am working on the Good Morning Gloucester blog posts.

I was experimenting with some iPhone camera techniques in Magnolia recently and thought you might enjoy this perspective of a favorite area. I am not tickled with ALL of these, but some are pretty cool especially at the pier. I will keep working on it. It’s nothing short of amazing how far the phone cameras have come.

For some reason my earlier post about the Bird Buddy did not include all the text I intended so here’s an update. I have never been intrigued enough by a kickstarter campaign to jump in until I saw this Bird Buddy. I had been thinking about a gift for Jim, so I jumped on it. I waited through 2 birthdays, a Father’s Day and a Christmas but it finally arrived and we are very happy with it. They are now commercially available, although they are a little pricey for a bird feeder. Makes a nice gift though. Easy to install, friendly app. Here’s how it looked for our experience:

The unit is well made, sturdy and easy to install. The backyard birds are posing nicely and we are having a grand time with it. For a bird feeder, it’s a little pricey but for a gift for a special someone…..worth it!

Sharing news from the Lobster Roller Facebook page that today (Friday Nov 11) is their last day of the season. Check them out along the boulevard today starting at 11:30 am.

The recently relocated and redesigned Vietnam Memorial now has military flags flying to honor our local Vietnam veterans and those who lost their lives in the conflict. A ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 today at the new Stage Fort Park location near the tennis courts. The Veterans’ Day ceremony at the high school is scheduled for 9 AM and this event will follow at 11:30 am. It’s absolutely beautiful and thoughtfully designed for contemplation and remembrance and I hope you can stop by today or sometime soon to take a look. Stop, Reflect, Honor.

I had heard Weathervane was putting up a new store sign so I went to check it out and continued up the street for a bit just to see what I could see. It was a quiet morning and some of the establishments weren’t yet open for business. I prefer the hustle and bustle but it’s good to savor the quiet as well. This is for those of you who are missing Glosta!

Sharing information regarding the new site for the Vietnam Memorial. Thank you Ruth for sharing!

I am not overly crafty but I do enjoy the occasional “sip and create” sort of event. Recently I attended one such event sponsored by the Gloucester Elks and run by Create and Escape DIY out of Peabody. These amazing sisters were very patient with my decidedly inexperienced attempts to create some scented candles. Create and Escape hosts a number of such events with various crafts. It’s worth a try on one of these early dark fall/winter evenings! So, thanks Elks as well as Create and Escape DIY but I will be withdrawing my Yankee Candle job application now.

Some before and after photos to show progress. Finished products Not For Sale (hahaha)