Author: Pat D

The red tulips are a perfect choice to surround Triton. It seems he is welcoming spring.

One of my favorite things about spring is our favorite services and establishments re-opening for the upcoming season. We were delighted to see that Russell Orchards in Ipswich is open and ready for you to visit. Always a fun spot for children, I noticed what I think is a new play area near the pond. All our favorites have returned along with some new temptations. This is a regular stop for us and maybe we will see you there soon! Sorry, Joey, no donuts for you this time…….

We are happy to see Pauline’s Gifts on Essex Ave open for the season just in time for a spring refresh of decorative home accessories, jewelry and more. Pauline’s is more than just a store. It’s a meeting place; it provides community support (especially for military); and it’s just plain fun. Always fun to catch up with Pauline! See you there soon I hope. Open Tues-Saturdays; every responsive to email and phone calls.

The Fort is a great place to watch the action in the harbor. There’s been a lot of activity recently. Here’s to Hurricane Indie, Joy Frances, Clean Sweep, Rylee Finn, Darth Vader and Relentless.

We went to Jalapenos on Main Street recently because we enjoy the food and the atmosphere, but also because they were hosting a fundraiser for the Gloucester High Softball team. There was quite a robust turnout and I hope the team met their goal. It’s really nice to see local businesses helping locals reach their goals. I am proud to know that many of Gloucester’s businesses support the community in so many ways.

I tried the steak fajitas and Jim had pork carnitas. I love the salsa and chips (cannot stop munching on those!) and my favorite is a frozen raspberry margarita. Thanks Jalapenos!

***Added news since I wrote this post is that Jalapenos is now offering Great Marsh Brew!**

I am a sucker for spring flowers, in particular tulips so I jumped on the opportunity to visit the Spring Bloomfest at the Stevens Coolidge House and Gardens in North Andover recently. Things have changed there since my last visit about 4 years ago, so it took me a minute to realize I had visited this very festival earlier. Honestly I was a little underwhelmed by the spring blossoms but delighted by the rainbow-ribbon themed decorations which seem so very appropriate for a spring day.

The Bloomfest is sold out but soon (May 16) the grounds will be open for normal admission and you might want to give it a try. The house is open to the public and there’s a thorough self guided tour you can take advantage of. Plenty of helpful staff is also available. But if it’s mostly tulips you love, take a stroll on the boulevard!

Sharing news from the City if Gloucester Facebook page:

It is definitely worth the short ride into Manchester to try out the Antique Table on Central Street if you haven’t been there yet. It’s been several months since our last visit but they have not missed a step in their menu or service. We made online reservations with ease. Claire was our server and she offered appropriate suggestions and careful attention to our needs. Thanks Claire!

I had chicken florentine and Jim ordered ravioli with meatballs, which we both enjoyed very much. I tried a French martini with Claire’s recommendation and it came in a frosted glass! Bonus. We tried the cannoli for dessert which was the right ending along with the Italian coffee. It’s nice to be getting back out and about in the evenings while there is still some light!

It’s a lovely spot for contemplation and gazing out to the horizon. My CB (crystal ball) looks great amongst the rocks and enjoyed a bit of a salt water bath.

There was a beautifully peaceful sunset glowing over Plum Cove recently. Maybe this will be a special gift for those from away missing the salt water and the sea air.

We got some really nice big wave action recently that is hard to resist when you are experimenting with a new camera. What am I saying? I can’t resist wave pictures regardless…..

The tulips at the Tip Top Tulips Farm in Ipswich (take the road right next the Dairy Queen and follow your nose to the tulip field) are in full bloom and they are spectacular. We went yesterday and the field was full of families, senior citizens and young couples. It’s a great photo opportunity in an open friendly atmosphere. Open daily, but on the weekends there are some additional activities such as goat yoga (?!?!) and farm animals. There were a lot of visitors but we did not feel crowded. Tickets are reasonably priced.

We had purchased some presale tickets which allowed us to pick-our-own tulips (15 with each of these tickets) or they are $1 each. It’s an efficient operation with parking assistance as well as help packing up your blooms. I am a big fan. It would be a GREAT Mother’s Day activity. Looking forward to returning for the sunflower field,

Happy May Day! What do you recall about May Day from your childhood? Anything special? We used to gather wildflowers (often dandelions as I recall) to leave anonymously on neighborhood door handles. If we were feeling pretty lucky, we added some penny candy. I personally have never done a maypole celebration but saw one recently and was reminded of the celebration of May’s arrival. I don’t think these things happen much anymore. I am pretty sure they are only vague memories for my own children. I miss it!

Here’s some virtual May Day flowers and a maypole for you. Happy May Day! Now I am humming the song from Camelot…..you know which one…..

You might remember I mentioned choppy seas and grey weather the day we went out on our Whale Watch with Cape Ann Whale Watch. The less than desirable conditions did not stop our fishing vessels from doing their jobs. So the pictures may be a little dark but most were taken from the Hurricane II as we left the harbor and they were returning: Alanna Renee, Fisheye, Amanda May, Josephine L, Colette Ivy, and Fisherman Pride.

This small white bird hopping around our yard this week caught my eye, though I was uncertain what it was. A friend of a friend (thanks Scott!) identifies it as a leucistic song sparrow, apparently somewhat rare but not as rare as an albino of that species would be. I will be closely watching the backyard to see what develops out there. It’s been spotted for a couple of days now, though it’s not every day there’s a small white bird in your yard! There are surprises everywhere!

I always like to take a walk on the Harbor Loop to the docks behind Maritime Gloucester. There’s always something going on down on this working dock and it’s a great spot to watch the fishing vessels depart and return. Sometimes you even get greeted from an upstairs window (Thanks Mike DeKoster for the idea for this post!). Great spot for locals as well as visitors. Opening again soon following some improvements.

We found this interesting “Rock with a Message” near the Paint Factory this week and thought you might be interested. I actually believe there’s probably more than one message here and the creator seems to have placed it carefully for our enjoyment and consideration.

Lobsta Land on Causeway Street recently reopened for the season and we were eager to get back down there for dinner. I highly recommend making reservations as it was quite busy even during the week for an early dinner. (I had trouble with the online reservations but made the reservations by phone instead) I had one of my favorites: blackened haddock. Jim chose the haddock chowder and a lobster roll. I tried the blackberry margarita (very tasty..just right on the sweet and sour balance). We do love the atmosphere there and are looking forward to the deck dining when the weather improves.

There’s something quite melancholy about a kite stuck in a tree. We found this at Stage Fort Park and could only imagine that it ruined a child’s afternoon outing recently. It’s been such good kite weather though I don’t blame anyone for trying.

I was anxious to get out on Cape Ann Whale Watch’s Hurricane II, but wanted to plan my outing carefully watching the weather conditions. BUT they had such a successful first outing that I just had to go out on Sunday despite the “Choppy Seas” warning and the grey skies. (not to mention the cold!) I was very glad I went.

Though we did not see a repeat of some behaviors seen the day before, we did get to watch a happy young calf breaching several times seemingly with great joy and abandon. We saw many whales including mother/calf pairs; more seals than I have ever seen out there; and a pod of dolphins as guides. Their interns (shout out Keirsten) are stellar at the education portion of the trip and the naturalist Tina was friendly and informative. The seas were, indeed, choppy, so an additional shout out to friend Jake for helping me stay firmly on my feet.

I easily made online reservations at Cape Ann Whale Watch; parked in their lot on Main St and relaxed in their care for a couple of hours. See additional story details and pictures at Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook. I hope to meet you out there someday! Even if you’ve been on a whale watch, each is unique and entertaining.