Author: Pat D

I found myself walking around Stage Fort Park late last week and couldn’t help but notice how very QUIET is was. Then I realized students had returned to school! As nice as a peaceful stroll on a beautiful day is for me, I kind of missed the buzz of activity. So, farewell summer and hello fall!

It was a lovely afternoon a few days ago when I went down the the Paint Factory for a look around. Lo and behold, I noticed immediately that the whale tail sculpture had been repaired! Deborah Redmond’s Deep Dive Within is a favorite of mine and I am very happy to see it back again. I was also able to get out on the dock for some views of the area that perhaps you haven’t seen in a while, especially with the wondrous backdrop of sky and clouds.

Yesterday’s Maritime Heritage Day offered 1 hour sails on the Ardelle for only $20 so we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to be out on the water during Schooner Fest. (*Side note: these tickets sold out so it will pay to plan ahead in the future!) We took Keith the Wreath out on the water with us and he was able to meet several of his fans along the way (talking to Susan and Cindy!) He’s a natural on the water.

Following the sail, we took part in several of the available activities as well as manning the merchandise table for a while. Several GMG followers and fans stopped by to say hello, which we very much appreciated. Today’s another great day for Schooner Fest 2022–especially the Parade of Sails at 10 AM. NOT TO BE MISSED!

Maritime Heritage Day has arrived!! Make sure to check out all the activities around town including schooner deck tours at Ocean Alliance (Roseway pictured here); I4C2 and Maritime Gloucester from 10 AM – 4 PM. Other activities include food trucks, free access to the Maritime exhibits and aquariums, family activities and demonstrations. Check out the Schooner Fest facebook page as well as Maritime Gloucester webpage. Stop by the merchandise table this afternoon and say hello!

You may remember back in June, GMG spent several hours at the Bass Rocks Golf course while the Dubin family (Dr. Jon Dubin, Benjamin and Avery) attempted to locate and recover a time capsule that had been buried there since 2010. Although they were unsuccessful on that attempt, the intrepid crew returned to Gloucester in August to give it another go…this time SUCCESS! As much as we wanted to return to Bass Rocks to cover this story, we were on vacation and unable to go. But Dr. Jon Dubin provided us with some details and photos to share as a follow up to the earlier quest.

The Dubins were expecting the birth of Benjamin and visiting Gloucester in the summer of 2010. They buried the time capsule intending to share it with Benjamin when he turned 10. As we all know, COVID interfered with this plan but the family returned to Gloucester as Benjamin is now 11 and his brother Avery is 9 to search for the time capsule. The Bass Rocks staff was very cooperative nd helpful and the well-wrapped time capsule was recovered mid August. Dr. Dubin supplied some photos for me to share. What a neat story!

Schooner Fest 2022 is kicking off down at the Maritime Gloucester docks just about now (5:30-7:30 Thurs Sept 1 2022) with the Schooner Challenge and other activities on the Harbor Loop including music and food! Get down there if you can but don’t miss other fun this weekend. Check out the schedule here. It’s going to be epic and you do not want to miss the fun.

Against the beautiful backdrop of the Schooner Isabella, media and guests were invited to welcome the schooners and crews and get further information about the activities. Speakers included Michael De Koster, Executive Director Maritime Gloucester, Mayor Greg Verga, Discover Gloucester’s Tess McColgan, Chairperson Daisy Nell, Harold Burnham, Bald Eagle crew and Maritime Gloucester historian Justin Demetri. The event was described as “making more history happen” by Mayor Verga. They expect 26-28 vessels to be in our harbors throughout the weekend. Most events are free and widely accessible from harborside so don’t miss it.

Sharing information from Howard Blackburn restaurant Facebook page regarding Labor Day weekend:

Many times throughout our recent vacation, we found ourselves reminded of home. This visit to Krystal Acres Alpaca Store and Farm is one example. GMG Jim spotted it so off we went in search of fun. And it was vastly more entertaining than I imagined. We were thinking of our dear friend Donna and her love of the Marshall Farm alpacas. So, cheers Marshall Farms! We now love alpacas too. The video should be viewed with the sound ON if you have never heard alpaca vocalization, as it startled me quite a bit. If you ever visit that part of the country, stop by for some extra fun.

These were taken several days ago but I just need to point out how glorious all the flowers are in the Generous Gardeners plots around the city. The lilies had an especially pretty glow under the summer sky along the boulevard on this day. One more time: thank you Generous Gardeners!!! PS they accept donations;….. **Thank you Bobbie for the clarification that these are Daylilies**

Our fishing boats are endlessly fascinating to me. Shout out to Still Kicking, Connemara Bay II, Sabrina Maria, Razzo, Cat Eyes, Sandollar, Hard Merchandise, Falcon, Hot Tuna and No Limits.

We recently took a sail on the Lannon (highly recommended especially on a brutally humid afternoon) and were visited by Capt Heath’s gull-friend Polly 5 Toes. As depicted in a recent children’s book by Sy Montgomery, Polly 5 Toes visits the Lannon seeking oyster crackers from the obliging captain. She came to the schooner twice on our sail that day and performed as anyone might hope. Polly has been visiting the Lannon for 8 years, Capt Heath reports. Thanks for stopping by Polly.

We just needed someplace to cool off and have a snack between events recently. We had not been to the Topside Grill on Rogers St in quite a while, so we stopped there for respite. We had drinks and appetizers to hold us over until dinner later. Jim had potato skins and I had the bacon wrapped scallops. We sat at the bar and Tyler provided great service. We’ll be back!

Always something pretty to find along the Harbor Loop and Maritime Gloucester!

When we are going on a road trip and we say “Need anything from Gloucester?”

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!