Author: patmorss

Sailing on our 21ft. sloop Troll brings me down to water level and close to the action.

We’re in our second heat wave, but Cape Ann is surrounded by water. There are ways to cool off.

US Coast Guard Barque Eagle (America’s Tall Ship) was tied up bowsprit-to-bowsprit with USS Constitution (Congressional Ship of State) at the Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, for public tours over the weekend. We attended a reception for the USS Constitution Museum on Friday evening, hosted by Eagle. It was special because these are the only two commissioned naval sailing ships in the country. Not only that, they both have their first female Captains.

This week Gloucester hosted the annual 2-day Bluefin Blowout tuna fishing competition. We saw a couple of boats come in and here are some photos of one of the larger fish, caught on F/V Lugnut. I need to learn more about onboard techniques for protecting the quality of the meat of these overheated high metabolism fish after a hard fight.

The extended heat wave finally made it to New England, so here are a few suggestions for staying cool.

Here’s a recap of the last week, with some photo ramblings.

A real ornithologist wouldn’t make up a story like this, but it’s fun to imagine. As the water lilies spread, they become an impediment for the water birds.

Great fireworks show last evening. We opted to enjoy our deck and see what was visible behind us over the trees.

Joey and others are correct about fabulous GMG coverage of all the St Peter’s Fiesta celebrations and events. But that wasn’t the only place to enjoy early summer.

This posting is for people who need a break from wildlife. It is representative of the marine traffic that passes our house (except for the train).

Our two local water habitats are Niles Pond and the Eastern Point shoreline, and we all share both.

We have our Audubon Sanctuary on Eastern Point, and we visited the Evergreen Lake Audubon Sanctuary west of Denver last week. FIRST THE EAST.

Weather improved during the week.

We’re slowly edging into summer, and everyone is doing their own thing.

Arriving home from Norway we were greeted by a week of wind and waves, and the Egrets (and Herons) had taken over Niles Pond.

Back home from Norway. The flight was a reminder of how climate change is affecting the North. The first 5 photos are at the southeast coast of Iceland. The last 5 are over Greenland, and our evening pass by Gloucester, landing at Logan.

Visiting Anne-Lise’s sister and husband in Norway always points out similarities to Cape Ann. They live on the island of Tjome, an hour and a half drve southwest of Oslo, close to Tonsberg, Norway’s oldest city.

Anne-Lise and I are finally back in Norway with Berit (her sister) and Jan (our brother-in-law) after 2-1/2 years of the pandemic. They were eager to share Jan’s recent catch of saltwater crayfish, from the fjord outside their house. Crayfish are found in 100-200 feet of water with a muddy bottom for burrowing, and the non-commercial fishing public is allowed a generous number of traps year-round without paying for a permit. A succulent dinner. The rest this evening.

It was a quick storm Monday night into Tuesday, with winds 63mph around us.

Our Ospreys on the Annisquam River, next to Lobstaland, are back on their regular nesting platform, and Essex County Greenbelt’s live camera is back in operation. Visit their website at ecga.org/Osprey-Cam to see the action and read the updates on what’s been going on, this year and last. Here are a few screen shots from the camera.