Good Morning Gloucester

Ripple on the Water restaurant in Essex has reopened on Main Street! This place holds a soft spot in my heart so we were so happy to see they have returned that we went for dinner on opening day. We were not disappointed. The atmosphere is perfect for the view of the launch and landing on the Essex River. Endlessly entertaining view and the menu is nicely varied. We were greeted by owner/chef Thomas who remembered our last visit which wasn’t long before they had to close two years ago. Other familiar faces (Rachel and our server Cathy) were warm and friendly. We gave a GMG sticker to Thomas and his wife Michelle as our very own “Welcome Back.”

We enjoyed clam chowder, vegetable spring roll, the burger and mahi fingers and chips, but the key lime pie definitely stood out –tart and tasty! Just about a perfect meal. I hope you will find an opportunity to give it a try yourself.

One thing we are noticing in our area restaurants is the increased need to adjust hours due to lack of help so, wherever you go, check their current hours before heading out.

I was able to fulfill a long-time dream of taking a ride out to Thacher Island on the rides offered by the Thacher Island Association yesterday. What a day! It was a wonderful photo opportunity so I was glad to be able to go with a photography friend Melissa Cox. If this is one of your dreams, I suggest you check out their website which is very robust and offers reservations for these rides.

We were on the island for almost 2 hours and walked all over, including climbing to the top of the South Tower (156 steps). It was a lovely day for a walk. However, the birds (mostly gulls and some geese) were VERY aggressive protecting their young, so the docents recommend you take a big stick with you! And we used ours once or twice as poor Melissa got dive-bombed more than once.

The ride out and back was delightful. The captain allowed the young man to drive the boat which was thrilling for him. The children were on the tour with their great-grandmother (!) and climbed the tower with her. I noted nearly no one gets to climb a lighthouse with their great-grandmother!!! So it was a special day all around.

Adventureman: Running America by Jamie McDonald

Praise for Jamie McDonald:“Very impressed by your appetite for pain”
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
‘Inspiring… incredible’Sir Steve Redgrave
“Extremely Tough”Sir Ranulph Fiennes
In 2018, Jamie McDonald embarked on his greatest adventure yet: running the equivalent of 210 marathons, solo and unsupported, coast to coast across America. An impressive feat for anyone, let alone someone who was told as a child they might never walk again.
Running through 22 states, Jamie battled 50-degree heat in desolate deserts, dodged rattlesnakes and mountain lions, had several near-death encounters and suffered an injury that  left him no choice but to run 300 miles barefoot. Oh, and he did it all dressed in his superhero suit as his alter ego, Adventureman, running to raise funds for sick children.
Though his journey was mentally and physically exhausting, America gave him the surprise of a lifetime, and the heart-warming kindness and generosity he encountered along the way gave  him that glimmer of hope he needed to persevere against all odds. 
And as if that wasn’t enough, Jamie then took on one of his most demanding challenges to date – one which would require him to dig deep to find the secret of resilience, as he attempted to smash one of the toughest world records on the planet – the greatest distance run on a treadmill in one week. He successfully ran 524 miles (10 miles more than the previous record), running  all day and most of the night for a week!

Explore the beautiful landscape of Cape Ann with Gloucester artist Loren Doucette in the “Taking Liberties on the Landscape: An Expressive Plein Air Workshop” on Tuesdays, July 6-27 from 9:30 am-12:30 pm. Learn more and register at https://bit.ly/3iwc7Vs.

Hazy, hot and humid….

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