A lifelong New England resident, Chef/Owner John daSilva, graduated from the New England Culinary Institute in 2004.  He trained in various kitchens including The Boarding House on Nantucket Island and Barbara Lynch’s flagship No. 9 Park before opening Spoke Wine Bar in 2013. During his time at Spoke, John received a great deal of critical acclaim, being named one of Zagat’s “30 Under 30” for Boston and earning the title “Rising Star Chef” from StarChefs.com. Most recently John was named “Best Chef, Up & Coming” from Boston Magazine.  When he’s not in the kitchen, John enjoys watching the Boston Celtics and visiting local farms with his beautiful wife Molly and their adorable daughter Maple.
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With love and gratitude to Nina and Frank Groppo who each year open their hearts and home to the community, sharing in the true spirit of Saint Joseph ❤
This special, extra day of pasta-making, especially for kids, as well as grownups who could not attend last Tuesday, would not be possible without the love and help of Groppo family friends, grandparents, moms, dads, aunts, and uncles who take the time and care to show the “next generation” time held traditions and celebrations. Viva San Giuseppe!
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Over six weeks I’m posting local history trivia questions from Shaun Goulart’s creative weekly scavenger project for his 9th grade history class at Gloucester High School– except we’ll be one week behind the students’ pace. He explains that the “questions are multi-layered and usually have an image required in the submission. All questions will deal with Gloucester’s local history. I recommended to the students to utilize friends and family so your student may be reaching out to you for help. It is a competition and the prizes will be calculated into the Term 4 grade” for the students.
Mr. Goulart’s LOCAL HISTORY TRIVIA WEEK TWO
WEEK 2 of 6: DEFENDING GLOUCESTER
Location #1
Who was the first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony?
Go to the location of the fort named after him and take a picture with a member in it.
During which war did it receive this name?
Location #2
Take a picture at Fort Point with the former location of the Coast Guard Aviation Station behind you (must be visible in the picture)
What was the fort called on Fort Point?
Name a war it was utilized in.
Location #3
From Fort Point go to the location of the seven-gun earthwork battery and barracks in ramparts field. Take a picture with the old towers in the background (do not go on private property)
Name a war it was utilized in?
Screenshot
Screenshot Google Earth with all three above locations in it and circle them. Submit the image.
Time lapse video spring morning in Gloucester. Thanks for the help Joey and YouTube with my new Yi Action Lite camera. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all. I hope it’s as bright and shiny as this!
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If you’re curious about which Gloucester and Rockport homes and condos are for sale, this is an easy way to find out. In the Cape Ann Waterfront Guide, you’ll receive up-to-the-minute information on pricing, size, bedrooms and “the remarks”, all via email.
Took this at White Beach, the sky was very hazy and the little sun that was out shone down on the water to make the ocean look silver. Did not take this as Black and White.
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The Cape Ann Community Foundation and our favorite leprechaun Matt Anzivino, General Manager of Rockport Inn And Suites hope for the love of Cape Ann and the Irish you will order a Cape Ann License Plate today at Lovecapeann.com!
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Construction work continues on the Long Beach seawall at 3 compromised sections: two 500′ sections (one is closer to the Gloucester edge and the second pretty much mid beach) and a third 30′ area of trouble at the corner by the creek and footbridge. Last summer’s temporary pyres have been vastly expanded with truckloads of boulders from Johnson’s Quarry. The line of boulders helps to prevent sand from being scoured away by seas and the bottom of the wall from further erosion. The rip rap will add ballast support weight.
Besides the crew at Long Beach, the second unit labors at the quarry. It’s slow and careful going impacted by weather and tides. This week was busy. Next week’s conditions are less favorable. Extra time is allotted to make certain heavy equipment beats the tides or the very real possibility of large equipment breaks or malfunction (thankfully has not happened yet). People wondered if a jetty or two was in the works but that is simply temporary staging.
Boulders are deposited at the Gloucester entrance to the beach and transferred to repair sites. Excavators work with Rockport DPW and GZA engineers for optimum selection. (GZA was contracted for Gloucester’s Stacy Boulevard work.) “Spotters” can be seen atop the Long Beach walkway. After the boulders are dumped into piles, the excavator sorts, lifts, rolls and inspects the whole lot and singles like searching for an impossibly hard to find puzzle piece. Sometimes one boulder is turned 15x before it’s the correct pitch or timing. The sorting was remarkably graceful and reminded me of rinsing and prepping berries or beans.
One day at Long Beach I spotted a swimmer with a glorious and faithful arm tattoo of Mary Ann from Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. He was staying at Cape Ann Motor Inn. Did he know that the author and illustrator, Virginia Lee Burton, was from Gloucester? He was stunned and thrilled. She modeled the steam shovel after one she brought her son to see busy building Gloucester High School. Families with little construction fans might enjoy watching Mary Ann’s descendant shoring up the Long Beach seawall.
The timeline for permits and planning for a future sand phase have not been slated.
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It’s been about a month since Mass DOT began structural repairs to Blynman Bridge and it seems a good job has been done to make navigating the restricted lanes as easy as possible on commuters. For those who may be unaware, one big change that will be noticed is that the the bridge tender’s control house on the harbor side of the bridge has been removed completely. It’s been empty for a while now, but the open space on that side of the street may be a welcome sight for many. (Thanks cousin Colleen for pointing this out to me!)
Here’s how it’s looking so far:
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I decided to go to Halibut Point for dinner as I had not been there recently and it was quite delightful. I like to skip lunch and have an early dinner so table seating was plentiful. As time went on, the bar filled up with obviou “friends and family” well known to the bartender and staff. It was fun to watch the “Cheers”-like aspect to welcoming new arrivals and rearranging the seats to accommodate them.
I started with a hot cider drink. I always appreciate hot drinks at this time of year. While I waited for my Cajun chicken ( a little more Cajun than I expected, but very yummy), I looked around at the history told in pictures on the wall. I have always loved these pictures so it was a joy to see them again. A very pleasant dinner, thanks Halibut Point!
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Good Morning Gloucester 