My View of Life on the Dock
Feather & Wedge announces the return of NYC jazz guitarist, Steve Lacey this Sunday, March 25 from 10:30 to 2:30 PM. Steve will be playing songs from the American Songbook along with some originals. If you missed Steve’s first performance at Feather & Wedge, make sure you catch him this time around.
10:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Reservations suggested. 978.999.5917
Feather & Wedge, 5 Main Street, Rockport, MA 01966
In the first major exhibition to bring together historical and archival material from nine Cape Ann institutions, Unfolding Histories: Cape Ann Before 1900 illuminates the area’s wide-ranging stories from Native American life to the first European settlers in the 1640s, the temperance movement, African American history and civil rights, women’s history, the advent of railroad and mass transportation as well as work, literary, and cultural life during Cape Ann’s early years.
As the region prepares for the 400th anniversary of the first English settlement on Cape Ann in 2023, the Cape Ann Museum seeks to highlight significant historical materials from its own collection as well as…
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Well hello there little mouse! My husband Tom was releasing a mouse that was caught in his have-a-heart trap. He first opened opened the front door of the trap, with no sign of movement within, and then the back door. After a few minutes passed, out ran the little mouse, but then he froze in his tracks, only several feet from where I was standing. As I was motionless taking his photo, I think he must have thought I was a tree. He suddenly ran up my leg, up under my dress, and poked his head out from beneath my coat. It’s too bad I was holding the camera and not my husband!
Thinking about hantavirus, and just to be on the safe side, I changed my clothes and washed immediately.
Off towards the woods he ran.
Studies show how the increasing Eastern Coyote population has impacted White-footed Mice, Red Fox, and the explosion of Lyme disease. In areas where the Eastern Coyote has outcompeted the Red Fox for habitat, Lyme disease has increased. Coyotes not only kill Red Fox, they simply aren’t as interested in eating mice as are the fox.
Answer: Both the White-footed and Deer Mouse carry hantavirus, not the House Mouse. To be on the safe side, if you find rodent droppings in your home or office, do not vacuum because that will disperse the virus throughout the air. Instead, wipe up with a dampened paper towel and discard.
Read more about the White-footed Mouse and Lyme disease here: The Mighty White-footed Mouse
Brrrrrrrrr–today’s early morning Gloucester surfers on the back shore–the water temperature is 40 degrees.
The head occupies almost one-third and the snout about one-fourth of the body length. The mouth is small, situated somewhat obliquely at the tip of the snout, and the lower jaw projects a little beyond the upper.
There are only two records of the trumpetfish from the Gulf of Maine: a specimen taken at Rockport, Mass. (north side of Cape Ann) in September 1865, preserved in the collection of the Essex Institute, where it was examined and identified by Goode and Bean[90] and a second taken on the northern edge of Georges Bank by the trawler Flying Cloud on October 6, 1947, in a haul at 70 fathoms.[91] Like other tropical fishes, however, it is not so rare west of Cape Cod, and a few small ones are taken at Woods Hole almost every year.
From fishes of the Gulf of Maine by Bigelow and Schroeder (1953) online courtesy of MBL/WHOI http://www.gma.org/fogm/Fistularia_tabacaria.htm
Boston Globe article: A Plan to keep Dogtown wild and Free by Sarah Shemkus
Thursday afternoon as the waves were inviting for the local surfers.
The fifth grade students at East Gloucester Elementary School will be preforming Disney’s The Jungle Bookkids!
Tickets are still available for all three performances:
Friday 3/23 6:30 PM
Saturday 3/24 2:00 PM
Monday 3/26 6:30 PM
The play will be presented at the East Gloucester Elementary School Auditorium 8 Davis St. Extension. Tickets are $8 at the door.
After yesterday’s “non” four’easter we ended the day with a glimpse of a sunset! My quick view from the window of the Beauport Hotel.
I think today’s picture looks like a humpback whale beginning its breach
On a recent sunny weekday morning, I took a ride out to the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. As expected, there were school children there but there was still plenty of room for me and my camera.
Many of the snow covered trails are littered with downed branches and other debris, but they are manageable with appropriate footwear. The staff was friendly and helpful and I felt confident I could navigate the sanctuary paths.
I had not gone very far and stopped to wonder at the small birds. They seemed close enough to touch. In fact, they were too close for my 70 mm lens. They flew over my head so close that they could have parted my hair. I stood there enchanted by the experience.
I wandered around a bit taking note of the syrup buckets and the river from the observation tower. It must be quite lovely in the spring and summer especially. As I back toward the Visitor Center, I was wondering if the birds may be somewhat tame or used to people since the close encounters continued throughout my walk.
Then my eyes landed on Mrs. Cardinal just sitting there waiting for me and I knew for certain I was having a special experience for myself.
I listened for the familiar cheep of the cardinal pairs and hear nothing, but I knew Mr. Cardinal was likely nearby. And he was. Right over the top of my head checking out the part in my hair.
At my backyard feeder, the cardinals are very skittish. These cardinals were not. I stood there long enough to take a satisfying number of pictures. They even stayed put as a pair of walkers came along chattering away. Again, I found myself enchanted and convinced this was a special place for people like me.
Visit if you can. Wear appropriate footwear. If you are afraid of birds flitting and dive-bombing, I suggest you volunteer as a school field trip chaperone and stick close to the chattiest ones. Otherwise, feel free to bring along seed in your pocket to offer the birds. The staff says this is acceptable and somewhat common. I hope your experience is as pleasant as mine.
These Guys Are Awesome!
Link To Purchase The Album on Amazon
Link To Purchase on iTunes-
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/inspiration/1344081955
Kate says it’s the best she’s ever had. She just asked if I could remember when the last time we turned the oven on. I don’t remember…
I wasn’t planning on baked haddock but they had some really nice small fillets at Stop and Shop East Gloucester.
I started out mixing about a cup and a half of panko and a half cup of cracker meal.
Added two cloves of garlic minced fine, half teaspoon onion powder, teaspoon black pepper, a couple of shakes of basil leaves and salt to taste.
Next created a jalapeno tartar sauce. A couple of dollops of mayo, a good squeeze of lime, and about 8 slices of jalapeno chopped up and about a tablespoon of the juice from the jalapeno slice jar whisked up.
Then three tablespoons of salted butter and a couple of turns of EVOO over medium heat to melt. As soon as the butter is melted turn off the heat and add the Panko mixture to the pan to have those crumbs sop up all that buttery goodness.
I don’t show this in the video but I cup up about a quarter of a vidalia onion into strips and placed them sideways on the bottom of the disposable aluminum tray You could double up some foil if you don’t have the tray. Also drizzled some EVOO, with a pinch of salt and pepper to the onions.
On top of the onions layer the haddock and top with the jalapeno tartar sauce and finally the crumb mixture.
Put the tray in the Airfryer for 13 minutes at 400 degrees. If the fillets were thicker you should add a couple minutes to that. these small fillets were perfect at that time and temp.
Enjoy!
Grateful for the tameness of today’s storm, the fourth nor’easter of March. Our coastline has had its fill of damage done. Sunny skies forecasted for tomorrow!
Snowy day seagulls feeding in the surf
LAMPREY; SPOTTED LAMPREY; LAMPER; EELSUCKER
Lampreys were esteemed a great delicacy in Europe during the middle ages (historians tell us Henry I of England died of a surfeit of them)
Little is known of the habits of the lampreys while they live in the sea further than that their mode of life centers around a fiercely predaceous nature. Judging from their land-locked relatives and from the occasions on which they have been found fastened to sea fish, they must be extremely destructive to the latter, which they attack by “sucking on” with their wonderfully effective mouths. The lamprey usually fastens to the side of its victim, where it rasps away until it tears through the skin or scales and is able to suck the blood. Its prey sucked dry, it abandons it for another. Probably lampreys are parasites and bloodsuckers pure and simple, for we cannot learn that anything but blood has been found in their stomachs, except fish eggs, of which lampreys are occasionally full.
From Fishes of the Gulf of Maine by Bigelow and Schroeder (1953) online courtesy of MBL/WHOI http://www.gma.org/fogm/Petromyzon_marinus.htm
Before sunset last Friday evening, the sky and clouds were so beautiful. Did you notice the crane in the background? Hope they can fix the wall between Brace Cove and Niles Pond.
Good Morning Gloucester 