Rocky Neck New Years Day Plunge 1PM Oaks Cove Beach!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

There’s no better way to start your year, I can promise you that! The camaraderie, the exhilaration, the overcoming your fear and telling yourself “I can tackle anything in 2018!” I’ve yet to hear anyone that’s done it with us walk away saying they regretted it. It’s awesome!

Don’t forget to bring non perishable food items for Open Door as Cathy McCarthy and Co will be collecting at the entrance to Oakes Cove Beach. You can donate cold harsh cash too. I’m pretty sure that works too.

Can wait to see all the familiar faces on the beach and hopefully some new ones too!

Here’s a link to the event page for more info

Happy Holidays from GloucesterTEASE™

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Karen Pischke BSN, RN's avatarCape Ann Wellness

Thank you Gloucester for a Great Year of Love, Peace and Positivity! 

Come to Gloucester, ‘Just for the Halibut’ … and for the FUN of It! 

Willow Rest, Gino Mondello’s Dory Shop and the Gloucester Charter Connection are where you can find this whimsical t-shirt; a little cheeky, a little devilish, and a whole Lot of FUN!  … Just like Gloucester. 😉

Due to popular demand, Santa just dropped off some more of our ‘Come to Gloucester, Just for the Halibut’ shirts at the Willow Rest, 1 Holly St. While there, treat yourself to the delicious prepared foods. Or dine at the old-fashioned deli where sandwiches are named after iconic local spots –  Annisquam Delight, Route 127, Dogtown, etc. Here you can also enjoy fresh produce, a variety of wares from local artisans, lots of holiday treats, and conversation with local characters and tourists alike! Melissa and…

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The Alison Carol pulling in with a load of Christmas Lobsters

Posted on by paultmorrison


The Alison Carol and Pete Mondello and crew arrived today at Captain Joe & Sons just like every day. But the fresh lobsters offloaded were special Christmas Eve lobsters. Spreading joy from here to Boston restaurants but the last five girl lobsters went in my bag for the annual Christmas Eve feast. Sue has put up with me for over 30 years which means Christmas Eve is our 30th wedding Anniversary.

We call it lobster casserole but really I want to invent a new name for it. Because it is really five baked stuffed lobsters without the hassle of the shells. You get the crispy Ritz Cracker thing going on top but buttery goodness below without having to fight through the shells. I now call it Boneless Baked Stuffed Lobster. The shells are saved to make a stock for some soup on Christmas day before the big beef. I’m getting fat just typing this.

Dockside conversations with my hearing aids tuned to the machinery so I say “what” a lot.
Joey: What are the blue and yellow ducks?
Me: Ducks?
Joey: Ducks
Me: What ducks?
Joey: Dots!
Me:(figuring out it is analemma dots) The yellow dot is Christmas and the blue dot is when you jump in Gloucester Harbor!
Joey: Who the fuck figured that out?
Me: The Greeks.
Joey: Did they have a clock?
Me: No. Eratosthenes used a deep well at noon to mark the time.
Joey: Cool.

You can also google in youtube, “Say “what” one more time I dare you” 🙂

Donation box for The Open Door at CAFM’S Holiday Fare tomorrow from 10-1

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

image

Hi

Hoping you can help spread the word-

We will have a donation box for The Open Door at CAFM’S  Holiday Fare tomorrow from 10-1

Our goal is to collect 100 Lbs of food

For every ten items you bring in CAFM will donate fresh produce.

items most needed are-

Tuna

100% Juice

Hearty soups

Peanut butter

Pasta sauce

Breakfast Cereal

Baking Items

Nicole Bogin, Director
Cape Ann Farmers Market
www.capeannfarmersmarket.org

Quotes for Christmas

Posted on by gregbover

“Nothing’s as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas.”– Kin Hubbard

“For Christmas this year, try giving less. Start with less attitude. There’s more than enough of that in the world as it is – and people will usually just give it back anyway!”– Anne Bristow

“Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it.”– Richard Lamm

 “Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmas time with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don’t quite know how to put our love into words.”– Harlan Miller

Just No

Posted on by Nichole S.

Stumbled upon this while doing some last minute shopping yesterday morning.  Does anyone really need this? As a mother and wife who shares a bathroom with a husband and two young boys, I assure you that this is the very last thing I need in my house!  I never get a turn in the bathroom as it is.  And then let’s talk about the guy who actually sat for this photo advertisement…..  I’m sure he doesn’t get much shit from his friends.  No pun intended.

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A Noble Record

Posted on by Pat D

I read with interest a recent article in the Daily Times regarding the Phillips Library Collections in Salem.  Apparently a trove of local historical information pertinent to researchers and historians has been unavailable to the public recently and there is talk of moving the collection to a facility in Rowley.  Previously it had been housed at the Peabody Essex Museum and there is great concern about moving it to Rowley.

As I have mentioned before, Gloucester is very fortunate to have several repositories of local historical information — three of the major ones are located within a city block of each other: Sawyer Free Library, City Archives and City Hall and the Cape Ann Museum Archives!  I had the great good fortune recently to finally locate a detail regarding John Handran who won a Medal of Honor while serving in the US Navy, and later drowned while serving on the Schooner Cleopatra.

This notation in the January 1 1886 Cape Ann Advertiser seems to confirm that Gloucester’s John Handran had been presented the Medal of Honor by connecting this drowned John Handran to US Navy service.  (Born in Newfoundland, married and started family in Gloucester) I have been searching for such a detail for a long long time in response to correspondence from a Canadian researcher specializing in Canadians who won the Medal of Honor from the United States.

John Handran death Cape Ann Advertiser Jan 1 1886

Special thanks to the staff at the Cape Ann Archives who assisted me in finding this and allowing me to look through the actual 1886 newspaper for coverage of the sinking of the Schooner Cleopatra. They were as happy as I was to find this tidbit.  That day, I strolled from the library to the archives and was able to get what I needed before the parking meter ran down.  Gloucester indeed has a noble record of access to historical records and I would hate to ever face losing any of it and I wish those interested in the Phillips Library the best of luck.

CAFM Holiday Market Saturday 12/23 10-1

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

modpodge16's avatarCape Ann Community

CAFM logo vectorIt’s our last market of 2017!

Saturday December 23 10-1

Gloucester UU Church

Come celebrate the brightening of the days, the hope of a new year and all that we share as a community.
Stock up for the coming months, grab the provisions you need for your special meal, and pick up a few unique last-minute gifts!
**
Don’t forget: CAFM memberships make great gifts and help us to remain viable and growing.
Thanks to so many generous shops and restaurants on Cape Ann and our ever supportive vendors, we have amazing holiday baskets to raffle off as well!

See you at the market! 

Check out our weekly newsletter for more information on what you’ll find at the market, our annual raffle, and our holiday membership special AND RSVP on our Facebook event.

WinterSign

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Join Us For New Year’s Eve At Feather and Wedge Prix Fixe Menu, Champagne Cocktails and Fun!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

featherandwedgerockport's avatarcapeanneats

5 Main Street
Rockport, Massachusetts 01966

(978) 999-5917

www.featherandwedge.com

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PEREGRINE FALCON DEVOURING A BIRD

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

On the lookout for Snowy Owls, I instead encountered this scene of a Peregrine Falcon eating a freshly killed bird. At one point I caught a quick glimpse of what I think was a webbed duck foot, but could possibly also have been a cormorant. Despite all the gore, the Falcon was exquisite to observe. Especially beautiful were the hues of its slate blue wings in the early morning light.

Peregrine Falcons eat mostly birds. Over 450 species of bird prey have been documented in North America alone. From the tinniest Ruby-throated Hummingbird to the enormous Sand Hill Crane, few birds are safe from the talons of the Peregrine Falcon.

The Falcon methodically eviscerated its prey, all the while watching gulls, crows, me, and any other potential thief.

Robber crows stopped by to see what they could snatch and one brazen fellow made off with a gizzard dangling from its mouth.

A gull popped its head up from a lower rock outcropping to see what he could steal and after taking a quick look at the Peregrine Powerhouse, thought better of attempting robbery.

 

Nature’s Finest Flyer

Did you know that the Peregrine Falcon is the world’s fastest bird? A bird’s airspeed velocity is variable. During a hunting dive the Peregrine Falcon will average about 200 miles per hour; 242 miles per hour is the maximum speed recorded. The Golden Eagle is the second fastest bird, with an average diving speed of 150 miles per hour and a maximum speed of 200 mph.

Saved from the Brink of Extinction

Excerpted from The Nature Conservancy

Peregrines are fast, aggressive creatures and are on top of their food chain. While young Peregrines are preyed upon by Golden Eagle and Great Horned Owls there are few threats towards the adults other than man.

By the mid 1960’s, there were NO Peregrines in the eastern United States and the decline spread westwards so that by the mid-70’s western populations had declined by up to 90 percent. It was estimated that 3,875 nesting pairs were found in North America prior to the 40’s; by 1975, only 324 pair existed in the US. Loss of habitat, shootings, egg collecting and other human disturbances had weakened North American populations for decades but drastic declines didn’t occur until after the widespread use of a popular insecticide – DDT. Like the canary in the coalmine, the Peregrine Falcon provided humans a warning as how chemical pollution can disrupt the environment and the life around it.

The use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or DDT, began during World War II as an extremely effective pesticide. Its use continued after the war as a way to control agricultural pests and in killing malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Unfortunately it would be years later before it was understood that DDT would have adverse effects on a variety of ecologically important insects, birds, and the environment. Bats, Fireflies and Peregrine Falcons were just a few species that were greatly affected. Editor’s note: In the United States, DDT was manufactured by some 15 companies, including Monsanto, Ciba, Montrose Chemical Company, Pennwalt, and Velsicol Chemical Corporation.

For the Peregrine Falcon, DDT poisoning was due to its being on top of the food chain. After consuming other birds that fed on seeds, insects and fish contaminated with DDT, the poison eventually accumulated in its system. High concentrations of a DDT metabolite called DDE prevented normal calcium production causing thin, frail eggshells that would break under the weight of the parent during incubation. Because of the toxic contaminant, many eggs did not hatch and the populations precipitously dropped until a mere 12% of normal peregrine falcon populations remained in the United States.

In 1970, the American Peregrine Falcon was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 (and then again in 1973 when the Endangered Species Act passed). Encouraged by the EPA’s banning of DDT in 1972, recovery projects began to take shape. Beginning in 1974, The Peregrine Fund, along with various national and state agencies in both the United States and Canada, embarked on a reintroduction program for the peregrine falcon.

Thanks to the scientists and researchers at Cornell University, adult birds were successfully bred in captivity. After the eggs hatched, they were raised in the labs until three weeks old. They were then placed in hack sites (artificial nesting sites) where they were fed and cared for by unseen benefactors until flight and hunting skills were developed enough for them to become independent. More than 6,000 American Peregrine Falcons have been released in North America since 1974 due to the cooperative efforts among federal and state Fish & Wildlife Services, The Peregrine Fund, Midwestern Peregrine Falcon Restoration Project and the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group.

The success of these recovery programs allowed the declassification of the Peregrine Falcon as a federally endangered species in 1999. Although the bird of prey remains federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and will be monitored until 2015, the survival of the Peregrine Falcon marked the most dramatic success of the Endangered Species Act.

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