Good Morning Gloucester

The Halloween decoration hunt continues.

We ventured “off island” again.  Took the train from West Gloucester to North Station; walked over to South Station and found our way over to UMass/JFK Library.  My destination was the Massachusetts State Archives, which is next door to the beautiful JFK Library.

Construction at UMass has blocked much of the pedestrian access to that area, so shuttle busses are provided.  Sort of reminded me of the railway repairs interrupting commuter travel right here on Cape Ann.  Unfortunately, we did not get the “shuttle bus” option figured out until long after we hiked our way over there.  I was grumbling that now I knew why people (Donna Ardizzoni most recently) say they never want to leave the island.

BUT, once I got there, I was handsomely rewarded.  The staff was very helpful, a bright light among some state level departments (at least in New York).  I got my own researcher card, laminated and everything!  I was seeking some vital record information on family members.  Lucky for me, the records I was seeking were not yet microfilmed so I got to use the actual record books!  Anytime a researcher can use the actual records is a huge bonus.

One of the volumes I used was entirely made up of Gloucester death records from 1923.  I paged my way through the entire book, taking note of how the stories hinted at on these pages reflects the history of the city in a very special way.  There were Irish, Portuguese, Finn and Canadians.  Deaths resulted often from influenza, pneumonia or premature birth.  Some were accidental, as was the case with my ancestor. It was a valuable lesson for this researcher in learning the history and culture of Gloucester.

As Confucius said “Study the past, if you would divine the future.”

Good Afternoon Joey

The Senator thought you would be interested to know that the T has decided to keep moving forward with the Annisquam River Commuter Rail Bridge project.  He went to the MBTA’s Fiscal Management and Control Board meeting this morning to push for action on the project.  The T board has decided to  commit to the project by selecting one winning bid from five entries.

The J.F. White Contracting Company was awarded the contract set at $56.6 million. I will have more details soon.

All the best-

Don

The free library Nia series has ended but the class wanted to continue as a regular Nia class , so I will be offering the class at MAGMA studio.

Nia with Linda Wilkes at MAGMA (Movement Arts Gloucester MA)  
Thursdays at noon starting October 19, 2017

MAGMA is at 11 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA (Brown’s Mall building) and is handicapped accessible through 186 Main Street, elevator to 5th floor.

Nia is a no-impact, movement class that draws from a number of disciplines including yoga, Tae Kwon Do, Jazz, modern dance and Tai Chi. Routines are created for safety and put to great music to enable participants to experience joy, all while getting a great cardiovascular workout.  Nia can be practiced by people of all ages and abilities.  Nia is usually done in bare feet but can be done in socks or sneakers if special footwear is needed.  Hmm.. fun, safety, good music, joy and cardiovascular health all in one package. Come experience this healthy, mindful and fun fitness experience for yourself.

Nia class at Magma  $10 per class/$5 Seniors/ Sliding scale for those in need

Linda Wilkes is a white belt certified Nia instructor. She is a semi-retired graphic designer and professional singer.  Linda grew up ballet dancing and started out life as a registered nurse.  She relishes the opportunity to combine her love of music, health and movement with Nia and looks forward to passing on this movement form to others.

Nia with Linda Wilkes-Mindful Movement for Health and Happiness

www.niawithlinda.com  

Skeptics in the Pub of Gloucester is sponsoring the viewing of Food Evolution tonight at 7:30 PM at Gloucester’s Cape Ann Community Cinema, 21 Main Street.

If you have strong opinions about GMO foods you might find out you are dead wrong. Check it out tonight and arm yourself with actual facts.

From their website:

FOOD EVOLUTION shows how easily misinformation, confusion, and fear can overwhelm objective analysis. How do we ensure that our food supply is safe, and that everyone has enough to eat? How do we feed the world while also protecting the planet? Has genetic engineering increased or decreased pesticide use? Are GMO foods bad for your health? And, most importantly, what data, evidence, and sources are we using to approach these important questions?

Cape Ann Cinema and Stage, 21 Main St, Gloucester, offers beer, wine, and snacks for sale. Doors open at 7 PM, movie at 7:30 PM.

Beautiful fall day for road crew. dPW reports Comcast upgrades to industrial park

Back on tour in search of Halloween decorations with the boys.  We drive by this one at Ken Knowles Fine Art each day.

Sunday evening we returned to the Seaport Grille for dinner and it was a great experience!  Trainee Dawn and Trainer Chris served us with just the right amount of attention and were well informed about the menu.

Jim had the cioppino, a kind of seafood stew which came complete with a lobster bib!  He needed it—the cioppino was full of a variety of seafood.  I splurged on the lobster pie.  There was plenty of lobster to bring home for a future meal.

The highlight of the meal (for me) might have been the Seaport Coffee!!!  Yummmmm. Highly recommended. As we were having dinner, fireworks went off just across the water which added to the atmosphere but gave me a bit of a fright at first.  When you hear that noise these days, fireworks isn’t first on the list of possibilities unless it is July 4th.  Regardless, it was a nice little bonus on a lovely evening at the Seaport Grille.

**I am currently having trouble uploading pictures for this post.  Your loss!  The food even looks fabulous in the pictures **