A Deliberate Act of Kindness

Peggy Russell, owner of the POP Gallery across the street, delivered this homemade soup to me, knowing that I wasn't feeling so great. All natural, and full of delicious vegetables, as you can see. After heating, I ate it all. Thanks Peg, it's nice to know there are people like you loose on this planet.
Peggy Russell, owner of the POP Gallery across the street, delivered this homemade soup to me, knowing that I wasn’t feeling so great. All natural, and full of delicious vegetables, as you can see. After heating, I ate it all. Thanks Peg, it’s nice to know there are people like you loose on this planet.

George Carlin Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

“I put a dollar in a change machine. Nothing changed”

George Carlin (1937-2008)

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A five-time Grammy award winner, Carlin’s often dark humor can be heard on 20 albums, in six books, and appears in ten movies. A native New Yorker, he made his name on the Ed Sullivan Shoe and the Tonight Show, first with Jack Paar and later and even more frequently with Johnny Carson, for whom he often substituted as host.  Carlin was the first host of Saturday Night Live. His best known routine was Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television, for which he was arrested and fined on several occasions. Liberal, brilliant, thoughtful and reflective, he took stand-up to a new level while supporting free speech and free thinking. He was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2008.

BENEFIT FOR RANDY BURNS – Nov 30, 2013

A Cape Ann Pee-Wee Football All-Star Game will be taking place on Saturday, November 30 at New Balance Field at Newell Stadium to benefit long time league board member and referee, Randy Burns.  Randy recently suffered a tragic accident which has left him paralyzed from the chest down. He is determined to continue fighting with the same spirit that he used to serve the children of our community for the past fifteen years as a football referee and Little League umpire. Please come and attend the B level game starting at 12:00 and the A level game immediately following to show your support for Randy.  Admission is a voluntary donation at the gate.

We  also have bracelets with “Randy” on one side and “Strong” on the other side available for a $5.00 donation.   If you would like one and cannot attend the benefit, please call RoseAnne at 978-335-0755 or Jill at 978-283-0308. 

Live update from Mariposa Warehouse Sale

First group in line arrived at 5:15 pm yesterday… Sista Felicia Group arrived 6. 5 hours ago….Parking lot is now full … bags and chair line continue to grow….groups of early bird shoppers with #’s for your spot in line are sleeping in their cars….every few minutes the noises of car engines being turned on & off can be heard…anticipation continues to grow

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Super Bowl Saturday For Women

Live From Mariposa Warehouse Sale… a little rain isn’t going to stop us ladies! Even the dogs have joined in our fun!
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Atlantic Saltworks Flake Finishing Salt And Tuscan Salt Blend Unboxing Video

Can’t wait til Sista Felicia whips up something special with it and to grill up some steaks and use it!!!!

www.atlanticsaltworks.com

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Feast of St. Joseph Film Project Update

St. Joseph Day Altar ©Kim Smith 2013 copyDear Community,

An update on the progress of the St. Joseph’s Day Film Project ~

Last year I wrote the script for our community documentary film about how Gloucester families celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph. We spent the month of March filming in your welcoming homes with your beautifully decorated altars and sharing your special stories and traditions. I wrote at that time, tremendous thanks is owed Felicia for coordinating the visits to her friend’s homes and for opening her home and family to filming during their preparations and celebration. Special thanks goes to Sefatia for coordinating the trolley tour and to her family for sharing their stories. Tremendous thanks goes to all the families for their generous hospitality and for embracing the project, including the Orlandos, the Ferrantes, the Groppos, the Silvas, the Canovas, the Scolas, the Russos, and many more.

St. Joseph Trolley Party ©Kim Smith 2013

Following filming in March, I have spent the past months filming what is called B-roll, which is very important because although not the primary action that takes place, B-roll gives a documentary a sense of place, and Gloucester is a very special and beautiful place.

Spring, summer, and autumn are the very busiest time of year for my landscape and interior design business. That being said, we are blessed that the best time of day to film is in the very early dawn hours and later hours of the day, which means I have been able to capture many scenes around Gloucester before my work day begins and at the tail end of the work day. I log and transfer all the footage at the end of each day and  make time to create little mini-films, which also helps to organize the B-roll.

Ciaramitaro Family and Friends St. Joseph 2013

Larger projects, such as the St. Joseph Day Film Project and butterfly life story documentaries that I am creating, take much, much greater chunks of time to edit and these projects I save for working on in January and February, when business traditionally slows. I cannot emphasize this enough–big projects require huge chunks of time to edit; huge chunks of time I simply do not have until after the holiday season.

So if you have been wondering about our beautiful community project, know that I am eagerly looking forward to editing the film this winter. Know too, that another challenge to overcome is film distribution. There is no point in creating a beautiful documentary about our community and not have the knowledge on how to best distribute the film.

I hope this clarifies any questions that you may have. If not, please feel free to contact me at kimsmithdesigns@hotmail.com or through the comment section of this post. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Kim

Reminder: Jeff Weaver’s New Works Opening Reception is Saturday November 23rd, 2 ~ 6pm

See previous GMG post to read all the good things people are saying about Jeff Weaver ~

SIMPLY STUNNING~ Gorgeous New Works from Jeff Weaver

and visit Jeff’s website for more information about the opening.

Jeff Weaver

Fish on Fridays

The Fish on Fridays series is a collaboration between Gloucester photographers Kathy Chapman and Marty Luster. Look for various aspects of Gloucester’s centuries-old fishing industry highlighted here on Fridays.

Jim Santapaola (pictured) owns the old East Gloucester Morse-Sibley Wharf property. He and his son have three fishing boats there as well as another dozen boats of various purposes including a vintage catboat. The warehouse, art studio and office building is for sale.

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Color photos © Kathy Chapman 2013
http://www.kathychapman.com

B+W photo © Marty Luster 2013
http://slicesoflifeimages.wordpress.com
http://matchedpairs.wordpress.com

Artist Spotlight Series – Heidi Caswell Zander

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Spotlight on Heidi Caswell Zander

Picture a nine year old striding to catch up to a pack of adults through, for her, shoulder high meadow grass; going through the summer light to someplace unknown to paint, with adults. That was the first group workshop, in 1967, one of many to follow over the next few decades.  Cobalt and cerulean, the smell of horse glue as water hit paper. Marathon sessions of being by the shore and watching dozens of versions of the same place manifest on easels as the sun arced across the horizon.

After learning from Teralak and Schlemm and at Rhode Island School of Design, months of exploring Italy and years of exploring Europe followed. A buffet of Museum collections developed Zander’s personal style: a pinch of Sargent, a cup of German Expressionism, a gallon of energy and brushstrokes.

Blue is the best color, rich, close and distant, peaceful and exciting at the same time. Almost every painting is majoritively blue, and pulsates with the rhythm of stroke.  Jewelry employs the same palette and rhythm. Same combinations and signature, different mediums and functionality.

Zander recently discovered that her Cape Ann connection began decades before her birth with Aunt Gertrude. Gertrude Stuven Stanwood painted and etched from her home base in Lanesville with her contemporaries Teresa Bernstein and Myerwitz. The ladies sipped elderberry wine at her house with Woodrow Wilson’s relative, carrying on her fathers trade as a Rockport shopkeeper. Ironically, one of Gertrude’s paintings was painted from the base of Zander’s Wharf Road driveway decades earlier, with a second painting on the back of the same painting board of the church in which Zander was married. Stomping the same foot steps!

In 2005 Zander opened Tidal Edge Gallery carrying on her father’s occupation as a Rockport business owner. For all the world, Cape Ann is home.

You can see more of Heidi’s work at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, East Gloucester during the Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival

Saturdays and Sundays, Noon-4 PM

November 30 – December 29

http://www.rockyneckartcolony.org/winter.php

E.J. Lefavour

Around Manchester

A couple of random pictures on a gloomy day! Click for larger images and captions.

Holiday Fair Schedule for this Weekend!

Here is the lineup for this weekend for all the fairs happening:

Saturday, Nov. 23

Holiday Church Fair Day, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., downtown Essex churches. The three churches — St. John the Baptist at 52 Main St., First Universalist Church at 57 Main St., and First Congregational Church at 39 Main St. — are offering gift bargains, white elephant items, children’s activities, homemade food and hot beverages. Parking is on the street or in the municipal lot behind the Martin Street police station.

St. Ann Holiday Fair, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sullivan Hall at St. Ann Church, 70 Pleasant St., Gloucester. Besides the knitted items, featured will be homemade Thanksgiving pies, Italian cookies, a Chinese raffle, Wheel of Fortune, prizes, jewelry, Christmas goods, white elephant items, a Cookie Walk, lobster rolls and chowder, and pictures with Santa.

Thanksgiving Harvest Market, 9 a.m. to noon, Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, corner of Middle and Church streets. Held by the Cape Ann Farmers Market in conjunction with the Middle Street Harvest Festival, 20-plus vendors include Alprilla Farm, Trupiano Sausage, Herrick Farm, Seaview Farm Meats, & Craquelins Crackers, varieties of produce, soups, baked goods, crafts, meats, cheese, herbs, smoked fish, pasta, and guacamole. All-natural turkey, donated by Common Crow, and raffled off to benefit the Farmers Market. UU meetinghouse serves up quiche, coffee, chocolates, plus chance to win a basket full of fine wines. Visit http://www.CapeAnnFarmersMarket.org or call Nicole Bogin at 978-290-2717.

Holiday fair, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Veterans Memorial School, 11 Webster St. Craft vendors, gift basket raffles, scratch ticket tree, cookie walk, Santa photo Ops, kids’ crafts.

Holiday bazaar, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Seacoast Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, 292 Washington St. Pastries and cookies, raffles, craft vendors and white elephant table. All welcome. Snow or shine.

Country Cupboard Fair, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., St. John’s Church, 48 Middle St., in conjunction with Middle Street Harvest Festival. Handmade crafts, baked goods, jewelry, cookie walk, artisan cheese, seasonal decorations, silent auction, 50/50 raffle, fish chowder luncheon. Thrift Shop open. Parishioners in Victorian dress celebrate the 150th anniversary of the church and the Gettysburg Address.