Lecture series at Temple Ahavat Achim

Posted on by Matthew Green

Last weekend, Temple Ahavat Achim offered a weekend of talks by Rabbi Arthur Green about his book, “Radical Judaism”, which addresses questions like, “Is there only one God or is there only God? How do we articulate a religious vision that embraces evolution as sacred and that approaches Scripture with historical honesty?”

The event was open to the public, so I signed up, and found it very interesting. Here are a few photos:

Temple Ahavat Achim’s Rabbi Steven Lewis (right) introduces Rabbi Arthur Green (left)
Rabbi Green during the lecture to a nearly full house

Questions and answers after the last lecture

From the Temple’s newsletter: “Professor and Rabbi Arthur Green is the Rector of the Hebrew College Rabbinical School. He is one of the preeminent scholars of Kabbalah and Hasidism, and one of the most important Jewish theologians of our day. He is both a spiritual seeker and a critical scholar.

In his book Radical Judaism he argues that a neo-mystical perspective can help us to rethink such concepts as God, the origins and meaning of existence, human nature and revelation to construct a new Judaism for the 21st century.”

The Temple is planning to continue inviting high-calibre speakers to foment education and dialog on current topics of cultural and religious significance to the Jewish community and to the Gloucester community as a whole.

– Matthew Green

WaterCar Panther – Fastest Amphibious Car in the World Sent In By Tuffy

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

If only The Degelyse went this fast.

Tuffy’s Degelyse

I’m thinking you could haul a lot more lobster gear aboard the Degelyse though Smile

The LilyLady of Lanesville from Fred Bodin

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Fred Bodin

I knew Bobbie Brooks 30+ years ago when she had an antique shop in Lanesville. Now she’s doing amazing work as a professional garden designer, plus growing  and creating hybrids of her own daylilies. Her fields are expansive, covering over one acre, but you’d never know it driving down Rt. 127. She has 800 varieties of hybrid daylilies, the "summer jewels of the garden." I learned much about daylillies in my short time shooting in Bobbie’s one acre garden.

Bobbie demonstrates how hybrids are made. What she likes about this daylily is it’s teeth, or jagged edges.

Bobbie is a hand’s on gardener. She’s a successful garden designer, which is her main business, but she’s also passionate about dayilies. Who else on God’s earth would grow 800 varieties of a plant, and it’s not her major source of income. It must be LOVE.

Fred’s first Birthday present, a potted Sugar Plum daylily, was an unexpected gift from Bobbie Brooks.

I’ll have it displayed at Fred’s Birthday and GMG mug up on Sunday, July 28th, at 9:30am to 11am or later. It’s at my gallery, 82 Main Street in Gloucester. All are welcome.

On your way back home after my event, go see Bobbie – she’ll be open until 2pm Sunday. Go Bobbie! Trust me, I know a good egg when I see one, and it’s her.

Bobbie Brooks 73 Langsford St Lanesville / Rt 127 978 283 4480

lilylady@comcast.net

www.distinctivegardendesigns.com

www.facebook.com/pages/DISTINCTIVE-GARDEN-DESIGNS/269140633407

Community Photos 7/27/13

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Tony Hilliard submits-

Joey,

   Thanks again for the hat I Freakin love it! Took this one down the Boulevard Tuesday night of my "Pot of Gold"

GEDC4509

We have spent the week enjoying the area once again.  It truly is an exceptional place to live.  Heading back to our inn on the Delaware River in Milford, NJ in the morning, but wanted to share some iPhone 5 pictures from our determination to
find joy in spite of the rain.
1.  My son wrote:  O say can you see the calming, linear continuity–between the angle of the flag and that of the sails–in my mom’s photo, snapped today in Massachusetts?

1
2.  Speaking of lines!

2

3.  Checking for the last morsel of food!

3

Linda rae castagna
www.chestnuthillnj.com

4.  Seemed strange to see scuba divers on such a rainy day until I thought that one through.

4
5.  Always love the color in the kayaks, and the sailboat holds such a graceful presence for the eyes.

5
6.  Practice makes perfect!

6
7.  Sailing the greasy pole.

7
8.  A lonely day on Niles.

8
Thank you for the daily updates on a town we have grown to love, though from a distance most of the time.  Linda rae

Community Stuff 7/27/13

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Reid R. Sacco lost his two-year fight with sarcoma in 2005 at the age of 20.  Reid learned first-hand of the tragic disparities faced by adolescents and young adults (AYA’s) diagnosed with cancer, particularly in the areas of age-appropriate care, access to clinical trials and survival rates.   Reid inspired many during his cancer journey with his courage, perseverance, selflessness and contagious optimism and laughter.   An avid sailor, Reid looked at his cancer journey like a voyage at sea and was unwilling to let the relentless storm of treatments and setbacks keep him from enjoying every minute of his life that he loved with family and friends.

Reid’s Ride began by Reid parents, family and friends, is the main fund-raising event for the Reid Sacco Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Fund.  That fund is dedicated to supporting clinical and scientific research into finding better treatments — and someday a cure — for the cancers that strike adolescents and young adults.  It is acknowledged by the medical community worldwide that this population of cancer victims has not benefitted from the advances in cancer treatment and survival rates as have other age groups.  It is a gap into which Reid and young adult cancer patients like him found themselves, willing to fight but without an army of options to help.

Most recently, the proceeds from Reid’s Ride have enabled Tufts Medical Center to launch the Reid R. Sacco AYA Program, including the Reid R. Sacco Adolescent & Young Adult Clinic for Cancer and Blood Diseases, located at the Tufts Cancer Center in Boston.

"Life is like sailing.  Change can come upon you suddenly.  But just because you sometimes have to alter your course, it doesn’t mean you have to stop sailing." – Reid R. Sacco, 2003

Dream Repeater: Toys Falling
IlaSahai Prouty and company

Flatrocks Gallery is pleased to present Dream Repeater: Toys Falling, a group show curated by IlaSahai Prouty. The opening reception is Saturday, August 3, from 7-9 pm. It will be followed by an evening of  poetry and stories on Saturday August 10th at 7pm.

 

In her on-going project Dream Repeater, Prouty creates artworks in various media based on bits of collected dream narratives. For this show, she has invited other artists to join her.

Prouty’s work deals with the ways repetition can intensify and expand meaning. “I’m exploring how a short snippet of a dream, essentially a short story, can grow to become something larger and more mythic.”

 

Last summer, Prouty’s Dream Repeater work, “Goldilocks, Save the World,” was installed at the Cape Ann Museum’s White Ellery House. This year, she returns to her home town to present a collection of works based on a dream called Toys Falling. “I have been working with these dreams myself, and I wanted to expand the project – to see where others might take the dreams, and how they look through other peoples eyes.”

 

Each artist in this show agreed to create work in response to the dream text. The show will include sculpture, painting, encaustic, illustration, mixed media, poetry, video, printmaking, quilting, and story telling.

 

Participating Artists are: IlaSahai Prouty, Caroline Bagenal, Rocky Delforge, Adriane Herman, Bo Hyung Lee, Vicki Paret, Doris Prouty, Hans Pundt, Sarah Slifer Swift, Stephanie Williams, Heather Atwood, Emily Wheeler, Tim Averill, and Peter Hickman.

 

IlaSahai Prouty grew up in Lanesville, Massachusetts. She is a former chair of the Art Department at the Waring School in Beverly, Mass., and considers herself an artist with Cape Ann roots. She has an MFA from the California College of Art in San Francisco, California., and is currently Resident Artist at the Penland School of Crafts in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Prouty is also an Assistant Professor at nearby Appalachian State University.
Flatrocks Gallery is located at 77 Langsford Street/Route 127 in Gloucester, MA. Hours are 12-5pm, Thursday through Sunday, and by appointment. The gallery is focused on continuing the long tradition of artists in Lanesville, and is committed to offering works of art to the community that challenge and engage.

Choreographer/Dancer : Sarah Slifer Swiftsarasliffer

                           Mixed Media Sculpture:Hans Pundt

hans clock

Franklin Desk

Community Stuff 7/27/13

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

THANK YOU

The Friends of Seacoast Annual Seacoast Seven Road Race was a huge success.  Runners from all of the state ran the 7K race throughout the beautiful scenic trail in Gloucester.

We are grateful to Patrick Thorpe, President of Bank Gloucester our generous race sponsor for their continued support of this annual race which is one of our major fund raisers.

Lahey Health, Addison Gilbert Hospital, Rockport Mortgage, and Good Morning Gloucester for sponsoring the tee shirts given to the runners and volunteers.
 
Hospice of North Shore and Greater Boston for sponsoring the registration table.

Carroll K Steele Insurance, Lyons Ambulance, Beauport Ambulance, Granite Savings Bank, Cape Ann Savings Bank, Rockport National Bank, Seacoast Nursing and Rehabilitation Center,, Merritt Capital Management and Liquor Locker for sponsoring the beverage table.

Ben’s Wallpaper, Cape Ann Medical Center, Georges Coffee Shop for sponsoring Mile Markers

Stop and Shop, Jim’s Bagel & Bake Shop, Market Basket, and Shaw’s for providing bagels, water, bananas, and power bars for the runners after the race.

Gloucester Rental Center for providing the tent. Al Carrasco, David Harrison DMD, Goodwin’s Party Shop and Lone Gull Coffee House for their generous donations towards the race.

Thank you Nick Curcuru and Christine Parisi and David Cox for your coverage of the race and Mike Page of North Shore Timing who timed the runners. Larry Ryan for his design of the race tee shirts. Lyons Ambulance for sending an EMT team to insure the safety of the runnes.

The success of every organization is dependent on the people who give selfishly of their time and money. The Friends of Seacoast are fortunate to have so many of these people insuring that the residents stay connected to the community. Their efforts provide the entertainment on a daily basis.  Harbor rides, dining at area restaurant, dinner shows at Seacoast, gifts at Mother’s and Father’s Day along with Christmas, and many more events that would not be possible without the Friends of Seacoast. It all starts with our capable Activities Director Alison Cox, our Administrator Stephen Doyle and our Friends of Seacoast members, JD Mac Eachern our Race Director, Maryanne Amero, Angela Ciaramitaro, Joey Ciaramitaro, Pat Ciaramitaro, Lisa Leahy, Karen Mc Cann, Rosalee Nicastro, Buzz Mc Eachern, Sam Santuccio, Grace Simpson, and Joanne Waalewyn.

A special thanks to all the volunteers who helped on the day of the race, Joan and Fred Bishop, David Amero, Brian Carey, Mark Leahy, John Lattof, Josh Arnold, Donna Lupo, Vinny Woodhams, Faye Quinlan, Fire Chief Eric Smith, Meg Mc Cann, Marc Grenier, Alison Mc Namara, Allie Rose Nicastro, Paul Muniz, Meghan Muniz, James C. Greely III. The Gloucester Police Dept. Lt. John Mc Carthy, Sgt Dave Quinn, and Officer Brian Crowley.

Tom Lattof, Chairman
Friends of Seacoast

In Case You Didn’t Hear Sister Felicia’s Cookbook Kickstarter Project Went Live and Was Selected As A Staff Pick It The Food Category

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Click here to check it out and reserve yours

image

Check out the video and reserve your copy today!!!

Huge help from so many FOB’s that I’m scared to death to try to compile a list for fear of missing someone but I’m sure Felicia will put together a nice thank you soon.

Dinner Dealer Founder Jessica brand writes-

I’ve yet to meet Felicia but I have to tell you that her kickstarter video was so heartwarming. I could listen to her talk for hours. They way she talks about Italians cooking for memory, I know exactly what she means. I only lived and worked in Italy for 6 months, a long time ago, but I experienced first hand what she was talking about. So incredible, I couldn’t resist sending you a note.

Buona fortuna!

Jess

Representing! GMG Happy FOBs

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Ellen Santos writes-

Best Hat Ever!!

Hi Joey,
The hat got here just in time (almost) for my husband Reggie’s birthday.  He was surprised and thrilled with it and wore it to Salisbury Beach today.  Reggie is a Gloucester native and we both follow your blog daily.  Thanks for keeping us in touch.
Ellen Santos

Reggie's New Hat 2

Dee Noble writes-

Love our new Stonewashed hats

Hi Joey! We LOVE our new beautiful blue stonewashed hats! We are rocking the beach in this AWESOME GMG swag! Better place an order for more…..They are going to go like hot cakes….

photo-3

Kevin Berrigan writes-

Thank You!

New hat got here today! Thanks so much for sending it right out!! Can’t wait to have it become a permanent fixture on the top of my head and show it off proudly wherever my travels take me!!

photo-5

Send in your GMG Swag photos and Represent with the rest of the GMG FOBs!

What’s that you don’t have one yet??? Then order one up and get on the team.

To order GMG Dry Fit Short and Long Sleeve Shirts, Super Crazy Soft Feminine Cut V Neck or Scoop Neck T Shirts.

http://gmg.storenvy.com/

If you don’t see a shirt in a style/size/color  combination you like, you can send in a request and I’ll do my best to make it happen-

http://gmg.storenvy.com/contact

GLOUCESTER STAGE NEW PLAY READING SERIES KICKS OFF MONDAY

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

GLOUCESTER STAGE NEW PLAY READING SERIES KICKS OFF WITH THE RAINMAKER

Iconic Play with Local Connection

The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash
Monday, July 29, 8 PM

This play reading celebrates the 100th anniversary of distinguished American writer N. Richard Nash’s birth. The iconic play, The Rainmaker was written about the drought leading into the dust bowl. The evening includes a casual reception and conversation with Gloucester resident Amanda Nash, daughter of the playwright, following the reading.

The Rainmaker cast includes many Gloucester Stage favorites:

The reading is directed by Barlow Adamson who shared the GSC stage with Richard Snee and Steven Barkhimer in the Alan Ayckbourn’s Norman Conquests Trilogy from 2010 through 2012. Johnny Lee Davenport starred in 2012’s Master Harold… and the Boys and returns later in the GSC’s 2013 season to star in Driving Miss Daisy with Lindsay Crouse. The Rainmaker takes place during the time of a paralyzing drought in the West. A plain girl whose father and two brothers are worried as much about her potential future as an old maid as they are about the drought and their dying cattle. The brothers try every possible scheme to marry her off, but without success and there any sign of relief from the dry heat. Suddenly from out of nowhere appears a picaresque, sweet-talking man with quite the sales pitch. Claiming to be a “rainmaker,” the man promises to bring rain, for $100. It’s a silly idea, but the rainmaker is so refreshing and persistent that the family finally consents, banging on big brass drums to rattle the sky. Meanwhile the rainmaker also turns his magic on the girl, and persuades her that she has a very real beauty of her own. She believes it, just as her father believes the fellow can actually bring rain. Rain does come, and so does love.

All readings are at 8 PM.
Suggested Donation for Each Reading is $20. Seating is general admission.
Readings held at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA
For reservations and further information,
contact Gloucester Stage Box Office at 978-281-4433
or visit www.gloucesterstage.org

Community Photos 7/26/13

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro
Annisquam – Rainbow & Sunset from Elinor Teele

Hi Joey , Had a great time at Halibut Point picking blueberries with the grandkids , enough to make a pie!

Best, Kathy Slifer

IMG_3953

Fish on Fridays

Posted on by Marty Luster

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.

Today starring:

StripedBass

Here is a striper caught off the Cardinal Cushing Villa in Magnolia by Captain Paul Moralli, aboard Cat. Latitude 43 in Gloucester purchased it from Intershell.

The fish was pan seared, skin-on, with bacon, snap peas, corn risotto & crispy fried leeks. This tasty dish was prepared by Chef Mike O’Brien at Lat 43 where it is available in season as a dinner special.

SearedStripedBass Lat43
LatMenu

Photos © Kathy Chapman 2013
kathychapman.com

Video © Marty Luster 2013
slicesoflifeimages.wordpress.com
matchedpairs.wordpress.com

Annisquam Sea Fair

Posted on by Donna Ardizzoni

The Annisquam Sea Fair will be held on July 27, 2013
Sea Fair- 166th year – Saturday, July 27th–10:00 AM–3: 00 PM
A community-wide celebration
Village Center – Food, Books, Art, Flowers, Plants, T Shirts and the Ship’s Galley
School Yard – Kids’ Games, White Elephant Tables
Village Hall – “The Waxworks” – Annisquam answer to Madame Tussand’s Waxworks.
The Bridge – “Dinner on the Bridge” – open seating – 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM.     Tickets   can be purchased at the Annisquam Exchange
Lighting Of Lobster Cove – 9:00 PM

December 24, 2012 Annisquam Lighthouse

Marsh as Metaphor

Posted on by God's Morning

Rocky Neck Gallery’s Summer Artists Series: Marsh as Metaphor –

New paintings by Brenda Cirioni.

Wednesday, July 24 – Tuesday, August 13, 2013

barbara cirioni 

Marsh: Pool

mixed media on panel

24 x 24

$1600.

Rocky Neck Gallery is pleased to announce the fourth show of the Summer Artist Series featuring artist Brenda Cirioni and her exhibit Marsh as Metaphor.  This dramatic new show opens Wednesday, July 24 and runs for three weeks until August 13.  Meet Brenda Cirioni and learn about her intriguing creative process at an artist’s reception on Saturday, July 27 from 5-7 PM.  

Cirioni’s paintings, consisting of mixed media on panel, are energetic, thought provoking and beautiful depictions of nature.  This new series is inspired by her family home burning to the ground when she was sixteen.  While touching upon utter destruction, her paintings are celebratory, bursting with color and regeneration. 

In this series she explores the tension between nature and the elements.  Her work is about the power of transformation within nature and within us.  Cirioni paints the background composition, then draws, splatters and drips with acrylic ink and paint creating a surface rich with texture, color and movement.  She enlarges on the composition with torn paper scraps, feathers, fiber and other debris.  Her method of layering and juxtaposing disparate materials draws attention to the multiplicities and mysteries of nature and life.

Please join us and meet Brenda Cirioni on Saturday, July 27th from 5-7 PM for a reception.  Hear her talk about her work and process around 6 PM.  Delicious refreshments will be served.  Rocky Neck Gallery is located on 53 Rocky Neck Avenue, Gloucester.  The hours are: Sunday – Wednesday: 11 AM – 6 PM, Thursday – Saturday: 11 AM – 8 PM.  Free parking is available.

 

Beautiful Message for Felicia From FOB Hannah Kimberley

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

In helping Felicia with her Kickstarter Program to raise money to publish her first cookbook, Good Morning Gloucester FOB Hannah Scialdone Kimberley sent the following release to the National Italian American Foundation ~

Hi, my name is Hannah Scialdone Kimberley, and I am a resident of Gloucester, MA. I grew up with my grandparents in Virginia, who inspired so much Italian American pride in our family. One of the greatest gifts my grandfather gave us was the publication of his 1987 cookbook, A Neapolitan Peasant’s Cookbook, which not only left us with a wonderful collection of recipes, but also educated others and us about what it means to come from Italian Heritage and live in America. What started as a gift to his family, my grandfather’s book gained local and national recognition. In fact, his book was selected as one of 17 books on the National Italian American Foundation’s reading list during a conference at the Smithsonian Institution on life in an Italian village.

My grandparents have passed on, but their traditions remain with me. I now live in Gloucester with my family, and I came across a story so similar to my grandfather’s, that I am compelled to bring it to your attention. A local woman in our town, Felicia Ciaramitaro, has written a cookbook that includes recipes passed down for generations. Like my grandfather, she met with her family members and learned their recipes – often stopping them half way through the cooking process to actually measure how much a relative’s “handful” amounted to so that she could record precise measurements for their previously unrecorded recipes. Without my grandfather, our family recipes and traditions would have been lost. I am betting the same goes for the Ciaramitaro family.

While I am not related to the Ciaramitaro family, I believe that Italian cultural preservation is more important now than it ever has been for the national Italian American Community. In the face of atrocious stereotypes created by programs such as “The Jersey Shore” and “Housewives of New Jersey,” it is up to us to keep our culture not only alive, but also maintain it in a positive public light. From her Kickstarter Page Sista Felicia’s Kitchen and her write-up in our local blog, Good Morning Gloucester, it seems that all Ms. Ciaramitaro needs is more publicity and support to keep yet another positive Italian American tradition alive for all of us.

I am asking that you highlight her story on your Facebook Page and/or website, so that your fans might know more about “a unique & colorful cookbook that will bring to life lost recipes & traditions from Ms. Ciaramitaro’s Sicilian kitchen to yours.” These recipes are Felicia Ciaramitaro’s “Gifts of Gold,” which she has written for us all.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration, and for all that you do for keeping Italian American culture and heritage alive and well in our country.

Best, Hannah Scialdone Kimberley

Gloucester, MA

BEAUTIFUL LETTER Hannah! Thank you for sharing!

Please if you are reading this, take Hannah’s advice and “highlight her story on your Facebook Page and/or website, so that your fans might know more about “a unique & colorful cookbook that will bring to life lost recipes & traditions from Ms. Ciaramitaro’s Sicilian kitchen to yours.” These recipes are Felicia Ciaramitaro’s  “Gifts of Gold,” which she has written for us all.”

Amanda, Felicia, Pat Ciaramitaro.

Amanda, Felicia, and Pat

Mimosa Tree

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Wednesday I visited an extraordinary garden in Marblehead. Amongst the many specimens of unusual trees that are not widely grown in our region, which are growing in this sheltering tree-garden, was one of my very favorites, the stunning Mimosa Tree (Albizia julibrissin f. rosea). Although the Mimosa Tree is not indigenous (it is native to southwestern and eastern Asia), the blossoms are a rich source of nectar for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and several species of swallowtails.

Mimosa Tree ©Kim Smith 2013

Mimosa Tree ~ Albizia julibrissin f. rosea

Rolling Stone’s Guitar God Plays Shalin Liu on August 2nd

Posted on by Vickie & Peter
Kaki King

KAKI KING

Hailed by Rolling Stone as “a genre unto herself,” Kaki King is a true iconoclast, a visionary musician/artist whose singular work rightly stands out amongst the easily formatted.  Over her decade-long career thus far, the Brooklyn-based guitarist/composer has recorded five extraordinarily diverse and distinctive LPs, performed with such icons as Foo Fighters, Timbaland, and The Mountain Goats, contributed to a variety of film and TV soundtracks (spanning Golden Globe-nominated work on Sean Penn’s Into The Wild to scoring – and appearing in as guitar-playing hand double – the acclaimed 2007 drama, August Rush), and played to ever-growing audiences on innumerable world tours.  Each twist and veer marked the turning of a page, another step forward on a truly exceptional musical path.  Beginning with 2002’s Everybody Loves You – to date, her only fully acoustic guitar recording.  Best known for her percussive, virtuosic take on string instruments, Brooklyn-based guitarist-composer Kaki King has expanded and reconceived the role of the solo instrumental artist, constantly kicking at the boundaries of what is expected. For her solo performance, she brings a collection of several rare instruments, including a harp guitar, a dojo, a hybrid between a guitar and koto that King made herself, and, of course, her custom Ovation Adamas guitar.

“Her command of the guitar creates a unique listening experience that explores every raw emotion.”
-Paste Magazine

“Guitarist Kaki King’s rightful place is among kings of the strings.”
–Chicago Tribune

“Kaki King has never been just a guitarist. While her immaculately picked guitar remains the centerpiece, she creates immersive, organic and cinematic compositions.”
–Relix

Rockport Music Shalin Liu Performance Center
Friday, August 2 @ 8pm