Good Morning Gloucester

Wind Sculpture…

I belong to a Facebook group called Massachusetts Bird Photography (not a birder, remember….) and noticed an opportunity to book an owl tour for an all day adventure, so off I went. Lo and behold, the tour was held right here in Essex County, which hosts one of the largest owl populations in the state. My wonderful guide Cynthia is a big fan of Screech Owls and the tour was mostly focused on finding some and learning a bit about their habits and life cycle. It was a huge success. We found 8 owls (one short eared in flight and 7 Screech Owls) including one Cynthia had previously not seen. As you will see in the following photos, it’s kind of no wonder we overlook them as they are supremely camouflaged by Mother Nature. I thought you might like to see what we found. Which is your favorite? You may see some notecards in the near future from Pat D’s Photos. Check out Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook for additional photos and story details.

Blue on Blue…

Another sure sign of Spring when Pauline’s Gifts on Essex Ave announces her reopening! Sharing from Facebook:

High School  jazz musicians from Gloucester and Salem, joined by well-known adult players, are holding a benefit concert to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on Friday, March 10, at 7 p.m. The event at Gloucester High School is free and open to the public, but the student organizers hope each attendee will contribute $10 if able to.

Every penny raised will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a world leader in the battle against childhood diseases.

The concert is the brainchild of Gloucester High School students Elijah Sarrouf, Esme Sarrouf  and Tyler Weed.

“My goal is to start a tradition of bringing the local communities together through music and a common cause, in this case St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Elijah Sarrouf, a senior at Gloucester High School.  “It’s really important that we can give our talents through music to help kids battling cancer, and I’d love for this to be something bands across the North Shore come together every year to do.”

The lineup will include: the Gloucester High School Docksiders jazz band; the Salem High School Jazz Quintet and Jazz Ensemble; local  band-leader Brandon Tarricone and his Dixieland Jazz band; and guitarist Krewe De Roux.

“We reached out to Salem High School and to Krewe De Roux and they jumped right in,” Weed said. “Others have said they want to join next year, so we hope this is the first of many.” The students are especially grateful for the participation of Salem High School bands director Cynthia Napierkowski and Gloucester High School bands director Cole Lundquist and to the Gloucester High School administration for making the performance space available.

The Sarrouf family has been involved in raising support for St. Jude for decades. Elijah and Esme’s father, John, said of the concert: “St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded by Danny Thomas, a master performer, so it’s lovely that teenagers decided to use a musical performance to advance his oft-stated mission that “no child should die in the dawn of life.”

Jazz fans who are unable to attend the event but would like to support the initiative may give at the fundraising website: https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR?px=2965976&fr_id=140354&pg=personal 

Well it’s the perfect time to come check us out because it’s Mass Beer Week! So come on down to Laneside Pub & Brewery, grab a pint and celebrate with us. New beers released this week. 🍻

It was almost springlike recently when I took a little walk around the park area including the Fitz Henry Lane House and the Fitz Hugh Lane statue. I am walking the line between the 2 names best known for the local artist born Nathaniel Rogers Lane in 1804 and legally changed his name to Fitz Henry Lane in 1834. You can be forgiven for confusion over the name Fitz Hugh Lane which apparently was erroneous. (More info on that here from the National Gallery of Art) The Gloucester Harbor Walk provides further information here, as well as fellow blog contributor Catherine Ryan’s post from March 2019 which can be found here. Further information on the Fitz Henry Land house and Fitz Hugh Lane statue can also be found here from Cape Ann Museum.

Regardless, all that background info isn’t really necessary in order to enjoy the paved walkways, benches and tables in this park area. And, of course, the Alfred Duca statue overlooking Harbor Loop is most striking. I am not sure how all the pine cones ended up nearby but they don’t detract from the statue’s beauty. There were families and couples enjoying a little quiet time and scenery while I was there. Maybe don’t worry too much about Henry vs Hugh and just enjoy the surroundings while you are there.