Good Morning Gloucester

When visitors arrive, we almost always take them on a whale watch and it never fails to amaze. Cape Ann Whale Watch took us north this week in search of marine wildlife so we passed Thacher Island and got to see the twin lighthouses “merge” in a way that is best appreciated from the water. Though there was plentiful sightings of dolphins, gannets and whales I did not get to take too many photos as our 2 year old grandson wasn’t as interested in that as his mother was. So I played “chase the toddler” while others watched the whales — they were close enough to the boat to smell their (awful) breaths in the blows.

Fall is a great time to go on a whale watch, especially since they tend to be less crowded. I believe the watches will sail into October, so it isn’t too late to book a trip!

My lifetime waterfront friend will be honored at a retirement celebration, Friday, September 30, 2022. All are welcome at the C.A.M. downtown campus, at 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Ron’s congratulatory letter to Erik follows: 

Dear Erik:

 

What wonderful news – your upcoming well-deserved retirement!  I am so happy for you, my lifelong waterfront friend. 

Just think, Erik, our association dates back to the 1940s.  You were a toddler in your dad’s rigging loft on John J. Burke’s Sherman B. Ruth’s outfitting wharf.  I was a frequent visitor to his rigging loft.

The year was 1947 and the brand-new scallop dragger “Bright Star” was in front of your father’s shop.  Recently launched from the Essex James yard, she was receiving your dad’s rigging.  F/V Bright Star was a beautiful vessel, and many years later, 2011, you would replicate it in a 30” model.  It’s this model, the Schooner Elsie, and the 1947 modern side trawler F/V Kingfisher, to name a few, that you have passionately recreated in model form that will forever serve as a tribute to Gloucester’s anchor industry history.  

To me, my dear friend, your professional model work, over a lifetime, on display at our own premier Cape Ann Museum,  as well as the nationally recognized Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.,  speak volumes about your professional career and your many contributions to the history of our Gloucester over the years.

Your career-ending tenure as Marine Curator of our own C.A.M. is such a wonderful contribution, a book end, to a lifelong artistic journey…your legacy to our Cape Ann community.

Sincerely, 

Ron Gilson

Our wildlife remained active while we were distracted enjoying late summer.

Lines…

It’s that time of year when it’s all about apples, pumpkins, cider and wine (of course) so it seems logical to make a stop at Russell Orchards in Ipswich. They are currently in full apple picking swing. Our daughter had never been apple picking (clearly there were gaps in her education) and Russell Orchards is a great spot to start! It’s very kid-friendly with farm animals and special treats inside the store. It’s also driver friendly as I noticed some outlets for electric vehicles. We took full advantage of the pumpkin displays, store treats and apple trees. I suggest you consider doing the same!

What: Apply for Artist Membership at North Shore Arts Association
Where: North Shore Arts Association, 11 Pirate’s Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930
When: October 1 & 2, 2022
Images: 1 attached 

NORTH SHORE ARTS ASSOCIATION CALL TO ARTISTS; YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO APPLY! Submission deadline for New Artist Membership is October 1 & 2, 2022. For membership information and an application please visit: Becoming a Member at NSAA.   

North Shore Arts Association is located at 11 Pirate’s Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930. For more information about becoming a Juried Artist Member please call (978) 283-1857 or email arts@nsarts.org. Visiting hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM and Sundays 12 – 4 PM.   

With the supernatural as the setting, Tony Award Nominated Playwright LUCAS HNATH ‘ssuspenseful play is an immersive exploration of the fragile boundary between our world and the one just beyond

 Performances September 30 – October 23 at Gloucester Stage’s historic theater 

Gloucester Stage Company will close out its powerful 2022 season with the haunting production of THE THIN PLACE. Directed by Dee Dee Batteast, part ghost story, part dissection of “truth,” the play builds a never-ending loop between your head and your sixth sense and satisfies the cravings of both. With insight and relentless curiosity, the Tony Award-nominated playwright Lucas Hnath‘s play transforms the theater into an intimate séance, crafting an unnerving testament to the power of the mind, which has a mind of its own.

The suspenseful ghost story probes the profoundly human need for connection as it follows the burgeoning relationship between two women. Linda communicates professionally with the dead, who are still here, just in a different part of here, in the “thin place” and Hilda is a keen observer who’s seeking answers. Through their conversations, THE THIN PLACE explores the living world, the worlds beyond, and the fragile boundary between them.

Making their Gloucester Stage debuts, Cynthia Beckert and Siobhán Carroll lead the small cast as Linda, the veteran medium, and Hilda, who is grappling with a strange loss. Accomplished actors Joshua Wolf Coleman and Bren McElroy also star in this quietly chilling story which crackles with spiritual vulnerability. And yet at the same time, the enthralling story plays with perceptions of reality and the omnipresence of death. 

THE THIN PLACE will run from September 30 through October 23. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA. Tickets are now on sale and available at GloucesterStage.com.

The production is made possible with support from The Beauport Hospitality Group. The 2022 Season at Gloucester Stage has been made possible by the Shubert Foundation and the Applied Materials Foundation.