Activity at the Blue Ocean shipwreck early this morning.
Please write and let us know if you know the name of this little salty dog. Thank you! 
Tag: Niles Beach
MONARCH BUTTERFLY FOUND ON NILES BEACH
GMG reader Hannah writes,
Hi, I wanted to get this to Kim Smith. I have seen her posts about the migration and how they were not as many this summer. I found this beautiful frozen/starved monarch butterfly on Niles Beach two days ago and I am wondering if anyone knows how I could preserve this? It still has a little sand on it–too afraid to brush it off. Thanks!
Thank you for writing Hannah. That looks like a very wind and weather worn Monarch. I wonder how far it traveled to reach our shores. The easiest way to preserve your Monarch is to store it in a shadow box, which can be purchased at Target, Ikea, and Michaels. West Elm has some very nice linen-lined ones. The main thing is to keep it out of the sun or the wing color will fade. Folks used to tuck butterfly specimens away in cupboards with little drawers and compartments, to look at on occasion, but that can bring mice. The shadow boxes are so much nicer!
Your Monarch is clearly dead however I would like to make folks aware that sometimes butterflies appear frozen or dead but they are actually quite alive. A butterflies wings don’t work very well until they are thoroughly warmed. If you see a butterfly early in the morning, either lying on the ground or attached to a plant such as Seaside Goldenrod, it is probably simply waiting for the sun to rise and is best left undisturbed.
Also, as for the sand grains, you can remove those with a few gentle pumps of a bulb syringe or a photographer’s air blaster.
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DRAGGER SHIPWRECK OFF NILES BEACH GLOUCESTER
We hope the old FV Blue Ocean is salvageable after breaking mooring in the gale force winds late last night. The Blue Ocean is a wooden converted Eastern rig side dragger. The ship was built in 1952 and is owned by Michael Ragusa of Gloucester. Beach clean-up is well underway and as reported in the Gloucester Times, the boat does not pose an environmental threat because there was no fuel or oil on board. Photos from this morning at high tide and then again at low tide this afternoon. 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMrFPxtDMuO/
For more photos of the Blue Ocean see Paul Frontiero’s post from 2014
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Are you up for the 13-2 Gloucester beaches challenge? 13 beaches. 2 jumps. 1 city. Go!
A mid-week vacation day is the easiest. Oh, and you’ll need your resident beach sticker. We prepped our car with a picnic blanket for the seat, extra towels, and ice waters. Start early and grab a big “lobsterjack” breakfast because you’ll need the fuel. End late.
Let’s establish some base rules here.
First off, you need to spend at least 15 minutes at each beach. (You can tweak this a little if you want.) Next, you need to dive under. We suggest a ritual for each beach, e.g. ‘The Five and Dive’. Finally, you have to stop for ice cream and candy. Remember, you can do these beaches (or others in Gloucester) and jumps in any order. Be flexible for unexpected delays like staying at one beach for hours, or a friend asking you to drop off a sub (*cough* Joey *cough*). Most importantly, you have to do at least 13 beaches and 2 jumps in one day. Mind the tides. Be grateful we have so many choices.
The Beaches- partial list
alphabetical order
Annisquam lighthouse. Coffin’s beach. Good Harbor beach. Long beach. Magnolia beach. Niles beach. Pavilion beach (by Beach Court). Pavilion beach bonus (by the cut). Plum Cove beach. Rocky Neck Oakes Cove beach. Stage Fort Park (1) – Cressy’s beach ( our alt. title ‘sea serpent’ big beach). Stage Fort Park (2) – Half Moon beach. Wheeler’s Point. Wingaersheek beach.
The Jumps- partial list
Annisquam bridge. Magnolia Pier.
*We do this challenge at least once each summer. Yesterday we started off with breakfast at Willow’s Rest and continued from there. Our timing was random especially as we spent hours at Wingaersheek. The second meal to get us through the day came from the sandwich counter at Annie’s by Wingaersheek. Yes, they have a sandwich counter.
Gloucester Beaches sandwich directory
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Gloucester Motif Monday: Lessons On the Water
Scenic spots for Gloucester’s beach swim lessons, part 1.
11:00am
From Jeremy Nestor at the YMCA:
“Beach Swim lessons are offered at Niles Beach on Tuesdays and Plum Cove on Thursdays starting July 5th. The free to member classes give children the tools they need to be safe at the beaches this summer! If you are not a member do not worry. You can still register for the Beach Swim Lessons for $50. Ages 3-5 at 11:00 am and 6-10 at 11:45 am.”
Weekly sailing camp options for kids and adults are available from the City of Gloucester through the Cape Ann YMCA. I will add additional sailing options in a separate post.
From Jeremy Nestor:
“YMCA Sailing Camp is a great way to experience all the scenic views Gloucester has to offer from a boat. Kids will learn the essential to sailing and build skills to last them a lifetime. The Cape Ann YMCA partnered with the City of Gloucester to run this recreational sailing program. We also offer adult sailing lessons on Tuesday and Thursday evenings because you don’t have to be a kid to learn the fun of sailing!”
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Gloucester Smiles-270
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BREAKING DRAMA NILES BEACH: TRUCK STUCK OVER SEAWALL
Thanks to the heroic efforts of the Tally’s crew, police, and especially Brendan Hendrickson who had the most undesirable job of being in the driver’s seat, the truck (with Maine plates) was pulled to shore without what appeared too much damage to the undercarriage.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFSOyr4Dyob/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFSQmaSDysV/
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ROCK ON MOMS!
I stopped this morning to take a snapshot of the lifting fog when the beach combing mom and her little boy came on the scene. For all the moms making wonderful memories for their children, Happiest of Mother’s Days to You!
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SPLENDID NILES BEACH SUNSET
Sunset from several nights ago, Bell House, Niles Beach
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CHASING SEAGULLS
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BEAUTIFUL HAWK AT NILES BEACH
I only had my cell phone with and wish so much my movie camera was back from the repair center. He/she was fairly high up in the tree so it’s really not that bad for a cell phone camera. The hawk did not at all seem to mind my interest and stayed for a while before flying towards the Lighthouse.
https://www.instagram.com/p/_sB2BUjyve/
https://www.instagram.com/p/_rsCWgDyk8/
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Uhmmm, Summer- Check. Beach- Check. @KettlePizza – Check. @STOKGrills –Check. Friends and Family- Check. It Doesn’t Get Much better Than This Folks…
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PADDLE BOARD YOGA!
https://instagram.com/p/5A3F-0DyhY/
Beautiful Mandy!
Mandy Davis reports that Cape Ann S.U.P will deliver and pick up their paddle boards to Niles Beach!
Friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Vine. You can also subscribe to my design website at Kim Smith Designs, and film’s websites at Beauty on the Wing ~ Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly,Gloucester’s Feast of Saint Joseph Community Film Project, and Life Story of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly.
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Niles Beach Fog Saturday 05/30
Until the fog burned off the International Dory Eliminations race directions were going to be simple: “If you see Hammond Castle, turn around…”
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International Dory Race Qualifier Saturday 05/30
After the fog burned off the races were on!
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Love
A sweetly random sign to come upon while walking our Rosie at Niles Beach this morning.
Love Niles Beach!
LOVE was found just below the high tide line, which makes me wonder how the letters stayed in place because a fellow dog walker mentioned it had been there for a few days. Whatever the case, thank you to whoever made it!
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Boston from Niles Beach
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Niles Beach in the Thickening Fog
After a day of madly painting interior rooms, whipping our home into shape for the holidays, and for Liv’s upcoming wedding, I took a walk to get out of the paint fumes in what I had hoped would be a lifting fog. Instead of dissipating, around every bend in the road the fog became increasingly dense. Albeit beautifully atmospheric, I imagined how dangerous it would be to be aboard a ship in the heavy fog and wouldn’t have wanted for anything to be a sailor or fisherman yesterday.
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Question for Paul M: Do you think the pale pink in the sky is a faint glimpse of the Lunar Eclipse?
Click to view larger
I went looking for the eclipse this morning Paul M. It was way too overcast (as you predicted), but the colors of the sky over Eastern Point, facing west, were very unusual, for sunrise. The panorama was taken at Niles Beach, in the direction towards where the setting moon would be, at around 7:15 this morning. Do you think the bright light and pinkish color in the sky is a reflection from the setting Blood Moon?
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Niles Beach Sunset
Last evening’s late summer sunset began quietly, in soft shades of coral rose and lavender blue. The sky’s light swiftly transformed to a riotous rainbow of super saturated hues.
Click image below to view larger panorama.
Niles Beach
Good Morning Gloucester 