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

Annisquam on a beautiful Sunday afternoon

It could be worse…

It’s the last snow of the year….it’s the last snow of the year…it’s the last snow of the year.   That’s what I keep telling myself as I head out this morning to shovel myself into work.   I know we have had a wonderfully mild winter, but I’m pretty sure we all have a little leftover angst about last winter.  So as I head off to the office I’m going to reflect on a winter when it was a blustery, -10 windchill morning, and a couple friends and I snow shoed down to Annisquam Light after a big storm….it will make today seem like a dusting!  Safe travels to all!

GOLDEN TWILIGHT ON THE ANNISQUAM

What a treat, these last lingering days of Indian Summer! I am trying to get out of doors as much as possible to enjoy the fleeting amber-gold moments. The photos below were taken standing at the mouth of the Annisquam, looking towards Wingaersheek Beach.

Foggy Morning Music at Annisquam Lighthouse

I had a wonderful adventure early his morning looping around Cape Ann and listening for the clearest fog horn sounds to record. My drive began at the Paint Factory to listen for the Ten Pound Island fog horn, then onto Eastern Point Lighthouse, Thacher Island Light, and Straitsmouth Island Light, before landing at the lighthouse at Annisquam. For my purposes the Annisquam Lighthouse was perfect and I loved the combined sounds of fog horn, birds awakening, waves lapping at the shore, and the clanging of buoy bells in the distance. I think I got some good stuff!

 

Click the triangle to hear the Annisquam Lighthouse foghorn.

Recording gorgeous foggy morning music! Annisquam Lighthouse #GloucesterMA

A video posted by Kim Smith (@kimsmithdesigns) on Aug 24, 2015 at 5:16am PDT

Naomi Lee shares her art in Gloucester and around Cape Ann. Also, This Sunday August 16th 2015 at The Magnolia Historical Society from 2-6pm. 46 Magnolia Ave Magnolia, Massachusetts

Naomi Lee (Glimcher Panarello) who has made her home here in Gloucester for the past eight years was a long time resident of Revere for thirty seven years and moved on to Marblehead for 18 years. She has been interested in art since early child hood. Always creating something from paint, mud and clay, she has even mentioned how she loved to get punished, knowing she would be sent to her room on purpose. It was there she could be secluded and create her art. She remembers painting birds on vinyl window shades. Also, one of a beautiful parrot that her mother gave to a neighbor who had mentioned how much she loved it.

At the age thirteen she went to the Museum Of Fine Arts and took a course in sculpture and that’s only training she has gotten, everything else was self taught. Because of her skills she ended up working in Parks and Recreation teaching children to senior citizens to create things from clay, later working at two different Jewish community centers one in Revere and one in Marblehead. For one season she was the Art Director at the Eastern Yacht club for the summer program. This was around the early 1990’s and continued teaching until the early 2000’s. Her last position was at Temple Emanuel teaching pottery in Marblehead 2002.

Two and a half years ago she was juried into the Guild of Beverly Artists, while looking to make money to get her car fixed, during that time she did five shows and many others on her own since.

There are many paintings to see of Gloucester’s landscape these happen to be a favorite subject of Naomi’s. Paintings can be done by photo or by eye. She believes in the warmth of the sun the calm of the moon the strength of the wind and power of sea.

Naomi calls this seascape of Good Harbor a miracle painting after a serious decision in her life and seeing the rainbow confirmed her choice. This is the product of doing so.

Here are some other pieces of Naomi’s  art work.

My favorite of The Annisquam Lighthouse.

Come by and visit me Sunday at The Magnolia Historical Society from 2-6pm. Many great paintings by local artists, including yours truly.

My artwork can also be seen at the new Salem Art Gallery at 179 Essex Street. Open Thursday and Friday 4-8 and on weekends 12-6. My art is on display until Octobe

Naomi Lee contact

naomileeart@outlook.com

(781) 710-1080

The Annisquam Lighthouse

On a summer morning

Ipswich Bay and Annisquam Lighthouse Panoramas

Always a pretty sight from the meadow looking towards Ipswich Bay. This is the view from where our daughter will be married in less than two months!

Click panoramas to view larger.

The top photo was taken with the iPhone 6plus, the second photo with my Fuji XE-1 at 50mm.

Always beautiful view from Lighthouse Beach!

A video posted by Kim Smith (@kimsmithdesigns) on Apr 27, 2015 at 8:29am PDT

Reminder ~ Please join me tomorrow evening, April 29th, at 7pm at the Hamilton Wenham Public Library where I will be giving my Pollinator Garden program and screening several short films. This event is free and open to the public. I hope to see you there!

Annisquam Lighthouse from Wingaersheek Beach

Annisquam Lighthouse Saturday Spring Snowstorm

Annisquam Lighthouse Saturday spring snowstorm #GloucesterMA #Snowville

A video posted by Kim Smith (@kimsmithdesigns) on Mar 28, 2015 at 8:59am PDT

More than just a Lighthouse Tour with Captain Donald Steele

Harbor Tours provides a tour of six Lighthouse tour on Cape Ann, (Ten Pound Island, Eastern Point, Straitsmouth, Thacher and Annisquam Lighthouses). The tour is far more; it is narrated by Captain Donald Steele; who gives the history of Cape Ann and the many points of interest; you seethe many islands along the coast line, local and private beaches, and some celebrities’ homes along the shore. As a Gloucester native he tells stories of the many storms, that occurred along the rough coast line of Cape Ann.

The tour is a must for locals and Gloucester visitors. In the slideshow you will see the many delighted faces of people on the tour that I went on this past weekend. 

		Lighthouse Tour VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The AnnisquamLighthouse

Annisquam Lighthouse as the sun was going down

Another Beautiful Evening on Cape Ann

Sunday Evening’s Sunset at Annisquam Light. Looks like it will be another beautiful day and beautiful evening on Cape Ann today.

Annisquam Light, circa 1890

 Annisquam Light, circa 1890 Charles E. Dennison/©Fredrik D, Bodin

The first Annisquam Lighthouse was built in 1801 on Wigwam Point, where the Annisqaum River meets Ipswich Bay. It was replaced in 1851 by the lighthouse in this photograph. The forty one foot high wooden tower was octagonal. The keeper’s house, to the right of the light, also built in 1801, had a covered walkway connecting it to the lighthouse. Cows grazed the lighthouse grounds, and wandered along the beach at low tide. The present  Annisquam Light was erected in 1897, and is made of brick. The light was automated in 1974, and the keeper’s house is currently used by Coast Guard families.

Printed from the original 8×10 inch negative in my darkroom.

Fred Bodin

Bodin Historic Photo

info@BodinHistoricPhoto.com

82 Main Street

Gloucester, MA 01930

978-283-2524

My quest for today….

Now that I have finished the 2011 calendar🙂 and it’s ready to print, I’m thinking maybe a Cape Ann lighthouse calendar would be cool. So today I’m doing research. Any less obvious ones that I might miss?

Thanks!  —-Sharon

Annisquam Lighthouse at Dusk Photo From Alyson M

Alyson M contributed this photo to the Good Morning Gloucester Flickr Group Upload some photos to Flickr and join the group (all for free) and you too could see your pictures here on GMG.

Alyson writes-

We were all walking away from the lighthouse, turned around to take a last look and scrambled to set up the tri-pod’s once again. I unfortunately am not so quick with the tripod so this one is without, but the feeling of this picture and being there was pure beauty! 

Annisquam Lighthouse at Dusk, originally uploaded by Alyson M..

 

Good Evening, Gloucester

This is why we live here…

Bored at work (or at home)?

Have fun with this! —Sharon

HomieCast 20 With @CraigShoots, @Eves3, Nick Novello and @Joey_C Taped 9/29/16 @CapeAnnBrewing

HomieCast 20 With @CraigShoots, @Eves3, Nick Novello and @Joey_C Taped 9/29/16 @CapeAnnBrewing