The view from the Fisherman's Memorial - Gloucester, MA

We recently had one of those weekends of driving back and forth to the Boston area for soccer (both days - if we didn't have the dogs I would just stay overnight!). One of the games was at Gordon College and I can't tell you how excited I was when I located it on the map - just a few minutes down the road was Gloucester and it's been on my laundry list for quite some time now. I knew we had just enough time between games to at least see what the hub-bub was all about, so much to my son's dismay I trucked right on by the exit for Grapevine Road and instead hit Rt 133/Essex Avenue.

This winding road brought us directly to the intersection of Rt 127 and looking to our left, standing tall overlooking the harbor, was the Fisherman's Memorial. It was a bitterly cold and windy day so we easily got a parking spot right there but I was amazed at the folks jogging and walking their dogs along the path - thems tough people in these parts! The sweeping views of the harbor were amazing with rafts of sea ducks floating along with mixed pairs of eiders, long tails, scoters, loons - I know if I had stayed longer (and could have seen without the wind forcing tears in my eyes) I would have found so much more.

Ten Pound Island stood in the forefront with the Eastern Point lighthouse hiding in the background, allowing the marker on Dog Bar to show off instead. From the listing of sailors lost at sea, my son quickly pointed out the members of the Andrea Gail who were swept away during the merging of Hurricane Grace and the nor'easter of Halloween 1991 and made famous by the book and movie "The Perfect Storm". We talked about how in the movie Billy Tyne reminisces about turning the boat into Gloucester Harbor and my son turned and questioned where Bobby Shatford might have lived. He wondered where the boat would have been kept. He wanted to know if the bar was still open.

I guess in a sense, I won.

From the Memorial we looped through the tight streets of the downtown area and I vowed to return on a sunny summer day to do this again. There are many little parks and shops and I could definitely see myself spending an entire day there.

We headed back to Gordon College where the boys won their game under the lights while I, bundled up in a queen sized blanket looking like a cocoon, just about froze to death. Even though it was close to 11 pm when we got home, I have to admit, it was worth the trip.



The 8' tall Fisherman's Memorial



The members of the Andrea Gail who lost their lives in the Perfect Storm




Overlooking Stage Fort Park




Ten Pound Lighthouse


The Dog Bar marker




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