The 2017 McCarty Metro Film Contest took place from July 3-9. The event was open to all. We looked for people to write, act, direct and produce a short 4 minute or less movie and submit it to the McCarty Metro during that week in accordance with rules posted on our website on July 2. We received 5 videos that were sent out for judging. The three person judges choice was that "Come Meet The McNoses" submitted by Mac Daddy Productions was the winner. The runner up video was "Meet The Flix" submitted by Jim Matczak. Congratulations to our finalists and to all our submitters on another job well done.

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Inn proprietors Betsy and Frank were more than hospitable, even allowing Margaret’s brother Chris Rzepka, who was bunking in an AirBNB in nearby Gloucester to park in the lot next to their historical house. And Frank told us stories of his days working on his father’s fishing boat (he hated it) and of working for the U.S. Postal Service (he loved it). On Betsy’s recommendation, several of us headed out on our first rainy day there to a Gloucester restaurant overlooking the harbor. The rain got more intense as we ate our lunch, but we cheered up when we got the bill and found that the food was half price because of the wet weather.

The following day was much nicer, so Chuck and his wife Jane, along with Marianne, Nancy and Lee, visited the Beauport Sleeper-McCann house. Interior designer Henry Sleeper built the 40-room house on the rocky ledge overlooking Gloucester Harbor. (The McCann family later bought the house and left it mostly unchanged.) The nicest weather was on Wednesday, when some of us headed to Gloucester for an afternoon at sea, looking for those whales. If you’ve seen the movies “The Perfect Storm” or “Manchester-by-the-Sea”, you’ve caught glimpses of Gloucester Harbor. And Margaret, Marianne, Chuck, Laura, Nancy and Lee ventured out on the waves to look for some whales. Olivia came along too, but was so excited to be out on the boat that she wore herself out in the first hour and spent the rest of the trip fast asleep. She saw not one of the humpback whales we came across. One very nice woman who was working the nearby snack counter told us that she would keep an eye on the sleeping Olivia if we wanted to step outside and see the whales. At one point, a customer came to the snack counter, but she told him he’d have to wait because she was busy on her watch. We were lucky to spot a pod of whales made up of two females, Nile and Firefly, along with Firefly’s unnamed calf. The high point of the trip was when Nile – so named because of a marking that resembled the Egyptian river – crossed under our boat, surfaced about 15 yards away from the starboard side of the boat and, with her massive body under the waves, proceeded to slap her tail against the water. You know there’s something interesting going on when even the staff on the ship come out to take pictures, and Nile kept up the slapping until all of us – including a few of the crew - had a chance to take as many photos as we liked. There are various theories about why whales do this. Perhaps they’re knocking barnacles off their tails, or they are sending signals, or they are showing off to a bunch of people on a boat. In any case, we enjoyed the show, the finale of our trip, and headed back to port. 

We spent the rest of our stay with our feet on dry land. Chuck took a small group to see Dogtown, an abandoned settlement with a colorful history on Cape Ann. But much of the time was spent at the beach house, watching the lobster boats, paddling out in kayaks, walking along the breakwater or watching the sunsets. The inlet is a little small for whales, but a snowy white egret was seen fishing off the rocks and a seal was spotted flopping along the shore until he got himself back into the waves. And there was one dead seagull that was given a proper burial by Margaret and Chris in the sand below the tide line. We also seemed to spend a lot of time talking about what we would be eating every day. In fact, the group was split between those who wanted to eat lobster every day, and those of us who thought we should at least have a few vegetables. But if you just drove 12 hours to see whales, you might as well eat lobsters every day, too. You can eat your vegetables when you get home.

Bringing the lobster in from the bay - - Sunset from the back porch on the cove - - Chris enjoying some fresh seafood on Chuck's porch

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Boats in the evening on the bay - - Brad and Valerie go to Cheers - - Relaxing on the porchswing

It was 50 years ago that we called the house on Sussex our home. It was the only home I knew until the family moved in 1972. I always remember it as a nice home, and a great neighborhood to grow up in. Unfortunately, through vandalism, and extreme neglect, the home met its' demise and has become an eyesore. In 2014, I went by the old home and snapped a photo after a TV news report that the current tenant had tied a chain through the front windows and pulled the front off the house after a dispute with the owner. Margaret and I drove by again just a couple weeks ago, and the entire home still has no front, and is overgrown with trees, weeds, and bushes. You can barely see the house from the street. Neighboring houses look almost as bad. Although upsetting to see, I will always cherish fondly the memories of growing up on 9323 Sussex.

Our Sussex Home In 1967 - In 2014 After The Vandalism - In 2017 After 3 More Years Of Neglect

Dear Editor: My wife and I will be celebrating our one year anniversary and I thought a weekend in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge attending a magic show was the best way to celebrate. In my research I came across Wonders of Magic featuring Terry Evanswood.  One review caught my attention: "I would rather spend $20 to watch a hobo eat a sandwich than see another Terry Evanswood magic show." Based on this review and a ticket cost of only $16, I couldn't turn it down. How to you think my new wife will respond? - Shazam in TN

ED NOTE: Weee Doggies. Let me say that you sure know how to treat a gal. Compared to my marriage proposal in a bar parking lot, and Mike's honeymoon to Mystery Spot, I think Mrs. Shazam will love it... or maybe she'll have the magician saw you in half?