My Little Molly......

It was June of 1998 that my wife suggested we get a dog. A year before her niece became the proud owner of a beagle and my wife became hooked on beagles. I said to her, if you get a beagle who is going to take her out late at night when the dog has to go? She said I will! Of course it turned out the other way around but in July we were off to New Boston,NH to pick out our new member of the family. That first year we took her camping in New Hampshire and Maine and later when we bought a boat in 2001 we brought her along for rides along the Annisquam River and the harbor. Over the years she became my best friend always getting excited when I said "lets go for a ride in the truck". She loved to go to a beach and has visited every beach on Cape Ann. This may sound strange but we actually could read each others mind. I guess that happens when you become attached as we have. Last month we noticed she wasn't herself and her stomach appeared bloated. A trip to the vet revealed her liver was being attacked by cancer. A few weeks went by and she regained her spunk as the swelling decreased. But last Thursday the swelling increased again. Another trip to the vet to drain her stomach brought relief and an appetite but the reprieve only lasted a day. As I type this she lay comfortably on the couch but I know little can be done. I know it's time to say goodbye, it's never easy but she brought us a lifetime of joy to reflect on and a friendship I'll never forget! Thanks Molly for being such a good friend!

An Interesting Weekend!

Saturday night the 2012 series of Gloucester Downtown Block Parties began on a beautiful night. And Sunday afternoon while I was driving along East Main St. I happened to look toward "Portugee" Hill and could see smoke rising above the roof tops. A house fire on Perkins St. was the source of the smoke and the Gloucester Fire Department made a great stop and confining the fire to a small portion of the house. After I snapped a few images I went over to Good Harbor Beach and was surprised how packed it was! On the deck. Spray! Block Party time! Father & son duo Dylan & Allen Estes! Baby in a store window! Jump rope! My grand niece Iylan! Good Harbor Beach A bit crowded! The obligatory house shot! On the rocks! Thacher Island peeks from behind Salt Island.

Fireworks and a Reason to Celebrate !

Since I was a kid I've always been fascinated in fireworks. The color the sounds that only last a few moments lighting up and painting the sky. And oh so difficult to photograph! While looking back in my files I came across this collection of fireworks through the years. And yes I'm in a festive mood. I'm finally back working in the field I've worked for over 30 years! Countless interviews lead me to conclude no one wants to hire Quality Control Inspectors beyond the age of 50. After being laid off in 2009 I worked as a Dock Monitor covering the offloads of fishing vessels on the North Shore. My duties involved recording the weights and species of fish and solving tally disputes between fishermen and dealers as a contracted agent for the Department of Commerce. It was a 24/7 job and the workload was weather dependent but rewarding. But mid September of 2011 NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service decided to stop funding the program. I was actually working for a Canadian company and when the program ended was asked by them if I would be interested on becoming a North East coordinator for the At Sea Observer program. I accepted but it wouldn't begin until May 1st of this year. About 2 weeks before I was to start NOAA decided no! Back to interviews I knew were only to satisfy employment agency contracts. Then my luck changed, a local company which is expanding came to me to tour their facilities and now I'm back at work!

Catching Up !

I got some catching up to do. The weekend of the St. Peter's Fiesta my computer crashed as I mentioned on earlier posts. So now with more of my files being "re-discovered" I had some time to go through images I didn't post. Also a few from this weekend including the condition of the old closed Birdseye building that will soon be the site of a hotel. Pavilion Beach Bungee jump'n! The Greasy Pole walkers arrive! Whoops! Half way walk and drop! Trying to hang on! Going in! Flowing wig! Falling backwards! A bunch of grapes fall off the "vine"! The face of a champion Greasy Pole walker....Ross Carlson! Crumbling concrete under a service door of the Birdseye building. The Birdseye tower. A couple of dories. Rowing by Cape Pond Ice and Ocean Crest. "Sabrina Marie" in Harbor Cove. "Miss Sandy" up close!

I'm Back !

If you hadn't noticed I've been away from posting more content. That's because my computer crashed and was limited on what I could do with a borrowed lap top. As it turned out my hard drive and external hard drive both maxed out and a few bugs in the mother board. Thanks to my nieces boyfriend I now have a rebuilt computer that he cleverly restored. Not all the functions are installed and there are more files to recover but at least I have my editing tools and a place to download my images. In this post I included some new images from the 2012 St. Peter's Fiesta and a collection of older shots taken through the years. Victors! Down goes "Grandma"! A greasy handful! Last grasp! 2009 Greasy Pole Character! Big wave! Good Harbor Beach enveloped in fog! Coast Guard helo hovers over Gloucester Harbor. Schooners gather. On the bowsprit of the schooner "Alabama". "Picton Castle" gets a Gloucester welcome escorted by the "Thomas E. Lannon"! Schooners all abreast! Lone fisherman on Good Harbor Beach. Lobster boat "Black Sheep" in a Gloucester Harbor sunset.