Day: April 5, 2009

Yesterday I went to the Cape Ann Museum to see the Charlie Lowe (no relation that I can tell) photo exhibit. If you were around in the 60’s and 70’s and were old enough to read the newspaper, you will love this exhibit. Not only are the prints technically superb, but the who, what, where is incredible.

I remember so many of the photos from when were printed in the paper, and others brought back memories of 34 years ago before our lives went into overdrive. I bumped into Joey Palmisano and his sister Kathy who grew up in the Fort. What memories they had! They could identify many more people than I could. It was great hanging out with them, and each of us adding our bits of memories – mine of Magnolia and theirs of their Italian heritage and growing up in the Fort.

In the photos, I noticed that cigars, cigarettes and pipes were prominent in many of the photos, and without looking at smoking as a negative, it added to the scene and mood where the viewer could almost read the mind of the person.

One photo of a squirrel sitting on a fireman’s shoulders made me almost cry. My dad, who was a fireman in West Gloucester at the time, was one of the guys who adopted the squirrel and made him a firehouse mascot. Man, I miss my dad.

Joey’s graduating class photo was taken aboard the Judith Lee Rose. That photo was there. Kathy pointed out classmates, relatives, and friends. For me it was Doc Vieria in the huge mirror at the drugstore in Magnolia where we all hung out as teens.

It was those memories that this exhibit brings out. More than a pretty picture, these photos pull you in and you feel so Gloucester. Everyone should see this. It was different time, a different life, but so much our home.