Author: Sharon

My passions include photography, music, people, teaching, learning, taking risks and asking "I wonder what would happen if I..."

Safety at Harbor Loop last night

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Guy Fiero and the band “Safety” takes the crowd back to the 80’s…

and 3 year old Madison Lord loves it!

Red Sox Nation sheds a tear…

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Johnny Pesky, who during a six-decade-long association with the Red Sox as player, manager, broadcaster, coach, and executive became one of the most popular figures in the team’s history, died Monday. He was 92.
RIP, Johnny!

Sheimeka Copeland greet her fans at the Blues Festival

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To see more, click Listening with My Eyes or on the photos. Thanks! ~Sharon

Upcycled Chairs

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Friends Polly Hickey and Cheryl Davis have come up with a great idea – finding cast-off chairs on the side of the road, cleaning them up, and selling them at a reasonable price at the Farmer’s Market here in Gloucester on Thursdays. Their business, Upcycled Chairs, has already gained popularity at the Market. Several have been sold. Instead of being discarded in the trash, these chairs will have a new life. Very cool!

In the Pit ~ Lanesville

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Quarrymen, Lanesville, circa 1890 Anonymous/©Fredrik D. Bodin
I have fifteen quarry photographs in my collection, yet only this one shows quarry workers. The negative is from a house in Lanesville, and came to me four years ago. These men stopped in the midst of their labor for a picture. Three granite cutters on top are double jacking vertical drill holes into the granite with heavy sledge hammers, which means they are alternately pounding on a narrow star bit, held by the brave cutter sitting down. As you can imagine, his was a dangerous job. Below, two quarrymen score a horizontal seam with hand hammers into the granite bed, where it will (hopefully) break cleanly. I haven’t been able to identify this quarry. If you recognize it, please let me know. Thanks.
Printed archivally from the original 5×7 inch glass negative in my darkroom. Image #A9957-007
Fred


Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Motif No. 1 and the Fish Boat, 1934

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Motif No. 1, Rockport, 1934 Alice M. Curtis/©/Fredrik D. Bodin
Motif No. 1 is the most famous fish shack in the world, constructed around the time of the American Civil War (exact year uncertain). Initially used for storing fishing gear, it is located on Bradley Wharf, in the middle of Rockport Harbor (MA). The building soon became a popular subject for painters, including students of renowned artist Lester Horby (1882–1956), who coined the term “Motif No. 1.” Motif became an art studio in the 1930’s and was sold to the Town of Rockport in 1945, dedicated to the Rockport men and women who served in the armed forces. In this photograph, a 17′ Montgomery Fish Boat glides by. The Fish Boat class was designed in 1921 by Nick Montgomery. Six to eight hundred were made at the Montgomery Boatyard in Gloucester, and still are at the historic yard on the Annisquam River. This one probably sailed from the Sandy Bay Yacht Club. They were also raced at the Annisquam and Eastern Point Yacht Clubs. You can read more about the boatyard and fish boats in a GMG post by E.J. Lefavour here. Coincidentally, when I was traveling through the southwestern U.S., I visited Rockport, Texas – a small fishing town (mainly shrimp). In the restaurant where I stopped for lunch, there was a laminated placemat on my table with a photo of … guess what?
Printed archivally from the original 4×5 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image #A8345-196
Fred


Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Cooper’s Hawk

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About 6:15 last night, my son yelled for me to get my camera. There was a hawk in a tree right outside the window ripping apart a small bird. We live on Cripple Cove in East Gloucester, and I can’t remember  ever seeing a hawk that close to the houses. It ate its meal while we took several photos then flew down and landed on top of my car before taking off. I did some research and found out it was a Cooper’s Hawk. Interesting!

Click on the photo for more.

Saint Anthony’s-by-the-Sea

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Saint Anthony’s Chapel, 1930 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
Saint Anthony’s Chapel was consecrated in 1925 and designed by renowned architect Edward T. P. Graham (1872–1964). Graham was considered the “dean of Boston architects,” and recognized for his mediaeval style Roman Catholic churches. This church, constructed of fieldstone in the English parish gothic style, sits at the foot of Eastern Point at Farrington and Saint Louis Avenues. Mrs. Margaret Brady Farrell had Saint Anthony’s built and donated to the Archdiocese of Boston in memory of her father, Anthony Nicholas Brady (1841-1913). Notice the Saint Anthony statue in the niche below the cross, the observation tower on the right, and vintage autos in front. The interior is equally beautiful. I’ve been in there to photograph a few weddings, notably that of George and Ellen Sibley. Because so many local couples have married in the chapel, and continue to do so, this photo is a popular present for weddings and anniversaries. I always try to have it available in the gallery, especially in the spring. Saint Anthony’s Chapel is now part of Gloucester’s Holy Family Parish, and open in the summer.
Printed archivally from the original 5×7 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image #A8557-011
Fred


Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT AT THIS MEETING!!!!!!!!!!!

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From Lisa Ramos–

Over the past year, the Magnolia Historical Society has been working with the City of Gloucester to format a bid proposal for the disposition of the Blynman Schoolhouse for the Magnolia Historical Museum and a cultural center for our community members.
The final vote from City Council will be Tuesday April 10th at 7pm at City Hall.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT AT THIS MEETING!!!!!!!!!!!
Nobody will need to speak at this meeting, we will all be there to show our support for the Magnolia Community. Any of you who are interested in supporting the Magnolia Historical Society in our persuit of a larger/handicapp accessible facility where we can house our precious Magnolia artifacts, allow for community meetings, fundraisers, artist space, etc…..  (The possibilities are endless.) Please, please attend this meeting.
Also, don’t forget, our annual scrap metal drive starts Saturday April 7th -21st.  The scrap metal dumpster will be at the Blynman Schoolhouse on Magnolia Avenue, or if you need a pick up, please call Lisa Ramos at 978-290-3005.  Anything that is 70% metal is acceptable.
“Together we can make a difference on whether and how Magnolia’s history is preserved and made known”.
Thank you for your continued support

Plum Cove, Gloucester

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Plum Cove Sunset, circa 1930 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
I’ve been saving this photograph for a year. It reminds me of Easter sunrise services I have attended, even though this is a sunset. It must have been chilly that day, because the people in the foreground are wearing coats and hats, typical of Easter mornings in the Northeast. The freshwater stream flowing down the beach is gone, and a low tide exposes rocks not visible when the tide is in. Black & white sunsets can be striking. They are abstractions, because we naturally see in color. This photo challenges our minds to fill in the colors: a visual extrapolation.
Printed archivally from the original 4×5 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image # A8945-424
Note: This post marks one year of my weekly posts to Good Morning Gloucester. It’s been enlightening to work in a new medium (for me), and I’m very grateful to have made new friends in the GMG community of readers and contributors. A special hat’s off to Joey C. and Sharon Lowe, who publish my work, help me navigate unfamiliar waters, and are always encouraging. I look forward to more creative collaboration in the future. Thanks so much!
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Homeward Bound ~ Gloucester

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Homeward Bound ~ Gloucester, circa 1930 Chester Walen/©Fredrik D. Bodin
This dory fishing schooner is racing to market in Gloucester. She’s wearing her winter rig: Topmasts removed with no upper canvas to improve stability – a requirement in fall, winter, and spring, when gale force winds and mountainous waves in the North Atlantic are typical. The rig, along with distant patches of snow in Stage Fort Park, suggest to me that this is springtime. Her crew is assembled on deck, preparing for docking, and probably quite glad to be home. Off the schooner’s bow is the Fort. The two large buildings were fish processing plants, sitting on what are now empty lots.
Image printed archivally from the original 5×7 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image #A9157-420
Hope to see you at our Good Morning Gloucester/Bodin Historic Photo Spring Fling this Saturday. Starts at 6 pm!
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Spring Outing at Cressys Beach, 1914

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Cressys Beach, 1914 Alice M. Curtis/@Fredrik D. Bodin
Spring has arrived, and  spring photos are in order. In this photograph, a school outing is underway at Cressys Beach. Young boys in ties and girls in long dresses and bonnets bask in the sun, explore the rocks, and cautiously wade into the water. Only a few brave lads have ventured out to the rock. All the while, teachers keep watch on their flock. In the photo below, photographer Alice Curtis has moved her 5″x7″ (film size) view camera with heavy glass film and wooden tripod up the hill for an overall shot. On the left, players man the outfield for a baseball game. We’re fortunate to have Stage Fort Park, a public park owned by the City of Gloucester and located on the city’s first settlement site (1623). In addition to two beaches, the park offers athletic fields, picnicking, grilling, and exceptionally dramatic views.
Cressys Beach, 1914 Alice M. Curtis/@Fredrik D. Bodin

Note: The United States Board of Geographic Names (US BGN) defines the official names of everything geographic. Officially the name is  is Cressy Beach, with the variant of Cressys Beach. See my GMG post from last November: https://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/?s=us+bgn
Fred
Both photographs printed archivally from the original 5×7 inch glass negatives in my darkroom. Image # A8457-086 (top) and A8657-087 (bottom).
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930