Late Saturday afternoon took a walk and there was the beautiful schooner Roseway sailing by the breakwater.

My View of Life on the Dock
Late Saturday afternoon took a walk and there was the beautiful schooner Roseway sailing by the breakwater.



This is such a wonderful glimpse into the Annisquam Historical Society’s extensive collection of photographs dating back to the days of glass plate negatives.
Take some time and view their impressive collection here: annisquamhistoricalsociety.org
I am very grateful to David W. Teele & Betsey B. Horovitz for sharing this information with us. I am hopeful that they may continue to share some of their findings and extensive research. What a joy it is to see these images and take this trip back in time.
Today a commercial lobsterman has a choice of ways to get the “bugs” to market: off-load from the boat directly to the dealer, lug the catch in totes to a truck and drive to a buyer, or, in some cases, hold the catch for the wholesaler to collect. In 1895, things were not so simple. Lobstermen fishing out of Lobster Cove could row or sail their dories to Chard’s “fish market”. How did others, say at Folly Cove, get their small catches to someone who would pay cash?
We have many photos showing lobstermen with their large wooden pots and dories. Some were plainly posed (1st photo below), but posed or not, the challenge of selling the catch remained.
In the family of one of the authors (DWT), there is an expression “light dawned on Marblehead”. This is what happened when the other author (BBH) looked closely at the second photo. The dealers came right to the water’s edge. (And there is a real, genuine, live lobster in the photo.) We have never found a similar image, of either a dealer or a lobster.




As the bridge was up on Stacy Boulevard on a hazy afternoon as usual decided to jump out of the truck and took a photo of The Lannon sailing through Gloucester Harbor.




The Magnolia Pier looks so beautiful and it was awesome to be on the pier and float on Saturday morning. First we need to thank all the volunteers helping putting these flags up and remember if you need a flag contact Pauline’s Gifts at 978-281-5558. If you would like to buy a flag in memory of someone special please contact me at donna@ardizzoniphotography.com.

Looking great, the ramp and float are in.




Took these photos as we were kayaking around the Harbor on Wednesday took some photos of the pier progress and out to Kettle Island. It was beautiful out there but also some great waves.


Growing up around America’s oldest fishing port, my boys have learned a thing or two and I couldn’t be happier. I made this little movie (click on the link to see it) after spending the day watching them work over the weekend. There is a difference between growing up near the water….and growing up on the water. From the beginning we thought it was important, living where they live, to experience the working waterfront…and to understand the rich, honorable, and often solemn history of the fishing industry. I couldn’t even begin to add up the hours we spent walking the docks and going for drives to see different types of fishing vessels and to learn the inner harbors. Thatcher, in particular, practiced reading by sounding out the names of boats…. and a big part of both Finn and Thatch’s vocabulary came from conversations about marine life and maritime history. They both love to fish…especially Finn….and they both love to sail…especially Thatch. Lobstering is something they have both enjoyed for a long time and they’ve become pretty savvy in recent years. I love that at 10 and 12 years-old they not only love being on the water, but they also aren’t afraid of some hard work. They spent six hours getting some gear into the water on Saturday and then practiced hauling a couple of traps as well. I love watching them work and I’m so happy that they have had the opportunity to grow up on the water.





