#LaurelTarantino

~ Coming Out of the Woodwork ~

Enduring Gloucester 9 Comments

West End of Main Street.          J. Jeffrey Grant (1883 – 1960)

I’ve been asked, “When are you going to write again?”  I guess there isn’t a proper answer to that or too many excuses, plus, I don’t consider myself a writer, but when one of my favorite authors says my stories are wonderful, it boosts my confidence enough to think about it.

Thinking about it hasn’t helped much.  I guess one needs to be passionate about something before they can put it into words.  I’m passionate most every day and often share my feelings on social media with my photographs.  I call it my “Therapy.”  Do I need therapy?  Yes.  Don’t we all?  In this day and age of horrendous news, insatiable cancer, pollution, (unfortunately the list is long) a person needs a tranquil escape.

Often when I write, it’s because something is really bothering me, and I feel the need to share my feelings to see if I’m alone in them. At the same time, I don’t want it to just become a rant, where the reaction is, “Oh no, here she goes again.”  Sometimes those rants raise awareness and bring people together in a positive way, like my last entry, “Pimping Out Gloucester.”  I was thrilled with the support I received from like-minded people that wanted to leave Ten Pound Island alone.  It wasn’t written very well, but the results were heartwarming.

So, why am I coming out of the woodwork now?  What’s got my goat?  Different things, but all Gloucester related.  You can choose to stop reading now or go on and tell me if I’m being tedious. I’m a big girl, I can take it.

A few months back, it was decided by someone that Main Street’s draw would be enhanced by lighting up the trees from the West End to the East.  Shop owners would keep their stores open later because of the pretty lights and possibility of more foot traffic.  Volunteers were sought and found to help in this project, but no public input was sought.  No one was able to say, “I don’t want this, nor do I want the maintenance fees to come out of my taxes.”  No concerns of how artificial light could affect photosynthesis or night pollinators.  The project just went full steam ahead and now we have, I don’t know how many yards of wire hanging from trees, plugged into lamps that have underground wiring.  To me, it kind of defeats the original downtown beautification of having underground wiring for our handsome lamp posts in the first place.

I’m sure you can tell, I’m not a fan of the year-round Christmas lights on Main Street, but I’m less of a fan of the “just go ahead and do it,” approach to things that happen in this town.  We have Ward Councilors and Councilors at Large, but I’ve always felt Ward 2 belongs to all residents, just as our beaches and woods do. Surely these councilors can bring awareness to all of us, as to what is going on before the “going on” happens.   Which leads me to my next subject of “no input fear.”

While driving down Washington Street last week, I saw a big yellow sign that reads, “Let Sleeping Dogtown Lie.”  My first thought was “Ut Oh, what now?”  So, I asked on Social Media and was given some answers which lead me to a little more detail.

Excuse me, I just ran out for coffee and the paper, I had to grin when I read the headline, “Dogtown designation divides residents,” further captioned “Proponents tout better management; foes don’t want it to become a park.”  That’s an entirely different rant.  Seems the Gloucester Daily Times likes to label anyone with a difference of opinion as a “Foe.”  Oh, how I remember it well, being a “Hotel Foe and Obstructionist,” during that time period.  “Me thinks, someone is trying to tell us how to think.”

So, back to it.  I’ve come to the knowledge, as many have by now, that the Historical Commission is seeking nomination for Dogtown to become part of the National Register of Historic Districts.  This is pretty cool, right?  Well, there’s also a lot of “buts,” that need to be addressed and not brushed aside before that “full steam ahead,” approach is taken.  I imagine, once the application is sent into the state for their approval, that there will be no turning back.  Someone asked me, “Why are you trying to prevent this?  It’s no different from being nominated for an academy award.”  … that’s where I get nervous.  We all know with fame comes invasion of privacy.  Can Dogtown handle the spotlight?

I’m told the deadline is October 26, 2018, for the nomination to go to the state.  I’ve also been told, there will be public input before the end of the year.  Isn’t that a bit too late?  A lot too late?

Shouldn’t public input have been sought at the “idea” stage?  In the …We’re thinking of this for Dogtown folks, what do you think?… stage.

Remember when the “Sawyer Free Library Expansion Plans,” came out in the Gloucester Daily Times?  I believe it was a couple years ago.  I think it came as a shock to most of us.  I do remember an uproar from many when the artist rendition of the (already hired and paid for) architectural plans hit the front page.  Another example of putting the cart before the horse.  And who’s forgotten the funds being sought to erect a David Black sculpture in Solomon Jacobs Park?

My mind was blown once when a mayor (I won’t name names) said, and this is not verbatim, but pretty gosh darn close, “I’m supporting this and pushing this through because some citizens of Gloucester don’t know what’s best for them.”  I could not believe my ears.  It’s this kind of attitude that has soured many from getting involved, sadly, it should have done the opposite – rile folks up so much that they come out of the woodwork to have their voices heard.

How do we keep people informed about what’s happening in City Hall?  I don’t know the answer to that.  I do have an idea, not through the Times or our government’s website, because not everyone reads the Times or has a computer.  I think City Hall needs a “Coffee Talk” publication once a week.  Do you know what I mean?  Ever go have breakfast somewhere and there are these placemat size flyers with whimsical facts, jokes, and puzzles on them?  I’d always grab one for their entertainment value while waiting for my pancakes to arrive, Jimmy would always get more answers right than I did on the quizzes.  Anyway, my point is, what a great way to get the “goings on,” of Gloucester and stimulate conversation around town.  Did I just create a job for someone?  Maybe the High School could get involved.  We need to know what’s up and coming before it’s gone by.  Gloucester Coffee Talk, straight out of City Hall…   what do you think folks?

In the meantime, can we please find out more information before any decisions are made for Dogtown?  Please.

 

Laurel Tarantino, is happy to live in her hometown, Gloucester, with her husband, James, “Jimmy T,” daughter Marina Bella, and the family dog, Sport. She is known for “stopping to smell the roses” and loves to photograph and write about her beloved waterfront community.

 

Gloucester’s Resounding Echo: A Tribute To Kay Ellis

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Kay Ellis, the girl could cook, and I’m not talking about a meal where you push back your seat and say “Boy that was good.”  I’m talking about the kind of magic that happens in that first bite when your taste bud’s reaction is to beg for more and all the while you’re telling someone, “You have to try this, it’s amazing,” the left side of your brain is telling you to be quiet so you can hoard it all to yourself.  Kay would gladly give you a recipe if you asked for it, but one she couldn’t give you from her kitchen was that recipe for living life.  It’s not something she or any of us have written down anywhere, on how to do it well, but she sure nailed it.

I’ve known Tom since I was a little kid, being introduced to his wife Kay years later was an added bonus.  She was so easy to get to know, what you got was Kay, no pretentious facades, nothing shy, or boastful, just a comfortable, pleasant person, a person you’d want to spend more time with.  I could easily see how she and Tom were best friends and successful business partners.  One of my father’s expressions comes to mind when I think of them together, “They work like a well oiled machine.” That doesn’t make their relationship sound very romantic, but all you had to do to see that side of them, was to look out on the harbor, they were living one of the greatest romance novels ever written.

With so many reasons to be proud, I think her face shined brightest when she was talking about her boys.  Laughing, she’d tell you Tom was her biggest, but kidding aside, it was ever apparent whenever she spoke of them.  Some moms stow away things their children make when they’re little, to be brought out and reminisced about, perhaps on a winter’s day.  In Kay’s home, they were proudly displayed, from pottery balanced on a beam; awards of merit framed and hung on a wall, to homemade paper chain garland adorning the Christmas tree year after year.  Ask her about a photograph of them and you could see and hear in her voice that she was back to the time and place the picture was taken, enjoying the moment all over again.  It is always nice to see the boys quiet pride, reflected right back at her in their respect and admiration for their mother.

I have no reason to say that Kay was my best friend.  We didn’t have lunch together every week, or double date, or go shopping together, like girlfriends do.  We did share a love of books, dogs, flowers, art…our conversations just flowed at an easy pace.  “Have you read this book?  I think you’ll really like it.” She’d be right, ten times out of ten.  Having the same birthday, our gifts to each other were more often than not, books, and she never failed to give me one I would enjoy from beginning to end.

I’d pop in at the Schooner Sail’s Office down at Seven Sea’s Wharf while out walking my dog “Pal.” It was a nice stop along the way to have a friendly chat, see how things were going.  Pal would come over to the house with me too.  Kay was quite fond of the little guy.  One day she called me over to the house because there was someone she wanted me to meet.  That someone was “Lanny,” a cute little Chocolate Lab pup, who soon grew to be a big part of the Ellis family, and a welcoming hostess aboard the Schooner “Thomas E. Lannon.” Kay told me that “Pal,” played a part in the deciding factor for them to get a dog.  Seems Tom had wanted another one for years, but the time was just never right, seeing the relationship I had with my dog had made an impact.  I am so very glad of that and for her telling me so.

It has been my great privilege to have my phone ring with Kay’s cheerful voice on the answered line saying, “Hey Laurel, we’re going out for a pot luck dinner sail, can you and Jimmy make it?” An invitation that I would be foolish to pass up.  How nice to be with Tom, Kay and their blend of friends, sailing with the sunset off the stern, and the moon slowly rising off the bow, with nothing but the sounds of the sea, splashing the hull, some wind rattling the sheets filling the sails, and the voices and laughter of friends sharing a special moment in time.

None of us will forget her kind, giving soul and all that she gave to Gloucester and those that visited this treasure we call home.  There must be thousands upon thousands of photographs people have taken aboard the Lannon to stow in their album of favorite memories.  One can’t help but wonder how many of those young students they brought aboard over the years were influenced to become sailors when they grow up, may their dreams comes true.

It was so nice to visit her, albeit briefly at Christmastime.  Sitting close to the warmth of the wood stove, patting her faithful companion “Lucy,” as she told me how she and Tom would be packing up for their annual trip out West to spend time in the mountains with friends.  There was that smile in her voice again as she spoke, and that shine on her face, the one you saw when she talked about Tom, her family, her friends, and her adventures with all of them.  With a heart as big as all outdoors, may she soar into her next adventure encompassed in love and her next home be as beautiful, warm and inviting as the one she made here.

The impact Kay has left in the hearts and minds of those who knew her is something to be treasured and she will be greatly missed. From all of us at Enduring Gloucester, it is with great heartfelt sympathy that we say, fair winds and following seas, to Kay, Tom, the entire Ellis family, and her family of friends.

 

Laurel TarantinoLaurel Tarantino, is happy to live in her hometown, Gloucester, with her husband, James, “Jimmy T,” daughter Marina Bella, and the family dog, Sport. She is known for “stopping to smell the roses” and loves to photograph and write about her beloved waterfront community.

 

Pimping Out Gloucester

Enduring Gloucester 26 Comments
Ten Pound Island. Photo Courtesy Laurel Tarantino

Ten Pound Island.
Photo Courtesy Laurel Tarantino

February 2016

A favorite quote of mine is one by Zelda Fitzgerald (1889~1948), “Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold.”  I so understand this.  Science tells us that it’s impossible to die from a broken heart.   I beg to differ; it sure feels like it sometimes, especially when you keep taking blow after blow, seems like the damage can be irreparable.

With friends, my heart fills with gladness for all that we have and share.   These same friends have my best interest at hand when I’m sad for personal reasons.  They’ll turn me around to see the positive impact I have on people that count on me and need me.  Sometimes it’s hard to be needed.

I just took another blow to the heart again Tuesday night.  I need more than my friends for repairs this time. Before I let the tragic issues of the world get the better of me and turn me into a cynical old woman that roams the streets hurrrmmping through life, I reach out to you, anyone that may be reading this.

The injury this time, for lack of a better description, “The Pimping out of Gloucester,” in particular, Ten Pound Island, with total disregard for nature and its needs.  Where do we draw the line?  When are we going to say, “You know what, enough is enough?” When every inch of it is sold off to the highest bidder?

Put before the Waterways Board Tuesday night was a proposal for a float system on Ten Pound Island.  Sounds like a good idea, right?   It would give people access to the island, a place for people to tie up their boats, a place where people could take the Shuttle service every hour.   They even talked about tying it in with other activities…   yoga, the sailing program, the arts.  To me it sounds like another idea with an amusement park like theme.  In fact, the proposal was called “Harbor Park.”

My apologies, I’m starting to sound cynical, I can feel it.  I can’t help myself, when not one member of the board asked about the environmental impact to the area.  No one brought up the fact that the island is a safe haven for hundreds of birds, birds that migrate there, nest, roost and raise their young there.

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“Why shouldn’t everyone be allowed to enjoy the island?” has been a question on social media.  The answer to that is that everyone can.  People visit the island now by kayak, row boat, sail boat, paddle boards and small motor boats and all these folk seem to be very respectful of the area.  They seem to understand the term “Carry In, Carry Out,” without having signs posted to tell them to do so.  As it is now, the small boat traffic is about all the island can handle.  I find the people that visit truly leave the island as they found it.  If you open the area to an unlimited number of people for adventure I feel it would be incredibly hazardous to the environment.  In the 90’s there was a shuttle you could catch a ride on that left you on the beach.  During that time, my husband and I saw an increase in litter, dirty diapers strewn into the plant life that grows beyond the wall, human feces, an overflowing trash barrel that never got emptied, a neglected picnic table that usually had the aftermath of someone’s lunch on it, basically signs of an uncaring public.

I psyched myself up to go to this meeting Tuesday night and speak on behalf of the birds, as they have no voice in City Hall.  This was going to be a great feat for me, as I’m petrified of public speaking, but I was willing to sacrifice my comfort.  I was mortified when the meeting started with the Chair Person commenting, “I don’t know why all these people are here, for what issue, but I can tell you, there will be no public input.”  I had my courage and couldn’t do anything with it and I was letting the birds down.

If you’ve never visited Ten Pound Island, you may not know what a beautiful sanctuary it is for several species of birds.

Snow Egrets. Photo Courtesy Laurel Tarantino

 

From late April to late October, there are Snowy Egrets that adorn the treetops in such numbers that I often refer to them as Christmas ornaments.

There are Great Egrets, Black Crowned Night Herons, Crows and occasional songbirds in the trees as well.  Along the rocks you might be entertained by the sweet little Purple Sandpipers as they dab for small crustaceans while outrunning the splash of a small wave.  Common Eiders scurry down the rocks and jump in to have a swim.  Of course, there are the ever present Seagulls and Cormorants.   All these lovely creatures can be seen if you take a quiet ride around the island in a boat.

There are also birds that nest on the ground in the interior of the island.  One must be ever aware of their footing or they could very well harm the nest of a Mallard Duck sitting on her eggs.  You might destroy an entire family of Canadian Geese if you’re not being careful,

Just Hatched Canadian Goslings. Photo Credit Denise Foley

since they may not always be sitting on their eggs, you might traipse right through them without their snarling warning.  The Herring Gulls will distract your attention away from your footing to the sky as they swarm you to protect their nests, which are plentiful along the cliffs and on the ground.

I fear it will be disastrous for the birds if people are arriving every hour.  In this day of cell phones with cameras, I’m afraid that this safe haven will slowly disappear and be replaced by 54 “Likes” on Facebook, because people will have to walk through the homes of these beautiful creatures in order to get a sought after photo of the Lighthouse.  What will happen to the babies once they’re hatched?  They’re so incredibly cute, I can see someone trying to catch one, which wouldn’t be very hard to do, since they have no defense against us humans.

Juvenile Flounder. Photo Credit Laurel Tarantino

Juvenile Flounder.
Photo Credit Laurel Tarantino

What will happen to the thriving ecosystem in the water that surrounds the Island when you have a motor boat arriving several times a day, everyday of the week?  I cringe to think of it.

I’ll end this long winded rant with another quote, this time from Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) “The time is always right to do what is right.”

Please help stop the giving away of Gloucester.  Believe me when I say (sadly) there are more great plans being drawn, but great for who is what needs to be asked.

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To learn more about the Audubon (IBA) Important Bird Areas, which Ten Pound Island is part of, visit the following site:

Massachusetts Audubon – Conservation

Locally, here is the link to our city offices should you like to contact them with your concerns on this or any other issue:

Gloucester, MA – Official Website

 

Laurel TarantinoLaurel Tarantino, writer, is happy to live in her hometown, Gloucester, with her husband, James,”Jimmy T,” daughter Marina Bella, and the family dog, Sport. She is known for “stopping to smell the roses” and loves to photograph and write about her beloved waterfront community.

 

 

Pot Luck

Enduring Gloucester 2 Comments

Laurel Tarantino

I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will never have a formal dining room.  You know the kind I mean, a room with a long handsome table that seats ten or twenty people, with water glasses, stemmed goblets for wine, fine china and fingerbowls.  The kind of table where I would have to question, “Which fork is this, my salad fork, or is it for the main course?” A room where there are old fine art oil paintings that adorn the walls, lit by brass lamps that reflect the mastery of the artist.  Oh, and candles, how they’ll set the mood for an exquisite evening.

No, I may never know what it’s like to dine in such a formal setting, but I do know fine dining.  I’ve found a dining experience that fits into my life just perfectly, and I can’t imagine a month without one.  Pot Luck dining: I don’t know where these dinners originated, I like to think they started right here in New England.   I’m not going to “Google” them on line to learn their history, but one thing I do know, whoever came up with the concept was a genius.

I can’t remember my first, perhaps it was at the Fire Station in Lovell, Maine, where it seemed the entire town showed up to socialize.  I’m always tempted to stop at those suppers you see advertised on a hand painted board “Church Supper Tonight, All Are Welcome,” but it’s usually last minute that I see them and I was brought up never to show up empty handed.  So I smile instead for those inside enjoying their community gathering.

I have a small group that gets together to play what we call “Extreme Croquet,” mostly during the not-so-perfect weather days, hence the name “Extreme.”  One Saturday a month, at High Noon, weExtreme Croquet meet for the fun and the bragging rights of taking the win on the course.  There may be briar, knee deep grass, waist high snow, rain, or other obstacles on the course.  Always, there is friendly ribbing…   “Watch him, he cheats!  Send Him, Send Him Long.”  And always, always, there is laughter in abundance and a great variety of food in between rounds.  A quiet comes over the room as folks warm up with some of Helen’s chowder, a mound of Shepherds’ Pie, or a slice of Tracy’s extreme lemon cake.Extreme Lemon Cake

So, I may have only won bragging rights once in 20 or 30 games, but I surely come out on top each time I go, from the friendship, fresh air filled with the sounds of friend’s voices, and that wonderful, ever present “Pot Luck” meal.

Fast forward now, to a boat building shop on Harbor Loop.  The building itself is part of Gloucester’s Maritime Heritage Center.  Why they took the word “Heritage” out of the name is beyond me and a whole other story.

Anyway, when I bump into Geno he’ll say, “Hey, we’re going to be cooking this Saturday, you should come by if you can.” Or: “We’re getting together this weekend,” and the one I’m always sad to hear: “We’ve been getting together, I haven’t seen you in a while, where’ve you been?”  Life.  Why is it that life sometimes gets in the way of being somewhere we’d like to be, doing what we’d like to do?

Back to the Dory Shop.  There’s usually a boat in the process of being built on any given Saturday afternoon you step through the old wood sliding door.  Hopefully, for our purpose, it’s at the stage where it’s upside down and we can use the bottom for our table.   One of my fondest memories was hearing someone yell from inside the shop “Hey Geno, we need a bigger boat,” as people kept arriving with more food.   There’s plenty of sawdust, boat building tools and warmth from the wood stove that will surely have something good cooking on it.

Cooking on the wood stove at the Dory Shop

Cooking on the wood stove at the Dory Shop

Remove the lid from the cast iron skillet and catch a fine mouth-watering aroma taking the chill out of a November day.

Tom will most likely arrive with rosy cheeks, a bucket of steamers and a few lobsters he hauled just that morning.  Someone may bring Finnan Haddie, home baked beans, a salad, sweets… Ever hear of a “Gloucester Lollipop?”  We have those too, when Joe comes in with his Mackerel on a stick and what a treat when Geno makes his fish cakes and calls from the wood stove to get ‘em while they last.  You never know what you’ll get, but a guarantee is that you will be welcomed, you will be well fed, and you’ll have such a grand time that you’ll want to return again and again.

An added bonus to Saturday afternoon’s at the Dory Shop would be the music. Someone is bound to bring an instrument or a pretty voice to entertain for a spell.  Want to dance?  Go ahead, no one judges you here.

Music at the Dory Shop

Music at the Dory Shop

Perhaps others will join you, or try and sing along. It’s okay if you don’t know the words.  Just don’t sit in the rocking chair if it’s empty. That’s Joe’s chair and he’s too much of a gentleman to tell you so.  It’s just a given for those of us who’ve been around a while.  The way I hear it, Geno started these Saturday afternoon “Pot Lucks” so he would have something fun to do with his uncle.  How wonderful for us that we benefit from these kind souls.

 

 

I bring you a bit away from the waterfront, to a two-car garage that houses no cars, behind Burnham’s Field.  I call these pot luck meals “Sunday Dinner at Joe’s Garage.” I have an entire photo album just for these meals.  Some of the photos include Joe gathering mussels off theGathering Mussels seaweed beds of Ten Pound Island with his daughter, to be later photographed in a pan of garlic, fresh tomatoes and wine.  Oh, and the fresh bread!

Bread is always warm at Joe's Garage

Bread is always warm at Joe’s Garage

Joe makes loaves every time.  Hot from the industrial restaurant style ovens, smothered in sesame seed, a true gift for your taste buds.  How many pictures of food can you take?  I don’t know yet, I’m still working on it.  I know for sure, there’ll be more delights coming from Sunday Dinner at Joe’s Garage.  Homemade sausage, pizzas, linguini with the clam sauce, countless photo ops.

Today I’m at another friend’s house for “Patriots Football.”  I’m among some of my dearest of friends and they all know I’m not here to watch football.  Oh, I do hope the Patriots continue with their winning streak, but it is certainly not the foremost reason for being here.  It’s the nourishment of friendship, good eats and conversations, before, during half time and after the game that feed me.  Even the dogs are happy to be invited.  Maybe someone will toss them a scrap; in the meantime, they run and play in the autumn sunshine.    This group of people take turns each time there is a one o’clock game on a Sunday.  One week it might be at Maria’s or June’s, perhaps a Harvest Meal at Lenny and Ricks, wherever it may be any particular week is the place I want to be.

I can hear cheers from the other room, the Pats must be winning.  From where I sit, we have all won for this day we’ve been given together.

There are so many ways we enjoy ourselves.  I find for me they generally involve food.  The Fort Gang feasts at different friends’ homes during St. Peter’s Fiesta, celebrating the Fourth of July with the same crew and then some in Rockport.  Bringing a dish to the Orchard Street Parade where the famous “Hat Ladies” debut their incredible work.   St. Joseph’s Feast at Auntie Emma’s, which starts before most are out of bed to make the pasta.  All memories that make forever stories to be told time and again.

So folks, if you’ve never experienced it, I highly recommend it…   call it what you will, “Pot Luck Dinner, Pot Luck Lunch, Sunday Dinner at Joe’s Garage.” Make up your own excuse, just do it.  Get together with your friends, share in the making of the meal, and eat it together, be it leaning on a porch railing or the bottom of an overturned boat.  Rain, snow, sunshine or under the stars, simply enjoy each other’s company.

If you want to “Google” the origins of Pot Luck, please let me know what you find.  I imagine they’ve been around since time began.  Surely, because of them, I dine on the best food on earth, in the finest settings, surrounded by the laughter and love of friendships old and new.

It doesn't get any better than this...

 

 

Laurel TarantinoLaurel Tarantino, writer, is happy to live in her hometown, Gloucester, with her husband, James,”Jimmy T,” daughter Marina Bella, and the family dog, Sport. She is known for “stopping to smell the roses” and loves to photograph and write about her beloved waterfront community.