In Celebration of Bob

I am back from the West Coast eager to get back to my hobby of photographing Cape Ann. This shot is of my gorgeous rhododendron starting to bloom in my garden. It's my "Bob" bush.

Bob was may much beloved cat who find himself facing destiny when he wandered into the Museum of Science. He must have known he had a future because he let himself be picked up the stairwell. One look from me and we were smitten as pet and owner. Bob lived a long, illustrious life until the ripe age of 20. This graceful rhododendron is my tribute to Bob's life as my guardian angel and friend.

Watch Out Below

This is what it looks like if you have to climb down from the pier to one of those commercial fishing boats. "Watch out below" would be what I would be yelling if I had to use that ladder. It just looks like a long drop to the deck.

I have not been posting lately because of demands on my time to apply for project work for my company. Tomorrow I head off to Los Angeles for the American Association of Museums conference. When I get back, I will reconnect to my love of photographing Cape Ann.

Just a Pretty Picture

Sometimes Cape Ann seems like a picture postcard at every turn. This one is taken just down the hill from my house. The ocean can be wild, calm, scary and beautiful. It never fails to be a marvel. I am so happy to live near the ocean.

Their Eyes Are On You

I was walking around the major industrial pier in Gloucester Harbor and found this inlet with boats all bobbing on their moorings. It was a Sunday so the commercial boats were not active. They looked like silent observers of the hobby fishermen fishing on the pier. I had the sense that their "eyes" would follow me where ever I moved like the rare portraits that hang in some of our museums.

Oops!

It was bound to happen sooner or later! I crossed my blogs! You lovely friends got my posting for Drop Anchor, my other blog! So sorry. I mixed them up when I logged on. Now I have to go post the previous post on the other blog. By the way, don't you love this image?

Thoughts about "Curator"

OK.I am making fun of curators with this image. Sorry. It was hard finding a suitable image to illustrate this post. I do a lot of listening to the radio. WGBH's new all talk radio is on my car so I hear interesting interviews when I run errands or go back and forth to the athletic club where I work out.

Today I heard an interview about parenting. The conversation was about "helicopter parents" micromanaging their children. They talked about kids needing time for themselves, time for creating their own play, time to get bored, etc. The woman being interviewed said "Parents today feel they have to 'curate' their children's lives." I was blown away by the use of the word and what it says about curators and their exhibits.

What came to mind is all the curators whose goal is filling the gallery with information with no concern for the visitor and the visitor's needs. I would agree with this mother's use of the word both in parenting and in museums. So many curators don't look at the use of negative space, breath, exploration, contemplation, and visitor dialog. I used to say to my project teams "Our need to give should not exceed the visitor's need to receive." By filling galleries to overload aren't we telling our visitors there is only one way to engage with an exhibit?

A Pile of the Past

I've spent a lot of time in Essex lately working with the Essex Shipbuilding Museum. They have a campus of buildings separated by public streets and the ever present antique stores. We were walking from the shipyard to the school house and passed this "behind the scenes" pile behind an antique shop. I was attracted to the textures, shapes and shadows.

First of the Season

This is the first artist of the season that I've spotted. They are like migratory birds, a happy sign that our outdoor seasons are upon us. I delight in seeing little flocks of artists positioned at painterly sites all around the Cape. There is a group that meets every Sunday morning with an artist mentor at the Cripple Cover boatyard. Alas, I can't afford the fees to join. I can only dream of someday taking up my paintbrushes again and joining the flock.

The Lewis H. Story

This is the hull of the Lewis H. Story. The Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum commissioned Harold Burnham (an 11th generation shipwright in Essex) to build this Chebacco style boat as their flagship. Chebacco boats are an American Revolution style two-masted vessel developed in Chebacco, the first name of Essex. The Lewis H. Story was named in honor of an Essex shipwright, carver, designer, modeler, researcher and maritime historian. It's up on blocks right now getting prepped for the season.

Rhubarb

I could resist photographing these elephantine leaves in a friend's garden. My mother and grandmother were always eager for rhubarb season. My mother would feed us a bowl of cooked rhubarb for breakfast. I believe rhubarb, like dandelions, are supposed to get your blood flowing after the long winter like a tonic. My grandmother would forage for dandelion leaves to eat as a salad in the spring too. I think of them both as bringing forth our joy for life.

End of the Tulips

Tulips seem to last longer than any of the spring flowers. Eventually they have to go and when they do, they still are dramatic and bold about it. This one was in its last stages in a friend's garden.

The Resolute

What kind of story does the boat name The Resolute" tell about the owner, it's history and life at sea? I've spent the whole day at a workshop at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum and have boats on the brain. When I got home I looked at my pictures and was trying to figure out what this one intrigues me so much. Then I realized it's the name of the boat. It has mystery! Let me know what stories come to your mind about The Resolute.

Wisteria

Is there anything so spectacular than wisteria in bloom? The blossoms are just coming out here on Cape Ann. They always make me think of peaceful, contemplative times with all the time to enjoy life. That is probably because wisteria graces so many porches on which one can sit and watch one's thoughts pass by.

Glowing Tulips

My neighbor's tulips light up in the afternoon sun everyday. I could resist sharing their beauty with you on this glorious spring day. It's all part of our amazing spring.

Springs's Bounty

Most of our springs, particularly along the coast, are cold, rainy and then some time late in May it gets warm. This year has been the equivalent of a 100 year storm, that rare time when we have a long and magical spring. This past weekend houses and yards are transformed into antique farms and the fragrance was intoxicating. This picture is of the flowering trees lining the drive at Long Hill, a Trustees of the Reservation property in Beverly.

Escape Artist

This little girl is only 17 months old. She was happily engaged in climbing an 8' stepladder at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum yesterday. Her mother would lift her off and the little girl would run right back to the ladder and start climbing up again. We were so amazed at the little girl's lack of fear. She was such a cutie.

Essex Shipbuilding Museum in May

Here's the first image of my new blog Life Around Cape Ann. This one is of the "guy"s who hang around Essex Shipbuilding Museum. The young tour guide told me volunteers are allowed to dock their boats there. Every time I stop by, the yard is a live with men, kids, dogs, etc. If you look very carefully, you will see a person under the boat. That's a woman doing the hard work of getting the boat ready for launching.