Fishing-Gone, Sardines that is! Soul Stories

The Eyes See
16 x 20 Mixed Media

Do you eat fish?

Have you ever had sardines?

Stinson’s Canning Co. opened in 1906 and the family operated it until 2000.  it burned to the ground in 1968 and they rebuilt it immediately. A couple of  larger companies, like Bumblebee Foods owned it until 2010.

Since 2010 there are no longer any sardine processing plants in the United States.  The last one, located in Prospect Harbor Maine closed at that time.

Prospect Harbor is located on the Schoodic Peninsula of Acadia National Park.  It is a very small town with a very active and diverse population (for a small Maine town)  When the plant was active it employed many local plant workers and fishermen.  The Maine waters produced fish to catch and pack.   In 2004 the allowable catch was 180,000 metric tons and in 2010 the limit was 91,000.    When you think about that many fish it is amazing.  Bill Curtslinger wrote the following about his experience on a fishing boat.

“I have witnessed a herring school swim briefly alongside a boat, their huge numbers darkening the water as far as the eye could see….the underwater school looked like one massive organism pulsating and shifting this way and that…a million expressionless eyes stared back from the wall of fish….”

Hometown Memories-Throwback Thursday-Art Show

I will be sharing new works with folks at the Dorcas Library for the month of October.  The show will be open from October 1 through November 1.  If you are interested in seeing some pieces that reflect people and places on the Schoodic Peninsula please stop by to view the show.  Dorcas is open from 1-7pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and from 10am-4pm on Saturday.  This show will include mixed media, encaustics, oils and acrylics.

I am interested in storytelling through art .  I have collected many vintage photos, found objects and interesting stories to tell.  Please let me know if you would like to talk about some interesting people, places, events in your life.  Thank you, Carol

The Eyes See
16 x 20 Mixed Media

 

Hometown Memories-Throwback Thursday-Painting Downeast

I am very lucky to be away this week on Gardner Lake in Downeast Maine taking a painting class with Phillip Frey.  This is not a picture of the area that we will be painting in but I thought that the coastal scene was appropriate to get the idea out.

I have been fortunate to have taken classes with Phillip before and I know that this class will be very inspirational and positive.  There will be a small group of us painting  outdoors from approx. 9-4 each day this week.  If the rain visits us and it is too fierce we will find a space inside to paint but I do remember pouring water off the top of the oil paints as we continued an outdoor project a time or two.   Being prepared for weather conditions, bugs and sometimes a brain cramp, being geared up with food, drink, paint supplies and a sense of humor and being ready to stretch ourselves as artists will be the most important features of preparation for the week.  I will post some of the pictures on this blog and my website when the class is over.

Hometown Memories-Throwback Thursday-Showtime at Dorcas

Come on over the the Dorcas Library in October to see what some of these folks are up to!!!   Located 28 Main St., Prospect Harbor, Me.

Open Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 1-7pm and Saturday 10am-4pm!

I am pleased to say that I will have a small art show at Dorcas Library during the month of October and will feature many Hometown Memories using Mixed Media and Oil Paintings that I have created with resources from the Schoodic Peninsula.   Dorcas

Jonas Crane and friend!

Hometown Memories-Throwback Thursday-Travel Week

Denny’s Ride
8X10 Mixed Media

This week is a travel week for me.  I head to Star Island off the coast of Portsmouth, NH for a Professional Development Conference.  I am so lucky to have the opportunity to work with one of my favorite artist friends, Kim Bernard.  This will help me to plan where this art project is going next and plan ways to accomplish that goal.  I think that it is so advantageous to meet with other folks in the field and brainstorm about what is available, what fits your goals and life story  and  create plans of how to forge that course.  Kim has been an artist, a teacher and an organizer for a very long time.  She is currently an artist in residence at the Physics Dept. at Harvard University.  Kim’s encaustic work and workshops  are  what brought her to my attention.  Her sculptural work is what brought her to the attention of the Physics Department at Harvard.    If you enjoy sculpture that uses movement you can see her work on her web site.  Her professional career is moving beyond teaching and this may be one of the last classes I will share with her.  I am very grateful for this opportunity.

To top off this amazing class I will get to see both of my daughters, one Granddaughter and a presentation by Brene’ Brown with Angela & Jessica.  I just started Brene” Brown’s newest book, Rising Strong.  This is an interesting book that talks about vulnerability  and being human.  For me this kind of book helps me to take in the sadness and the horrors of the world and put some things into perspective, be grateful for family, friends and community.  Of course it is much deeper then that and seeing her in person will be a great was to really absorb her message.

 

Hometown Memories-Throwback Thursday-Biking Together

I recently took a bicycle tour of five Portland Lighthouses.  This is an experience that allowed me to stretch myself in the terms of riding a modern bicycle and becoming a tourist for the day.   I have not ridden a bicycle with a skinny seat and skinnier tires ever.  Thankfully I picked up a very comfortable pair of biking shorts that had a skirt attached which took care of the skinny seat issue.  The tires were not nearly as intimidating as I had expected.  So after a healthy breakfast at Holy Donuts on Exchange Street we met Andrea and the tour at the Cruise Ship terminal.

My friend Andrea leads bicycle trips for a place in Portland called SummerFeet Cycling and because I have total faith in her skills I signed up.  We had a delightful day visiting Bug Light near the Willard’s Beach area and the Portland Breakwater, Spring Point Light and Ft. Preble, Portland Head Light and Two Lights State Park, ending at Kettle Cove.  We spent about 5 hours with stops and all.  The tour provided us with a safe journey, lobster rolls for lunch and interesting historical facts along the way.  We met other folks who were interesting, everyone went at their own pace.   I think about the women in Winter Harbor who were members of the “Women’s Bicycle Club” and wonder how they felt about the introduction of the bicycle into their lives.  Did it offer freedom and adventure?  Was it comfortable to ride in long skirts and fancy hats as opposed to biking shorts and a helmet?  What were the roads and traffic like?

I do recommend biking as an activity that offers fun, adventure and a great way to see new places!!!  Frankly I’m glad to have the option of modern day bikes and gear but I might prefer that the traffic be much lighter.

Women’s Bicycle Club
11X14 Mixed Media

Hometown Memories-Throwback Thursday-Seaweed Harvest

Seaweed at the Root
8×10 Encaustic

Seaweed surrounds the rocks and shore frontage in Maine.  I can remember when we did not consider seaweed as a useful plant unless some folks banked garden plots or used it for lobster bakes.  Now seaweed has been discovered to be a very nutritious plant, something good for your skin, your gardens, included in food products and medicines.   They are part of the underwater forest and support many ecosystems.  Another complicated piece of the habitat.  So is the harvest of rockweed sustainable?

I didn’t pay much attention to the trucks that I saw filling their beds up at the head of Henry’s Cove .  I did however pay attention to the textures and colors,  shapes and habitats of various seaweeds and how interesting I thought this might be in an art form.

During this research to find out more about seaweed I happened upon some interesting information.  The information came from a few different sources and seemed to offer different opinions about the sustainability of this natural resource.

I discovered that Maine Fisheries Council has a set of rules and regulations that also accompany licensing if someone harvests more then 50lb of the product.  Folks are required to take rockweed above the holdfast which includes approximately the roots and the first 16″.  Various products can be reharvested in a season and others should be harvested only once a year.  There is a lot more to learn and I will continue to explore this subject  through the creation of art. Seaweed is definitely a beautiful resource that we all can enjoy as long as there is responsible harvesting methods.

 

 

 

 

Throwback Thursday-Hometown Memories

This is my rendition of the Ferry Boat, Ruth coming to the dock in Winter Harbor.  I believe that this Ferry Dock was located on the Summer Harbor Road and the Ferry ran from BarHarbor to Winter Harbor and back.  I love the lines of this boat.  It’s funny that Winter Harbor once again has ferry service to BarHarbor.  It sure will be interesting to see how we can continue to benefit from having the new services and not become another BarHarbor.  I know we do not have the same amenities and landscape as MDI but the Schoodic peninsula sure does have a lot to offer.  The access to the raw beauty Down East is another area of potential growth.  That word-growth-good or bad????

Open for comments and ideas anytime!!!

Ferry Boat, Ruth

 

Join the Historical Society for a presentation by Charles Joy, “John Moore”, a look at the man behind the development of Schoodic Point and the owner of “Far from Wolves”, better known as Frenchman’s Bay Lodge.

August 12, 7pm at Winter Harbor Historical Society.

Throwback Thursday-Hometown Memories

Ice Cream Dreams!

Marie Gerrish- A favorite among many.  Marie owned and operated JW Gerrish Store on Main St, in Winter Harbor, downtown.  She offered up many special treats to folks but Ice Cream seemed to be one of the best.  It probably wasn’t so much the ice cream but what it stood for to us.  We had the freedom to “go to Marie’s for an Ice Cream” -the beginning of excuses to head out the door and wander the streets.  Many folks would stop to get an ice cream for their dog as they took the ritual ride around Schoodic or Grindstone.

Marie’s was the place to go for penny candy, soda, milk shakes, sandwiches, coffee and tea.  This pretty much covered the needs of most age ranges and would mean you also would be quite likely to run into someone you knew.   It was a place to pick up your newspaper, for many years there was a Post Office attached too.

In this piece you can see a lady up in the left hand corner just above the cash register.  This was Maude Gerrish, Marie’s mother.  Marie’s mother and father opened the place and operated it for many years, I’m not sure when Marie took over.  Maude is near the cash register in this photo because some of us remember being in the store and hearing Maude call down to Marie, “Marie I don’t hear that cash register going!”  Marie worked long hours, taking only Sunday afternoon off and then she drove her mother around Schoodic.  I admire how friendly and calm she always was when I saw her.  It was probably not the job many could do but she did it well.  Thank you Marie!

Thank you too to the Historical Society for allowing me access to their photos and taking such good care of the collection.  If you are interested they have one more meeting on schedule for August and perhaps something for September that has of this writing to be announced.

August 12-7pm-Historical Society- Charles Joy will give a presentation about “John Moore”, from Steuben, he owned approx. 2000 acres on Schoodic Point and was the person to donate it to the National Park Service.  He also built a home on Grindstone called Far From Wolves-known by many as Frenchman’s Bay Lodge.

Throwback Thursday-Hometown Memories

This is my rendition of the Grindstone Inn.  I could not tell what the color of the building was from the photographs so for this work it is Raw Sienna.  Somehow I doubt it was that color or called anything like that at the time.

This grand old building was the highlight of Grindstone Point at one time.  I laughed when I read one ad that said it was such a special place that it was free of “mosquitos”.  Somehow I doubt that was true.  The building suffered a mysterious fire in the mid 1950′s and everything was lost.   Well not everything, many things like dishes, silver, decorations of sorts, ads, menus, pictures still exist today. I was lucky to access some photos from the Historical Society and from friends who have collected things over the years.   I hope this piece honors the memories of a time gone by and a way of life that helped shape our lives today.  Did you live on Grindstone and enjoy the luxuries of the Inn? Did you work on Grindstone and maybe even at the Inn, enjoying these surroundings, the people you met or maybe used these comparisons when deciding your own future?  People sometimes don’t realize the subtle influences a place like this has on the lives of everyone around.

If you would like to share memories or stories please contact me.

I thank the Winter Harbor Historical Society for their help and support.  They invite you to attend some historical presentations this summer.

July 8, 7pm-Hammond Hall-Sanford Phippen-Speaks about Frenchman’s Bay Lodge and his book about working there called “Kitchen Boy”.

August 12-7pm-Historical Society- Charles Joy will give a presentation about “John Moore”, from Steuben, he owned approx. 2000 acres on Schoodic Point and was the person to donate it to the National Park Service.  He also built a home on Grindstone called Far From Wolves-known by many as Frenchman’s Bay Lodge.

Thank you, Carol