This Has Been a Cool Wet Summer

August, and this summer in general, has been especially rainy. We have had spectacular thunderstorms throughout the summer, and my grass has never looked greener in August.

We are getting near the end of summer, and that means the Lanesville Bluefish Tournament is coming up. Held traditionally on the Sunday before Labor Day, that means this summer's tournament falls on August 31st. Good luck to all--and remember participants, it is okay to go home before 10 PM.

Street Cleanup

Noticed this morning that there were four city DPW employees with brooms sweeping the sidewalks and curbs in Lanesville. This was completely unexpected--and very much welcomed. I have a pet peeve--there are a lot of weeds along the sidewalks and curbs on Washington Street (and I image most other streets), probably encouraged by the wet summer we've had. It looks bad and if the owners of the house that line Washington Street would take a few minutes and pull these weeds, things would look a lot neater.

Anyway, it sure was nice to see the DPW folks up our way--thanks for your efforts.

Flatrocks Gallery

Flatrocks Gallery is a new gallery located at 77 Langsford Street, just down from Lanes Cove toward Folly Cove. Started by two local artists, Anne Marie Crotty and Cynthia Roth, it is a gallery dedicated to artists of Cape Ann. Personally I believe there is a preference for artists around Lanesville, which is a good thing. Flatrocks gives a permanent venue for artists here, sort of a continuous Art in Lanesville show. Greg Gibson continues to show his talents in collecting and selling books and maps related to Cape Ann as part of the gallery.

Flatrocks Gallery is great addition to Lanesville--I will them great success.

Fish Count

It's pretty easy to know when something is happening on Lanes Cove--usually there are a lot of cars that show up together. It's not unusual for a group to descend on us--we had kayakers come is frigid weather to test out their capabilities in cold weather. Today it was a group from the United Divers of Central Massachusetts participating the the Great American Fish Count, sponsored by the New England Aquarium. A representative from Olympus, a corporate sponsor was down with the divers showing off many of their underwater cameras.

4th of July Celebration in Lanesville

Here is the article from the Gloucester Daily Times:

A gala celebration in Lanesville

By Peter K. Prybot
July 12, 2008 05:35 am

—

The 17th annual Lanvesville Fourth of July parade and bonfire were beauts.

The community and guests there even got an added Independence Day treat — the first-ever July 4th extravaganza at the Lanesville Community Center. But, organizers of the parade and bonfire say new rules need to be set in place for 2009 after what happened at the Cove after the day was done.

"This was Leslie Milne's brainchild; she created the whole thing," said Beth Vasta, a member of Lanesville Emergency Action Program's organizing committee. Her well-organized and well-executed "brainchild" included a Whistleblowers 4K road race and 1-mile fun run, a barbecue, kids' games, raffles, and building a float and decorating bikes for the parade later in the day. Frank Stewart from Lanesville acted as master of ceremonies.

That event's proceeds will help LEAP purchase emergency gear, especially a central whistle to quickly notify the community of an emergency the way the Lanesville Congregational Church bells' signaled "no school" in the 1950s. Ninety-two contestants participated in the 4K road race, and 27 in the fun run. The winners and their times can be found on LEAP's Web site, www.LEAP-Lanesville.org.

The 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. event "... really turned into something wonderful," Vasta said. "I was surprised at the turnout, despite the morning rain. This showed a lot of spirit, and that's Lanesville," Stewart added.

The parade was bigger and better. That was the general consensus of the hundreds of viewers who swelled along much of the parade route up Andrews Street, through downtown Lanesville and back to Duley Street. Once again, two of the festivity founders — Jane Mondello and Nick Parisi Sr. — repeated their roles as grand parade marshal and band conductor, respectively. Mondello, dressed as Buzzilla this year, organizes the parade down at the Cove and makes sure it gets underway at 6:30 p.m. She also slowed the parade's flow this year, aided by walkie-talkies. No motorized vehicles are allowed in the parade, and no pre-registration is necessary — all participants need to do is to show up at the Cove around 6 p.m.

The number of parade entrants doubled last year's, exceeding 200. The quality of their costumes and floats showed lots of time went into them. Santa Claus, absent last year, marched again, as did the intellectual dressed in cap and gown. They were joined by Robin Hood, jellyfish, a dragon and a Deadliest Catch/Time Bandit and pirate ship floats. The pirate ship's functional water cannon squirted many viewers.

Flanked by creatively dressed and made-up vociferous band members, including several professional musicians, and fanned by two large flapping American flags to his rear, Maestro Nick Parisi received audience "Bravisimos" for his (and the band's) splendid performance at Montgomery Square that touched hearts and souls.

The bonfire was also bigger, planned by new blood and strictly controlled this year. After 16 bonfires, veteran architect Dickie Crowell stepped down for a breather, and Hal Wentworth, owner of Wentworth Custom Stone Work, and Rick Pino Jr., a DPW employee, stepped up.

"I decided to step up because the community enjoys the bonfire so much," Pino said.

"My bonfires would have fit into this one," said Crowell, who married his wife, Katie, atop one of his (bonfire) masterpieces three years ago. Exterior peripheral stacks of approximately 2,000 hardwood pallets, centered with clean wood scraps, formed this year's bonfire that reached a height of 32 feet, and was capped off by a grand piano and a dummy playing it. Musician Nathan Cohen donated the old piano. Maybe the group honored the performing arts this 4th.

The community dropped off the clean wood scraps, even "an old log float from Squam that Doc Stanwood (former harbormaster there) made 60 years ago," resident David "Dirt" Murray said. The Building Center, Wolf Hill, Cape Seafoods Inc., Capt. Joe & Sons — all from Gloucester — Wood Trucking Co. from Peabody, and North Shore Recycling Fibers from Salem donated the pallets.

Beginning a week prior to July 4, Wentworth and Pino and their army of volunteers — Patrick Hennessy, Charlie Williams, Dusty Ketchopulos, Paul Blanding, Steve Amaral Jr., Zack and Jeremiah Smith, P.C. Nicolosi, Brian, Jason and Steven Thibodeau, Jamison Knowlton, Aaron Martin, Marc Appleton, Billy Jones, Kobie Rickelhoff, Randy Young, Aaron Natti, Joe Leland, Zack Johnson, Mike and Nate Pistenmaa, Peter Hickey, Russell Haselgard, and Scott Stuart — picked up and dropped off pallets and built the structure. Once again, Dan Brown, owner of Cape Ann Structural and Concrete, topped off the bonfire — pro bono — with his mobile crane. All of the work was completed by July 4, "So everyone could relax that day," Pino said.

Pino, Wentworth and fellow bonfire committee members Jackie Silva and Jane Mondello met with Fire Chief Barry McKay earlier and adhered to his requirements, including hiring a fire detail, no fireworks in the fire, posting "keep off" and "danger" signs on the bonfire, taping and fencing it off, and allowing no one on the road leading to the bonfire on the 4th . A donation can is set up every year at the Lanesville Package Store to help pay for expenses, which run in the hundreds.

By late day, a swirled, pale salmon and mauve sky gave way to partial cloudiness under darkness. A southerly wind, barely able to occasionally flap nearby flags, struggled in the mid-50-degree air, cool enough to suppress the midgets and mosquitoes and warrant a sweatshirt for some.

Five of the bonfire builders torched off a corner stuffed with rolled newspapers and cedar shingles promptly at 9 p.m. as the rest of the army recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Combustion at best quickly lit up hundreds of faces in the Cove's amphitheater and sent flames 100 feet into the sky. Musical notes from the Steve Amazeen Band at Flat Rocks and Mike Scagliotti's bagpipe and Nathan Cohen's violin atop the eastern breakwater added to the blaze's crackles.

Brilliant patriotic colors from exploding aerial fireworks often cascaded from the sky, and the periodic resonating booms emanating from the roving, phantom artillery man's cannon going off at the water's edge at Flat Rocks shook the wax right out of your ears. This was a spectacular show!

There was a downside to the aftermath. Although many people began leaving the cove around 10:30 p.m. — and all was quiet — a large group of apparent teens and 20-year-olds stayed on and imbibed into the early morning.

Actions from their debauchery — noise, littering (especially bottle breaking), even a theft and act of vandalism — disturbed residents and the parade and bonfire committees.

"We are not going to put up with that," committee member Jane Mondello said.

Her group is already considering changes to prevent a reoccurrence of this year — including hiring extra police.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.

Kudos for a Much Appreciated Donation from The Shed

Maybe I hadn't really noticed before, but today two portable sanitation units (toilets) arrived on Lanes Cove. I talked to the driver and he said they had been donated by the owner of the company The Shed, Ellen Ramsey. He said she does this for many events.

Thank you Ellen--with the number of people who visit the cove for the parade and bonfire this essential service is greatly appreciated by the folks who visit AND the folks who live around the cove.

Great Job by the Lanesville Bonfire Committee

I wanted to compliment the Lanesville Bonfire Committee--they have been doing a great job. This year's bonfire is the biggest I've seen yet. They have roped off the area, restricting it to Fire Personnel Only.


This is from a recent e-mail with Jackie Hardy, Ward 4 Councilor:

Great way to get rid of the scrap lumber - agreed, but there are restrictions on what can be burned and not ... the Chief of the FD has worked with a great committee this year, and all have agreed as to what can be used and not - i.e. no treated or painted lumber, no boats, fiberglass, plastics, chemicals, fireworks, accelerants, etc., etc., etc.

Speaking about scrap lumber, the city is looking into ways we may be able to better accommodate the "homeowner" (not construction companies or contractors) with the disposal of some simple, clean building materials. Like if I want to put new windows in, or take down a wall during a small home improvement project.... Discussions are just beginning - we have a new DPW Director and he seems anxious to provide at least the ability to the homeowner - i.e. dumpsters at the DPW yard few times a year etc. Things are looking up... I am encouraged.

Police: Boaters were drinking alcohol before late-night crash

Last Friday night we heard several emergency vehicles race through Lanesville and learned later that there had been a serious boating accident in the Flat Rocks area, the stretch between Lanes Cove and Folly Point.

The coastline along Cape Ann on Ipswich bay is unforgiving--except for a couple of beaches in small coves it is extremely rocky. I hope all recover fully.

Out of respect for the privacy of the people who were on the boat I have removed their names and addresses. One of the people on the boat told me that there were inaccuracies in the newspaper article but would not elaborate.




Gloucester: Police: Boaters were drinking alcohol before late-night crash

By Jessica Benson
Staff writer
June 30, 2008 06:00 am

—

Police say they found several beer cans scattered around the wreckage of a boat, with some of the people on board admitting they had been drinking alcohol just before the boat crashed onto rocks on Folly Point late Friday night.

Five people were taken to the hospital, with one man suffering serious injuries. It took about an hour and a half for rescuers to carry the man off the slippery, seaweed-covered rocks.

One man, was brought to Beverly Hospital and later transferred to Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center in Boston, where he was listed in good condition last night.

The others on board the boat were taken to local hospitals.

Police said the boat appeared to be a total loss, with large holes punched into the hull.

The owner was driving the 25-foot sports boat with five passengers on board when it crashed behind the Seaside Cemetery off Route 127.

Passengers blamed the foggy weather, saying they couldn't see the rocks in front of them until it was too late. When the boat crashed, the first man was thrown out of the boat, landing on the rocks about 10 feet away.

Residents in the neighborhood heard a loud crash, followed by people yelling for help. They called 911 at 10:45 p.m.

Patrolman Mark Foote was the first to arrive. He ran down a path through the brush, in complete darkness, in order to reach the wreckage. When he got to the shoreline, he saw two men out on the rocks in front of the boat. One of them was calling for him to hurry.

After scrambling across the slippery rocks, falling several times on the way, he found the first man being tended to by another passenger who had been on the boat.

The first man was conscious, though badly hurt, complaining of severe pain on the left side of his rib cage. He also had two cuts on his head.

Police and firefighters were partly in the water as they tended to him, according to Foote's report. The officer called the conditions "very dangerous."

Rescuers very slowly, and very carefully, carried him across the rocks, stopping several times to replace tired rescue workers with rested ones.

"It was a long haul," Foote wrote in his report.

Firefighters had wanted to call for a MedFlight to take the man directly into Boston for treatment, but the helicopters were not flying due to the fog that night.

Others on the boat were also hurt. The owner suffered a head injury and was taken to Beverly Hospital, as was another passenger.

The hospital reported to police in the hours after the crash that both patients had been stabilized.

Two other passengers were taken to Addison Gilbert Hospital. Both admitted to police that they had been drinking alcohol, according to Foote's report. Foote found beer cans in the water around the boat and on the nearby rocks, he said in his report.

One person did not complain of injuries. He refused medical treatment and walked away on his own, though Foote noted in his report that he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

After he walked off, he and another man, caused a disturbance by threatening a news photographer, according to police. He pushed the photographer, according to police, while the other man, whose father was among those injured in the crash, told the photographer not to take any more pictures or he would "wrap the camera around his neck," according to the police report.

Charges were filed against both men for being disorderly.

Police Lt. Joe Aiello released a statement over the weekend, praising the rescue efforts.

"To all involved, well done," he wrote.

However, Phil Bouchie, vice president of the firefighters union, criticized the response time, saying the closing of the Bay View fire station cost rescuers precious minutes, and left the department short-staffed. It took 13 minutes for firefighters to get to the scene, three times longer than the recommended response time for emergencies, he noted.

Rockport police and firefighters assisted with the rescue, using their ambulance to help bring the victims to the hospital.

Jessica Benson can be reached at jbenson@gloucestertimes.com.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.

Last Year's Bonfire

A picture from last year's bonfire.

The Bonfire Is On!

So the bonfire is on! The permit from the Gloucester Fire Department took a bit of groveling, but the chief had some legitimate concerns (like NO fireworks in the bonfire). But the permit is in-hand, so with a lot of sweat and hard work (and a few beers to easy the pain) we should be good-to-go for the 4th of July.

As a note of caution, things do get a bit wild around the cove during the bonfire. Everyone involved with the bonfire kind of holds their breath every year in hopes no one gets hurt. The celebration is unique, and residents pitch in to either build the bonfire or clean up afterwards. We all hope that the excesses of the evening don't become too excessive. If you're coming to the celebration, please show some respect for the folks who live here--go home at a reasonable hour, try not to make too much of a mess, don't park in people's yards and don't do stupid stuff. There are a lot of families that come down to watch--again, try to be respectful.

If you can't make it, or don't want to deal with the crowds, watch it on the streaming webcam--it should be a great show!

Bonfire Cam

So I've been working on providing streaming video of this year's bonfire and I think I have it.

Web TV provided by Ustream

You can try this link to bring it up in your own window.

As the construction of the bonfire starts I'll focus in on that. Until then, enjoy the activity in the cove.

With a little luck, I'll have a recording stored online, so if you miss it, you can still tune in.

Bonfire In Trouble?

I've heard that the annual Lanesville 4th of July bonfire might be in jeopardy. Seems as though Dickie Crowell won't be pulling the necessary permit from the fire department this year and there is a bit of trouble finding someone acceptable (to the fire department) to do it.

Stay tuned!

Spectacular Day

Although it was pretty warm earlier this week, today has been spectacular--just to bad I had to watch it on the webcam from work.

Spring is Slow in Coming

This spring has been painfully slow in coming. I guess this is what makes New Englanders the people they are (sort of like Red Sox fans that went 86 years without a World Series win). We noticed the sun heading north along the horizon at sunset, along with longer days, both sure signs that the weather will warm and summer will be here soon.

One sure sign that the season has changed is a lone lobster boat in the cove. It can only get better from here.

Bleak, but Beautiful

Lovely morning on Lanes Cove--a little below freezing, not much wind and just a lovely view.

Personal Weather Stations

As you have probably guessed, we get some pretty interesting weather here on Lanes Cove. It was fun to put up a weather station and then put the results online. Weather Underground is a very cool weather site on the web and they have a feature that allows you to upload your weather station information to them. They have integrated this input (some of it realtime, like mine) and placed the results on a Google map. You can now get realtime weather information from anywhere--across the US and the world. Check it out--I think you'll like it. Weather Underground Personal Weather Stations.

Windy Day

I recently added a High Wind section to the real-time weather reported on the webcam site--pretty cool because I noticed that we had a gust of 53 MPH this afternoon. Nice!

Quiet Time of the Year On the Cove

This winter has been a little unusual. We really haven't had the bitter cold weather we normally see around this time of the year. The beginning of January saw temperatures of 10 or 11 F and winds of 25 MPH. That was pretty miserable, but for the most part it hasn't been too bad. Actually, I saw a lobster boat working traps off of the cove last weekend. Of course, we also had some stiff prolonged northeast winds that generated some pretty good waves in Ipswich Bay. And today, the temperature is 46 F.

Another unusual bit is the visitors we're receiving at this time of year. Our vacation rental apartment is normally pretty empty in the dead of winter, but we've had several bookings this month. Actually, the apartment is warm and snug and great place to watch the stormy weather from--a great place for a getaway if you like to stay in and read or watch movies (sorry for the plug).

Nothing Like a Little Stormy Weather...

There's nothing like a little stormy weather to up the number hits on the Lanes Cove webcam. As Noel turned from a hurricane to a Nor'easter, people wanted to see what was going on as it passed Cape Ann. I suspect that the other webcams in the area saw a flurry of hits as well, but since we have a good view of the water we probably got our fair share.

From our position, northeast winds drive the waves parallel to the breakwater. Strong winds from the north or north-northwest start to drive waves into the breakwater with the resulting wind driven spray that flies over the walls. It has been many years since the last time the wall was breached by massive waves, and the last repair of the breakwater place enough material outside of the walls to dissipate most of the energy of the waves before plowing into them. As the storm moved away from us, the winds did shift more northerly and a little spray was see across the walls, but this certainly wasn't "the big one" a lot of people were watching for.

Jet Skis on Lanes Cove

Lanes Cove gets a lot of use in the summer. No wonder, it is a beautiful spot with a serviceable boat ramp (not great, but serviceable), a small public float and access to Ipswich Bay. Occasionally we get a few jet skiers that put in at the boat ramp and tool around Ipswich Bay. Now jet skis have the reputation of bad motorcyclists on the water--except you don't need a license, and there is no minimum age.

The other night we saw a couple of boats with red and blue flashing lights plus a helicopter out on Ipswich Bay pretty late. It seems a jet skier had engine problems who was trying to traverse 40 miles from Crane Beach to Haverhill. See the article in the Boston Globe here. That guy is considering selling his jet ski.

I have nothing inherently against jet skiers--just the ones who act irresponsibly. One jet skier this summer came full bore through the cut in the breakwater all the way through the cove straight to the other end. People swim here in the cove--need I say more? Or when people let their young kids speed around the cove on them--again people swim here and it is very tight quarters in the cove with all of the boats.

As far as I can tell, there aren't any local residents who own jet skis. It would be nice if people who visit just used a little common sense, and display some common courtesy.

5th Annual Art in Lanesville

Art in Lanesville is a big deal. During the 20th century, there were many artists and sculptors who either lived, or summered here. People like Charles Grafly, Paul Manship, his son John Manship and his wife Margaret Manship, George Demetrios and his wife Ginny (Virginia Lee Burton), Leon Kroll, Walker Hancock, John Coggeshall and Morris Pancoast, who lived next door to On the Cove were some of the artists who were known nationally and internationally.

Given this heritage, it is no wonder that there are many artists who live and work here today. Many of them are members of the Cape Ann Artisans, and many are independent artists both amateur and professional. They experience the same thing that artists over the last hundred years have experienced, a unique locale, quaint but not touristy, authentic and exceptionally beautiful. So one might ask with all of this talent, why is this only the fifth Art in Lanesville show? This I cannot answer, being only a recent immigrant to this area, but nonetheless the show is a wonderful thing to have.

So the details (because I couldn't find it on the web anywhere else...)

5th Annual Art in Lanesville
August 17-19, 2007
Opening Reception: Friday, August 17, 6-8
Free Performance of Poetry, Music & Dance, Saturday, Aug. 18, 7:30 PM*
Hours:
Friday 10-4, Saturday, 10-7:30, and Sunday 12-4
Lanesville Community Center, Vulcan St, Gloucester, MA
*Performance Rain Date, Sunday Aug. 19, 7:30 PM

Blackburn Challenge

This weekend was the Blackburn Challenge. Early this morning I watched almost every kind of boat that could be rowed or paddled move along the coast from the Annisquam River toward Halibut point. It was a glorious day, just stunning--moderate temperature, almost no wind, and flat seas. Registration information can be found here.

Twenty miles is a long way to go, and conditions can change pretty dramatically throughout the race. Last year the race started, but was cut short due to fog, but it was a beautiful day this year.

Lanesville Celebration - Gloucester Daily Times

Gloucester Daily Times
Published: 07/14/2007

Lanesville celebration reaches new heights

By Peter K. Prybot
Ebb & Flow

"This was the best one yet," said Jay Frontiero, a firefighter from Lanesville.
Bruce Maki, a retired Gloucester police officer, added, "There were a lot of smiles."

Most watchers of the 15th annual Lanesville Fourth of July parade and bonfire's audience would concur. A huge crowd of spectators lined both sides of most of the parade's approximately 1-mile route from Andrews Street, through town, and back to Duley Street corroborated that the event's been discovered.

Who made this village treat happen?

The Parade

Spectators have learned to expect the unexpected in the parade. This year a group carrying the annual Lanesville Fourth of July parade and bonfire banner led the marchers, followed by the kids and adults horribles and the band, but the audience saw a doubling of young and old participants, a parade that marched more slowly, and one that was more artistically presented.

Marchers included Tammy Cooper as Pocohontas and her father, Bobby; Skyler Noble, 4, dressed as Cinderella, her 6-year-old sister Alaina as a bride and their mother, Dee; Nancy Kwant as Wonder Woman; and Diane Place, Roberta Frederick and Mary Lovely as the Wives of Davy Jones. A colorful Chinese dragon, Keith Hickey and Sable Landon, and an elephant, Hal Wentworth, that had a mischievous urge to squirt the audience, trampled along the parade route, while a fish out of water, Paul Harrington, swam it.

"This was my first Lanesville parade. It was awesome to watch. This was also a wonderful community event where everyone came together and celebrated Independence Day," said Jacqui Mondello of Gloucester. Neighbor met neighbor, and many former residents revisited Lanesville just for the celebration.

Nick Parisi, wearing a Mexican sombrero for sun protection, again organized and led the band, around 100 musicians strong, in grand fashion. Mayoral candidate Jeff Worthley, who played the saxophone, was a new band member. Festivity founder Robin Smith, who hasn't missed a parade, commanded and played music with Matt France from a contraption they called "The Two Man Group." The crowd sang "God Bless America" with the band as it played briefly in Lanesville Commons at the corner of Tucker and Washington streets.

Judges Heather and Hannah Cain, Sarah Palazola, Alicia Clayton and Olivia Frontiero awarded congratulatory certificates to Hal Wentworth, first prize for his elephant entry; Paul Harrington, second for his fish entry; and to Keith Hickey and Sable Landon, third for their dragon entry. Wentworth, owner of the Stone Works, took first prizes in the last two parades.

The Bonfire

By 9 p.m. spectators jammed most of the good vantage points of the Lane's Cove amphitheater to witness Part II of the celebration - the bonfire - the burning of an approximately 30-by -30-foot, four-layered, cake-shaped structure capped by a second story of a backyard garage and decorated by local artist and fisherman Charlie Williams (see related Talk of the Times story).

Although Mother Nature held back her tears during the parade, she wept lightly to moderately from a charcoal-colored veil and lowered the ground temperature thermostat to 72 degrees at ignition time. Spectators, many dressed for the occasion, knew the weather wouldn't cancel the bonfire.

Lanesville local Randy Young "got to light the fire this year. He cleaned up all of the nails from last year's bonfire," said Dickie Crowell, veteran bonfire architect who usually has that honor. Old Randy's attempts for combustion to overcome Murphy's Law took about 15 minutes. Finally, the faint glow of fire grew to engulf the largely hardwood pallet structure and sent lightning-like bolts of flames more than 100 feet into the sky.

The brilliant blues, reds and whites of exploding fireworks sporadically took the place of twinkling stars in the sky. Physics reduced what took days to build and years to grow to a heap of glowing embers by daybreak. By then, the huge crowd, in the thousands, had thinned to just four hearty souls who congregated near the fire.

Huge volunteer effort

A huge volunteer effort and donations from viewers and companies made this unique event happen.

Crowell designed and built this year's masterpiece again - one he described as "solid." Dan Brown of Cape Ann Structural and Concrete gave his time and use of his mobile crane; Paul Blanding of Bay View Recycling used his flatbed wrecker to transport bonfire materials.

"Dan put in more crane time than ever. He hoisted eight to 10 pallets that were strapped together. He made it go quicker this year," said Crowell's wife, Katie.

"There's nothing wrong helping out with the biggest and safest bonfire on the East Coast. It's also nice to see it get done safely. I've watched the group for years carry one pallet up at a time. They burn perfectly every year," Brown said.

Also helping build the bonfire were locals Jose Leland, Scott Stewart, Patrick Hennessy, Kobie Rekelhoff, Steve Thibodeau, Russell Haselgard, Jesse Benjamin, Steve Amaral Jr., Dusty Ketchopulos, Eric and Zach Smith, Paul Blanchard, Rick Pino Jr., Nate Pistenmaa, Hal Wentworth, Williams and Young. The Building Center, John B. Wright Fish Co., Steve Connolly Seafood Co., Rose's Marine, North Atlantic Seafood Co., Wolf Hill Landscaping Co. - all of Gloucester - and North Shore Recycled Fibers of Salem gave hundreds of clean, hardwood pallets.

Lanesville Package Store, Discovery Adventures and the Willow Rest contributed monetarily as did many local individuals and families.

Jane Mondello put together the parade and led it again.

Mondello and Parisi, who led the band, are founders of this Lanesville festivity.

One More Day To Go

The boys were hard at work this afternoon putting up the last batch of pallets, and then the finishing touch--the upper story of a house that was never quite finished. Should be a lot of fun tomorrow.

Also, we now have a bonfire cam.

Lanesville Bonfire Preparations

Semi delivering pallets for the bonfire


Base laid for the bonfire

Saturday I watched a VERY large semi truck pull past us. I thought, "Boy, is this guy lost." He went down Andrews St. and then around Lanes Cove Rd. to Duley St. I didn't think he would make the corner, but then realized that he was heading (or backing) toward the bonfire site on Lanes Cove. Yep, he backed the rig down the dirt road and unload dozens of wooden pallets--all in preparation for the bonfire on the 4th. Some of the local bonfire builders set about the work of building the base of the bonfire.

Looks like another good one this year.

Ah, Spring

Spring comes hard in New England. The leaves on the trees almost explode into a green profusion and the birds are coming back.

But not all is so bucolic. Yesterday tied a record for lowest maximum temperature and set a record for rainfall.

Statement as of 5:40 am EDT on May 19, 2007

... Record daily maximum rainfall set and record low maximum
temperature record tied at Boston...

A record rainfall of 1.72 inches was set at Logan International
Airport in Boston on Friday may 18th. This breaks the old record of
1.09 inches set in 2002.

The high temperature for Friday only reached 46 degrees... which
occurred just after midnight. This ties the record low maximum
temperature record for may 18. The record of 46 degrees was also
set way back in 1881.

And the striped bass are back, but a couple of weeks late

The stripers are arriving on Cape Ann
Gloucester Daily Times
5/15/07

Spring stripers have begun arriving in Cape Ann estuaries and for once, the first witness to the event is not named Al Williams.

The pre-eminent fisherman reported taking his first schoolie Thursday, but earlier last week, photographer Nubar Alexanian reported to the Times he took about four small bass in the Essex River just behind Farnham's Restaurant.

"They're here for sure," he said.

"It would be a kick to beat Al Williams," said Alexanian, who took his fish on a fly while practicing his casting. "They were all 28 to 20 inches."

Striped bass are synonymous with Cape Ann summers, as hundreds of recreational fishermen vie to reel in the largest tasty fish.

Sportingly, Williams, who has been credited with catching the first bass in each of the past three years, discounts his earlier catches over the last two weeks on the grounds the bass seemed to be "holdovers." Those are bass that spend the winter here rather than migrating south with the vast majority of the stripers.

Holdovers don't have the sheen or sea lice on their scales that the newbies sport. Holdovers have a darkish color.

"They look like they've been here a while," Williams said.

In recent years, there have been increasing reports of stripers, a migratory species, hanging over the winter in estuaries and some of the big rivers, especially on the South Shore.

The arrival of the first from the summer migration was late by about two weeks, attributable, according to Dan Winchester of Winchester Fishing Co., Alexanian and Williams, to the cold weather and water of April.

In past years, Williams typically took his first schoolies in the Little River on a rubber lead-headed lure around the third week of April.

stripers calibrate their travel to water temperatures as they move north from their spawning grounds of the Hudson, Delaware and Chesapeake systems and from holdover schools off North Carolina. They like warmer water.

Delays that stretch the travel time are likely to get them here hungry. Like human travelers, they tend to eat to survive while on the move. They settle in to summer homes based on the appeal of the environment, which includes plenty of food.

Once having chosen a summer spot, their main activity is eating.

Williams said the first fish he caught seemed especially desirous of his rubber shad.

Alexanian said he also catches shad in the Essex River about the time he begins fly-casting for stripers.

The shad, an oversized herring, is a favored food of striped bass, second choice perhaps to their all-time favorite, baby lobsters.

It's a good guess the rich supply of lobsters helps convince many a bass that this is the best place to settle for the summer, though lobstermen might wish they looked elsewhere.

The first wave of stripers almost without exception are small, immature fish. They do not yet have reproductive duties back home in the big rivers. But the big ones are certain to be on the way.

Spring Is Here!

The surest sign that spring has arrived is the first boat in the cove. Well, last week the first one went in. Good thing it wasn't the week before, when a nasty spring nor'easter came through. The float that is normally stored up on the Flatiron portion of the wharf floated away in the high tide. I understand that some folks wrestled it off the rocks and tied it up to the light pole just behind us. Glad that wasn't a boat--the last boat to break its mooring in a storm ended up on the rocks and finally was towed out of the cove, never to be repaired.

Moon Over Ipswich Bay

Early (I mean early) this morning I woke up again to the moon over Ipswich Bay. I grabbed my camera and took some long exposure (16 sec) photos. You will notice the moon twice in the these photos--this is due to the fact that the photos were taken through a double pane window. The distinct image of the moon is a reflection and many times dimmer than the direct image. Also, if you look at the enlarged image, you will see a lot of dots--these are most likely digital noise. This is a fairly old digital camera and probably not as well designed for long exposures and newer cameras are. The yellow hue of the cove is from a single spot light. This is pretty much the image of the cove that you actually see at night.

Not Just Sunsets

This side of Cape Ann is known for its sunsets, and they are pretty phenomenal. And the sunrises are pretty interesting--the sky to the west gets the same colors as that of the eastern sky just not the same intensity, and obviously without the sun. But there is something that few visitors get to see, really amazing moonsets. Many people see moonrises, the good full moonrises occur around the time of sunset, but full moonsets occur around sunrise. Of course the best ones happen before sunrise otherwise the sun washes out the moon. So unless you're up very early in the morning, say 4:30 or 5:00 AM, you dont really get to see really nice moonsets.

Moonsets pose a pretty good photographic challenge. A long lens helps, but the moon is very bright and the rest of the scene is still pretty dark. And since you only get about one a month, and it is wicked early in the morning (I just happen to wake up this morning to see it out the window), it is a pretty rare thing to photograph. When you do see one though, it is one of those "Oh, wow!" moments.

Sunsets Are Back

We site back a bit on Lanes Cove, so during the winter our sunsets are blocked by the small hill to the south. About this time of the year the sun is heading north and finally clears the hill. Right about now the sun sets around Hog Island in Ipswich. Soon it will be at the Crane Estate. Even though the wind is blowning 15-20 MPH and the temperature is 37F, the days are definitely getting longer as we head for spring.

Not Much Happening

I just noticed it has been over a month since my last post. There's a reason for that--it is pretty quiet here in the winter. That isn't to say it is boring--heck, it is too amazing here to be boring--it just means that the cove's activity is in a more passive state. Living here you are much more attuned to the natural world, the weather, the stars, the flora and fauna. The weather is definitely more winterlike than at the beginning of the season, but with very little snow. Today it is bright, clear and a small breeze. For much of the last week, we have had steady 20 MPH winds from the northwest. That kind of wind stirs up the whitecaps, but today the water is calm and deep blue.

Thanks for reading.

Sea Smoke

Winter has finally arrived on Lanes Cove--with a vengeance. The winds last night were blowing steadily 25-30 MPH with 35 MPH gusts. With temperatures in the single digits, that puts the windchill around -13F.

Sea smoke (a kind of frigid fog) forms in these conditions. Pushed around by the winds the condensed water vapor has the appears of smoke. You know it's cold when you see it. We've seen a little ice around the edges of the cove, but I think the water temperature is still relatively warm. It will take sustained low temperatures (below 20F) to create heavy ice in the cove.

I noticed the last lobster boat left the cove about a week ago--actually pretty late in the season. So the activity in the cove is pretty minimal, except for some pretty ferocious weather.

More Data From Lanes Cove

I got the webcam up and running about a year ago and the results have been great--just under 30,000 hits so far (averaging more that 100 a day). I have had many very nice e-mails saying how people enjoy watching the weather, or the goings on on Lanes Cove. Of course this time of the year the days are short and so there's less to see, but people still tune in.

I've always wanted a weather station and this year Santa was very good to me. I now have a Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 system. Data from the weather station is read into my computer where I combine it with the webcam page (www.lanescove.us/webcam). It is very preliminary--the weather data is updated every minute, but the webpage only updates the webcam image automatically--you have to manually refresh the page to get the absolute up to the minute weather data.

Right now the anemometer is mounted off of my deck, so it doesn't register exactly the same wind speed and direction that you might see out on the breakwater. We are protected from northeast winds, so you rarely see substantial winds from that direction. Maybe someday I will put a remote anemometer out on the breakwater--now that would be cool!

Anyway, hopefully it is helpful and fun and I pledge it will get better in the future. Let me know what you think.