An empty reservoir

A lack of rain and, I’ve heard, poor water management in the town, results once again in our local Goose Cove reservoid being empty! But it makes for some good photos …

 

You can see a line with brown below on the big rock; that is the normal water level in the reservoir! It’s down perhaps 15 feet (it’s so low that no more water can be drawn out of it; what’s left is evaporating).

Back nearly a century local resident Roger Babson had various boulders carved with messages to inspire the public and to assist unemployed stone-cutters (see this website for more information); in addition to carving positive messages, Babson marked various “cellar holes” with a numbered boulder – cellar holes locate where a house once was, when Dogtown was a thriving community!
Since that time, the Goose Cove reservoir has been developed and normally submerges some cellar marker stones – but with the low water, we can see stones “29” and “30 easily (the huge boulder in the picture above has “29” on it):

On the way from our house to the reservoir, two more stones are passed – “28” is in the brush near the water, while “27” is partly buried on the side of the road!

 

There are many more boulders in the area; Margaret & I toured some lots of years ago – before this website (or my digital camera) existed! Maybe it’s time to tour again (although there are many websites out there already …)

A thirsty garden

Our weather this year started with lots of rain and warm-but-not-too-hot days, and the plants did very well; but recently it’s got very dry, and the grass and plants are now suffering! The problem with grass here in New England is it needs to survive high 90s in the summer, and then near zeroes in the winter (-20c to 35c!); I don’t think such grass exists … makes you wonder why people have lawns here! Anyway, some plants are still doing OK:

 

And Bridgette and the fish are happy:

 

A timber frame home

Yankee Magazine is behind the construction of an amazing 3,500 square foot “timber frame” home in Gloucester. Although the home is owned by the builder, Jeff Amero, and will be sold by him, there are tours of the home going on throughout September, and the money raised from those tours will be going to the Cape Ann Food Pantry!


Visit Yankee Magazines Coming Home in New England page for more information.