31 - 1/10/2011 - In My Footsteps Trip

Initial Impressions

Christopher Setterlund

31 – 1/10/2011 – In My Footsteps Trip

1.  This trip was up to the North Shore towns of Newbury, Newburyport, and Plum Island; $30 in gas, total of 290 driving miles.

2.  Plum Island is a lot like driving on the Outer Cape and National Seashore.  It was unbelievable cold and windy, good thing I brought gloves and then left them in the car, over and over.

3.  There was a monument dedicated to a local firefighter at Plum Island Point, at first I thought it was a grave since the monument looks like a gravestone.  Was wondering why they would let someone get buried at the beach, a nice contrast to the playground next to it.  Of course it’s not true.

4.  Arrived at Plum Island in time to see the house at 27 Annapolis Way get demolished.  Erosion made it close to falling over the cliff and onto the beach.  Even the house next door is in danger too, hope these people had some sort of insurance in case of erosion.

5.  Got to see lots of news folk there at the house razing.  Jack Harper from Channel 5 walked through my video, thanks a lot.  NECN, Boston Globe, Channel 7 and FOX had helicopters circling overhead.  Got interviewed by Channel 7 but they didn’t use it, good thing too, I had my Ring Bros. hat on instead of my Patriots one.  I did see myself in a video on Boston.com twice though so it wasn’t a total loss.

6.  Almost used my entire camera battery filming the house being smashed, waited and waited for them to finally knock the chimney down and it took out a satellite dish too which was cool.

7.  Was excited to find out that my camera can charge using the USB port in my dash, the Mobile Command Center comes through yet again, saved me from buying a spare battery, $40!

8.  Saw a pair of the oddest lighthouses possible.  Front Range Light in Newburyport looks like a lighthouse shaped shed, I could have totally seen someone pulling a lawn mower out of it.  Rear Range Light is out on the Main Street, nowhere near the water, made of brick and you can dine at the top of it.

9.  Still trying to find out the origin of the Mill stores near those lighthouses.  They are like mini-malls with ‘Mill No.’ 1-5 on top.  They must have been old mills but they look so cool.  Went up onto the roof of one, legally don’t worry, and got a great view of Plum Island River.

10.  Steve got to witness the insanity of my trips now, I need a ‘This Vehicle Makes Frequent Stops’ sign on the back of my car.  I can’t help it, I see the historic sign on a house and I pull off the road, it’s instinct now.  Other cars don’t like it though, I have learned that.

11.  Love it when so many spots I want to shoot are in the same area.  Found this out when shooting City Hall in Newburyport and noticed a few familiar addresses.  I must have looked like Daffy Duck running all over snapping away, it saves time to run but makes you look suspicious.

12.  Got to say I really enjoy having Steve Drozell along when he can make it.  Knowing the photography skill he has makes me up my own game and results in better quality photos by me.

13.  Anytime you slip while trying to take a photo it’s never good, it’s worse when folks beep at you since you know they saw you almost go down, I still got my shot and stayed dry so I can take the embarrassment.

14.  After passing it 3 times finally had to get a photo of this teal blue house with a ribbon on the door.  While behind a stopped school bus, handed the camera to Steve who got the shot, what a cool looking house.

15.  There are a bunch of these ‘mile stones’ scattered around Newbury, they date back to the early 1700’s.  Some really cool artifacts but the search for them is tough, got lost a bit.  Found 1 covered in snow so I whipped out my gym towel and brushed it off which drew some looks from kids leaving school but hey, I cam this far, I want a clear shot, y’know?

16.  The ‘Witches Stone’ looks like something off of a cave wall in ancient Greece.  A really creepy looking design and the stone is in front of someone’s house.  I wonder how many people pass that by everyday and have never seen it?

17.  Went back to Gloucester for the 5^th time.  Steve had not seen Annisquam Light and I would never refuse a chance to go back to my #1 favorite town.

18.  Got a chance to shoot video of the Man at the Wheel at sunset, the photos were awesome too.  It would have been perfect except for how cold it was.

19.  Damn GPS was good all day until trying to find a gas station.  It led us to a Tedeschi which it said had fuel, nope, stupid lying British nanny.  I almost would rather it speak in Spanish from now on.

20.  Got a nice slice of life experience thanks to toll roads, forgetting to change my GPS settings meant we skipped off of Rt. 1 near the Tobin Bridge and did a lot of back roads at rush hour.  The joy of sketchy city streets, perfect end to a great day! 

The videos shot are here --> Gloucester, Mass.

                                                             27 Annapolis Way, Plum Island being torn down.

Quote of the Day:  “C’mon, give it a nudge, just touch it, it will go over.” Me on video begging the construction guys to knock the chimney over at 27 Annapolis Way before my battery died. 

Song of the Day:  Poundcake – Van Halen (buy mp3 here)

Photos of the Day:

Front Range Light

Rear Range Light

The house at 27 Annapolis Way being torn down.

The Witches Stone

The Man at the Wheel following the moon.

13 - July 1, 2010

Initial Impressions

Christopher Setterlund

July 1, 2010 – In My Footsteps Travel Day

1.      Returned to Gloucester, I had an even better time since I knew the places I wanted to see.

2.      Also hit Rockport again and Ipswich, the North Shore is like a dream every time I go, 3 trips thus far and probably 1 or 2 more to go.

3.      There was so much traffic from just north of Boston down about 10 miles, it was the only hiccup on a nearly flawless trip.  Even that was cool as I got to flirt with girls passing by, hey you never know, right?

4.      Did over 230 miles today on $20 of gas, did I mention how much I love my car?

5.      At Stage Fort Park in Gloucester there was a lot with a guy at a shack looking for $10 to park for the beach.  Little did he know that across the street were free spots, for 20 minutes at least, which is all I needed.  Ha ha, sucker, I smiled and waved, he was not amused.

6.      Got to see a drawbridge go up today in Gloucester, I was stuck on one side with two hot college girls.  Oh no, whatever shall I do!

7.      So I am walking out on this trail or rock pieces to see the Thacher Island Twin Lights in Rockport when what do I see sort of hanging out on the rocks but a big gray Tupperware bin, yeah I thought it was random too.

8.      At a great little spot called Bearskin Neck in Rockport I got to witness this Crocodile Dundee looking guy holding up traffic by repeatedly saying to one car ‘Welcome to Rockport.’  It’s like, dude, they know where they are after the first 10 times you said it.  Then he also was yelling at a guy fishing to ‘rip ‘em out of the water.’  Funny, but crazy too.

9.      There was this dog in the doorway of a store staring at me, he was fine until after I snapped a photo, then he flipped out.  Maybe he doesn’t like his picture being taken?

10.  There was a little blond-haired boy calling out ‘Opa’ over and over, then it hit me that he meant Grampa in German.  How did I know?  From having to write German dialogue in my book Second Coming.  Yes, I officially rule, understanding German on the streets of Rockport.

11.  Bearskin Neck also was home to a yodeling pickle as well as creepy mannequin heads in a second floor window.  The place is great, like a big outdoor mall made of old fishing shacks.

12.  I remembered seeing in Stop & Shop this week lots and lots of the refills for the OFF repellant clip-ons but none of the clip-ons themselves.  These would have served me well walking through the woods where I became an afternoon snack for tons of bugs.

13.  Oh yeah, and a greenhead fly stowed away in my car for the ride home in traffic.  Nothing beats trying to kill something and drive.  It’s probably still in there now, sleeping and waiting for me to go to work tomorrow.

14.  They need to make Annisquam Lighthouse in Gloucester a little easier to find, without a GPS it would stay lost.  The long search was worth it though, lots of great shots of it.

15.  There was this little guy going round checking all of the parking meters along Bearskin Neck, at least I thought it was a guy until she turned around, ugh, cold shivers, with her buzzcut, I had to go dive in the harbor to escape.

16.  Went to a place called Castle Hill in Ipswich, turns out it was used in the movie The Next Karate Kid, the one with Hilary Swank, never saw it but hey I lied to the gatekeeper.

17.  In the latest edition of my GPS trying to kill me, this time my British Nanny tried to tell me to take the carpool lane on I-93.  I refused and then as I was stuck in traffic I watched several cars with only one person inside go by in the carpool lane.  I could hear my Nanny voice saying ‘I told you so silly Yankee.’

18.  My last stop in Ipswich was to be the Turner Hill Mansion, or so my GPS said.  I drove inside this place and it ended up being a damn golf course and resort, no mansion.  So I figured I’d take a photo, too bad this jerk that had been tailgating me decided to park in my shot, so I had to stand there like an idiot waiting for him to move.

19.  Was excited to visit a place called Dogtown in Gloucester, it was an abandoned old settlement from the 17^th century.  Never got to see it since the bugs were killing me, but I did get to hear a fight between a couple construction guys, that was almost as good.

Quote of the Day:  “Welcome to Rockport.” –Crocodile Dundee looking guy, over and over, to a car trying to park at Bearskin Neck.  Maybe he was a robot whose circuits got scrambled?

Song of the Day: Between the Lines – Stone Temple Pilots  buy mp3 here

Photo of the Day:  Motif #1: Rockport, Mass.