A Fun "Lobstah" Lunch at the Shore

My friend, Mary, took me out to lunch the other day at the Guilford Marina's Lobster Pound. Guilford, next door to Madison, is the town I grew up in and where Mary still lives. The marina is a great place to hang out on a summer afternoon, and as a child when my family owned boats, I spent a lot of time there. I brought my friend, Mike Urban's newest book, Lobster Shacks, along with me. The book includes entries for New England's classic roadside lobster restaurants, including the Lobster Pound, so I thought it would make a perfect little photoshoot. The lobster rolls were delicious, and as you'll see in the following photos, you can't get much closer to the water without swimming! Thank you, Mary!

• To read more about Lobster Shacks, click over to Amazon, here. It's a great read even if you aren't going to be traveling around New England this summer.
• To read more about the Lobster Pound, click here. Boat tours are available, too. 
• This just in! Publisher's Weekly has favorably reviewed Lobster Shacks, here!

Looking east from our table, this is the view of the Guilford Marina. Just to the right of the little wooden clubhouse in the background is where my family's various boats were moored as I was a child. It looks much the same today despite many updates throughout the years.

Each picnic table at the "Pound" has a flowerbox filled with annuals such as marigolds and begonias. The hefty boat rope is a great touch. That's a classic saltwater marsh in the background.

Looking out into the Long Island Sound. I can't tell you how many times my father piloted our boat out this very channel for a day on the water. You can moor a boat on the right and let your guests off for lunch.

The unassuming entrance to the Lobster Pound. Featuring a minimal menu, several types of chips and non alcoholic drinks are available to go with your freshly cooked seafood.

A vintage ship's wheel awaits seaside guests as they step off their boats.

Shade or sun, it's your choice at the "Pound."

Busy day. The tables filled up as quickly as they emptied. The food arrives quickly and couldn't be any fresher. Local fishermen supply the seaside "shack" with their goods.

Seagulls keep a lookout for any crumbs that may fall their way!

Just a lovely Connecticut shoreline day in the sun, everyone is enjoying the quintessential New England seashore meal.

The Kids are Allright—1933 School Photos

This Guilford class photo dates to 1933. My mom is third from the left, in the first row of standing girls. She graduated from high school in 1937, so she would have been in the 8th grade here. Her high school class only had about 35 kids in it, and there are about 45 kids in this photo, so I think this must be more than one class. I'm struck at how nicely dressed the kids are, and this was in the midst of the Depression. I'm sure everyone wore their "best" clothes for the school picture, but they also look happy and healthy. Whatever was going on at home at this time, whatever economic distress their parents were feeling, must have been kept from the kids as much as possible. My mother never got over her "Depression" mindset, though. Throughout her life she never wasted money, hated seeing people flaunt their wealth, and always looked after those with less, making sure those with the least in our community had decent healthcare and food for their tables.

And a Younger Class During the Same Period

Perhaps the same year as my mother's photo at the top of this post, her younger sister, my aunt Hoohoo was in the 1st or 2nd grade, in a school across the Green from my mother's. Hoohoo is in the bottom row of seated girls, 2nd from the left, wearing a dark "flounce" in her hair, and an outfit with a decorative V collar. Again, I'm struck at how "normal" these kids look, at one of the worst economic times our country has ever seen. This was the period of time, though, when Hoohoo was drawing on brown paper bags, cut up and flattened out by her mother, instead of fancy drawing pads. Times weren't easy, but it's clear everyone tried to shield the hardships from their children. 

"Paperbag Dreams," created from one of Hoohoo's Depression-era drawings done on a brown paperbag, instead of drawing paper. The photograph is a school photo of Hoohoo at the age she was when she did this charcoal drawing. My piece is on plywood and has paint, tissue paper, silver foil, and dried leaves, in addition to the original drawing. 24" x 24".

Preview: The Town I Grew Up In

And in which my family lived for more than 200 years

Yesterday I was taken to lunch by a friend in Guilford, the town I grew up in, settled in 1639. It's next door to where I live now, but I rarely walk or ride my bike the 8-9 miles to get there. It's an absolutely gorgeous, classic New England town. I forget how much I miss it until I go there. Madison is pretty, and it's a really nice town—I'm so fortunate to live here—but the center doesn't really have the historical look and feel that Guilford does. Guilford's center is an 11-acre town green, one of the largest in New England. Homes, churches and retail stores border it, and it's a protected historical center. I say "preview" in the headline because I was there only long enough to snap these quick photos. I plan on spending a few hours there next week and I'll take much more detailed and interesting photos then!

The First Congregational church is on the right in the photo above. I have a very small piece of the steeple my mother collected after the devastating 1938 hurricane. Each September, Guilford has a 3-day country fair, and my family and I usually sat on the steps of that church for the parade each year.

The stone Episcopal church is in the center of this photo. The Town Hall is the brick building on the left.

Private homes line the Green, along with restaurants, retail shops and churches.

Looking for all the world like the church it once was, the white building in the center of the photo once housed a playhouse, too. I'm not sure what it is today. I'll find out for the next post!

• Guilford's Chamber of Commerce website, here.
• The Wiki on Guilford, here.