Sunday’s photo challenge showed the dilapidated brick wall at Compo, near the lockers and Joey’s.
The photo below is much more evocative of the beach every Westporter loves:
The photographer requested this credit: “Patrick Goldschmidt and Jonathan Seagull.”
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No on white wash! Old brick is beautiful.
My father was a mason (did work many years ago for the Woogs, as a matter of fact), and many times he built with “used brick” as it was specified for its random texture and color. They even market new brick that looks like old.
Both my Mom & Dad are still with us and are in their mid-90’s. They live in the same NH town that I do, so I see them often.
It broke my heart a few years ago to see pictures of the Westport house that I grew up in. Dad had built it all himself, mostly with used brick. Now it is all painted gray.
The Maddock Bros laid the block foundation for my father’s house. Still going strong 65 years later. Agree about the charm of old brick.
Wow… Dad would have been 30 years old at the time & I was 4 years away from being born. At the time my grandfather & Uncle Jack still ran the business.
Dad was very conscientious, but also incredibly fast when laying bricks & blocks. I had a hard time keeping up as a mason’s tender during summers between school years.
When dad put the first addition onto the house (1958?), he bought a barn & tore it down to repurpose the wood. He still needed a large carrying beam for the floor joists. Dad tells me that Uncle Jack gave him a call right after a big storm & told him to meet him at the beach; a large wooden beam had washed up on shore. They loaded it into the bed of the pick-up truck & it hung way out over the tail gate. Dad sat on the beam to keep it from teetering out. It was so long that they ticked the telephone pole with the end of the beam when they made the turn from Green’s Farms Road onto Wake Robin.
In a miraculous sort of way, the beam turned out to be exactly the right length, no cutting needed. I went on to support the floor in the new living room.
I wish I could edit my post. I did NOT go on to support the floor. “It” (the beam) did so.
Love this…and I love the old brick..compo beach is just one of those special places I miss from my old home town.
Ah, Johnathan Livingston Seagull! Very cool reference.
Ditto to everyone, regarding the brick! It’s lovely, as is.
“He was not bone and feather but a perfect idea of freedom and flight, limited by nothing at all.” Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
(I was moved by the reminder of this lovely metaphysical novel, which I read in later childhood or thereabouts, so I thank you, “enlightened” photographer, and to Dan for posting this).
Enjoy the Compo Brick while you can as there is a strong movement a foot to demolish the existing and build a new palace! If you doubt me follow the Recreation Commission meeting most of which occur after the decisions have been made.