James Foley
Reflections on James Foley’s life, “Jim’s perspective was more of the macro style with big wide angles and no filters”.
Wolfeboro: Character of Lore, Monte-zuma
Wolfeboro Legend Monte-zuma This is the true story of a character from Wolfeboro Falls called Monte…Monte-zuma in full. This wasn’t his real name but that’s what the local boys used to call him back in the late 1950’s. Anyone familiar with the Smith River Canoe Race in Wolfeboro Falls knows where he lived because it is right on the opposite shoreline in a 12×8′ ft sturdy shack 80 yards down from the rapids. To this day, there is a sunken wooden platform covered in slippery moss that he used to get back and forth across the river. Back then, the wooden platform was above water and Monte covered it with corrugated roofing to keep it from getting wet. The roofing was also nice and loud in case he had any visitors which will come later in the story.Monte was the night watchman and maintenance man for the Wolfeboro Mills that used to exist along that long flat stretch of river across from his shack. He had a pigeon coup right at the edge of the river and he raised the pigeons for food. He also enjoyed eating fish he caught from the river. Monte wasn’t a lean scraggly-old hermit but actually clean shaven and roundly with a receding hairline. He didn’t mind a visitor now and again; he was known to serve his guests soda biscuits and peanut butter from his outdoor stone fireplace. He entertained with a pet racoon and a blue jay that he spoke to as if they were his children. One night some local boys were camping out in Wolfeboro Falls and they decided it would be a good idea to give old Monte a scare. Ronnie Keslar was up for the task and started across the wooden platform on the river until the corrugated roofing gave him up. The shack door flew open and Ronnie ran for his life as he heard the bellow and the hammer of the gun. He ran so fast in the darkness that he stumbled to the ground as a bullet went over his head into the sign post above. Monte wasn’t bothered much at night by the boys again. It wasn’t until a Mr. Malone purchased the mill and it was converted from excelsior to t-shirt manufacturing that Monte was forced to move on. His shack was burned to the ground and all that remains is the sunken wooden platform and stones from the outdoor fireplace. By Jeremy Osgood Author and Photographer Visit my photo gallery PHOTOS 4 NATURE Check Out Jeremy’s Historical Novel Based On the Legend Of Chocorua PHOTOSNATURE Click here to View my Gallery and Purchase Images Instagram Facebook Linkedin Youtube
Bernard “Bun” McBride
Bun is going to be sorely missed at Black's Paper Store and around town. Here are two photos of things he enjoyed, the store itself and a good ole' Parodi cigar. Cindy didn't know if anyone else enjoyed them but Bun did. Service to be held November 24 at All Saints church across from the Library on South Main Street. There will be a community gathering at Black's Paper Store and Gift Shop following the service.
Grandma Truby
Every time I see a sumptuous treat like this I think of a grandma that passed away several years ago in Pennsylvania. Her name was Grandma Truby. She was the kind of lady that would eat dessert before dinner, knit hats and mittens for children in need, and had a great saying for whiny kids or adults that I've never forgotten, "only boring people get bored". She would have been proud to see her daughter and granddaughter labor on this cupcake but she would have enjoyed eating it before dinner even more.
O-SO-GOOD Barber Stylist
Judy Osgood and Michelle Riley celebrate their 15 year anniversary of cutting hair together this past week at the O-So-Good Barber shop/Hair Salon behind Clarke's plaza. I asked the dynamic duo if they had a name for their team, "Tom and Jerry", and they said it was more like "Archie and Edith". I'll let you decide who's who. They claim they've never had an argument. They've done thousands of cuts and handed out an equal number of lollie pops to children from the shop and playground next door. Judy originally started the shop over 30 years ago out of her home on River Street.
Wolfeboro’s Doris-Ann Clough
Sunlight always seems to shine on Doris-Ann Clough. If you spend any time in Wolfeboro you’ve probably seen her walking, flamboyantly gesturing, lecturing a jay-walker or unsuspecting tourist driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Born in 1935, she’s logged roughly 127,750 miles by foot through rain, sleet, snow, whether it’s 95F degrees or-20F. For the past 30 years, she’s worked at the Wolfeboro laundromat in the morning and if something needs doing she’s up and at it. She could probably tell you every sidewalk crack and slightest nuance in her travels through town and you’d think the story would end there… Doris-Ann doesn’t have any children of her own but she has many children in her heart. At her home on Lehner St., abutting carpenter school, she’s cared for dozens of boys and girls and she remembers them all by name and their individual personalities. I stopped to see her this morning outside her home and she insisted that i come in for a visit. It’s been 30 years, but she reminds me often how she taught me to tie my shoes. The walls and tables adorn all the little faces of her past. The one that she still holds most tightly is a young girl that died back in 1968 at the age of 14 of Cystic Fibrosis, Mary Anne Soucey, and to her, it seems almost like yesterday. She has a large painted portrait of Mary Anne on her living room wall, and in the kitchen, a color by number cat hanging by the front door. Whatever your faith or spirituality, there’s a special place for people like Doris-Anne Clough. Doris Anne Clough.
