If you want to peer into the soul of a small Maine coastal town where fishing is still a prideful vocation, you often need go no farther than the harbor on a gray winter’s day. There usually is a working monument to fishing there – the town dock (aka pier), built with local tax and other funds.
These are stolid landing places where lobster traps and other gear can be off- and on-loaded. The docks have little superficial grace and beauty, but they often have inherent character beauty that can make you feel better just by being near them. Here, we have the Brooklin Town Dock on November 21, the day before Thanksgiving, where stacked lobster traps signal the end of the lobstering season for some fishermen.
These traps got caught in the November 20 snow storm and soon were dusted off and trucked to their winter storage, usually in a fisherman’s back or side yard. (Brooklin, Maine)