The Johnson Family’s Eighty Year Tradition

My first summer at Goose Rocks was 1958, my mother’s first was 1930. I don’t remember much about it, I was only 8 months old. I think I ate, slept, and required diaper changes. (It’s funny, but I fear I’m getting close to coming full circle). As I got older, I couldn’t wait for school to get out each spring. My mother would pick my brother and me up from school on that final day, and we’d be off to Goose Rocks for the summer. It was idyllic, long days of swimming, waterskiing, when you had a boat, softball from mid-tide to mid-tide with 15 or more on each side, and ages from 8 to 80.

Viv Fessenden taught us all how to swim off the raft regardless of seawater temp, air temp, fog, rain, or snow. Gil and Viv gave us rides on the old 1927 Chevy Fire Truck the day of the Fireman’s Fair, and cooked chicken later that evening at the firehouse on Wildwood Ave.

We played tennis at the Community House, and went to the GRBA cookouts on the beach in front of the Tides Inn. I was never in the talent show for obvious reasons.

We spent money at Verriers store on kites, ice cream, Seal Rock tonic, and, as their sign said, “sundries”. I’m still not sure what a “sundrie” is. Mrs. Verrier didn’t put up with us kids at hanging around her store, and didn’t accept Canadian coins either. For many, the only phone was the pay-phone at the store. After Mr. and Mrs. Verrier had passed, Charles “Buttsie” Butts re-opened the gas station at the corner. One day, my mother sent my father to buy butter, rather than drive to the “IGA” in Cape Porpoise; he bought a pound of butter at “Buttsies” for $1.00. My mother was not happy. I guess butter was much cheaper in Cape Porpoise or Biddeford. We still call the right of way at the intersection of Dyke Rd. and Kings Highway “Buttsies” right of way.

Tom and Bev Sotir built the General Store circa 1980. I enjoyed my talks with Tom, he was a good guy. Bev is one of a kind, as her mother “Nana” was. My children, Andrew and Christopher, will never forget working many summers there and the work ethic they learned.

You know, I miss is the noon test of the fire department’s siren/whistles. I still have a card with the alarm box numbers. Who didn’t wake up at 2 AM counting the siren wails, wondering where the fire was. As a boy growing up hearing stories of the ’47 fires, it was a foreboding sound at that time of the morning.

In my 50’s now, my youngest is 21. I can look back on two generations, and still ask my mother questions about people, and places at the beach. I have spent many hours sitting with her looking at old pictures. She can still pick out all the people; remember where they were from and what they did for work. All of us agree, there is not a better place on earth than Goose Rocks Beach. Ever since graduating from Maine Maritime Academy in 1980, I have lived at Goose Rocks. My wife, Christine Schlegel Johnson, and I built our house on Kings Lane in 1983 and have lived here ever since. I could not think of a better place to raise a family, and I was right.

Years ago when my kids were about 5 and 7 years old, school had been out for a few days. It was a beautiful early summer day. They were sitting in front of the television one morning, channel surfing, and complaining that they had nothing to do. I told them to go out on their bikes and not to come home until they had met some “summer” friends. For once they did

as they were told, and now, almost 20 years later have lifelong friends, as my wife and I do, that we met on the beach. Just take a look at many of the “year-rounder’s” living here today that trace their GRB roots to a week or two in a small cottage. There was a bucket or hose to rinse the sand off your feet by the door and probably no TV or phone.

Never, ever in the over 50+ years I have spent at Goose Rocks and the 80 years my family has been here, has there ever been any like this claim of trespassing on private property, anywhere on the beach. I can attest to that. At least once a year, but in reality, a lot more, I have walked every inch of the beach, soft sand or hard, winter or summer. I do admit that I didn’t walk around Timber Island until sometime in the ‘80’s. My father, knowing my fear of snakes, told me there were rattle snakes on Timber Island. That worked, he never had to worry about me getting stranded on the island when the tide came in. In all these years, I have never been challenged or denied access. I know of no one who has been asked to leave the beach because they were on “private property”. We are all here because of the beach. The beach is a place to play ball, fly kites, enjoy the water whether its 55˚ or 75˚, or just to sit and read a book.

Richard A, Johnson

16 Kings Lane

Goose Rocks Beach

Family since 1930

Owner since 1980