Brian Page

Brian Page —
“The Firewood Trade”

Brian Page’s project profiles Randy Dennison, owner of Dennison’s Firewood, capturing the work and dedication behind this local Rockland business.

Randy Dennison sharpens a chainsaw blade in his shop surrounded by lobster buoys.  He’s a retired lobsterman, a career now taken up by his son Ryan Dennison.  
Randy Dennison (left) removes a bed frame from his home.  At seventy-five-years of age Dennison is the patriarch of the Dennison family. 
Seventy-five-year-old Randy Dennison is a former lobsterman, but hardly retired.  His encore career is running a firewood business.  
Former lobsterman Randy Dennison takes a moment away from his usual perpetual motion, sitting on a trailer in front of an old barn.  The barn and other buildings on the property go back several generations of Dennisons.  
A dump truck used in Randy Dennison’s firewood business is reflected in the window of an old barn while Dennison passes by on his John Deere tractor in the background.
He may not be as sharp as he once was, but seventy-five-year-old Randy Dennison is still a fine player.  He was once highly ranked by the American Poolplayers Association. 
Randy Dennison (left) shops at Lowe’s for a flat file to fine tune chainsaw blades. 
Delivering firewood often takes Randy Dennison by Keag Store on highway 73, which serves as a convenient and frequent stop to grab a meal on the run.
The backside of retired lobsterman Randy Dennison’s cap likely sums up his philosophy of life.  While harvesting lobsters is a tough occupation, Dennison’s new vocation running a firewood business may be only slightly less tough.  
Randy Dennison’s nephew, Troy, takes a chain saw to a log. When a log has too great a diameter or is too misshapen to go through the hydraulic log splitter it must be trimmed to fit properly.
The business end of the hydraulic log splitter – a powerful cylinder smashes a 16-inch log through the splitter blades creating eight perfect pieces of firewood.  

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