NEWBURYPORT — In the dim light of the Newburyport Art Association, gallery associate Linda Dahlberg reads aloud the poem she wrote about her husband Bob, diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2001. She said she wrote the poem a few years ago but that the words ring just as true today.
"Bob loses his independence, his sense of purpose. I take over those acts that used to be his. Now there is no sharing, no caring. Life goes on without the glow," reads part of her 23-line poem.
For Dahlberg, her photography and her work with the NAA is a creative outlet for her to escape the difficult role as Alzheimer's caretaker, and she said those who know her would describe her as upbeat, not sad.
"Photography is my passion, an outlet from the disease," Dahlberg, 65, said. "The gallery is nourishing to me, and I have a great rapport with the artists."
Dahlberg works as a gallery associate at the NAA 20 hours a week, coordinating exhibits and assisting member artists. She also runs her own photography business, Creative Cards and More, featuring her New England-themed images.
A self-taught photographer who uses her technical skills to print her images at home, Dahlberg photographs landscapes of the area including boats, birds, flowers, historic homes, colorful doors and Newburyport icons. Each piece has a catchy title, such as "Best View" as the title for a photo of a seagull sitting on top of a group of coin-operated beach telescopes.
"I really like the world we live in. I really like all the scenery of New England," said Dahlberg, who shoots with a D60 Nikon.
In the five years that she's lived in Newburyport, she's had solo shows at David's Tavern, the Provident Bank, Chase and Lunt, Rhythm Café© and is part of the juried group photography show every August at Newburyport Art Association. Her images are for sale there and at area shops such as Book Rack, Paper Patch and Sisters We Three.
"Her commitment and loyalty to the Newburyport Art Assocation is without bounds," said NAA executive director Elena Bachrach. "She has a knowledge base that is a real resource. She's perfect at the role."
As a young woman, Dahlberg attended the Malden Hospital School of Nursing and worked in the Boston area for 25 years in emergency room management and at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. When she and her husband found themselves with an empty nest in 1986, they moved to North Conway, N.H., to open a bed and breakfast. She often shared with guests the best scenic locations for photographs, and one day Dahlberg realized she would also enjoy taking pictures of the sites.
Since moving to Newburyport five years ago from Rockport, to have easier living in a home with one level, Dahlberg has created a network of support for herself filled with family, church friends, other caregivers and artists. The couple has been married for 44 years, but Dahlberg considers herself a single person because of her husband's illness.
"There's so much available in the town. It's a wonderful town for me," she said.
Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior, with symptoms developing slowly and getting worse over time. Her husband was diagnosed 10 years ago at a relatively young age, 58, she said. Support from Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and the Veterans Administration have been invaluable, for both her and her husband, who had a career in construction sales after serving in Vietnam with the Army in the 1960s.
For Dahlberg, the golden age of 65 has not led to the retirement plans she and her husband, parents of three children, once had dreamed of. A line in her poem reads, "If one more soul asks how great retirement is, I will see red." But the bitter side of Dahlberg is not apparent to those with whom she interacts. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
"She's a wonderful, outgoing, very helpful person," said artist Dorothy Aham. "She makes everyone feel so comfortable. She's really as asset at a place like (the NAA)."
Did you know?
Linda Dahlberg and her husband Bob owned a bed and breakfast in North Conway, N.H., the Victorian Harvest Inn, for 12 years, and continued their hospitality work in two rooms of their Rockport, home for another five years.
Dahlberg's first child, a girl, was joined 11 months later by boy-girl twins. The three children are now 42 and 43, respectively. Dahlberg has seven grandchildren.
The couple's dog, a bichon frise named Celty, is an important member of the family. "He's a blessing to Bob," she said.
To learn more about Dahlberg's photos, contact creativecards1@comcast.net.
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
