Friday morning and all is well. I am mostly packed and ready to hit the road for an island off of MDI just outside of Bar Harbor. I plan to leave early to give me enough time to get there and some leeway for getting lost. With my I-Touch and camera ready, I hit the road around 10:00 a.m. listening to Elvis Costello as I make my way via Belfast, Ellsworth into MDI on the road to finding the landing.
As I drive up the road, things were mostly uneventful but had to make stops along the way at Birgfeld's Surf Shop, Hamilton Marine and LL Bean for more supplies to make my trek as comfortable as possible. I was very successful in getting rain pants and a fleece coat as it was unclear what the weather would be on this weekend trek. However, I will say that I thought that I was lost at one point when I got to Rt. 3 into MDI. Actually, I was not to take Rt. 3 into Bar Harbor so all was good. Anyway, I finally found the correct road to take me to the landing. A number of us were taking a boat for a somewhat relaxing but enlightening weekend. I did not know anyone but this did not matter. I was off on another adventure into the great unknown. I had my camera just for the last day there. I was excited to see if I could use my new lens!!
One of my goals was to clear my mind and open my eyes to what I could see. This was a new type of adventure in transforming my life. Maybe I needed to make my photography or my creative self more of a priority. I had even made four cheese macaroni with squash for the potluck. We all gathered on the dock near the landing waiting for our hosts to pick us up. I was a little antsy with anticipation and must note that all the people were warm, friendly and inviting in their own brilliant way. The content of the weekend will not be filled in on this blog. However, I did reserve Sunday morning for my photography adventure!
On Sunday morning, I woke up bright eyed and bushy taled all ready for the walk down the road to the dock area so that I could spy all that my eyes would see even with no coffee yet. I know it is unusual for me not to have at least three cups of coffee before I head out for the day. Oh well, I was up for the task at hand. As I made my way from the farmhouse, I noticed so many gorgeous plants, trees and buildings. However, I was not ready to capture this area as my mission was to get to the dock. I did amble along noticing all that was open to me along the way.
As I headed down around the corner, I noticed a lovely tree with a great reflection in the water of the pond. I took a few photos but for some reason they did not come out. Anyway, I ambled down the road to the dock as my first photograph is of the view from above down to the water. It just seems very peaceful. Photographs 2 through 8 consist of all the things that emerged into my view - birds perch on rocks at the water's edge, the rocks and water at difficult angles, a closeup and longer view up the ramp from the dock below, the underneath of the higher dock with a reflection in the water as well as a boat moored at the lower dock with its reflection in the water. As the time for breakfast was fast approaching, I headed to the main house lost in my own thoughts even though I knew what awaited me - coffee and other delicious food plus spectacular company of my new found companions for the weekend.
After breakfast, I had to go back to the house to pack up all my gear and load it into one of the cars. As I had more time to take photographs, I emerged from the house with camera in hand scoping out the area. Photographs 9 and 10 highlight the adirondack chairs looking down the lawn with the water in the distance. Oh how lovely it would be just to hang out here for the day. As I wandered around the driveway near the barn, I noticed a glove just abandoned on the fence just waiting for someone to find it to bring it home. Things lost always get found. They are never really abandoned for long. Someone knows where they are hanging out. Anyway, these shots are depicted in Photographs 11 through 17.
As the time was growing near, I headed back to the main house. I captured the little dock and pond area near the house as well as a wood sculpture nearby as will be depicted as my Photographs 18 and 19.
From what I could tell, we all wanted to stay longer as we were having a fabulous time. The hosts were such warm, kind and just all-around fabulous people with good hearts. We will have many fond memories for this time spent together. We all gathered and slowly walked down to the dock area to board the boat back to shore. As I boarded the boat, I wistfully looked out and was thankful and grateful for this weekend and all that it entailed. Before we alighted from the boat, a group photo was taken. I will cherish this photo for a very long time.
After disembarking from the boat now moored at the landing, we all walked up the ramp with our gear and supplies and headed toward our cars. Hugs were all around and surround. After loading up our cars, we were on the road back to reality, but a reality with new eyes to see. The only bad part about the trip back was that my contacts started getting blurry and I had no eye drops. After awhile, I finally found a store so that my vision could be a little clearer. Anyway, I now wonder what my next adventure will take me.
We shall see, we shall see!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Portland Photo Walk - July 24, 2010
Oh, this day brings a new adventure in photography. My friend Brian has invited me to join him and others on a Worldwide Photo Walk. Today's adventure brings us into the City of Portland. I have never been on a photo walk so this should be very interesting. What sights will I see? What people will I meet? Oh what fun!
With my backpack and camera all packed, I am ready to head to Portland before the 9:00 a.m. start time. However, I do have to stop at Slates Bakery for some provisions along the way. As I am driving along I-295, I am excited at this opportunity to try something different. As you know, I have been going to the state parks this summer so this brings me into a whole new arena. After parking my car in the Maine State Pier parking garage, I walk to find the compass and the other participants in this walk.
Our leader today is Suzanne Simmons who teaches photography to high school students and who photographs weddings. As we gather to hear our instructions, we learn about the route we can take either together or separately but we do not have to stay on the designated route. You can feel the excitement and anticipation in the air. I am thrilled to start and head off with the others when it is time to go.
Our designated route takes us from the Maine State Pier on Commercial Street up to Monument Square then back down to Commercial Street to meet at RiRas around 11:00 a.m. As I am walking, I have to concentrate and block out the urban noise around me so that I can focus on what is before me. I get in the zone and continue walking up to Fore Street.
My first shot is actually just a shot of a building and car that I just randomly shot to make sure I was actually on the start of the film. Anyway, my first actual shot shows a granite/stone structure with an elaborate railing along the street. I just love old buildings so this fits in with the things that I admire greatly. It is always amazing to me how they built these buildings. I do not know how old this building is but it is impressive to say the least. A close-up is then needed of one of the windows with its wired screens and a reflection of one of the buildings in back of me. These are Photographs 2 and 3. My fourth photograph is then a close-up of the cobble stones.
One of my fellow photographers tells me that I could get some great views from the top of the parking garage just up ahead. Oh what a great idea to be able to see the city and the harbor from up above. As I take the elevator up to the top of the parking structure, I wonder what I will see as I gaze upon this magnificent city that could have been our state capital. What I see are buildings and more buildings plus the beautiful harbor before me. Photographs 5, 7 through 10 show all the brick structures in my camera's pathway. My most interesting one is captured in Photograph 9 as I capture a seagull either sunning himself or looking for something to do on this brilliant day. He allows me to capture him with the city in the background. The harbor is captured in Photograph 6 as I linger for awhile taking in this view.
As I make my way up to Congress Street, I spot a dog tied to a parking meter. He looks very content waiting for his owner to come back. I capture him in Photograph 11. My next images are of what else I see along the way - Chairs chained together waiting to be unleashed to provide relaxation for whomever comes along (Photographs 12 and 13) as well as a bench outside a storefront waiting with an imaginary "vacancy" sign waiting for its next occupant to rest during their shopping excursion (Photograph 14). My eye then spots some interesting reflections of the buildings on the opposite side of the road in the windows of one of the establishments along this route. I meander over to the steel railing that goes up and take Photographs 15 through 17. I wonder what these will really look like after they are developed. It is another experiment.
As I wonder down Middle Street, I spot two elegant white dresses in one of the storefronts. This becomes Photograph 18. It seems like this is an experiment in advertising. My next sightings deal with fire escapes on one of the streets off of Middle Street on my way to Congress Street as depicted in Photographs 19, 20 and 22. I love the hard angles of these structures and wonder where they go as they are suspended in the air with no passage from below. Along the way, I do see people sitting on benches either taking a rest from shopping or just enjoying the sunshine on this beautiful day. Photograph 21 shows an unoccupied bench in the tree-lined park just waiting for someone to sit and allow it to do its purpose in life. There are so many elegant brick structures along the way and I wonder how you can capture any of these to do it justice as to how magnificient they really are in real life. Some of these structures have some ornate fixtures attached to the outside of the window frame. This is depicted in Photograph 23.
As I finally come to Congress Street, I spot a guy on a bicycle that I have seen around the statehouse. I stop and chat for a few minutes, then I am on my way down Congress Street towards Monument Square. There is so much traffic and noise. People are everywhere and are going somewhere. I wonder if they are paying attention to what is around them or if they are in a zone and on a mission for the day. A wonderful stone structure with a clock is in my view. I capture the time at 10:50 a.m. as shown in Photograph 24. A little ways down the street, my eyes fall upon this out of place structure that has these huge windows with a bluish tint that shows really high ceilings and lighting suspended from above. I love the feel of this photograph as depicted in Photograph 25.
My next two shots are of the stones that lead up to the monument in Monument Square with one being a long view as I am seated on the ground and one being a close-up as shown in Photographs 26 and 27. I always wonder what reflections you will see in windows so I take another stab at getting a reflection in a expanse of windows in another structure as I head back down to Middle Street towards Commercial Street as shown in Photograph 28. As I am walking, I notice wiry steel sculptures in some flower boxes in front of a storefront. There is a lot of texture going on here as well as some reflections of the monument in the background. These are depicted in Photographs 29 and 30 as I am seated on the ground. I love views taken from the seated position.
My wanderings take me along so many more storefronts so these next group of shots are more adventures in advertising with the various displays in windows that are supposed to capture people's imaginations and try to make them come into your store. These are shown in Photographs 31, 33 through 38. Many people ride their bicycles around this city as it makes it easier to get around and also saves on gasoline in your car. I am sure there are some people who do not own cars as it can be hard to find parking unless you have a parking spot at your residence. One lone bicycle is chained to a steel structure waiting for its owner to come back to take it on its next adventure. This is shown in Photograph 32. There are many restaurants in this city. I have been to a few but there are so many I have not ventured into yet. I need to make a note to try other places. Vignola's has an inviting entrance with greenery attached to its structure as shown in Photograph 39.
As I finally make my way to Commercial Street, I wander closer to the pier and everything that I love to capture. My first stop is the ghostly water surrounding one of the piers with just support posts standing in this water. Photograph 40 depicts one of my most favorite shots of the day. Two other shots also show what is in the water below. These always fascinate me and are shown in Photographs 41 and 43. People are along these docks getting their boats ready to be taken out. One gentleman is just hanging out in his chair on the dock smoking his cigar and waiting for his next adventure. He is depicted with his back to me in Photograph 42.
After I leave the pier, I make my way to RiRas. I wonder what else I will find along the way. There is so much going on that it is hard to pick what I want to capture. On one of the side streets, I find these decks that are attached to one of buildings that look out into the harbor. I would love to live somewhere with a water view. A deck is a must so I capture as many as I can in Photograph 44. My next walking excursion is down some of the side streets to the water next to and beyond J's Oyster Bar that is my favorite place to go when I am in Portland. There are so many sights and smells along these streets that it pushes me forward to see what I can see. There are people working these waterfront jobs. I am not sure how they do it but they do it. Photographs 45 and 47 depict two of these structures (one is brick and one has peeling blue paint) along the way down one of these side streets. These buildings have a great feel to them. One of my last shots of the day is a photograph of more working boats and barrels of supplies that are needed for any working fisherman. This is shown in Photograph 46.
As it is way past the witching hour to meet at RiRas, I find myself outside a locked door at this establishment. It looks like they were not open yet so I wonder where everyone went to meet. As I am walking away, one of my other fellow photographers tells me that people decided to meet at the Dry Dock since RiRas is not open yet. I make my way down to the Dry Dock and several of the participants and our leader are chatting around a long table upstairs. I was so happy to see everyone and to get out of the hot sun. Oh what a day, what a day!
After much conversation revolving around photography and a great plate of nachos, I head north back to home. I was excited to see what I captured in two rolls of film. Besides our leader, I believe that I was the only one using film. I will have one week to have them developed and upload only one entry to be considered to move forward in this competition. I am hopeful that I will be able to decide on one photograph. Since photographing in a city is new for me, I am thinking that help from others may be needed.
Today was certainly a great adventure in moving forward and thinking outside the box for me. I know that my heart lies in anything dealing with the ocean but it is good to stray from that once in awhile. Let us see what my next adventure will be in the future. Stay tuned.
With my backpack and camera all packed, I am ready to head to Portland before the 9:00 a.m. start time. However, I do have to stop at Slates Bakery for some provisions along the way. As I am driving along I-295, I am excited at this opportunity to try something different. As you know, I have been going to the state parks this summer so this brings me into a whole new arena. After parking my car in the Maine State Pier parking garage, I walk to find the compass and the other participants in this walk.
Our leader today is Suzanne Simmons who teaches photography to high school students and who photographs weddings. As we gather to hear our instructions, we learn about the route we can take either together or separately but we do not have to stay on the designated route. You can feel the excitement and anticipation in the air. I am thrilled to start and head off with the others when it is time to go.
Our designated route takes us from the Maine State Pier on Commercial Street up to Monument Square then back down to Commercial Street to meet at RiRas around 11:00 a.m. As I am walking, I have to concentrate and block out the urban noise around me so that I can focus on what is before me. I get in the zone and continue walking up to Fore Street.
My first shot is actually just a shot of a building and car that I just randomly shot to make sure I was actually on the start of the film. Anyway, my first actual shot shows a granite/stone structure with an elaborate railing along the street. I just love old buildings so this fits in with the things that I admire greatly. It is always amazing to me how they built these buildings. I do not know how old this building is but it is impressive to say the least. A close-up is then needed of one of the windows with its wired screens and a reflection of one of the buildings in back of me. These are Photographs 2 and 3. My fourth photograph is then a close-up of the cobble stones.
One of my fellow photographers tells me that I could get some great views from the top of the parking garage just up ahead. Oh what a great idea to be able to see the city and the harbor from up above. As I take the elevator up to the top of the parking structure, I wonder what I will see as I gaze upon this magnificent city that could have been our state capital. What I see are buildings and more buildings plus the beautiful harbor before me. Photographs 5, 7 through 10 show all the brick structures in my camera's pathway. My most interesting one is captured in Photograph 9 as I capture a seagull either sunning himself or looking for something to do on this brilliant day. He allows me to capture him with the city in the background. The harbor is captured in Photograph 6 as I linger for awhile taking in this view.
As I make my way up to Congress Street, I spot a dog tied to a parking meter. He looks very content waiting for his owner to come back. I capture him in Photograph 11. My next images are of what else I see along the way - Chairs chained together waiting to be unleashed to provide relaxation for whomever comes along (Photographs 12 and 13) as well as a bench outside a storefront waiting with an imaginary "vacancy" sign waiting for its next occupant to rest during their shopping excursion (Photograph 14). My eye then spots some interesting reflections of the buildings on the opposite side of the road in the windows of one of the establishments along this route. I meander over to the steel railing that goes up and take Photographs 15 through 17. I wonder what these will really look like after they are developed. It is another experiment.
As I wonder down Middle Street, I spot two elegant white dresses in one of the storefronts. This becomes Photograph 18. It seems like this is an experiment in advertising. My next sightings deal with fire escapes on one of the streets off of Middle Street on my way to Congress Street as depicted in Photographs 19, 20 and 22. I love the hard angles of these structures and wonder where they go as they are suspended in the air with no passage from below. Along the way, I do see people sitting on benches either taking a rest from shopping or just enjoying the sunshine on this beautiful day. Photograph 21 shows an unoccupied bench in the tree-lined park just waiting for someone to sit and allow it to do its purpose in life. There are so many elegant brick structures along the way and I wonder how you can capture any of these to do it justice as to how magnificient they really are in real life. Some of these structures have some ornate fixtures attached to the outside of the window frame. This is depicted in Photograph 23.
As I finally come to Congress Street, I spot a guy on a bicycle that I have seen around the statehouse. I stop and chat for a few minutes, then I am on my way down Congress Street towards Monument Square. There is so much traffic and noise. People are everywhere and are going somewhere. I wonder if they are paying attention to what is around them or if they are in a zone and on a mission for the day. A wonderful stone structure with a clock is in my view. I capture the time at 10:50 a.m. as shown in Photograph 24. A little ways down the street, my eyes fall upon this out of place structure that has these huge windows with a bluish tint that shows really high ceilings and lighting suspended from above. I love the feel of this photograph as depicted in Photograph 25.
My next two shots are of the stones that lead up to the monument in Monument Square with one being a long view as I am seated on the ground and one being a close-up as shown in Photographs 26 and 27. I always wonder what reflections you will see in windows so I take another stab at getting a reflection in a expanse of windows in another structure as I head back down to Middle Street towards Commercial Street as shown in Photograph 28. As I am walking, I notice wiry steel sculptures in some flower boxes in front of a storefront. There is a lot of texture going on here as well as some reflections of the monument in the background. These are depicted in Photographs 29 and 30 as I am seated on the ground. I love views taken from the seated position.
My wanderings take me along so many more storefronts so these next group of shots are more adventures in advertising with the various displays in windows that are supposed to capture people's imaginations and try to make them come into your store. These are shown in Photographs 31, 33 through 38. Many people ride their bicycles around this city as it makes it easier to get around and also saves on gasoline in your car. I am sure there are some people who do not own cars as it can be hard to find parking unless you have a parking spot at your residence. One lone bicycle is chained to a steel structure waiting for its owner to come back to take it on its next adventure. This is shown in Photograph 32. There are many restaurants in this city. I have been to a few but there are so many I have not ventured into yet. I need to make a note to try other places. Vignola's has an inviting entrance with greenery attached to its structure as shown in Photograph 39.
As I finally make my way to Commercial Street, I wander closer to the pier and everything that I love to capture. My first stop is the ghostly water surrounding one of the piers with just support posts standing in this water. Photograph 40 depicts one of my most favorite shots of the day. Two other shots also show what is in the water below. These always fascinate me and are shown in Photographs 41 and 43. People are along these docks getting their boats ready to be taken out. One gentleman is just hanging out in his chair on the dock smoking his cigar and waiting for his next adventure. He is depicted with his back to me in Photograph 42.
After I leave the pier, I make my way to RiRas. I wonder what else I will find along the way. There is so much going on that it is hard to pick what I want to capture. On one of the side streets, I find these decks that are attached to one of buildings that look out into the harbor. I would love to live somewhere with a water view. A deck is a must so I capture as many as I can in Photograph 44. My next walking excursion is down some of the side streets to the water next to and beyond J's Oyster Bar that is my favorite place to go when I am in Portland. There are so many sights and smells along these streets that it pushes me forward to see what I can see. There are people working these waterfront jobs. I am not sure how they do it but they do it. Photographs 45 and 47 depict two of these structures (one is brick and one has peeling blue paint) along the way down one of these side streets. These buildings have a great feel to them. One of my last shots of the day is a photograph of more working boats and barrels of supplies that are needed for any working fisherman. This is shown in Photograph 46.
As it is way past the witching hour to meet at RiRas, I find myself outside a locked door at this establishment. It looks like they were not open yet so I wonder where everyone went to meet. As I am walking away, one of my other fellow photographers tells me that people decided to meet at the Dry Dock since RiRas is not open yet. I make my way down to the Dry Dock and several of the participants and our leader are chatting around a long table upstairs. I was so happy to see everyone and to get out of the hot sun. Oh what a day, what a day!
After much conversation revolving around photography and a great plate of nachos, I head north back to home. I was excited to see what I captured in two rolls of film. Besides our leader, I believe that I was the only one using film. I will have one week to have them developed and upload only one entry to be considered to move forward in this competition. I am hopeful that I will be able to decide on one photograph. Since photographing in a city is new for me, I am thinking that help from others may be needed.
Today was certainly a great adventure in moving forward and thinking outside the box for me. I know that my heart lies in anything dealing with the ocean but it is good to stray from that once in awhile. Let us see what my next adventure will be in the future. Stay tuned.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
June 21, 2010 - Camden Hills State Park/Mt. Battie to Birch Point State Park to Owls Head State Park
Oh, it is Monday but I have the day off to myself. What to do, what to do? Of course, I am going to one or more of the state parks today as it was just a gorgeous day. The question is, what area of the state do I need to hit next? Well, I have not been to the Camden area so I need to look into that for today.
After loading my camera with Kodak 200 film, I am on the road around 7:30 a.m. to hit Slates Bakery first so that I can relax outside and peruse my book to figure out exactly where I am going for the day. I know it is going to be really warm and I always like to take photographs early in the morning so that will be my guiding thoughts. As I relax outside the bakery, I look at the options in the Camden area. Camden Hills State Park and Mt. Battie seem to be the closest. Next on the list could very well be Birch Point State Park in Owls Head. Of course, I could veer into Owls Head State Park on the way back. Hitting three state parks in one morning is a big deal for me.
Around 8:00 a.m., I head out to Rt. 17 in Augusta towards Camden Hills State Park. WCLZ on the radio keeps me company. What a lovely, lovely day! However, water is certainly needed to keep hydrated. I hope that I brought enough for this adventure. After entering Camden and heading out of town towards the state park, I marvel at the activity in their downtown. People are everywhere. Oh, lo and behold my gas light has come on. Uh oh. I better get gas soon or I will be stranded on the side of the road.
As I enter the state park and show my park pass, I inquiry as to where I would get my state park passport stamped. I slowly enter the park and head in that direction. It all seemed so new to me but realized as I entered the parking lot that I used to come here to hike the Megunticook Trail with my friends from the Waterville/Winslow area when I was in my 20s. How could I have forgotten?? There was a brief thought to hike up the trail again but realized that I did not have proper attire or even enough water to make the journey. Another setback was the fact that my legs and arms were so tired from boogie boarding the day before that I knew that I would not make it very far at all. This means that I was destined to drive my car to the top of Mt. Battie. My car headed up and hoped that my brakes were in good shape to get back down again.
As I slowly rounded the corner at the mountain, I could see the openness ahead of me and could only speculate as to what I would see ahead. With my car parked, I slung my camera over my shoulder and headed to the vast openness before me to see what I could discover. Oh my! What a spectacular view that lies before me. Photographs 1 through 9 show what my lens found. I even snapped some photos of a couple sitting down below the road and just enjoying the view before them. They looked so comfortable.
After taking photographs near the edge, I wander back towards my car but then hike up near this stone structure that is perched up this small path ahead. Photographs 10 through 13 show the entrance and stairwell in the tower and Photograph 17 shows the full structure. I wonder how they build these structures to withstand the times. I then climb up the stairs to reach the top of the tower. What a gorgeous sight to before me as I stand and gaze into the view before me. Photographs 14 through 16 show the magnicient view!
As I slowly drive back down to the entrance of the state park, I tap my brakes every so often so that I would not pick up too much speed. My car is only a few years old so I should be pretty safe. A hiker is walking down the road as I make my way downward. He must be in pretty good physical shape to do this trek.
As I drive down Rt. 1 to Rockland, my gas light keeps staring me in the eye as a warning as to what mischief it could cause if I did not pay attention to its need to quench its thirst. Realizing that I also need to quench my thirst, I veered into the closest gas station to pump some needed petrol into my automobile!! It would certainly have put a crimp in my plans today if I ran out of gas. My dad would just shake his head if he knew that my car's gas gauge was this low. Phew! It is hot! A huge bottle of water is needed as I continue this adventure down Rt. 1. heading towards Rockland and eventually headed to Owls Head.
Birch Point Beach State Park is next on the list. I follow the signs and use my MapQuest to get me to this destination. However, I drove right by the road to this state park as I was lost in thought and not looking very well for the road that I needed to take on the left. Eventually, I turned around and found the right road. As I entered the parking lot, I could see the water before me! With anticipation, I grabbed my camera and walked to the beach. Oh, what a gorgeous and peaceful place to hang out for the day! As I slowly walk down the beach, I notice people gathered in different places just enjoying this lovely day. What a great find! Photographs 19 through 21 show the magnicient view and also people enjoying the peacefulness before them. I wander back down the beach and over to the rocks on the left perimeter of the beach. As I slowly make my way down towards the rocks, I spy a green beach pail just hanging out on top of one of the rocks as shown in Photographs 22 and 23. My camera finds what unfolds in front of me as I wander down the rocks. The view and a picnic table tucked up in the trees is what is shown in Photographs 24 through 26. Oh, there are two boys playing down in the water and the rocks. Oh what fun! I snap a photograph of just the same green beach pail hanging on the rocks just waiting to be used for its purpose. This is shown in Photograph 27. As it was getting towards late morning, I headed back to the parking lot to get my passport stamped and to leave to locate Owls Head State Park.
After loading my camera with Kodak 200 film, I am on the road around 7:30 a.m. to hit Slates Bakery first so that I can relax outside and peruse my book to figure out exactly where I am going for the day. I know it is going to be really warm and I always like to take photographs early in the morning so that will be my guiding thoughts. As I relax outside the bakery, I look at the options in the Camden area. Camden Hills State Park and Mt. Battie seem to be the closest. Next on the list could very well be Birch Point State Park in Owls Head. Of course, I could veer into Owls Head State Park on the way back. Hitting three state parks in one morning is a big deal for me.
Around 8:00 a.m., I head out to Rt. 17 in Augusta towards Camden Hills State Park. WCLZ on the radio keeps me company. What a lovely, lovely day! However, water is certainly needed to keep hydrated. I hope that I brought enough for this adventure. After entering Camden and heading out of town towards the state park, I marvel at the activity in their downtown. People are everywhere. Oh, lo and behold my gas light has come on. Uh oh. I better get gas soon or I will be stranded on the side of the road.
As I enter the state park and show my park pass, I inquiry as to where I would get my state park passport stamped. I slowly enter the park and head in that direction. It all seemed so new to me but realized as I entered the parking lot that I used to come here to hike the Megunticook Trail with my friends from the Waterville/Winslow area when I was in my 20s. How could I have forgotten?? There was a brief thought to hike up the trail again but realized that I did not have proper attire or even enough water to make the journey. Another setback was the fact that my legs and arms were so tired from boogie boarding the day before that I knew that I would not make it very far at all. This means that I was destined to drive my car to the top of Mt. Battie. My car headed up and hoped that my brakes were in good shape to get back down again.
As I slowly rounded the corner at the mountain, I could see the openness ahead of me and could only speculate as to what I would see ahead. With my car parked, I slung my camera over my shoulder and headed to the vast openness before me to see what I could discover. Oh my! What a spectacular view that lies before me. Photographs 1 through 9 show what my lens found. I even snapped some photos of a couple sitting down below the road and just enjoying the view before them. They looked so comfortable.
After taking photographs near the edge, I wander back towards my car but then hike up near this stone structure that is perched up this small path ahead. Photographs 10 through 13 show the entrance and stairwell in the tower and Photograph 17 shows the full structure. I wonder how they build these structures to withstand the times. I then climb up the stairs to reach the top of the tower. What a gorgeous sight to before me as I stand and gaze into the view before me. Photographs 14 through 16 show the magnicient view!
As I slowly drive back down to the entrance of the state park, I tap my brakes every so often so that I would not pick up too much speed. My car is only a few years old so I should be pretty safe. A hiker is walking down the road as I make my way downward. He must be in pretty good physical shape to do this trek.
As I drive down Rt. 1 to Rockland, my gas light keeps staring me in the eye as a warning as to what mischief it could cause if I did not pay attention to its need to quench its thirst. Realizing that I also need to quench my thirst, I veered into the closest gas station to pump some needed petrol into my automobile!! It would certainly have put a crimp in my plans today if I ran out of gas. My dad would just shake his head if he knew that my car's gas gauge was this low. Phew! It is hot! A huge bottle of water is needed as I continue this adventure down Rt. 1. heading towards Rockland and eventually headed to Owls Head.
Birch Point Beach State Park is next on the list. I follow the signs and use my MapQuest to get me to this destination. However, I drove right by the road to this state park as I was lost in thought and not looking very well for the road that I needed to take on the left. Eventually, I turned around and found the right road. As I entered the parking lot, I could see the water before me! With anticipation, I grabbed my camera and walked to the beach. Oh, what a gorgeous and peaceful place to hang out for the day! As I slowly walk down the beach, I notice people gathered in different places just enjoying this lovely day. What a great find! Photographs 19 through 21 show the magnicient view and also people enjoying the peacefulness before them. I wander back down the beach and over to the rocks on the left perimeter of the beach. As I slowly make my way down towards the rocks, I spy a green beach pail just hanging out on top of one of the rocks as shown in Photographs 22 and 23. My camera finds what unfolds in front of me as I wander down the rocks. The view and a picnic table tucked up in the trees is what is shown in Photographs 24 through 26. Oh, there are two boys playing down in the water and the rocks. Oh what fun! I snap a photograph of just the same green beach pail hanging on the rocks just waiting to be used for its purpose. This is shown in Photograph 27. As it was getting towards late morning, I headed back to the parking lot to get my passport stamped and to leave to locate Owls Head State Park.
As I drive to find Owls Head State Park, I am lost in thought about all the sights that I have allowed my eyes to experience this day. I am amazed that I have lived in Maine all my life and have missed out on all these treasures. I follow the signs to this state park and am filled with anticipation as to what I will find! After I exit my car with my camera over my shoulder, I take in the gorgeous sight before me. Photographs 28 through 33 show the view from the road to the lighthouse and from the picnic area below. I cannot fail to mention that I did not make it very far up the road to the lighthouse. I so wanted to get there but I was so thirsty and tired that I knew that I could not make it there. I decided that I would need to come back here on a different day early in the morning and for this trip to be my only adventure for that particiular day. I was not able to get my passport stamp as there were none left in the box. I bet it is hard to keep up as I know that this is just a really busy place. Yes, I do need to come back here!
Around 12 noon, I head back towards Augusta. As I drive back, I cannot believe that I made it to three state parks in one day! Woo Hoo! My thoughts also go through all the state parks and road traveled on this exciting photographic journey. My next task will be figuring out what photographs that I want to put in my photography show at Hattie's that starts on July 22nd. I know that this will be a big decision and not an easy one! There are so many gorgeous ones to choose out of all of the rolls of film that I have taken on this adventure. I truly want people to see what I have experienced in the past three months.
Well, stay tuned for the next adventure!
Friday, June 11, 2010
June 11, 2010 - Two Lights State Park
Well, this is a Friday but a day of not working so this means that I can do whatever I please even though that could happen on most days anyway. Today's adventure finds me planning to go to Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth. Of course, I have not been to this state park before so everything will be exciting and amazing to my eyes and through the camera lens!
Oh what a gorgeous day! The sun is shining. Oh my. I best not forget my sunglasses. As I pack my bag with necessities, including my camera with Kodak ISO 200 film and my boat shoes for walking on the rocks, I wonder what my eyes will see today as I make my way to Portland then on to Cape Elizabeth. First stop? Boynton's for extra provisions, such as water. As I venture down the road around 8:00 a.m., WCLZ is on the radio so that I will experience new music sounds as I venture forward down to I-295. The traffic is as expected during this time of morning but is doable as I wonder if everyone is going to work or if they are going to play!
The state park is not hard to find as you are traveling down Rt. 77 into Cape Elizabeth. The road is well marked as I go. I mention this fact because I forgot to bring my MapQuest directions with me this morning. Oh well. It happens as I did get up around 5:00 a.m. this morning. Coffee was certainly needed.
Anyway, I pulled into the state park, showed my state park pass and inquired where I would get my state park passport stamped. The parking lot was nearly empty with only two other vehicles in the lot. The lack of cars bodes well for photographs as there would be limited number of people in my view. I believe that this is the best time of day to take photographs anyway.
After I parked my car and put on my boat shoes, I slung my camera over my shoulder and wandered down to the path closest to me. The ocean waves were booming and beckoning me to come closer. Photographs 1 through 3 is what you see as you wander down the path and up to the stairs to view the water. As I climbed the stairs, the sounds became louder and louder. Oh my! What a sight to behold. Gorgeous waves were there to greet me as they pounded on the rocks below.
With my camera tightly at my side, I carefully made my way over these massive uneven rocks that lined the shore. There were so many rocks in general that the ocean waves met with a fierce intensity as the time was coming closer to high tide at each passing minute. A perfect spot was found as soon as I found some level footing. I sat with awe, watched and listened to nature and all its glory. What a perfect day! What a perfect feast before my eyes. During the course of my adventure, I sit down to observe and take in what is before me with my naked eye and through the viewfinder in three different locations in the same area but at various heights. Photographs 4-7, 9 through 21 show what I see as I gaze upon the magnificient ocean. The rocks that you walk on or even sit to observe the ocean is what is shown in Photograph 8.
As I sat here and pondered life, a fisherman was trying hard to sneek up on his catch of the day. Even though he was some distance away, I could tell that he must have loved what he was doing because of the intensity of the throwing of the line on the fishing pole. I wondered how long he had been there and if he had caught anything at all or was it just an elusive dream. Photograph 22 captures the fisherman in a distance.
Lost in thought, I wandered back to the parking lot taking one last photograph to show the way out. This becomes Photograph 23. Along the way, I spotted the same fisherman who must have left his post at the other end of the shore. I inquired if he had any luck at all today. He answered that he had not but had to leave because the ocean waves were getting intense and that his wife would never forgive him if he got caught up in one of those waves. I certainly understand his point in regards to intensity of waves. Mother nature can sneak up on you without any notice and take what is left of your life on this earth.
Before I load everything in my car for the ride homeward, I walk over to make sure that I stamped my state park passport. A combination is needed to unlock the stamp so I turn the pages in this passport to the appropriate page for Two Lights State Park, then I enter the comination on the lock and presto! Or is it "Open Sesame!" Either way, I opened the box and stamped on the correct page. Phew! I am so glad I got the right one.
The parking lot does have a few more cars than when I had arrived so that bodes well for this popular state park. The area is just breathtaking. I think I should come back with a picnic lunch. No seagulls were noticed at this time but they could very well have been around somewhere just waiting for someone to leave food for them to steal.
The trip back home was uneventful except for the one white car that had three state trooper cars behind it on the side of the turnpike just outside of Portland. As I proceeded further north, another state trooper came screaming down the southside of the turnpike in the direction of the other state troopers. I wondered what was going on. No way to tell then but maybe later on the news.
WCLZ was still playing on the radio as I pulled into Slates Bakery Parking Lot so that I could eat lunch outside and to ponder what life held before my eyes today. What a gorgeous, gorgeous day! Phew! This makes me oh so very happy. I wonder about my next adventure. Where? Who knows. I have to look at my list and go from there. The decision could very well be made on the day that I decide to go forth and conquer. Well, not really conquer, but you know what I mean.
So long for now!
Oh what a gorgeous day! The sun is shining. Oh my. I best not forget my sunglasses. As I pack my bag with necessities, including my camera with Kodak ISO 200 film and my boat shoes for walking on the rocks, I wonder what my eyes will see today as I make my way to Portland then on to Cape Elizabeth. First stop? Boynton's for extra provisions, such as water. As I venture down the road around 8:00 a.m., WCLZ is on the radio so that I will experience new music sounds as I venture forward down to I-295. The traffic is as expected during this time of morning but is doable as I wonder if everyone is going to work or if they are going to play!
The state park is not hard to find as you are traveling down Rt. 77 into Cape Elizabeth. The road is well marked as I go. I mention this fact because I forgot to bring my MapQuest directions with me this morning. Oh well. It happens as I did get up around 5:00 a.m. this morning. Coffee was certainly needed.
Anyway, I pulled into the state park, showed my state park pass and inquired where I would get my state park passport stamped. The parking lot was nearly empty with only two other vehicles in the lot. The lack of cars bodes well for photographs as there would be limited number of people in my view. I believe that this is the best time of day to take photographs anyway.
After I parked my car and put on my boat shoes, I slung my camera over my shoulder and wandered down to the path closest to me. The ocean waves were booming and beckoning me to come closer. Photographs 1 through 3 is what you see as you wander down the path and up to the stairs to view the water. As I climbed the stairs, the sounds became louder and louder. Oh my! What a sight to behold. Gorgeous waves were there to greet me as they pounded on the rocks below.
With my camera tightly at my side, I carefully made my way over these massive uneven rocks that lined the shore. There were so many rocks in general that the ocean waves met with a fierce intensity as the time was coming closer to high tide at each passing minute. A perfect spot was found as soon as I found some level footing. I sat with awe, watched and listened to nature and all its glory. What a perfect day! What a perfect feast before my eyes. During the course of my adventure, I sit down to observe and take in what is before me with my naked eye and through the viewfinder in three different locations in the same area but at various heights. Photographs 4-7, 9 through 21 show what I see as I gaze upon the magnificient ocean. The rocks that you walk on or even sit to observe the ocean is what is shown in Photograph 8.
As I sat here and pondered life, a fisherman was trying hard to sneek up on his catch of the day. Even though he was some distance away, I could tell that he must have loved what he was doing because of the intensity of the throwing of the line on the fishing pole. I wondered how long he had been there and if he had caught anything at all or was it just an elusive dream. Photograph 22 captures the fisherman in a distance.
Lost in thought, I wandered back to the parking lot taking one last photograph to show the way out. This becomes Photograph 23. Along the way, I spotted the same fisherman who must have left his post at the other end of the shore. I inquired if he had any luck at all today. He answered that he had not but had to leave because the ocean waves were getting intense and that his wife would never forgive him if he got caught up in one of those waves. I certainly understand his point in regards to intensity of waves. Mother nature can sneak up on you without any notice and take what is left of your life on this earth.
Before I load everything in my car for the ride homeward, I walk over to make sure that I stamped my state park passport. A combination is needed to unlock the stamp so I turn the pages in this passport to the appropriate page for Two Lights State Park, then I enter the comination on the lock and presto! Or is it "Open Sesame!" Either way, I opened the box and stamped on the correct page. Phew! I am so glad I got the right one.
The parking lot does have a few more cars than when I had arrived so that bodes well for this popular state park. The area is just breathtaking. I think I should come back with a picnic lunch. No seagulls were noticed at this time but they could very well have been around somewhere just waiting for someone to leave food for them to steal.
The trip back home was uneventful except for the one white car that had three state trooper cars behind it on the side of the turnpike just outside of Portland. As I proceeded further north, another state trooper came screaming down the southside of the turnpike in the direction of the other state troopers. I wondered what was going on. No way to tell then but maybe later on the news.
WCLZ was still playing on the radio as I pulled into Slates Bakery Parking Lot so that I could eat lunch outside and to ponder what life held before my eyes today. What a gorgeous, gorgeous day! Phew! This makes me oh so very happy. I wonder about my next adventure. Where? Who knows. I have to look at my list and go from there. The decision could very well be made on the day that I decide to go forth and conquer. Well, not really conquer, but you know what I mean.
So long for now!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wolfe's Neck State Park - May 28, 2010
Well, this is Friday and a shutdown day at work. This means that I have an extra long weekend to fit in all the fun activities that I can make possible. The sun is out so the weather is just fantastic! Wolfe's Neck State Park in Freeport is my next adventure.
I was slow moving this morning but I packed my necessities for the trip to Freeport. With the camera loaded with Kodak 400 film, I ventured down the road to Gardiner and Freeport. As Wolfe's Neck State Park was another new location for me, I had to take my MapQuest directions so that I would not get lost. However, I found out that MapQuest will only take you so far because I can certainly get lose my way if I am lost in thought. The road down to this state park is winding. I wondered why I was driving over a dirt road. Well, let me just say that I went right by the state park sign to go into the state park. Lovely homes were seen along the route to the end of this road. After turning around, I finally found the sign and drove into the small parking lot.
As I did not have a map of the area, I wandered around until I found the map. With the directions in hand, I wandered back up to the first parking lot where my car was located and took the trail that lead to the shore. The trail was easy enough to maneuver. Photograph 1 is what I saw leading down to the water's edge. Oh my! What a spectacular view! At the foot of the trail, I finally landed on the water's edge to see a calm body of water in front of me. Two people were sitting on some rocks at the foot of the trail. I wandered over to another set of rocks and just sat there admiring the view. Oh, it is so peaceful here. I can see why people come. You could sit here for hours on end. Photographs 2 and 4, 7 and 8 shows a close-up of the rocks. Photographs 3, 5 and 6 shows the view from these same rocks as I am admiring the breathtaking views.
After sitting for quite awhile, I ventured off down the trail back to the road. As I slowly meandered back to the main road, I spotted a fallen tree shown in Photographs 9 and 10. I had to cross a wooden bridge to continue the venture back as depicted in Photograph 11. As I came back to the parking lot, I shot the view back down the shore trail as shown in Photograph 12.
The next stop was the picnic area near some of the trails around the parameter. Of course, I moved my car closer to where I was going as I was still getting my bearings for the day. Photograph 13 shows the entrance to that area. The entrance to this area opens up to a place of solitude for today anyway. There were no people around this area. They were most likely hiking the trails. However, I captured the solitude as shown in Photographs 14 and 15 before I wandered down one of the trails only a short distance to take in the magnificient view. It is breathtaking. I am so glad that I came here. Peace and tranquility can be a good thing.
On my way back to the parking lot, I wandered through a little pavilion with many picnic tables and then back out from where I came. A long wooden bench was sitting just waiting for someone to come along and rest their weary feet before proceeding further. Photograph 16 depicts this long wooden beanch.
Around 12:30 p.m., I headed back towards home. It was a great day. As I drive back, I wonder what my next adventure will be in the future. I guess I will just have to wait and see what moves me. There are so many more places to go. Stay tuned!
I was slow moving this morning but I packed my necessities for the trip to Freeport. With the camera loaded with Kodak 400 film, I ventured down the road to Gardiner and Freeport. As Wolfe's Neck State Park was another new location for me, I had to take my MapQuest directions so that I would not get lost. However, I found out that MapQuest will only take you so far because I can certainly get lose my way if I am lost in thought. The road down to this state park is winding. I wondered why I was driving over a dirt road. Well, let me just say that I went right by the state park sign to go into the state park. Lovely homes were seen along the route to the end of this road. After turning around, I finally found the sign and drove into the small parking lot.
As I did not have a map of the area, I wandered around until I found the map. With the directions in hand, I wandered back up to the first parking lot where my car was located and took the trail that lead to the shore. The trail was easy enough to maneuver. Photograph 1 is what I saw leading down to the water's edge. Oh my! What a spectacular view! At the foot of the trail, I finally landed on the water's edge to see a calm body of water in front of me. Two people were sitting on some rocks at the foot of the trail. I wandered over to another set of rocks and just sat there admiring the view. Oh, it is so peaceful here. I can see why people come. You could sit here for hours on end. Photographs 2 and 4, 7 and 8 shows a close-up of the rocks. Photographs 3, 5 and 6 shows the view from these same rocks as I am admiring the breathtaking views.
After sitting for quite awhile, I ventured off down the trail back to the road. As I slowly meandered back to the main road, I spotted a fallen tree shown in Photographs 9 and 10. I had to cross a wooden bridge to continue the venture back as depicted in Photograph 11. As I came back to the parking lot, I shot the view back down the shore trail as shown in Photograph 12.
The next stop was the picnic area near some of the trails around the parameter. Of course, I moved my car closer to where I was going as I was still getting my bearings for the day. Photograph 13 shows the entrance to that area. The entrance to this area opens up to a place of solitude for today anyway. There were no people around this area. They were most likely hiking the trails. However, I captured the solitude as shown in Photographs 14 and 15 before I wandered down one of the trails only a short distance to take in the magnificient view. It is breathtaking. I am so glad that I came here. Peace and tranquility can be a good thing.
On my way back to the parking lot, I wandered through a little pavilion with many picnic tables and then back out from where I came. A long wooden bench was sitting just waiting for someone to come along and rest their weary feet before proceeding further. Photograph 16 depicts this long wooden beanch.
Around 12:30 p.m., I headed back towards home. It was a great day. As I drive back, I wonder what my next adventure will be in the future. I guess I will just have to wait and see what moves me. There are so many more places to go. Stay tuned!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
May 16, 2010 - Reid State Park
Today is the day that I start thinking outside the box. I wondered what I could do to help my creative energy just flow. We all know that I love the ocean so what better way to get the creative juices flowing but to spend more time at the ocean. What did I come up with? Boogie Boarding! I had bought a boogie board and wetsuit at Birgfeld's Surf Shop in Searsport so today was my first time to try it all out. All I can say is "What fun!"
The weather is absolutely gorgeous! The sun is out so I am so very excited. Well, I did already have three cups of coffee. As you know, I always think of the prep before my adventure starts. Not only did I pack my usual bag with clothes and camera but I had two bags. One to take onto the beach and one to keep in the car. I loaded my LL Bean bag with towels, camera, bathing suit, electronics and food that I had purchased at Slates Bakery and at Boytons. Oh, and do not forget to bring water! With my boogie board and wetsuit loaded in the back of the car, I was ready to hit the road to Reid State Park. My car will almost take me there automatically now.
Todd's Point was not open so I had to park at the Griffith Head at the other end of Mile Beach. This means that I had to wander all the way down the other end of the beach. Let's just say that putting on a wetsuit is a fascinating experiment in squeezing into something that needs to be tight anyway. Tugging and pulling was done. Phew! I get tired just thinking about it! I grab my bag and boogie board and head to the other end of Mile Beach.
One of the lessons for today was to watch the waves. You had to get just the right type of wave to ride it into shore. Well, I think I figured out which waves were best with the expert help of all my instructors for the day. There are so many things to think about when catching a wave but I hope that soon that I will not have to even think about it. I would focus on one thing and forget another. Oh well. It will come. I just know it. Practice, practice, practice. At one point, I had to hold my breath and say "Ouch" because one of my calves had a muscle cramp. Yikes! I worked through it so all is well.
While on lunch break and another break, I took out my camera to take in the views before me. Not only did I get the glorious, breathtaking landscape but I took shots of the surfers. I need to experiment on taking photographs of people. It will be something new for me. The breaks also gave me a chance to warm up my feet and hands. My boots and gloves are on order so I should have them the next time that I go boogie boarding.
After getting back to the car and putting the boogie board in the back of the car, the first thing to do is take OFF the wetsuit. Oh my. I got the zipper stuck and needed assistance! Yikes! All is well because people were around to help me. Phew! I guess I better figure out what I did wrong so that it does not happen again.
After all was said and done, I was ready to hit the road again. As you know, one of my habits lately is to stop at the Dairy Queen at the end of the road. As I was getting ready to leave, a bunch of antique cars pulled into the parking lot. Oh my! They were just gorgeous. I wished I had my car out with the top down. I wonder if the boogie board would fit in the trunk.
This is the end of this adventure so we will see what the next adventure leads me!
The weather is absolutely gorgeous! The sun is out so I am so very excited. Well, I did already have three cups of coffee. As you know, I always think of the prep before my adventure starts. Not only did I pack my usual bag with clothes and camera but I had two bags. One to take onto the beach and one to keep in the car. I loaded my LL Bean bag with towels, camera, bathing suit, electronics and food that I had purchased at Slates Bakery and at Boytons. Oh, and do not forget to bring water! With my boogie board and wetsuit loaded in the back of the car, I was ready to hit the road to Reid State Park. My car will almost take me there automatically now.
Todd's Point was not open so I had to park at the Griffith Head at the other end of Mile Beach. This means that I had to wander all the way down the other end of the beach. Let's just say that putting on a wetsuit is a fascinating experiment in squeezing into something that needs to be tight anyway. Tugging and pulling was done. Phew! I get tired just thinking about it! I grab my bag and boogie board and head to the other end of Mile Beach.
One of the lessons for today was to watch the waves. You had to get just the right type of wave to ride it into shore. Well, I think I figured out which waves were best with the expert help of all my instructors for the day. There are so many things to think about when catching a wave but I hope that soon that I will not have to even think about it. I would focus on one thing and forget another. Oh well. It will come. I just know it. Practice, practice, practice. At one point, I had to hold my breath and say "Ouch" because one of my calves had a muscle cramp. Yikes! I worked through it so all is well.
While on lunch break and another break, I took out my camera to take in the views before me. Not only did I get the glorious, breathtaking landscape but I took shots of the surfers. I need to experiment on taking photographs of people. It will be something new for me. The breaks also gave me a chance to warm up my feet and hands. My boots and gloves are on order so I should have them the next time that I go boogie boarding.
After getting back to the car and putting the boogie board in the back of the car, the first thing to do is take OFF the wetsuit. Oh my. I got the zipper stuck and needed assistance! Yikes! All is well because people were around to help me. Phew! I guess I better figure out what I did wrong so that it does not happen again.
After all was said and done, I was ready to hit the road again. As you know, one of my habits lately is to stop at the Dairy Queen at the end of the road. As I was getting ready to leave, a bunch of antique cars pulled into the parking lot. Oh my! They were just gorgeous. I wished I had my car out with the top down. I wonder if the boogie board would fit in the trunk.
This is the end of this adventure so we will see what the next adventure leads me!
May 15, 2010 - Lake St. George State Park
Today's adventure will be to head to Lake St. George State Park in Liberty. Of course, I have never been to this state park. Sometimes I wonder how I can live in Maine all my life and have been to only a few state parks. Anyway, I pack my bag with extra clothes and camera loaded with Kodak 400 film. I hope that the weather holds and does not rain. I hit Slates Bakery first for a scone and a chicken sandwich for later. I am off!
I travel down Route 3 in Augusta headed to Liberty. The weather looks iffy as the clouds are here and look very dark. As I drive along, the rain is coming down but is not consistent. However, I still have hope that all will be well when I get to my final destination.
As I arrive at the state park, the rain is holding off for the time being. I take a right into the campground area. There are a few campers so this gives me many opportunities to wander around unimpeded. What a great view these people have from their abodes! My car is now parked near the water's edge in one of the empty spaces. I grab my camera and go even though it is a dreary day so far!
Photograph 1 is actually a mistake because it just shows the ground. Oh well. Photographs 2 through 4 show the view from the water's edge. Oh what a view! It is so gorgeous here. Great place to go camping. Photographs 5, 8 through 12 shows the trees, rocks and water that I see along the edge.
Each campsite contains a picnic table and a little fire pit. Photographs 6 through 7 as well as 14 through 17, 19-20 and 47 show what can be seen with the naked eye in the first part of the camping area. There is a winding road up to the outer part of the camping area. Rock formations are shown in Photographs 18 and 21-22.
There is a windy road that goes up to a gorgeous area in the back with some campsites either tucked away among the trees or out in the open. Photographs 13 and 23 through 39 show the winding road and what lies ahead in the outer perimeter of the camping area including trees, towels hanging to dry and outhouses. There is also a view back into the first part of the campground shown in Photograph 40.
As I wander back into the first part of the campground area, I find a patch of trees near the bathing/shower area. These trees are shown in Photographs 41 through 43 and the bathing area is shown in Photographs 45 and 46. As I stand near the grove of trees, I spy and hear a musician strumming his guitar. It is so pleasant to listen to that I sit for awhile. The musician is shown in Photograph 44 throw the branches of trees.
As I think I am leaving, I notice another road. Yes, I know that I have no idea about these state parks so I was amazed that there was more to the park than the campground. It was not obvious to me when I drove in so here I go as I wonder what is up ahead. Oh my! What a view! This end of the state park is phenomenal. Of course, no other car is in sight as I enter the parking area so this gives me free rein as to where I can go. Wide open spaces, picnic tables, gorgeous lake and places for children to play. It is a great set-up for all to enjoy. Oh no, it is raining again! I sit in my car listening to music until the rain subsides. Finally, the rain subsides and I alight from my car with camera in hand.
What I notice first besides the gorgeous views is the play area for the kids. Photographs 48 as well as 59 through 62 show this playful area. There is even a water fountain right in the middle of this area that is shown in Photograph 51. It is so peaceful here that Photographs 49 and 52 through 58 as well as Photograph 65 through 69 show the calmness of the day and water before me as well as the trees and the rock formations along the perimeter. There is even a lifeguard stand just waiting to be used for the upcoming summer depicted in Photograph 64. There are several picnic tables near the water's edge where people can just sit, have a picnic and take in the sights and sounds of the day. Photographs 50 and 63 depicts this gathering of tables.
After awhile, I just sit by the waters edge and take it all in. So peaceful. I love my life. These are thoughts now.
I find that this adventure is opening my mind and views of this gorgeous state. It does amaze me how I get into certain routines and stay within the same box for awhile but I know that sometimes I have to push myself out of the comfort zone. By doing this, it opens avenues for me.
As I am driving back, the rain is still holding off. It doesn't matter as much now, but the ride is much better this way. As I head back home, I realize that I have time to go back into Augusta but head up to Elm City Photo in Waterville to drop off the three rolls of film. What does this mean??? The photos will be ready on Monday so I am excited to see them all developed. Another one down. Now to figure out where to go on my next adventure!
I travel down Route 3 in Augusta headed to Liberty. The weather looks iffy as the clouds are here and look very dark. As I drive along, the rain is coming down but is not consistent. However, I still have hope that all will be well when I get to my final destination.
As I arrive at the state park, the rain is holding off for the time being. I take a right into the campground area. There are a few campers so this gives me many opportunities to wander around unimpeded. What a great view these people have from their abodes! My car is now parked near the water's edge in one of the empty spaces. I grab my camera and go even though it is a dreary day so far!
Photograph 1 is actually a mistake because it just shows the ground. Oh well. Photographs 2 through 4 show the view from the water's edge. Oh what a view! It is so gorgeous here. Great place to go camping. Photographs 5, 8 through 12 shows the trees, rocks and water that I see along the edge.
Each campsite contains a picnic table and a little fire pit. Photographs 6 through 7 as well as 14 through 17, 19-20 and 47 show what can be seen with the naked eye in the first part of the camping area. There is a winding road up to the outer part of the camping area. Rock formations are shown in Photographs 18 and 21-22.
There is a windy road that goes up to a gorgeous area in the back with some campsites either tucked away among the trees or out in the open. Photographs 13 and 23 through 39 show the winding road and what lies ahead in the outer perimeter of the camping area including trees, towels hanging to dry and outhouses. There is also a view back into the first part of the campground shown in Photograph 40.
As I wander back into the first part of the campground area, I find a patch of trees near the bathing/shower area. These trees are shown in Photographs 41 through 43 and the bathing area is shown in Photographs 45 and 46. As I stand near the grove of trees, I spy and hear a musician strumming his guitar. It is so pleasant to listen to that I sit for awhile. The musician is shown in Photograph 44 throw the branches of trees.
As I think I am leaving, I notice another road. Yes, I know that I have no idea about these state parks so I was amazed that there was more to the park than the campground. It was not obvious to me when I drove in so here I go as I wonder what is up ahead. Oh my! What a view! This end of the state park is phenomenal. Of course, no other car is in sight as I enter the parking area so this gives me free rein as to where I can go. Wide open spaces, picnic tables, gorgeous lake and places for children to play. It is a great set-up for all to enjoy. Oh no, it is raining again! I sit in my car listening to music until the rain subsides. Finally, the rain subsides and I alight from my car with camera in hand.
What I notice first besides the gorgeous views is the play area for the kids. Photographs 48 as well as 59 through 62 show this playful area. There is even a water fountain right in the middle of this area that is shown in Photograph 51. It is so peaceful here that Photographs 49 and 52 through 58 as well as Photograph 65 through 69 show the calmness of the day and water before me as well as the trees and the rock formations along the perimeter. There is even a lifeguard stand just waiting to be used for the upcoming summer depicted in Photograph 64. There are several picnic tables near the water's edge where people can just sit, have a picnic and take in the sights and sounds of the day. Photographs 50 and 63 depicts this gathering of tables.
After awhile, I just sit by the waters edge and take it all in. So peaceful. I love my life. These are thoughts now.
I find that this adventure is opening my mind and views of this gorgeous state. It does amaze me how I get into certain routines and stay within the same box for awhile but I know that sometimes I have to push myself out of the comfort zone. By doing this, it opens avenues for me.
As I am driving back, the rain is still holding off. It doesn't matter as much now, but the ride is much better this way. As I head back home, I realize that I have time to go back into Augusta but head up to Elm City Photo in Waterville to drop off the three rolls of film. What does this mean??? The photos will be ready on Monday so I am excited to see them all developed. Another one down. Now to figure out where to go on my next adventure!
Monday, May 3, 2010
May 2, 2010 - Damariscotta Lake State Park
I wake up this morning to rain and hope that the sky will clear up so that I can take another adventure today. My wish came true later in the morning as the rain stopped but was somewhat cloudy. The temperature is to get into the 80s today so I better get started early. My next stop is at the Damariscotta Lake State Park in Jefferson. It is true that I have never been to this destination until my visit today so I will be surprised as to what I will find when I get there.
After a quick stop at Slate's for a muffin and coffee, I head off down the road to find Route 126 in Randolph to head down to Jefferson. I am thankful to have my MapQuest directions on hand because I can get directionally dysfunctional at times. The older I get the more I take after my mother. It is not a bad thing though. I love my mom dearly.
As I drive along, I notice the landscape and what is before me. However, I do take notice of road signs along the way just so I do not get lost. The state park was actually very easy to find. As I pull into the state park, there is only one other car there and the gate is closed. I guess 10:30 a.m. is too earlier for people to be out and about on a Sunday. Oh well.
With my camera all loaded with 400 speed film, I head through the parking lot down to the lake that I can see in the distance. Several picnics tables are lined up over to the left on the hill but I will leave that exploring for later. I wanted to see what was at the beach. By the time that I arrived at the beach, the only things there to greet me were the wildlife and black flies. Oh, I will have to muster through to take a roll of film. Let's see what I can find.
I so wanted to capture the essence of the lake. The calmness abounds. Photographs 1 through 3 as well as 8, 12 and 20 brings forth what I saw on this day. There was actually some birds and ducks frolicking and enjoying the day as shown in Photographs 4 and 7, 14 as well as 15 and 22. As I stand on the beach, there are many picnic tables that align the edge of the park to overlook the calming waters. Not only does Photographs 5, 6, 9 through 11 as well as 19 show the picnic tables and the surrounding areas, it shows what people can leave behind. Of course, I have blackflies who are keeping me company on my journey on this fine day. As I turn to walk in behind the picnic table area, I glimpse a spacious area with perfect grove of pine trees as seen in Photograph 13. I then stumble across what lives in behind the calmness of the lake and its view. Of course, I find fallen trees as shown in Photograph 16 through 18 and 21.
After a quick stop at Slate's for a muffin and coffee, I head off down the road to find Route 126 in Randolph to head down to Jefferson. I am thankful to have my MapQuest directions on hand because I can get directionally dysfunctional at times. The older I get the more I take after my mother. It is not a bad thing though. I love my mom dearly.
As I drive along, I notice the landscape and what is before me. However, I do take notice of road signs along the way just so I do not get lost. The state park was actually very easy to find. As I pull into the state park, there is only one other car there and the gate is closed. I guess 10:30 a.m. is too earlier for people to be out and about on a Sunday. Oh well.
With my camera all loaded with 400 speed film, I head through the parking lot down to the lake that I can see in the distance. Several picnics tables are lined up over to the left on the hill but I will leave that exploring for later. I wanted to see what was at the beach. By the time that I arrived at the beach, the only things there to greet me were the wildlife and black flies. Oh, I will have to muster through to take a roll of film. Let's see what I can find.
I so wanted to capture the essence of the lake. The calmness abounds. Photographs 1 through 3 as well as 8, 12 and 20 brings forth what I saw on this day. There was actually some birds and ducks frolicking and enjoying the day as shown in Photographs 4 and 7, 14 as well as 15 and 22. As I stand on the beach, there are many picnic tables that align the edge of the park to overlook the calming waters. Not only does Photographs 5, 6, 9 through 11 as well as 19 show the picnic tables and the surrounding areas, it shows what people can leave behind. Of course, I have blackflies who are keeping me company on my journey on this fine day. As I turn to walk in behind the picnic table area, I glimpse a spacious area with perfect grove of pine trees as seen in Photograph 13. I then stumble across what lives in behind the calmness of the lake and its view. Of course, I find fallen trees as shown in Photograph 16 through 18 and 21.
After taking in the views one more time, I wander back towards the parking lot to see what else I can find. To my right, I notice all sorts of playground activities that children can partake in as they enjoy their summers here at this popular place. What fun they must have when they come here for the day. There are even more picnic tables that have not been put in their designated places yet. These are all piled up as shown in Photograph 23. What is that I see? I am not sure. It looks like wires poking up through the dirt in this area. Photograph 24 shows what I saw. As I look down across towards the water, I glimpse a peaceful view. What a place it is to have so many accessible views to such a majestic calm. Photographs 25 and 26 take in what I saw at this time.
I can picture this state park being filled with families during the summer. It is a great location for people with families to come and hang out. The beach is small but I am sure that is fine with the people who choose to come here for the day. Jefferson is lucky to have this state park in their backyard.
May 1, 2010 - Reid State Park
What a gorgeous Saturday morning! It is only May 1st and the temperature will be in the 70s. How fabulous is that? Woo Hoo! Anyway, I pack my beach bag as usual with my camera loaded with 400 speed film and back-up gear for chilly weather. I hit the road about 8:30 a.m. and head to Slate's Bakery for a muffin and coffee. As I am driving, I decide to head back to Reid State Park. Yes, I have been there already but I wanted to see the other end of Mile Beach and maybe even basked in the sun while I am there. This trip is for a double purpose - relaxation and photograph opportunities.
As I pull into Reid State Park, I find my new parking pass for state parks. Boy, this pass will certainly come in handy this summer. The Todd's Point entrance is now blocked off and only accessible by foot and the Griffith entrance is now open for the summer. The parking lot is nearly empty at this time of the morning. I unload my car and head down to the beach. It is a little chilly with the wind but that is fine with me. With the camera slung over my shoulder, I head down the beach.
Around 2:00 p.m., I decide it is ready to head back home. Even though I did not want to leave, I knew that I had enough sun for one day. Next time I will have to remember to bring the suntan lotion. Before I head to the parking lot, the bench overlooking the water is beckoning for me to sit for awhile before I actually leave this fine place. People are relaxing but also enjoying this day. Oh, look! People are flying kites. How fun is that!
I slowly wander back to the car with a sadness to leave the day behind but it always has to come to pass eventually if you do not live on the ocean. My first stop back is at Dairy Queen again as I exit the road going back to my life. After I purchase a hot dog and blizzard, I sit on edge of my trunk with the hatch up just watching the people and the traffic. I wonder where they are all going on this fine day.
You probably wonder why I don't mention any specific photographs that I have taken this brilliant day. Well, I can say that I erred in that none of the photographs came out. Evidently, I did not make sure that the roll was good and tight on the inside of the camera. I was bummed. Oh well, there will always be another day.
As I pull into Reid State Park, I find my new parking pass for state parks. Boy, this pass will certainly come in handy this summer. The Todd's Point entrance is now blocked off and only accessible by foot and the Griffith entrance is now open for the summer. The parking lot is nearly empty at this time of the morning. I unload my car and head down to the beach. It is a little chilly with the wind but that is fine with me. With the camera slung over my shoulder, I head down the beach.
There are a lot of people on the beach on this fine day. It was nice to see people enjoying themselves. I wander down the beach and take a good look around the area. I snap photos here and there as I go. I spy a surfer in the distance. It looks as though he is having a difficult time trying to catch a wave. He wanders farther down the beach to see if it is any better down there. As I am taking more photographs, the surfer wanders back my way. We chat. As I figured, the surfing is not the greatest at this time of day so he is leaving. What a bummer for him. It would have been fascinating to see someone catch waves.
As I wander the beach, I decide to sit and take in the whole atmosphere of the day. The energy is just moving on this day filled with sunshine. How can people not be here now and enjoying such a sight for sore eyes? The waves are fabulous even if they are not great for surfing. Bring on the sun! As I sit and contemplate life, I see two more surfers coming along the beach to test their fate. These two surfers seem to have the same luck as the other guy. Oh well. It looks like they were having a blast! It is a good way to spend the day!
Around 2:00 p.m., I decide it is ready to head back home. Even though I did not want to leave, I knew that I had enough sun for one day. Next time I will have to remember to bring the suntan lotion. Before I head to the parking lot, the bench overlooking the water is beckoning for me to sit for awhile before I actually leave this fine place. People are relaxing but also enjoying this day. Oh, look! People are flying kites. How fun is that!
I slowly wander back to the car with a sadness to leave the day behind but it always has to come to pass eventually if you do not live on the ocean. My first stop back is at Dairy Queen again as I exit the road going back to my life. After I purchase a hot dog and blizzard, I sit on edge of my trunk with the hatch up just watching the people and the traffic. I wonder where they are all going on this fine day.
You probably wonder why I don't mention any specific photographs that I have taken this brilliant day. Well, I can say that I erred in that none of the photographs came out. Evidently, I did not make sure that the roll was good and tight on the inside of the camera. I was bummed. Oh well, there will always be another day.
Friday, April 30, 2010
April 25, 2010 - Popham Beach State Park and Fort Baldwin
My Day 3 finds me going to my favorite childhood haunt. Where is that? Popham Beach State Park! Well, I should clarify and say that we went to Ocean View Campground just down the beach from the state park. I promised my mom and dad that I would take many photographs of the area since they cannot make it down there much anymore. So, here we go!!
Bruce Mayo is joining me on this adventure. He will certainly add some "color" to the day! Oh, what a gorgeous day it is so we start early on this Sunday morning. I loaded the camera with Kodak 400 film, pack my beach bag and head down to get Bruce. As an added precaution and with some foresight, we stop at the breakfast place in Farmingdale to make sure that we have enough sustenance for this long day. We also stop at Rite Aid for some provisions - Fuji 400 speed film for me and kites for Bruce! Woo Hoo!
As we are traveling down the road, Elvis Costello is filling the car with his magnificent voice. I love his music. He is putting us in the creative mood to do what comes our way.
The views on the way to Popham Beach are just breathtaking. Anticipation is high as to what we will find when we get there. I have not been in awhile so it will be interesting to see the changes in the landscape from the winter storms and the movement of Morse River. As we pull into the parking lot around 9:45 a.m., we noticed only a few cars over to the right of the parking lot. After we unload the car with our necessities, we find that it is certainly high tide. There is not much beach area by the right entrance near Morse River. There are tons of fallen limbs on the beach up close to the land. Oh what a sight we see. The water is raging hard and fast letting us know that it is here to stay. We marvel at the beauty of all that we see.
Prior to our arrival, someone had fastened together a few branches to make an intricate display. Bruce was so excited to see this make-shift structure that I took one photograph of the creative melding by itself and one with Bruce behind it. This became Photograph 1 and Photograph 2. What a way to start the day! Here we go!!
There was so much debris to our right and left after coming out onto the beach that we could not walk very far as we were blocked as a result of the fallen bits of nature and the ocean water at high tide. Photographs 3 and 4 as well as Photographs 9, 14, 17 through 21 depict what we saw as we walked onto the beach.
The ocean waves were just brilliant! Oh how magnificient they are at high tide. What a wonder we behold before us. Who cannot love the sound of the waves and the smell of the ocean? Who cares if there is a breeze. It is just fabulous. Come on down. Take it all in. I know many people do but I wonder about the people who do not experience such a thrill. Photographs 5 and 6 as well as Photographs 15 and 16 shows the brilliance and forcefulness of these waves on this glorious day. I am glad that Bruce is here to watch with me in awe.
Bruce walked ahead of me making a path on the beach to the left of the entrance. He walked as far as he could go, then stopped and sketched the scene. Photographs 7 through 13 (with the exception of Photograph 9) show Bruce's footsteps toward his destination as well as part of the view that he was capturing. You certainly cannot forget all the debris from the fallen trees that lined the shore on this side of the entrance. It is sad but it is nature at work. Who are we to argue?
As we were unable to venture very far, we decided to leave for awhile but come back later. Our next stop was to investigate the left entrance to the beach. We wondered why no cars were parked down that end of the beach. We certainly found out when we walked up the path. The answer? The path ends in a drop-off to the beach. Fencing was put up so that no person or animal would fall onto the beach. The erosion has taken the access to the beach away. There were still picnic tables that you could sit on and admire the view. However, the only access was on the other side of the beach. Photographs 22-27 depict what we saw from this vantage point. I should note that Bruce was an added bonus to Photograph 27 as he is sitting at one of the picnic tables just waiting for Godot.
We walk back to the car to drive to Fort Baldwin but I had to snap another photograph of the entrance to the beach just before we sped away to our next destination. This became Photograph 28.
As my car automatically knows where it is going on its own, we pass the Ocean View Campground and see that they are busy working and preparing for the upcoming summer season. Oh how I wish that my parents could still be here for the summer. It would bring them such joy. The Stonehouse Manor is just beyond the campground. The location is just fabulous for any event. When I was younger, I had always thought I would get married there.
I then maneuver the car up the narrow road to the small parking lot at the entrance to Fort Baldwin. Bruce and I grab our cameras and hike up the trail. This was a new experience for Bruce so I was excited to see his reaction to what was ahead of us.
Fort Baldwin is another childhood adventure with many fabulous memories. I remember it used to be scary when I was younger going into the buildings with its dark spooky rooms. There are three batteries to explore plus the tower at the end of the road. Photographs 29 through 32 as well as Photographs 35 and 36 show just parts of the structures of the batteries including the stairs upwards to the top of the structures that is covered in grass. Oh what a view from up above. It is just breathtaking from up here. This became Photographs 33 through 34 to show what we saw from the top of the batteries. We also explored the inside of some of the rooms and the dark and narrow passages inside the structures. Walking through the buildings is still spooky and not as long of a walk through it as it felt like when I was younger.
After leaving the batteries, Bruce and I headed to the tower. I was so excited to see if the top floor was still open so that we could take in the view from above. Anticipation was running high as we made our way up to the top. A narrow set of stairs led us to the highest point possible. I was so excited. Photographs 37 through 39 show the view from the three sides of the small opening in the tower. As I was taking photographs, Bruce took out his camera to shoot in video format. What a fabulous idea to have a narrative of what sights we were seeing from above. Bruce just makes me smile and laugh. As we descended down, Bruce was ahead of me so when he got to the next level down he had his video running and did his impersonation of Yma Sumac. I could not stop laughing. You got to love Bruce!
Bruce and I slowly meandered our way back down to the parking lot to head over towards Spinney's and Percy's. I was so hoping that Percy's would be open so that I could have one of their fabulous ice cream cones. However, we found out that Percy's does not open until Mother's Day. Oh well, I guess I did not need one anyway.
Bruce Mayo is joining me on this adventure. He will certainly add some "color" to the day! Oh, what a gorgeous day it is so we start early on this Sunday morning. I loaded the camera with Kodak 400 film, pack my beach bag and head down to get Bruce. As an added precaution and with some foresight, we stop at the breakfast place in Farmingdale to make sure that we have enough sustenance for this long day. We also stop at Rite Aid for some provisions - Fuji 400 speed film for me and kites for Bruce! Woo Hoo!
As we are traveling down the road, Elvis Costello is filling the car with his magnificent voice. I love his music. He is putting us in the creative mood to do what comes our way.
The views on the way to Popham Beach are just breathtaking. Anticipation is high as to what we will find when we get there. I have not been in awhile so it will be interesting to see the changes in the landscape from the winter storms and the movement of Morse River. As we pull into the parking lot around 9:45 a.m., we noticed only a few cars over to the right of the parking lot. After we unload the car with our necessities, we find that it is certainly high tide. There is not much beach area by the right entrance near Morse River. There are tons of fallen limbs on the beach up close to the land. Oh what a sight we see. The water is raging hard and fast letting us know that it is here to stay. We marvel at the beauty of all that we see.
Prior to our arrival, someone had fastened together a few branches to make an intricate display. Bruce was so excited to see this make-shift structure that I took one photograph of the creative melding by itself and one with Bruce behind it. This became Photograph 1 and Photograph 2. What a way to start the day! Here we go!!
There was so much debris to our right and left after coming out onto the beach that we could not walk very far as we were blocked as a result of the fallen bits of nature and the ocean water at high tide. Photographs 3 and 4 as well as Photographs 9, 14, 17 through 21 depict what we saw as we walked onto the beach.
The ocean waves were just brilliant! Oh how magnificient they are at high tide. What a wonder we behold before us. Who cannot love the sound of the waves and the smell of the ocean? Who cares if there is a breeze. It is just fabulous. Come on down. Take it all in. I know many people do but I wonder about the people who do not experience such a thrill. Photographs 5 and 6 as well as Photographs 15 and 16 shows the brilliance and forcefulness of these waves on this glorious day. I am glad that Bruce is here to watch with me in awe.
Bruce walked ahead of me making a path on the beach to the left of the entrance. He walked as far as he could go, then stopped and sketched the scene. Photographs 7 through 13 (with the exception of Photograph 9) show Bruce's footsteps toward his destination as well as part of the view that he was capturing. You certainly cannot forget all the debris from the fallen trees that lined the shore on this side of the entrance. It is sad but it is nature at work. Who are we to argue?
As we were unable to venture very far, we decided to leave for awhile but come back later. Our next stop was to investigate the left entrance to the beach. We wondered why no cars were parked down that end of the beach. We certainly found out when we walked up the path. The answer? The path ends in a drop-off to the beach. Fencing was put up so that no person or animal would fall onto the beach. The erosion has taken the access to the beach away. There were still picnic tables that you could sit on and admire the view. However, the only access was on the other side of the beach. Photographs 22-27 depict what we saw from this vantage point. I should note that Bruce was an added bonus to Photograph 27 as he is sitting at one of the picnic tables just waiting for Godot.
We walk back to the car to drive to Fort Baldwin but I had to snap another photograph of the entrance to the beach just before we sped away to our next destination. This became Photograph 28.
As my car automatically knows where it is going on its own, we pass the Ocean View Campground and see that they are busy working and preparing for the upcoming summer season. Oh how I wish that my parents could still be here for the summer. It would bring them such joy. The Stonehouse Manor is just beyond the campground. The location is just fabulous for any event. When I was younger, I had always thought I would get married there.
I then maneuver the car up the narrow road to the small parking lot at the entrance to Fort Baldwin. Bruce and I grab our cameras and hike up the trail. This was a new experience for Bruce so I was excited to see his reaction to what was ahead of us.
Fort Baldwin is another childhood adventure with many fabulous memories. I remember it used to be scary when I was younger going into the buildings with its dark spooky rooms. There are three batteries to explore plus the tower at the end of the road. Photographs 29 through 32 as well as Photographs 35 and 36 show just parts of the structures of the batteries including the stairs upwards to the top of the structures that is covered in grass. Oh what a view from up above. It is just breathtaking from up here. This became Photographs 33 through 34 to show what we saw from the top of the batteries. We also explored the inside of some of the rooms and the dark and narrow passages inside the structures. Walking through the buildings is still spooky and not as long of a walk through it as it felt like when I was younger.
After leaving the batteries, Bruce and I headed to the tower. I was so excited to see if the top floor was still open so that we could take in the view from above. Anticipation was running high as we made our way up to the top. A narrow set of stairs led us to the highest point possible. I was so excited. Photographs 37 through 39 show the view from the three sides of the small opening in the tower. As I was taking photographs, Bruce took out his camera to shoot in video format. What a fabulous idea to have a narrative of what sights we were seeing from above. Bruce just makes me smile and laugh. As we descended down, Bruce was ahead of me so when he got to the next level down he had his video running and did his impersonation of Yma Sumac. I could not stop laughing. You got to love Bruce!
Bruce and I slowly meandered our way back down to the parking lot to head over towards Spinney's and Percy's. I was so hoping that Percy's would be open so that I could have one of their fabulous ice cream cones. However, we found out that Percy's does not open until Mother's Day. Oh well, I guess I did not need one anyway.
Our next stop was to park outside of Spinney's to hit the beach with cameras and with the kites that Bruce had purchased earlier in the day. There were several people here enjoying this gorgeous day. Photographs 40 through 43 show the view from the beach including the old Coast Guard Station that has been turned into a bed and breakfast. In addition, it was an amusing adventure to try and fly the kites. However, it was certainly fun trying. Photographs 44 and 45 show Bruce getting his kite ready for flight. Oh, and he had to help me get mine ready as I could not figure it out.
After our kite flying escapade, we drove back to Popham Beach State Park to see what the beach and landscape looked like at a lower tide. There were even more cars in the parking lot now so there were a lot of people enjoying this fine beach day. It was amazing to me the difference between high tide and now. People were walking to the island and walking the beach. A few brave souls were testing the water. We know the water is cold but it is always cold.
Bruce and I set our bags down and admired the view. I could not sit very long so I wandered around looking and taking more photographs. Photographs 46 through 48 as well as Photographs 50, 55 through 60 show what the beach and the landscape looked like dotted with people everywhere. As I was wandering the beach, I looked closely at the shapes that were engraved in the sand from the moving water of the ocean before me. I could not help notice the intricate designs. These designs became Photographs 49, 51 through 54 and 72. Of course, I could not forget the ocean waves that were breaking in a distance. They would not let me forget. What splendor I was beholding before me! Photographs 61 through 63 were what my camera found for me to cherish in those breaking waves. As I was wandering around, I could see a surfer in the distance. I wondered how close I could get to capture this thrilling ride. The waves were just brutal out there. One after the other. The surfer was not daunted by the task at hand. It was a thrill to watch. Photographs 64 through 71 and 73 show the surfer from a distance as well as the waves that were about to be mastered.
As we were packing up and ready to go, I was elated to have come to this beach but sad to go so soon even though it was midafternoon already. The day was filled with excitement and laughter. I was glad that Bruce came along for the ride. His presence added so much to this experience. I am sure we will do it again another day!
April 24, 2010 - Moose Point State Park
Bruce Mayo, my favorite bartender, has offered me an art show at Hattie's starting the fourth Thursday in July. In addition, Bruce has also offered to accompany me on some of my trips so that he can sketch and I can do my thing. Oh what fun that will be having company. I have never had company before. It should be an added dimension to these exciting adventures.
Anyway, Moose Point State Park starts my second excursion finding photographic images for my adventures to the state parks this summer. Why did I pick Moose Point? The answer is that I have never been there so my eyes will be open to what will come before me. MapQuest is my new best friend as well as the Maine Atlas Gazeteer.
As I had no idea the layout of this state park, I loaded my camera, took extra film as well as some provisions. Well, I just brought water and pretzels. Isn't that enough??? I steered my car towards Route 3 in Augusta and headed off to this new wonder. What would I find? I certainly didn't know at all. What does this mean? Eyes wide open!
Anticipation was building as I drove through Belfast and on to Searsport. Oh look. The Moose Point State Park is prominently right in front of me as I slow down. The gate is closed so I have to park on the side of the road. There are a few cars just before the gate and mine is the only one on the road. This means that there is life found at this state park today. It didn't look like a long way to hike so I just put on my windbreaker and slung the camera over my shoulder for the walk into the state park. As I walk down the road, I see people packing up from their day at the park. A father and son are carrying the huge cooler. It looks like they had a party! Woo Hoo! Anyway, I spy a few people walking around plus one woman sitting on a picnic table taking in the view. Oh what a view to behold!
This state park had an open expanse of land with trees around the parameter plus many picnic tables and a gazebo. I wandered around slowly taking in the area. Of course, I could see the Penoscot Bay. I walked down towards the Bay. Before I maneuvered down the stairs to the shore, I took Photograph 1 that shows the rocky shoreline as well as how hard the waves wanted to show me their magic. As I was watching the waves break gently in front of me, a man walked down the stairs over to a perfect place among the big rocks and just sat there. Oh my. What a great idea!
After I had landed on somewhat firm ground, I shot Photograph 2 as well as Photograph 4 that shows the rocky beach as well as the deep blue waters before me. As I looked to the right ahead, I saw what the man was looking at in the distance. I so wanted to capture that view. This is what Photograph 3 shows as the man is leaning back against a big rock. Oh, how gorgeous it is here. It is peaceful too. I certainly did not know what to expect so I was thoroughly pleased with what expanse there was before me on this gorgeous day!
As I wander done the shoreline, I wonder what I will find along the way. I certainly was not disappointed with all that driftwood set out before me in its somewhat awkward fashion. Photographs 5 through 11 as well as 13 through 16 show the assorted array of driftwood and logs that grace the end of the shore near the land. Of course, there were no two alike so I had to take several photographs. I think that I really like driftwood. I had not really thought about it before but it has so many different angles and wood gradations associated with each piece that has been designed only by nature itself. No manmade designs at all. I think it is very cool.
Photograph 12 shows a peacefulness of the water gracing the shoreline with the vast expanse of trees in the distance. However, Photograph 17 shows the waves breaking and struggling hard to kiss the rocks on the shoreline.
As I walk along the shore, I come across a double set of stairs making its way from the shore to the land above. This is where Photograph 18 comes in as well as Photograph 24. I can see myself climbing the stairs to get to some unknown location. Do I go? I decided not to go because I wanted to continue to explore the shoreline. Priorities.
As I continue my journey, I notice a huge tree looming in the distance. The tree is leaning towards the Bay so that it looks as though it is reaching for the sun. I guess we all want that beaming light of goodness. I so wanted to capture this image so this is Photograph 19.
There were so many sights to see that I wanted to capture all of them. The water is just so calming but is not calm. The waves work their magic to let you know that they will not be forgotten and will make you in awe of their brilliance as well as their forcefulness. Photographs 20 through 23 show the wide array of the waves brilliance as well as the bits of nature thrown in. Of course, there is seaweed amongst the rocks and on the shore.
As it is getting late in the afternoon, I decide not to wander down the many walking trails that are associated with this state park. I guess I will leave that for another day. I wander back to my car taking in all the sights as I go on ahead back to my life. As I drive back, I wonder where the next adventure will take me. Actually, I do know the date and location. Tomorrow with Bruce at Popham Beach. Oh how exciting!
Anyway, Moose Point State Park starts my second excursion finding photographic images for my adventures to the state parks this summer. Why did I pick Moose Point? The answer is that I have never been there so my eyes will be open to what will come before me. MapQuest is my new best friend as well as the Maine Atlas Gazeteer.
As I had no idea the layout of this state park, I loaded my camera, took extra film as well as some provisions. Well, I just brought water and pretzels. Isn't that enough??? I steered my car towards Route 3 in Augusta and headed off to this new wonder. What would I find? I certainly didn't know at all. What does this mean? Eyes wide open!
Anticipation was building as I drove through Belfast and on to Searsport. Oh look. The Moose Point State Park is prominently right in front of me as I slow down. The gate is closed so I have to park on the side of the road. There are a few cars just before the gate and mine is the only one on the road. This means that there is life found at this state park today. It didn't look like a long way to hike so I just put on my windbreaker and slung the camera over my shoulder for the walk into the state park. As I walk down the road, I see people packing up from their day at the park. A father and son are carrying the huge cooler. It looks like they had a party! Woo Hoo! Anyway, I spy a few people walking around plus one woman sitting on a picnic table taking in the view. Oh what a view to behold!
This state park had an open expanse of land with trees around the parameter plus many picnic tables and a gazebo. I wandered around slowly taking in the area. Of course, I could see the Penoscot Bay. I walked down towards the Bay. Before I maneuvered down the stairs to the shore, I took Photograph 1 that shows the rocky shoreline as well as how hard the waves wanted to show me their magic. As I was watching the waves break gently in front of me, a man walked down the stairs over to a perfect place among the big rocks and just sat there. Oh my. What a great idea!
After I had landed on somewhat firm ground, I shot Photograph 2 as well as Photograph 4 that shows the rocky beach as well as the deep blue waters before me. As I looked to the right ahead, I saw what the man was looking at in the distance. I so wanted to capture that view. This is what Photograph 3 shows as the man is leaning back against a big rock. Oh, how gorgeous it is here. It is peaceful too. I certainly did not know what to expect so I was thoroughly pleased with what expanse there was before me on this gorgeous day!
As I wander done the shoreline, I wonder what I will find along the way. I certainly was not disappointed with all that driftwood set out before me in its somewhat awkward fashion. Photographs 5 through 11 as well as 13 through 16 show the assorted array of driftwood and logs that grace the end of the shore near the land. Of course, there were no two alike so I had to take several photographs. I think that I really like driftwood. I had not really thought about it before but it has so many different angles and wood gradations associated with each piece that has been designed only by nature itself. No manmade designs at all. I think it is very cool.
Photograph 12 shows a peacefulness of the water gracing the shoreline with the vast expanse of trees in the distance. However, Photograph 17 shows the waves breaking and struggling hard to kiss the rocks on the shoreline.
As I walk along the shore, I come across a double set of stairs making its way from the shore to the land above. This is where Photograph 18 comes in as well as Photograph 24. I can see myself climbing the stairs to get to some unknown location. Do I go? I decided not to go because I wanted to continue to explore the shoreline. Priorities.
As I continue my journey, I notice a huge tree looming in the distance. The tree is leaning towards the Bay so that it looks as though it is reaching for the sun. I guess we all want that beaming light of goodness. I so wanted to capture this image so this is Photograph 19.
There were so many sights to see that I wanted to capture all of them. The water is just so calming but is not calm. The waves work their magic to let you know that they will not be forgotten and will make you in awe of their brilliance as well as their forcefulness. Photographs 20 through 23 show the wide array of the waves brilliance as well as the bits of nature thrown in. Of course, there is seaweed amongst the rocks and on the shore.
As it is getting late in the afternoon, I decide not to wander down the many walking trails that are associated with this state park. I guess I will leave that for another day. I wander back to my car taking in all the sights as I go on ahead back to my life. As I drive back, I wonder where the next adventure will take me. Actually, I do know the date and location. Tomorrow with Bruce at Popham Beach. Oh how exciting!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
April 10, 2010 - Reid State Park
It has been a long journey for me to get into the mindset to take out my Nikon FG20 camera to start capturing life and opening my eyes to what is around me. I set April 10, 2010 as my date to mark my first journey back into the creative world of photography. Oh, I have certainly envisioned what it would be like to pick up my Nikon FG20 with its various lens and venturing off into the world to find things that you would only notice if you were looking. However, I had something stopping me from moving forward. I had blockage of this part of my creative mind. What? Who knows. Maybe I was just lost for awhile trying to regain my footing.
On the morning of April 10, I loaded a roll of film into my camera and packed my beach bag with my towel as well as my windbreaker and a pair of jeans for back-up. The weather was gorgeous at home but could very well be cold and windy at the beach. Preparation is key. There was so much pent-up anticipation in leaving on this journey that I could hardly wait to arrive. My destination was Reid State Park. Why did I pick this place as my first adventure? I had not traveled to Reid State Park in so many years that the anticipation of finding my way there could drive me forward, perk up my emotions and open my eyes to everything.
The parking lot was nearly empty as you would expect this time of year. I maneuvered into a parking space between Half Mile Beach and Mile Beach. There were several people coming off the path and back to their vehicles. You could see them all bundled up. I was not deterred at all. As it was quite chilly and windy, I moved into my backup plan and placed the camera firmly on my shoulder ready to hit the path to Half Mile Beach. The narrow path to the beach was filled with trees and vegetation that was on its way back to life.
My first two photographs were of one of these trees that you could just imagine were thriving in the summer. The angles were fantastic. Snap, snap. Oh yeah, here we go. As you venture down the path, you get to the end of the easy part and walk your way over ocean-smooth rocks and puddles of water everywhere. Hold on! Here we go! I had to hold a good grip on my camera and have shore footing as well. I hoped that I wouldn't fall as there were no people around to help me. Well, I guess if there were no people around they couldn't see me fall. I would just laugh anyway. Oh well.
Photographs 3 through 6 were taken on the rocks just before stepping onto Half Mile Beach. I could see the ocean waves crashing into the rocks so I wanted to so desparately capture that as a moment in time. The next shot shows the calmness of the day but the breaking of the ocean waves on the distant rocks. An even closer shot was needed to show the smoothing of the rocks from the numerous ocean waves crashing onto its hard surface. Oh, I can't forget about the jagged path of water between the rocks that lead back out into that glorious body of water!
As I walked along the upper part of the beach, there were many sights to take in along the way. These shots became Photographs 7 through 11. Oh what things you can see! My first stop was the erosion on the beach from the many winter storms. Even a caution tape was placed at the top of the dune so that people would not fall onto the beach. Oh that would be a sore sight to see. Some of my favorite shots consist of driftwood and logs stranded. I think these are ornaments on the beach. A cluster of driftwood leaning against a log was a prime target to capture with the looming sky in the background as well as a close-up shot of parts of that masterpiece of nature! The next experiment was to see close-ups of the inside of the log to see what nature had bestowed upon this once-living thing.
As I continued my adventure in seeing life on the beach, I just had to get a feeling of what it was like to just sit and listen to the sounds of this wonderful piece of life. Photographs 12 through 15 show life as seen on that particular day. A long view taking in the crashing waves as well as the cottage in the distance. Oh, I wonder what it would be like to be at the cottage all day sitting outside to take in everything around you! What a fantastic life! Can't you just imagine it? I can. I had to capture the breaking waves crashing onto the shore as well as the sand gradations from the waves kissing upon its shores. Oh, I can't forget about the plovers playing on the waters edge. They were so adorable to watch them play!
After maneuvering my way back to the path from Half Mile Beach to the parking lot, I ventured over to Mile Beach. I can certainly say that there was a huge difference between the height of the waves on Half Mile Beach to the spectacular waves on the Mile Beach! Oh wait. What is that? We have surfers. Oh, what a sight. I was so glad to see that they had wetsuits and were prepared to tackle nature's will. Photographs 16 and 17 show real human life at the beach with the aid of surfboards.
In preparation for this day, I had to figure out many things in advance. For instance, my normal photographic developing store had closed. The question was, where do I go to buy film? I ventured to Target as it was the closest place. There was not much of a selection so I settled on Kodak 400 speed film. The second step was to figure out where to go. The choice was actually obvious - the ocean! The ocean is where I had always gone when I needed comfort. I love the sound of the waves and the smell of the ocean. I could sit there for hours and contemplate life.
On the morning of April 10, I loaded a roll of film into my camera and packed my beach bag with my towel as well as my windbreaker and a pair of jeans for back-up. The weather was gorgeous at home but could very well be cold and windy at the beach. Preparation is key. There was so much pent-up anticipation in leaving on this journey that I could hardly wait to arrive. My destination was Reid State Park. Why did I pick this place as my first adventure? I had not traveled to Reid State Park in so many years that the anticipation of finding my way there could drive me forward, perk up my emotions and open my eyes to everything.
The parking lot was nearly empty as you would expect this time of year. I maneuvered into a parking space between Half Mile Beach and Mile Beach. There were several people coming off the path and back to their vehicles. You could see them all bundled up. I was not deterred at all. As it was quite chilly and windy, I moved into my backup plan and placed the camera firmly on my shoulder ready to hit the path to Half Mile Beach. The narrow path to the beach was filled with trees and vegetation that was on its way back to life.
My first two photographs were of one of these trees that you could just imagine were thriving in the summer. The angles were fantastic. Snap, snap. Oh yeah, here we go. As you venture down the path, you get to the end of the easy part and walk your way over ocean-smooth rocks and puddles of water everywhere. Hold on! Here we go! I had to hold a good grip on my camera and have shore footing as well. I hoped that I wouldn't fall as there were no people around to help me. Well, I guess if there were no people around they couldn't see me fall. I would just laugh anyway. Oh well.
Photographs 3 through 6 were taken on the rocks just before stepping onto Half Mile Beach. I could see the ocean waves crashing into the rocks so I wanted to so desparately capture that as a moment in time. The next shot shows the calmness of the day but the breaking of the ocean waves on the distant rocks. An even closer shot was needed to show the smoothing of the rocks from the numerous ocean waves crashing onto its hard surface. Oh, I can't forget about the jagged path of water between the rocks that lead back out into that glorious body of water!
As I walked along the upper part of the beach, there were many sights to take in along the way. These shots became Photographs 7 through 11. Oh what things you can see! My first stop was the erosion on the beach from the many winter storms. Even a caution tape was placed at the top of the dune so that people would not fall onto the beach. Oh that would be a sore sight to see. Some of my favorite shots consist of driftwood and logs stranded. I think these are ornaments on the beach. A cluster of driftwood leaning against a log was a prime target to capture with the looming sky in the background as well as a close-up shot of parts of that masterpiece of nature! The next experiment was to see close-ups of the inside of the log to see what nature had bestowed upon this once-living thing.
As I continued my adventure in seeing life on the beach, I just had to get a feeling of what it was like to just sit and listen to the sounds of this wonderful piece of life. Photographs 12 through 15 show life as seen on that particular day. A long view taking in the crashing waves as well as the cottage in the distance. Oh, I wonder what it would be like to be at the cottage all day sitting outside to take in everything around you! What a fantastic life! Can't you just imagine it? I can. I had to capture the breaking waves crashing onto the shore as well as the sand gradations from the waves kissing upon its shores. Oh, I can't forget about the plovers playing on the waters edge. They were so adorable to watch them play!
After maneuvering my way back to the path from Half Mile Beach to the parking lot, I ventured over to Mile Beach. I can certainly say that there was a huge difference between the height of the waves on Half Mile Beach to the spectacular waves on the Mile Beach! Oh wait. What is that? We have surfers. Oh, what a sight. I was so glad to see that they had wetsuits and were prepared to tackle nature's will. Photographs 16 and 17 show real human life at the beach with the aid of surfboards.
As I wander down the beach, I spy more driftwood up ahead. I slowly walk up to see what is in store for me this time. Photographs 18 and 19 show two views of this piece of nature - one of a snarly mess of wood and the other is a close-up tangled view of the same piece of art. It is just fabulous in its twisted ways.
As I stumble my way back down the beach to the beginning, I wonder where to head next on this adventure. Oh right. I had not ventured onto the rocks overlooking Mile Beach. I had to slowly find my way down the rocks holding onto my beach bag and camera. I found a safe level place to leave the bag so that I could wonder further down to see what I could find. Photograph 20 shows life among the rocks with some of nature's plant life. I then sit and ponder life and watch life as the ocean waves crash onto the rocks. Oh what a glorious sound the waves make when they are trying to leap forward as far as they can to make the earth tremble with its pounding. Photograph 21 shows the blue ocean waves coming forward and crashing to claim its rightful place. Photograph 22 shows the view from these rocks across the right side depicting the rocks and land beyond.
As I leave this worldly breathtaking place around 2:00 p.m., I find myself pented up with anticipation wondering how the photographs would come up. However, my stomach decided to tell me that I really should eat something today. I made a stop at the Dairy Queen as I exited the road near Bath. With all my preparations, I had totally forgotten sustenance. What did I purchase? A hot dog and an ice cream for a reward!
As I ride north, the question was, where do I go to get them developed? As you can imagine, I was not going to ship them out and wait for them to come back. I called Elm City Photo in Waterville to see if they still developed in the store. Lo and behold, they were open! Woo Hoo! I was so excited. The store closed at 4:00 p.m. so I had to drive directly to Waterville. The owners of Elm City Photo are just great! They were so helpful in answering my questions and giving me options. Oh, options. I decided to have these photographs developed so that I could have the negatives as well as a CD. Something else new for me is photographs with white borders around the perimeter. Also, matte finish is the way to go. The photographs would be ready on Tuesday!! I decided to have them send them to me through the mail so that I would get them on Wednesday. I was so excited when I dropped them off that I couldn't wait to see them and also to figure out where to go next.
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