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.

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!

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.

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.