Goat's Beard and Day Lilies Light Up the Woods and Shore

In June and July two humble flowers light up meadows, lawns, woods and shore. Goat's beard, which looks like a long stemmed dandelion, is one of my favorites. I especially love them when they grow by the sea and I love the way the setting sun makes the petals glow. The blossoms seem to float, weightless on a summer's breeze. Then, just when the flowers go to seed, Maine gardens burst into flame with day lilies everywhere. They are a sign of summer's mid point...welcome and beloved, but they arrive with a pang.

Goat's beard growing on the bank by Mary's cottage...it's as if she is still here with each fluttering petal.

...and the view beyond that she loved.

Day lilies cascade down the bank to the bay on our own bit of shore. Every year the wind and tide shift them a little, but they tenaciously cling to the steep clay and ledge with almost impossible growing conditions.

Day lilies and driftwood on our beach.

Day lilies in our garden caught in afternoon light. Summer half gone...waiting for summer...

The Colors of Spring and Early Summer

Spring arrives with soft blues, pinks and lilacs. The whole summer lies ahead with the promise of sunny days and warm weather. The evenings are scented with wood smoke from a cheerfully glowing fireplace...warmth to ward off the chill in the cottage. The calendar fills with arrivals and departures, but more on that later!

For me the passage of time is marked by the waves of color in the garden.

Peter carefully mows around brave tiny bluets that are sprinkled across the cottage lawn in May. The bluets are quickly followed by violets, lily of the valley and ajuga. The small flowers seem to hug the newly warmed earth.

Crabapple, lilacs and lupine quickly follow as May melts into June.

I always think of JCB and her gentleman when I see crabapple blossoms...and a very romantic proposal amidst fluttering pink petals.

Soon the cottage is filled with the scent of lilacs.

Peppery lupine perfumes the air on Blue Hill Mountain in June.

And finally peonies burst into bloom, my favorite...the last of them faded a week ago.

We are also changing with the garden colors. A September move is in the works...still in Maine, but closer to the cottage. Initial chaos, followed by a little simplicity! I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Rain in Maine and Dachshunds in Stereo

Instagram has enabled video this week! Here are a few 15 second clips of cottage life and the comic relief of wienie dogs in stereo!

Summer seems to have come and gone after two days of sweltering heat in the 90s. Cold damp rain has settled in for the week. Meager cottage heat keeps the chill somewhat manageable...if you are not a dachshund!

Hazel and Cooper find their own way to cope with the weather!

Emerging from under blankets with high expectations!

Memorial Day

Remember and honor those who served...

Harpswell Meetinghouse, Harpswell, Maine.

Stonington in Black and White

Maine's traditional seaside towns have changed with rising prices for waterfront properties. Stonington, on Deer Isle, is one of the few towns left where one can see the fishing industry and old way of life. I have photographed Stonington many times; I chose monochrome for this visit to enhance the feeling of old Maine.

It looked like this fellow arrived by boat to pick up his mail. If you look closely in the next photo, you can see the packet under his arm as he leaves. You can click on the images to view them larger with more detail.

Artists and photographers have always tried to capture Maine's beautiful light on the old houses. My attempts can be seen in the series below.

I loved the strong shadow on the huge outcrop of rock next to this lovely old cottage

This house is partially hidden by rock!

The Skateboarders and the Puppy

I like to take a different lens whenever I walk around our small town. I never know what I will see and I often find I have limitations with the one I've chosen...and that's half the fun and a learning experience too. On this particular day I had a wide angle when my zoom would have been more helpful.

It was a glorious warm day with daffodils appearing and the bright splash of forsythia everywhere. I noticed two skateboarders down at the town dock. They were very good and I seriously wished I'd left the wide angle at home. They didn't mind if I took pictures, in fact, they seemed to take riskier gravity defying jumps. I thought of all the kids with skateboards and how very few of them have views like the two boys I met down at the dock.

I would have moved in closer for the above shots if not for the puppy. It was a Heinz 57 variety, huge at eight weeks old. I think there is even some boxer in its lineage. One of the boys had brought it home the day before and it crept into my lap for a cuddle while they practiced.

Sound asleep on the skateboarder's camera bag.

...and awake in an image I called Camera Bag Theft. I'm a poor puppy sitter, the photo op was just too good!

We hung out for awhile talking about the puppy, upcoming graduation, future plans and photography under a bright blue sky and a warm sun.

Life in a gentle town.

Loss and Small Gifts

Our dearest Eric left us in April, beloved husband to Mary, beloved friend of ours. He left this world with his children's arms around him, wrapped in love in the peace of the early morning hours. It was the kind of passing all should celebrate and welcome with gratitude. Yet, I will miss Eric with all my heart and I will, for the rest of my life, yearn for one more afternoon in his company, one more smile and the laughter that filled thirty years of Mere Point summers.

Eric was a handsome man, courtly, a New Englander to his core and deeply spiritual. He was a 'giver' who gave to his country, family, friends, neighbors and colleagues, always helping and mentoring others all his life. He made everyone in his orbit feel special, valued, prettier, smarter and capable of great acts and ideas.

Eric spoiled a long line of German Shorthair Pointers...one in particular and it seems like yesterday when we heard him call,

Zeus come!

Zeus never would, finally turning up, in his own 'Zeus time'. Every other dog, ours included, simply wanted to be near him.

Eric was a beautiful sailor and a tolerant and gracious captain which was a novelty in my experience! Over the years he taught Peter the tides, the channels, ledges and winds of the bay we call home. He was a sailor who read the sky and water, grateful for the sun on his face and a good tack. That was Eric. He was grateful for all life's blessings and he knew the value of each and every one. Whenever I saw him, he always said,

every day is a gift.

He left us in early spring as the earth was warming and new life was just beginning to stir. I offer the following gifts in his memory.

Peter hikes up Blue Hill Mountain with new green grass at his feet, trailing dogs...he will miss Eric in ways I can not fathom.

Tiny lupines have appeared in the meadow with the promise of tall peppery indigo blossoms...yes, indigo...the name of Eric's Tartan 34.

Pussywillow matures into soft green in mountain sunlight.

Forsythia sways in a soft sea breeze.

Daffodils loudly proclaiming spring is here!

Gifts! Thank you Eric xo.

Jonathan Fisher House

An earlier photo in deep snow, taken 3 March, 2009.

The yellow house is a well known landmark in Blue Hill, Maine. The home, which is now a museum, belonged to the town's first Congregational minister and was, in fact, built by Parson Jonathan Fisher with the help of his neighbors. The frame went up in a day in 1812 and the house was completed in 1814.

The parson was a stern shepherd who preached a rigid code of behavior and unquestioning devotion to God to his flock, but he demanded far more of himself than he did of his parishioners. Jonathan Fisher was a builder, architect, draftsman, artist, inventor, writer, scholar and more. One can still see the imprint of his personality in his home today.

I have wanted to photograph the interior of the Parson Fisher House on a winter's day for a long time. The project I envisioned was a study of the natural light, to capture the essence of the rooms as they were long ago. I imagined the parson and his wife, Dolly, looking through the same windows feeling just as anxious for spring as I am now. New president, Amey Dodge, kindly gave up a morning to let me in with my camera.

The house will not open until mid July so many artifacts are still packed away for safekeeping. Pink insulation board covers the fireplaces and green rug pads are scattered across the floors. I touched nothing and simply set up my camera, shutter release cable and tripod. The conditions were challenging and, by mid morning, the sun was already higher than I would have liked. To complicate things further, fast moving clouds obscured sunlight and I had to rapidly change settings throughout the shoot.

The following photos are from my project. Clicking on the photos will take you to Flickr, once there, please click on the photo again to see in Lightbox and once more on Fullscreen to experience a March morning at the Jonathan Fisher House.

Jonathan Fisher's self portrait.

Jonathan Fisher's study.

Upstairs hall with partial view of Jonathan Fisher's bedroom.

Looking into the children's bedroom.

Desk made by Jonathan Fisher.

Stairs to the attic, a space that was often used for visitors while Jonathan Fisher lived in the house. Rustic and unfinished, there is little to see today apart from a collection of shoe forms in many sizes.

The Fisher House Journal provides additional views and more information on past projects at the museum.