Processed

I am not a great fan of highly defined and overly processed photos. It's a personal preference, even though I know there is a lot of very creative work being done with stunning results. However, I like to vicariously travel; to briefly live in a scene made possible through other photographer's eyes. Somehow the intimacy of their view is lost (for me) in the midst of too many hard edges and over bright colors. If I can sense the 'truth' in the image, I am just as happy in a photographer's creative kitchen, or in far away Japan. That said, I have been unable to completely resist some of the digital toys that facilitate this alternative vision.

Sea Heather, taken August 3, 2009.
I'll be Back Soon, taken August 8, 2009.

I will be back soon....after seeking a little southern sun....

Clear Blue Sky....a little winter poetry

Snow and pastel contrasts in Stonington, Maine. View larger on Flickr: Pink House with Lobster Traps and Undisturbed Snow.

I'm in the mood for bright and bold!

I'm in the mood for bright and bold and I wondered just where do I see that in Maine? Yes, we have color. Spring and Summer simultaneously arrive with a gorgeous palette and it is beautiful to behold. But bold and vivid are surprisingly hard to find and after looking through many sets of my photos, I could only locate a few images that came close to the intensity I was seeking.




I love the bright primary colors and the fact that the equipment looks like a larger version of the Tonka toys my son loved years ago!



I photographed the two blue chairs outside an antiques shop in Brunswick, Maine on a lovely sunny July day. The sky was a beautiful clear blue and the trees and grass were lush and green from all the rain, but the chairs just popped against the Maine Street landscape.



I was intrigued by the saturated colors of the old glass and contrasting price tags; again in an antique store. I wouldn't have thought I would find bright and bold amongst the worn, faded and, perhaps, formerly loved offerings on display.



I think of all the flowers that bloom in Maine, it is the humble day lily that provides the brightest splash of color. We have a mass of them on the bank in front of our cottage and when they are in bloom, the lilies provide a beacon of orange that we can see whenever we return home by boat.



I always look to the sky for our most glorious displays of color. Our sunsets are so brief, so elusive and if you are preoccupied with something else, you will surely miss that intense vivid blast.

Perhaps, for some, the above photographs do not seem so colorful, but please scroll down to see the contrast of the soft muted tones of our winter views.

Spring Somewhere Else....

The view from my world....

Feeling wistful today as I increasingly see signs of Spring on Flickr.

From top to bottem: , Little Deer Isle, Little Deer Isle and Closed Until Summer.

Just the Two of Us ~ Random Memory #6 ~ Texas

Happy Valentine's Day to lovers young and old! Especially PAB, JCB & JFB! I love you!

Random Memory #6 ~ Texas

Peter is in Viet Nam, not for a long tour, but I am worried nonetheless. While he is away, I fly with my parents from New York to Austin to visit my brother who is a freshman at the University. When I walk through his dormitory door, I see my husband; I have no idea how he managed to move heaven and earth to be in that place. I'm falling and falling....Peter catches me, just like he has always done.

View larger on Flickr.

A Gift from JCB ~ Random Memory #5 ~ Iran

Ceramic flask from Iran.

Random Memory #5 ~ Iran

The movers came early in the summer to pack up our household to send to Iran. The agent said it could take a month or two, but in actual fact, it was four months before our shipment was delivered to our new home. We spent the rest of that summer living in a small Inn not far from our empty house. It was convenient because the children and I could go back and forth to our old home where we had many picnics in the yard while I did laundry in an effort to keep two little ones neat and tidy in our present vagabond lifestyle. Over the next few weeks we said our "goodbyes" to family and friends and made countless trips to doctors' offices for all the shots we needed...there were so many and scarcely time to fit in all the inoculations before our departure! The children's pediatrician was reluctant to give them a full dose of the cholera vaccine saying it would be far too much for their small bodies to safely absorb, so it was decided the other half should be administered a week after we arrived in Tehran.

Those first strange and confusing days will have to wait for other "Random Memories", but we did go to the Pasteur Institute for that second dose. Of course, it took forever to get there through Tehran's careening and snarling traffic. Just imagine bumper cars at a carnival! I remember the day so well...feeling hot, cranky, jet lagged, queasy from unfamiliar food and, more than anything else, worried about how to give the children a sense of security and stability while our world stood on its head. My little daughter and son had dark circles under their eyes and the change in food and water had affected them badly....and all throughout, they were so very very good!

I spoke no Farsi, so I slowly and clearly explained that my children required a half dose of cholera vaccine. Not a problem, they could do that, the shots were briskly administered and "Full Dose" recorded in their yellow health records. "Full Dose"! I was on the verge of a maternal meltdown, but the technician just shrugged saying "ok ok" and 'solved' the problem by crossing out "Full Dose" and substituting the word "half". I really don't know if that massive dose of vaccine made them any sicker, they suffered so much in those first few weeks. It would get better...we would all leave a piece of ourselves in Iran.

Music in Maine ~ A New Generation

When we arrived for an afternoon at the symphony, recently, we found these young musicians playing in a pre concert recital at the Collins Center, University of Maine, Orono. I loved the way they were engaged with their music and it was heartening to see so much enthusiasm!





Earlier today I had a marathon phone (2 hours!) conversation with Udie. We often speak of her older brother, Tonny, who was so musically gifted. Many decades ago he and my grandmother attended the (then) infant Austin, Texas Symphony. I doubt Tonny ever expressed any unkind sentiments about the fledgling orchestra's efforts, but Udie said my grandmother could do a devastating impression. Udie asked if the Bangor Symphony is any good. "Oh yes! Very!" I said. I thought about the young folks playing so earnestly. You have to start somewhere...I wish them all the success in the world!

Sueña siempre con los angelitos ~ Random Memory # 4 ~ New Hampshire

Taken with an LG camera phone, December 13, 2008.

Random Memory #4 ~ New Hampshire

I am at summer camp and have been assigned a bunk next to Rosalia from the Dominican Republic. We instantly become friends and are inseparable for the next eight weeks. I love to hear about her home and family, although some of her stories are sad and quite frightening and very much outside this young American's experience. The conversations awaken a desire to break away from my own familiar world....I can see the colors and light of Rosalia's country in my mind and I love her accented English.

All throughout the summer, when lights are out and we are in the dark of a cool New Hampshire night, Rosalia whispers "Sueña siempre con los angelitos." I ask what it means and she replies "dream always with the little angels."

I too, have whispered Rosalia's good night blessing to my own children...and now, to "M" when she visits. She rolls the unfamiliar vowels and consonants around in her child's mouth trying to duplicate the phrase. She loves the sound of the strange language and falls asleep repeating the words over and over.

For my Flickr friend, PETRONIALOCUTA, whose sweetness reminds me of Rosalia.

Caterpillar Hill: probably the most photographed view in Hancock County. Sedgwick, Maine

Standing on Caterpillar Hill looking toward Penobscot Bay and the Camden Hills in the distance.



A week ago....

There is a woman standing by her car, camera attached to tripod, intently composing a shot. We eye one another's equipment and respective vantage points and soon strike up a conversation. She is a lovely person. When she leaves, I stand where her tripod had been just moments before. Oh yes! Her perspective was great!

Cold Weather Comfort Food

                                                                                

Mmmm, a bowl of fish chowder, chock full of fish, scallops, shrimp, clams and potatoes served steaming at the Harbor cafe in Stonington, Maine. Naturally the chowder is rich in butter and  should be followed by chocolate cream pie with a graham cracker crust! There is no greenery in sight when this simple fare is put in front of you, but after a cold morning outdoors it is, well...almost heaven!

....and this curious little recipe was stitched in a sampler I saw at Cabot Mill Antiques in Brunswick, Maine.

Deer Isle, Maine in Sepia

Part of the appeal of our state is the sense of nostalgia Maine invokes and visitors exploring our small towns may feel like they are captured in one of the vintage post cards one finds in the antique barns dotted along the coast. Here, you can experience the past as you stroll through the streets...or in some cases, the street! In our small villages, time stands still when you are well off route 1.

Noncolor in Color

These unplanned shots are the result of my spontaneous reactions to various combinations of light and deep shadow. The details pop! I love subtle color that barely makes an impression, and unlike a black & white or sepia image, the color is there.