Inside the Cereal Box

Hello from Connecticut and a house with children and dachshunds! I am working with a small notebook and cameraphone while Peter and I care for our grandchildren. Limited opportunities for photography and a (very!) small arsenal of tools are providing an interesting challenge for creativity! The subject of the above photo is a prize from a cereal box and considered a real treasure by my young grandson. I photographed the little toy to surprise him with my cameraphone and processed the picture on my phone, tilting and swirling the image to give it a sense of motion before uploading to Flickr. The fruit bowl on the breakfast table provided the rich blue background.

Blooming Inside #2

Focus on a stream of sunlight in the parlor, viewed through the gentle arch of a phalaenopis.

A similar view with the focus on the petals and the parlor window beyond.

We will be gone for awhile, busy with family matters. Hopefully spring will soon arrive for everyone...and perhaps there will be a few signs in Maine when we return!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than with the exquisite green in the reception area at the National Library of Ireland! More information here.






Photographed 3 September, 2009. The National Library of Ireland kindly included the above photo in their Flickr Gallery, "How You See Us."

Today's link from "You Must Remember This."

Blooming Inside #1

The sun streaming in the house creates a beautiful rose glow on my off-white walls.

I love orchids of all varieties and have tried time and again to get them to bloom in Maine, but only my sturdy phalaenopsis plants reliably give pleasure after the initial purchase. These old friends produce one bud laden spike after another and they do so year after year. I keep the plants on open shelving next to an old steam radiator in my laundry room until the buds are fully formed and almost ready to open, then they can be placed anywhere I like. The blossoms often last six to seven months before, once again, going into a long resting period of a year or more. We need patience in Maine! Indoors or out, we wait a long time for flowers to bloom.

Today's link from "You Must Remember This."

Winter Light Flare

Perhaps it is the combination of snow and intense cold that produces this spectacular phenomenon just moments before the sun sets...

the camera doesn't quite capture the light, but I have always liked the high key result. As usual, I am breaking all the rules shooting into the sun.

Night follows so quickly.

drip Drip DRIP

Sly old winter, you arrive, red and gold, with the promise of air fragrant with woodsmoke, ripening pears and crisp apples. Blank spiral notebooks herald new beginnings and unlimited possibilities. The blue twinkle of Christmas lights and freshly fallen snow promise peace on earth and there are hints of happiness behind the yellow glow of the windows in my small town.

The cold deepens, and slanting light across frozen fields flares, a bright splash, before plunging us into an early darkness. The moment is too beautiful, too brief.

Winter sears and chafes. Icy drafts seep through windows and doors. Every step is perilous and slick with danger.

Winter, so reluctant to leave this place, grudgingly loosens its grip one small irredescent drop at a time.

For John.

When the Tourists are Gone

Picturesque window decorated with lobster buoys in Stonington, Maine.

The snow melts quickly on the steep roofs in Stonington. I love the geometric shapes of the houses against the dazzling winter sun.

Lobster pound in Stonington, Maine

Winter is my favorite time to visit Stonington, long after the tourists have left. I love its busy shoreline with traditional fishing activity and the dwindling number of boats that head out to frigid open water in winter. It's hard to imagine working in those conditions, even on land the wind whips and burns your skin. My fingers are numb and it is difficult to adjust the settings on my camera.

Houses are perched on a steep hill above a main street lined with galleries, restaurants and a few shops. Most are closed except for the homey Harborside cafe where we always go for traditional fish chowder.

A cheery table at the Harborside Cafe with a view of fishing boats through the window.

I am not a fan of cream pies (a Maine staple!) but this version with blueberries was worth a bite (see "tuck up" in the previous post!)

Neatly stacked lobster traps and a fishing boat quietly waiting for spring. You can view more Stonington scenes here.

"We Like to See Some Tuck-up"

Update for friends of Cooper!



No doubt about it, this has been a hard winter in Maine for waistlines, even for little dachshunds...and there is still a lot of snow outside!






Cooper had his wellness vet visit today and he is in fine shape, but...(Greg added) "we like to see some tuck-up." On the plus side, the path up the mountain is melting and out door exercise will soon be a part of Cooper's routine. A brisk walk, however, is not in the works as his hound dog nose is on overdrive investigating every heady bouquet on the trail. The bad news? A little less kibble in Cooper's future....in our future too!



All up to date with shots, blood test for heartworm, newly vaccinated for Lyme disease and a pedi...he was very well behaved. We had to give him a treat when we got home!

From Key West to Lubec

The zero Mile marker and the end of route 1 in Key West, Florida. At the very end of the key there is a sign with the information that Cuba is 40 miles away. Photo taken in January, 2010. Having gotten that far, we were determined to make it to Lubec the same year!




The beautiful scenery and distinctive lighthouse in Lubec, Maine is just over a two hour drive from home. It is the furthest point east in the United States. From Lubec, one can take the bridge to Campobello Island, an adventure we will have to save for summer when the historic site is open.




We chose a bright and windy November day for our first excursion all the way Down East to complete our span from one end of the country to the other. The lighthouse cast a dramatic shadow in the noon day sun and, further beyond, the trail to the beach was slick with a thin film of ice from an earlier storm. After a tricky descent, we picked our way along the shore with care, teetering on large rocks smooth as eggs.




A stunning vista and dead low tide revealing golden marsh grass and an expanse of mud flats.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge

The bridge to Campobello viewed from the small town of Lubec. Shot taken late in the afternoon (after the best lobster stew I have ever had!)

Today's link from "You Must Remember This."

Story Fields

Deer Isle, Maine

Deer Isle, Maine

Deer Isle, Maine

Maine's rural graveyards are a world apart from the vast cemeteries that look like parks in urban areas. We often share common ground with our dead. Tiny enclosures and meadows beside old clapboard houses, sprinkled with weather worn tilted stones, can be found along the side of our roads everywhere. I think of these places as story fields of people who celebrated similar joys and sorrows and whose eyes once gazed on the same lovely coastal views as I do now. The burying grounds are beautiful to photograph in all seasons, but I think they are especially moving in winter. Still and silent with a tracery of shadows, one sees only a scattering of small animal tracks barely breaking the surface of deep snow. For now, they are the only intruders in these cold winter gardens.

Fearless Photography

Untitled: By ccgoldendreamer, November 7, 2010.

I loved this photograph the moment I saw it and my Flickr contact, ccgoldendreamer, kindly gave me permission to post the image on my blog. It's a wonderful example of how we see with our camera...the result is a beautiful reflected pattern and a shimmering abstract. I was also intrigued by her comment, "This entire building is brilliant . . . . a brilliant copper color & yields some of the best reflections ever. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, photography of it is . . . erm . . . 'frowned upon', as I found out last time I was there." Evidently security doesn't like people photographing their building and my friend worried they might confiscate her memory card, happily they didn't. She did not mention its location.

There is nothing so joyous as being out with a camera and every once in awhile we are reminded what a powerful piece of equipment we carry with us.