The amazing power of nature is nothing that I have ever questioned growing up on the coast and seeing my first drowned body as a youngster. We all knew the power of the ocean and were constantly warned of it, but some were adventurous and took unsafe risks... some were just ignorant. Yesterday's tragedy on MDI kind of brought a sense of guilt to me because of what I saw at Schoodic Point of people being a bit foolhardy and thinking that someone might get hurt. At Grindstone Neck I warned a young couple away from the slippery rocks just before a huge wave came in and dragged a 300 pound rock down across the flat ledges and into the sea. They were immediately impressed by the power of that much water and thankful they were well up on the bank when it struck the shore.
I worked on my truck in Winter Harbor mostly in the morning and then was drawn to the likelihood of some powerful shots of the ocean, so went out to Schoodic to check it out. The traffic was unbelievable as was the surf, with the road to the point being closed about 2 hours before high tide (ocean coming across the road in places at that time) and maybe 1,000 people at that part of the park. I took 80+ shots and some video, but could have used up all my storage easily. I'll post just a couple of the best ones.
I've enjoyed all the creative Children's Museum Auction pieces over the years; the mirrors, the boxes, the benches, but I think my favorite so far (maybe that has changed this year) was the rocking chairs. I thought all those surfaces were really neat to work with toward conception. There are many great pieces that come from this challenge, and I've always considered this sort of "voluntary arts" project similar to pro bono work that doctors and lawyers often do, so it reflects nicely on the arts professionals in our area of the State of Maine.
I saw the apple on the ground up at Vern's and I just had to get a picture (I've gotten a little feedback - mostly "yucky, why take a picture of that?") because it showed so much determination (the apple) to exist and present so much interest and character in the details of its appearance. The background was left after the trimming of surrounding vegetation. Age and aging? Don't get me started, there is so much to be said for things as they are... we can't or shouldn't change the process of getting older. If people want to modify it, that's fine, technology and such allows people to do so with varying success, but to me it's the inside, not the surrounding shell htat's the important thing. So, I guess we just need to respect those that are older for just reaching that point and make sure that we find out about the inside, the part that counts!
Berries have been everywhere this summer! The raspberries are pretty much gone by as most of them have fallen, but the blackberries have just started to ripen. How cool (notice the "cooling" reference used to combat the high heat and humidity we've been suffering the last few days) is it to have berries continually ripening throughout the summer? I really like the blackberries, too! This shot shows the vines pretty full and just starting to ripen. If I were to use these berries and their continually ripening, unfolding appearance as a personal metaphor it would have to be a transition, a change or changing, not of the whole, but of an aspect or part. The plants continue, browning back and then lying dormant during the winter to spring forth and ripen in the summer warmth.
Well, it's really (I don't think anyway) not as hot as hell might be, but I took some liberties with this first shot in shooting right at the sun this morning. The haying season, albeit late because of all the wet weather, still makes these monolithic looking sculptures in the fields. The way they are positioned beside each other I realize is completely random, but they have an infinite relationship to one another as one moves ones point of view. I like this shot for the balance of the objects and for the obvious haze in the immediate background. The telephoto brought the background closer, but it also showed how much moisture was in the air. My studio is stifling hot right now, so I'm preparing to move to the basement to read.
The next shot is a social commentary (subtle?) on the stationary Island Explorers buses. I know the idea is that you can move a lot of people fairly energy efficiently with these buses (noted for their use of natural gas/propane as fuel) but is it the economy that has them all "out of service"? I see these things that make decent pictures but also may have a story within them as well. This shot is a cool (which I really need right now) random repetitive pattern of the bus bodies.
Funny how fate and the miraculous workings of the universe sometimes come around and provide irony in people's lives. My brother built a "punt", which is what I have always called what might be a rowboat to others or maybe those that are "come-from-away"s. He gave it to our family back when we were all living together in the early 80's and we named it the Luna Sea, not looking toward (or being able to see into) the future or how mental illness might effect our family or our lives, and it's always been a watercraft for us.
Yep, the room's a mess, but we don't own it so apparently don't care. I like that Jen is not constantly cleaning everything around the room and it is a good sign that she has had the chance to relax a little bit and think of other things. Everything has gone fine at home (from the daily phone call checkup reports) so that is also a stress reliever.
2 photos (we were told not to bring cameras or recording devices) were from my cell phone and I was ticked that there were all kinds of people with cameras there... I could have gotten some great shots! Oh, well what is, is! Anyway, a picture of Jennifer Nettles from the big screen and a picture of Jen trying to contain her excitement as Sugarland prepared to come on stage.
Anyway, I couldn't finish all of my chicken fajitas salad, so I'll post a picture (in keeping with the "food" theme) of what I had left over! Yummm! We are now off to go to the Meadowbrook Pavillion to see "Sugarland", just a walk up the road of a mile or less will save us a lot of traffic aggravation. Sad thing is no cameras, but I will bring my sketchbook and try to get a drawing down.
We had a nice dinner with Cary, Torrey's ex-girlfriend and still friend whom we still love a lot. She is a marvelous young woman from Cranberry Isles who has an exquisite sense of taste and style and who is going back to school this fall for nursing. The photo is of her and Jen at dinner in Pizzaria UNO at the mall.
The day was about food, but the flowers around Portland and the Mall are really gorgeous and it seems that so many people take this natural beauty for what it is (beautiful) or there wouldn't be all the plantings and such around to make everything look nice! Beauty is where you find it, isn't it?
It's funny how people that obviously aren't from "around heah" sometimes react to the ocean and especially the intertidal zone. These two kids were likely staying at the campground up the bay and they found, among the rocks on our shore, a great source of fun and adventure in picking up crabs. I talked to them and they had accents that placed them in the south (maybe Portland or Scarborough, heh, heh), but a youthful energy (well, the youngest one at least) for finding these elusive creatures of the sea and the adventure resulting. I suggested that they gather a bunch and bring them back to their parents to "cook up", as they are very tasty, but they couldn't imagine eating such a thing!
My table for the Children's Museum auction is primed and ready to paint. I have a general idea of the theme for the piece being a boat floating in the ocean, with the try painted as the hull of a boat (you know, wood grain with planks and ribs and such on the inside and maybe a waterline and a name on the outside) and the legs painted as the depths of the sea and its creatures with maybe posts coming out of the water and rocks and ledges in between. The photo is in-progress and shows the alterations I made to the legs and the table top for the ocean effect. Excuse the mess in my studio, I've been busy!
The motor gave us some problems last year with not really seeming to get enough fuel, so I took the carbs off and dismantled and cleaned them, blowing them out with compressed air. We took the boat up to the pond to try the motor and it seemed to run OK, but the steering was frozen up. If it's not one thing, it's another!
The new material for me is stone, and a true "cab" is actually made from a slice of mineral or gemstone and shaped through grinding. I've been grinding some rocks the last few days...
I made my own supper tonight as we decided to use up some leftovers and so we are looking at a lobster sandwich and a half (I already had eaten the other half of the second sandwich) along with a nice iced glass of grape kool-aid. My diet has been as weird as the summer!
Looking to the southwest after finishing the walkway in stones around the east side of the house to the patio, once again there were faces in the sky. I've seen whole faces, figures, skeletons and all sorts of mystical and magic things in those clouds, and it always seems like there is something meant for me when I make those visual connections. Today, just a face looking to the left and up, but there is a sense of pride and sharpness of features that makes this a figure telling me to hold my head up, all is good in the world.
I shot 50 some odd pictures today and I'm noticing now that with choosing photos for the blog that I have trouble narrowing down my selections. I had 4 or 5 that I would have posted, but I think I am going to try and stay in the one-a-day routine. This will do several things for me, the most significant of which would be to help me become more selective, and more introspective with the choices I make, hopefully selecting only the best that I have to offer. This is hard. I like so many.
Finishing the patio was the big deal for the day. David and I got a fairly early start (for two old guys on a Saturday) and we moved the 4 yard pile of stones on to the patio surface and voila, the patio was finished. Of course there was prep work, we did a grade for the gravel underneath and then compacted it, covered it with landscaping cloth (to keep silt from working into the stone and for washout around the edges) and then wheelbarrowed the stone into place. I think we were done by 2 or so, and then we had the opportunity to go sailing, so we did.
Not much wind, but Vern's Cape Dory trots along a few knots without much push needed. The day was gorgeous, lots of sun, and the cruise took us over to the east side of Calf Island where I got some great shots of the mountains unobstructed. It was a bit hazy, but the Porcupines out in front and the listening water made for some nice shots. I took quite a bit of video as I want o work some more with iMovie '09 and I told Vern I would try to put together a decent sailing movie for him (I need the practice, as I want to do a lot more video in school next year).
