Both Sides of the Road

For some reason I seem to be in a "morning mode" here with blog entries. Perhaps it is because I seem to be so busy when I get home with school work I couldn't get to during the day, and so wound up from working with my young artists that all I want to do with any time away from house duties is to run upstairs and go into my studio to make art or play music.

Yesterday morning on the way to school I had to stop just before I got to Somesville and capture the sun "almost rising" to the east. It was just below a mountain and the glow, while not a bright color or anything, was very obvious against the hillside and sky. I then turned to look to the west and there was the old house (that apparently someone is fixing up as the foundation, windows and roof have been repaired and an addition to the back with a shed roof has been added) that I have photographed before but which someone has now placed a wreath upon the front door. It was bathed in such beautiful light I had to include it in this post. "Look around you" is something I often tell my photo students, but I don't follow myself often enough.

Ice Holes

So the wind was roaring, the rain was not as fierce, but there was definitely moisture in the air, and the waves were breaking on the shore behind all these ice cakes. I looked, thought once of passing Sullivan Harbor and noticing the ice sheets broken up and strewed across the shore, and decided I couldn't pass the potential images up.

Wading through the wet snow was the most uncomfortable part of getting these pictures, but I didn't dress my feet well, soo.... my own fault. I was happy with the shots, and temporarily wet feet mean little or nothing. There were a few more that showed larger sections of the shore with the pieces scattered about, but I really liked the holes in the ice, so those are the ones I'm posting. Again, click on these for larger image views, I'm posting them small to squeeze a design.

Last Night's Sunset

As the time unfolds and the day slowly moves into darkness there is often a brilliant effect on the western sky over the water. I am not sure whether the light is made more brilliant by the dark line of trees that is Sorrento, but I find it hard to do justice to the color through a photograph. Natural beauty is natural and there is something about a photograph that is required for it to take on the true properties of the natural event. Many photographers find that special quality and are able to capture it, but there are too many times where I think I might not have looked hard enough or the point of view has escaped me. This post shot is panorama from the upstairs window.

R U___

and this is my first YouTube video (I think)... spooky?

Snowbanks in the Sun

This hot was taken early this morning as we got to school. There is something about the snow pushed back by the plows that seems very sculptural, and combined with the early morning light it just seemed to make a good photograph. The snow can seem very monumental when taken in the right context and when it is lit as beautifully as in this post!
I am getting into the "Big Read" here on the Island, and Call of the Wild brings out the wilderness man in me. Snowshoeing, camping out and all seems like so much fun!

The Ones of Me are When I'm Desperate!

I have no time to get my camera and download the few pics I got today. I missed a ton of them the last few days and have thought about turning around and going back for the shot too many times this past week. I need to be quicker on the draw!

Guitar and the Woods

I did a double workout today and only got the chance to play guitar for about 15 minutes, but it was a good day. I am really dropping back on the posts, but I am searching for my muse so I really don't mind the posts as they are secondary. I really am getting in tune with a bunch of portraits from imagination, and I am liking some of the directions. I will post when I have something.

Fun Day at Orono...

...my Art II class and I enjoyed the Senior Capstone Exhibit at the University of Maine. Some excellent work by the class of 2010!

... and my nights seem surrounded by satin!

Rondo Compositions

I put a plastic cylinder on the lens of my camera the other day and started looking through the viewfinder with this round format. Everything looks so different, some things take on an interest and importance that they otherwise did not seem to have, and balancing compositions has a refreshingly new excitement. The one I chose to post is from the top of my sewing machine table, the machine was my mother's and it's an old external motor job with a knee operated motor control. Straight stitch only, but fast and I like it.

Snowshoe Trail and Crooked Shadows

These photos are actually from yesterday, but I like them, I enjoyed that hike up Baker Hill yesterday, and I thought I really would like to see them on the blog. So, here they are... it seems like there are so many options for photos out in the woods, even though at times it seems like they are "just woods". These shots really captured the sense of light in the afternoon in the winter, and there were a few more that I also liked but really don't have room for them all, these are my favorites, mostly for their composition.

I missed a really good shot this morning on the way to school crossing the Taunton River Bridge. Of course, I'm beginning to think that being ready for that quick shot is the most important thing. I miss so many good shots, and kick myself every time. This morning was, of course, one of those I hate to miss. The moon was showing a thin crescent with upturned ends in a dark blue sky, and the sun was glowing on the eastern horizon with a heavy dark mist softening at its edges sitting in the middle of the river. The cold and the moisture were combining to make a natural filter that gave the light such a special glow looking across the water. Not enough light though, and I missed it.

4:30 and End of the Day...

... and still standing. Very busy classes right now with Photo I finishing up all enlargements, Fiber Arts working on Batik project and Art II painting (some large scale). Today started off with Art Society meeting, segued into Service Learning meeting (during my prep), and then into full day of classes. I'm still feeling good at the end of a long day at all the "stuff" we accomplished, and the fact that I can still stand says a lot about my stamina.


I took the above shot early this morning after going into the kitchen and noticing the light on the kitchen counter and table. Why I don't appreciate these things at certain times and do at others has to do with energy and perception. This shot just struck me this morning with its drama, and I might have felt a bit dramatic as I was preparing my apology note.

Snowshoeing on Blueberry Hill

David took to me to one of his favorite snowshoeing spots this afternoon and we had some deep snow to trudge through. A good workout and we laid down a good starting trail for the winter months, as long as the snow doesn't come in too big layers we can use the path we've cut. Again I am so impressed by the solitude and stillness of the forest.

There is an old cemetery a ways back from the road, and it has only two stones one of which is the monumental one in the photograph above. The site is surrounded by stone piers with steel bars forming the enclosure, and the trees must be more than 60-70 years old that have grown up in it. There is obvious neglect there and that tells a story (or perhaps many possible stories) in itself, doesn't it?

Red Ranger Back Together

So I had the opportunity to spend part of the first two days of this year with my brother, whom I don't ever really have the chance to spend enough time with, but when I do it is almost always very enjoyable. Today I just kind of finished most of the things left to do on my own as he ended up having to work most of the day. It was very good to have some time with him though, as he made it to the shop this afternoon and finished up the welding on the frame. What fun!

Working on the Ranger

And having a chance to spend the day with my brother. More to do tomorrow to finish, but should be done by noon, so good accomplishments today! I like the action of the sparks in these pics, and the compositions work all right too!

Happy New Year!

... and a welcoming world of snow outside! I hope we get another foot at least so that I can use my snowshoes some more. Shoveling it is a task I know everyone complains about, and it does seem useless work, removing frozen water from the pathways of travel, but it is such a part of living in Maine that I can't imagine not having it around during the winter.


My first post is a photo of the punts (skiffs, rowboats, etc.) in front of the house on the shore. I'm sure I've posted pictures of the Luna Sea before, but in this context she is put up for the winter, turned over to keep snow and weather out, and that somehow seems symbolic to me... not quite hibernation, but something for which students might be challenged to construct a meaning. Look at all the stuff there: snow; not just on top, but stuck to the side as well, the outgoing tide; no snow on the beach, etc., etc.