Morning Boat Ride...

... with Jen. When I came upstairs after my workout Jen suggested we go on a ride in the boat. The tide was right, so I picked it up from the mooring, came into shore and got her, and we took a nice cruise down to Winter Harbor. It really was flat clam and quite different than the other day with Alan and Kathy, so it was very enjoyable. Here I'm posting a shot taken in South Gouldsboro with Cadillac Mountain in the background. I had to take the boat out of the water this morning anyway because there's a leak around the channels in the motor well that I need to repair.

I got nothing... but it's late!

We sold Torrey's car... it was really ours anyway, but took it out to Route 1 and sold it in 40 minutes. Took a 10% reduction in the price, but set what I think might be a sales record. This photo is of Jen making it irresisible that morning with a wash and a coat of wax (honest, I helped with the wax).

Garden Tomato and On The Water Again

So here's a wierd tomato, kind of looks like butt cheeks, but it was big so I was tempted to pick it today and bring it down to the house. The garden goes on and on with beans, cukes, and the like.

My brother Alan and his partner came over today and we took a ride out around the islands. She loved it but it was a little bit rough as the wind was cranked up a bit and a good sea out on the bay. We took some pictures, and I would have cropped this one tighter as I clipped her off accidently in the moving ocean.

Sullivan Daze Fireworks

We just got home from taking Matt over to the bridge for the "Sullivan Daze" (benefit volunteer fire department here in Sullivan) fireworks and I took a ton of pictures. Some came out very interesting with people and things, and here I'm just posting the shots of the fireworks themselves that I liked the best. Second post today, but I didn't realize that the fireworks were tonight.

Mostly at GoodWill...

So I spent most of the morning mowing the fields and then Matt wanted to go to Bangor (usually BullMoose is his favorite stop) so I got cleaned up and to Bangor we went. I got three of the photos I'm posting here within a few minutes outside GoodWill. The grasshopper shot is some sort of an enigma to me as all morning I watched them fly around the fields as I mowed (along with what seemed like hundreds of moles and other small rodents - not woodchucks) secure and "fitting" in their natural environment, and then we drive to Bangor and I see one clinging to the glass at the GoodWill store and it seemed so out of context. All kinds of constructs can take place for this photo. It's also untouched other than size reduction for the web.

This last, as I missed the sunset, but managed to get the high tide at the shore. There is something about the water at this time of night that is so delicious. A good swim, if a bit cold coming out.

Rainbow and Sunset

Two pictures that are classic subjects: the rainbow and the sunset. I only had a 55mm lens on for the rainbow and wish I had a telephoto to try, but oh well, I'll have to get used to lugging an extra lens around to get the shots I want. The sunset was with wide angle around 18mm.

New Camera

Yeah, I know I skipped a day, but I just got a new DSLR, a Sony "Alpha 330", and although a seeming step down from it's predesessor the 300, I find it a versatile and comfortable camera to use. I am still getting used to its capabilties and have discovered a great deal so far. The shots I'm posting tonight were all taken at dusk in low light and a high ISO speed (1600) which I have discovered is more "noisy" than I like. I do, however, like the "mood" of the photos I'm posting, and I can thank the low light for that.

There seems to be no lens aberration here as with the HX1 I've been using for that past 6 months, and I like the sharp focuss all the way to the edges that this DSLR gives. Anyway, I'll be trying more things with this new equipment, and that's exciting for me!

Fur & Glass

I got a picture of Pooter the upstairs cat wrapped up in my chair. Interesting how descriptive my photos are of my day, like I didn't even go outside until around 2 p.m. as I was in the studio putting together a small glass firing for some pieces for "Sullivan Days" auction.

I shall do some more soon to put in the Maine Eclectic Shop as Lynne gets more and more people in there all the time.

A Day Mostly on the Water

Vern and I got the mower on the Cub put together with some some new teeth we had to rivet onto the sickle bar and I did some mowing in the morning, then he and Luke went out for a sail and a picnic lunch.

I took the speedboat by myself, stopped to snap pictures of the boys in the "Teacher's Pet", and then headed for Bar Harbor on a spur of the moment trip. It was a great day and very nice cruise across the bay, although a little rough with the southwest breeze.

I cruised around the harbor, took a few pictures and headed back, and as soon as I got to the mooring there were small schools of herring (or small mackerel, hard to tell which) breaking the surface of the water and frustrating the seagulls, who would dive on them but find that the webbed feet weren't conducive to grasping quick moving fish.

Clouds R Cool

The way they get so three dimensional and the subtleties of tone and texture. Gorgeous they are. I love watching them slowly change as they are influenced by the wind aloft.

A shot of the house at sunset from on the bay. About half tide.