lobster trap chairs

Lobster trap chairs, apparently a Maine thing.

Bath, ME

Bath, Maine in the rain. For a fleeting moment I forgot what country I was in; it felt more like Scotland or Canada.

Acadia National Park

A couple scenes from the famous Park Loop Road at Acadia National Park.

Cadillac Mountain

The mountain I hiked up many years ago with my family... This time I drove up. At 1,529 feet it's the highest point in Acadia National Park.

Mount Battie

A popular perch behind the town of Camden, the view from which inspired one of the poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Mount Battie is part of Camden Hills State Park and has an elevation of 800 feet.

indisputably picturesque Camden, ME

...and its indisputably picturesque harbor.

the famous lighthouse in Rockland, ME

...offering nice views of Rockland Harbor and Penobscot Bay.

the famous breakwater in Rockland, ME

...offering nice views of Rockland Harbor and Penobscot Bay.

the "other Portland" continued

The area known as the Eastern Promenade, not to be confused with the Western Promenade.

Longfellow Square

With a name like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a person could really go places in life. One place he didn't go, but wrote about, was Louisiana's Cajun Country - and the displaced inhabitants of Acadia (of which Maine was a part). His epic poem 'Evangeline' addressed the human side of that displacement. Therein lies the Maine-Louisiana connection.

Portland, Maine : the "other Portland"

It took over half a century, but we finally made it to the "other Portland", Portland, Maine. It was worth the wait. On the up side: surrounded by water on four sides, it's almost an island. It's got some great shops, restaurants, and architecture. On the down side: smokers and long winters. That's just a snapshot of this city of 67,000.

I always think of the line from 'The Shining' when Jack Nicholson says "You're the best damn bartender from Timbuktu to Portland Maine - or Portland, Oregon  for that matter." That book was of course written by the city's famous literary son: Stephen King. The other famous literary son is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Zen Buddhism

Sometimes when going through the parental record collection, these artifacts from another time and place just strike you a certain way, and what it does to your consciousness... is not unlike Zen Buddhism.

banana milk

There is a first time for everything. Today it's banana milk.

Old Fort Madison

Old Fort Madison in Iowa, along the Mississippi River, the way it looked from the train.

elk of northern New Mexico

...as seen from the train. I don't recall ever seeing so many. 

the train platform...

...in Albuquerque, NM where I famously purchased an Indian (or Mexican?) blanket.

sometimes the tea matches the tablecloth

Venice Canals revisited

Ventura Promenade

The Ventura Promenade at its best.