Southwest Harbor, Maine in February
Southwest Harbor is located on the “quiet side” of Mount Desert Island (MDI). “Quiet” is a term relative to the east side of the island where you’ll find Bar Harbor and some of the most popular spots in Acadia National Park. During the “high season” months of July and August, the east side is very busy and hoppin’ place. In summer, the west side has plenty of activity too, but many …
Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail in Winter
Hiking to the top of Cadillac Mountain in winter has been on my wish list for some time. Last year while still living in Vermont, I read in the Mount Desert Islander newspaper about a guy near my age (58) who was hiking up Cadillac and had to be rescued after slipping on the ice and seriously injuring himself. …
Bass Harbor Marsh, Acadia National Park
Bass Harbor Marsh originates in Southwest Harbor in the area where Marshall Brook and Lurvey Brook come together. This combination of south flowing freshwater quickly forms into a large meandering stream with the classic S curves that naturally develop when a river or stream travels across nearly flat terrain. The flow continues to widen, is joined and fed by Buttermilk Brook, and …
New York City in Winter
New York’s lower east side is where my journey began this morning. I flew to LaGuardia last night from Bangor, Maine and checked into the “tenement chic” Blue Moon Hotel. This now upscale neighborhood was once one of the most densely populated places on earth. It is rich in history, though much of it is very dark. After checking into my if-only-the-walls-could-talk room, I walked around …
Witch Hole Pond Carriage Road
Braving the cold to have fun is simply part of living in Maine in the winter. For Janice and Emma and I, today’s recreation was a walk on the carriage roads around Witch Hold Pond. This 4.6 mile loop begins and ends at the Duck Brook Bridge which is accessed from route 233. The large image below is the view of the pond from its northern most end looking south. Believe me, it felt as cold …
Gorham Mountain Trail and Sand Beach
Today Emma and I conquered the Gorham Mountain Trail in winter conditions. A few weeks early the two of us and Janice had attempted this hike, but turned back after about a half mile because parts of the trail were too steep, narrow, and icy for snowshoes. This time we wore crampons and had no trouble at all, even with several inches of snow on top of the ice.
We parked in the …
My 15 Seconds of Fame
Andy Warhol once said that everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes. Would you take 15 seconds? That’s what I got when an image I shot in 2011 (first photo below) of two of my favorite subjects (Emma and her best-dog-that-ever-was Ginger) flashed onto the Jumbotron (second photo below) at the TD Garden in Boston right in the middle of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. I was famous …
Southwest Harbor, Maine in January
The thermometer in my Southwest Harbor kitchen read -7° F when I left the house this morning to take pictures. Such cold weather is not uncommon here in January, but it’s rare enough that I wanted to capture these frigid scenes while I had the chance. Mount Desert Island is a much different place in the winter than in the summer, but the scenery is equally spectacular. For the those …
Saint Sauveur Mission on Christmas Day
In June 1613, French Jesuit missionaries attempted to establish a colony on Mount Desert Island. Convinced by Abnaki Chief Asticou that the current day Fernald Point would be an excellent location, they came ashore, celebrated mass, and named the place Saint Sauveur. Presumably the reference is to our holy savior Jesus Christ and not to an actual saint since, to the best of my knowledge, …
Our House is a Very, Very, Very Fine House
Our friends keep asking us for pictures of our home. Here’s what it looked like this morning after the second of two back-to-back snow storms. The house was built in 1931 and that’s about all we know of its history [see update below]. It does seem that every recent owner has done something to improve it and we are trying to keep up the tradition. Downstairs there’s a kitchen, dining room, …