We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic.
VAN MORRISON
... john's children, ben, forrest, and emily, are preparing for a 'round the continent sailing wanderabout (around the world, too, perhaps) ... saturday john and i drove down to bristol to share in the launching of their craft, the "eleanor joyce" ...
... arriving on the peninsula a bit early, we decided to make a visit to pemaquid point ... this two image merge was taken from a rocky perch that is one of the best places in the world to sit and, depending on your mood, either think or not think ... both work equally well in this spot ...
... we explored the famous reflecting pool ... the thin ice upon its surface is evidence of winter soon to be ...
... john snapped a picture of me ... sorry ma, but at least i wasn't wearing my sunday-go-to-church shoes ...
... it was a beautiful day, one john and i filled with a profoundly metaphysical and deeply philosophical conversation about the compositional injustice of the placement in front of the lighthouse of the little red building and the foghorn tower ... we both agreed, that for "pure" photography "what is, is" ...
... near the crowded harbor john thought best to investigate parking spots ... while he was doing so i walked over to talk with this interesting looking gentleman ...
... a trained naval engineer, dan thompson answered my questions about the wooden framework arching gracefully above his sailboat ...
... fascinating ...
... john showed up and dan told him a really cool story about the boat's masthead ... i was busy taking pictures, so i'll look forward to a retelling over lunch sometime ...
... coincidently, it turned out the framework was the same one john's son had used while his sailboat was being rebuilt ...
... at the boatyard last minute preparations were underway ...
... gram and friends enjoyed watching ...
... for john, thinking of his little girl soon to be sailing off across the deep blue sea, there was time made for a special moment ...
... soon, all the little last minute details attended to, the giant boat-lifter-upper thing's engine was cranked to full power and in obviously a well-practiced procedure the boat was transported down to the slip ...
... considering maine's maritime history, it's quite likely that for over three-hundred years sailing vessels have been brought down to this little cove ... diesel engines, nylon rope, gps antennas aside, there are spirits in this place ... ghostly apparitions in the shadows, watching, waiting, chanting all the while, "now she comes alive ... now she comes alive" ...
... crew at the tiller, the gently rocking deck a sign the boat was finally dancing with the sea, a young man is now captain, in this moment transformed, forever changed ...
... "sailor" and "sailing" is synonymous with "tradition" ... gram did the honors ...
... tenderly, lovingly, as if a newborn baby, to say, "welcome .. there's so much i will teach you, so much you will teach me, so much we are to see and do and share" ...
... a young girl, her touch gentle ... "you are real ... you are alive ... now—now we are to become the very best of friends" ...
... a father and son, one who has already climbed, one who will, both, for a moment, together ascending the mast ...
... three will sail, all will be a part of their journey ...
... charted or uncharted, no matter their course, wherever they sail this crew of brother and brother and sister will have with them a fourth mate ...
“My soul is full of longing
for the secret of the sea,
and the heart of the great ocean
sends a thrilling pulse through me.”
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
... friends, old and new, you can view all the pictures of the launching of the eleanor joyce by going to ...
... which has a nice slide show that works on tablet devices ...
... or ...
... where you can print pictures ...