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June 29, 2016

SOMETHING'S BREWIN' UP IN THE WESTERN SKY

... twenty minutes ago, to the south ...

... a few minutes later, to the northeast northwest ...

... then, still from my rooftop perch, a rather schizoid western sky ...

... now, it seems, something's about to happen in the atmosphere ...

... not that it's my intent to offend an entire industry, but i like it that there's always a great show on the big screen, price of admission a simple look ...

... when i was really confused ma offered up the advice, "you'll never make a mistake giving thanks," so, a lesson learned well, "thank you—thank you very much" ...

"When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon,
my soul expands in the worship of the creator."
MOHANDAS KARAMACHAND GANDHI

June 27, 2016

ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

... after i picked up john i coasted the car down his driveway to the edge of western avenue, stopped, and asked, "which way" ... of course, it never much matters the direction we head, but the question has become a bit of a not-to-be-neglected ritual ... after a bit of wandering, during which we found a great waterfall—or, better put, what will be a great waterfall once it rains—we circled up through strong and then made our way to north new portland ...

... only a few days out of surgery, john demonstrates his resolve ... camera, of course, is merely prelude to a canoe paddle ...

... i never tire of photographing the wire bridge ...

... after a stop for refreshments in kingfield, we made our way to the dam on gillman stream ... next to the guard rail were these beautiful flowers ...

... this one i know, lupine ... lupinus perennis ... for over 6,000 years this plant was eaten in the andean highlands ... it was never bred to increase its nutritional content, however, and fell out of favor as a food source after the spanish conquest of the region ...

... little remains of what was once a busy sawmill ...

... i think the water gates are still maintained, otherwise i'd have succumbed to a rather childish urge and given all these wheels a spin ...

... this is my favorite ... i mean, how cool would it be to have the job that actually authorizes you to play with this ...

... another wonderful flower ... blue ...

... its perfectly purple pal ...

... i've no idea, but i'm betting they're going to become something wonderful ...

... i was thinking, "m'be i'll knock on the door, see if they're selling any of that clear paint varnish—you know, the stuff that comes in a mason jar and is federal tax free" ...

... i hope i helped john heal ...

THREE PORTRAITS

... taken very quickly with a thirty-year old zuiko 50mm f/1.4 manual focus lens, i'm quite pleased with this snapshot of robert's "in house bookbinder" ... i've misplaced his name somewhere in my brain, as soon as i find it i'll annotate the picture properly ... [added: with robert's help, "mark mcpheters"] ...

... on an outing to take campaign pictures for robert i got to meet paul b. frederic, who is also seeking election as a somerset county commissioner (from a different district) ... he's a most fascinating man who wears a watch with an oddly skewed face, knows all about hayin', and has a phd in geography ... first impression, i'd vote for him ...

... on the steps of his office-soon-to-be, my own candidate, robert ...

... although it doesn't have quite the ring of the jimmy stewart film, i'm thinking that "mr. sezak goes to skowhegan" will still pack the local matinees, and for sure the cw channel'll pick it up for a late-night rerun ...

MEGAN TURNS A TEEN

... time for cake, megan is thirteen ...

... tom, perhaps planning out the swimming trials for the 2024 olympics ...

... for some the "rug rat" days end slowly ...

... for a moment, still ...

... a smile in which the entire world is a better place ...

... "i'm beginning to like that funny little toy you're always pointing at me" ...

... "sure, i'd like some supper" ...

... "argh—have YOU tasted this stuff" ...

... in this moment truth emerges: three amigos ...

... happy birthday, megan ... of all the photographs i take these are the kind i most enjoy capturing, so thank you for allowing me to snap away to my heart's content ...

June 19, 2016

WALKER BRINGS US ALL TO THE WIRE BRIDGE

... for almost one-quarter of his entire life walker's been talking about visiting the wire bridge ... last week he and i made a little "scoutabout," which, as you know, is a wanderabout specifically designed to prepare for a shared event ... today the entire tracy gang and i drove up to enjoy the carrabassett's cool currents ...

... baby grant enjoyed the scene from his special horsefly proof enclosure ...

... danny and megan investigated "salmon babies" ... [no fish were harmed in the making of this walkabout, all the little fellows were returned safely to the stream] ...

... a previous child had been attempting to dam up the river, with no mulch in sight chad immediately took to the task of completing the rock wall ...

... em and baby grant looked on, "his arms are going to be sore tonight" ...

... soon, other engineers joined the effort ...

... look up "rugged" in the dictionary ...

... i'm not going to be surprised if someday i turn on the tv to witness a crowd cheering as this kid hefts an absurdly huge set of barbell weights over his head ...

... when "mary anne" retires mike mulligan can hire chad ...

... spectators looking on, walker takes the leap ...

... tom, thinking serious thoughts about—well, rocks, i guess ...

... this kid goes on "survivor," his tribe'll eat well ...

... "one more—one more—just one more" ...

... walker enjoys a boulder chair ...

... baby grant tried to eat my camera lens ...

... sisters ...

... when we got back the house it was baby grant's turn to swim ...

... yes, indeed, a most wonderful afternoon ...

"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts."
HENRY DAVID THOREAU

June 18, 2016

SOME PHOTOGRAPHS

... here is a collection of photographs i took during the past month or so ... for me they are what some might call "random snapshots," taken with no thought of either thematic or stylistic connection ... if it turns out that you somehow manage to connect them, well, i'll be very pleased ...

... crossing the two-penny bridge, three young boys on a wanderabout ...

... timothy, one of my downtown neighbors ...

... job shadowing in the temple street antique clothing store ...

... no rain, just a little nice day treat ...

... the two-penny bridge, the last active toll footbridge in the united states ...

... my little town ...

... beth'll email their proper name, i'm just happy they are ...

... do you remember being lost in a forest of adults ... ??? ...

... making the bread, or, in this case, cookies ...

"If you fall behind, run faster.
Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds."
JESSE JACKSON

... always fascinating, even if no one is home ...

... a quick mugshot for robert's county commissioner campaign ...

... i like taking pictures ...