SUNSET WANDERABOUT

... i had to go to the grocery store for the fixin's i needed to make liz supper, and i'd taken my camera along just in case i found a moment ... about 3:30pm just as i was about to pull into the hannaford lot my car (!) announced john was calling ... "hey, how about a little sunset photography" ... when i picked him up he suggested we head out to great pond ... "nah, that's not going to work this time of day this time of year," so i steered us up towards hinkley ... sky darkening i turned to cross the bridge over the kennebec ... glancing ahead to the eastern riverbank i saw "diana's church" painted with sunset light (she said once, "i like that little church," so that's how i think of it) ... i quickly parked the car, grabbed my camera, and, as fast as my broken ankle would allow, hobbled to the center of the span ...

... on the flipside i strolled slowly, my vision captivated by the giant sappi paper mill ... as the second machine was being finished i did photography for the corporate offices, and i'm still proud that a tiny bit of the mill's $1,000,000,000 price tag was directed my way ...

... we stopped where as it enters the kennebec the carrabassett stream forms a little pond ... i am a bit mystified, wondering if this is the same stream that flows through north new portland, hopefully someone can clear up my confusion ...

... although there's still well over a month to the winter solstice, with hinkley astride the 44.77° parallel today's sunset was at 4:17pm ... 

... with the sun below the horizon i wandered back to the car ...

... as their like have for over 400,000,000 years, this lichen pays no attention to the season ...

... this leaf seems taking its time ...

... finally, from a few days ago, little grant explores his first uncut pear ... 

My sorrow, when she's here with me,
thinks these dark days of autumn rain are beautiful as days can be;

she loves the bare, the withered tree;
she walks the sodden pasture lane.

ROBERT FROST