Burnt Cove, Deer Isle

It has been close to a decade since I journeyed to the beautiful state of Maine for an adventure. Maine is situated in the northeastern part of the States. Over the course of a week in August of 2008, I drove along the coast of Maine. First, I stopped in the quaint small town of Camden, situated along the Mid Coast. I walked around the harbor and shopped in Stonewall Kitchen, and even drove way up to the top of Mt. Battie to take in a view of the entire Mid Coast scenery.

Then I pulled up stakes and drove farther northeast to Downeast Maine. I made the Barncastle Inn, just outside of Blue Hill, my base. From the inn each day, I would venture out trekking to various locales in and around Downeast Maine, such as Deer Isle, Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park. I spent a day in Bar Harbor and took in the harbor walk along the coast. Just as I was finishing my walk on the approach to downtown Bar Harbor, I caught the last of the tourists as they boarded the beautiful tall ship, Margaret Todd, as it set sail for an evening sunset cruise.

I visited the small island of Deer Isle, just south of Blue Hill, where I photographed the foggy harbor of Stonington with several tall ships cruising through. One afternoon, I made the short drive from Blue Hill to Burnt Cove on Deer Isle to photograph this precious little inlet with its colorful New England homes situated on the coast. The sailboats sat idle as the buoys bobbed up and down. The fog hadn't quite burned off by early afternoon so what fog was left added just the perfect amount of charm to the whole scene. It was simply gorgeous.

Believe it or not, this image and all of my Maine photographs were taken with my old Pentax camera, which had no automatic settings at all. It was all manual. You really had to know your stuff when it came to settings. None of this digital camera stuff at that time. It was several years before I transitioned to digital. I will be back with more images from my Maine adventure. ENJOY!

Beaches and Shores

It is a little known fact that I must have a lake, an ocean, a seashore, a riverbed, or if all else fails, just a pond nearby to make all things right in my world. Water is one of the many driving forces that nurtures my world. Add to that a forest or a woods or a grassy plain, or even a mountaintop overlook, and my world is so much more. The many elements that make up our world also enrich our lives in ways we never imagined.

Oftentimes, I view photographs such as those like Jean's from the quaint island of New Zealand, or Barb from the snow covered Rockies in Colorado, or Frank from 'across the pond' in England, or Steve from the windswept coasts in New England, and I wonder just what it would be like to live in one of those beautiful places.

Then I remember a thought shared years ago, that I am sharing my world and its many experiences, through the images I capture. And that makes 'your' world so much more. I gathered a few of my favorite images I have captured over the years to share with you today. Images such as these from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, the shores and the bays of Lake Michigan, and Nantucket Island off Cape Cod, to share with you today. ENJOY!

Linking to Skywatch Friday and Foodie Friday and Everything Else

Burnt Cove, Deer Isle, Maine

Sometimes in life we find ourselves in the midst of major controversy and upheaval. I found myself there these past few weeks. 

Some days I ask God why. Others days I say to God I will endure. Each day brings a new beginning and a hope for a better day.

When I seek strength and courage, I oftentimes look back at better days. And today I found refuge in a familiar place,
where I spent a good deal of time one midday in the Summer of 2008 capturing several images of this beautiful place called Burnt Cove, 
on remote Deer Isle, in Down East Maine.

My dream is to get back to Maine this year. Yet, I have a daunting task ahead of me.
I will find the strength and courage I am looking for, as I know it is within me.
The problem is whether I can find a way to help those around me better understand.

I realize more each day this is a difficult task to achieve . . . to find understanding.
This is where I find myself today. This is where I remind myself to step softly and pray for grace. 

And there it is . . . my resolution I made nonchalantly at the start of this new year. 
To be more kind and graceful. 
I have come full circle. 

Knowing I can be strong and courageous. 
Praying that I can find the grace to help others better understand.

How amazing life can be.  One can find what one needs from within.
But one cannot always find the words to help others better understand.

Thank you for allowing me to share this with you today.
You, my dear friends and followers, are also my refuge. ENJOY!

Colorful Chincoteague

I have shared various images from my trip to Chincoteague of all types of Egrets and many types of Herons, various sizes and shapes of Gulls, even a photo of a strange looking bird called an Oystercatcher. And, of yes, let's not forget the Ponies. Brown, black, checkerboard, tan. Well here's an image I like to call Colorful Chincoteague. Scrounging around in my archives I found these photographs I had taken on my trip to Virginia's Eastern Shore in mid July, in the throws of a heat wave no less, to visit Chincoteague Island and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. On my first day out, after trekking to the wildlife refuge, I drove back across the short bridge to the main island and headed for the road that ran parallel to the bay on the north side of the island. One of the first things I noticed and stopped to photograph was an old fishing shack which had a nice array of crab traps stacked up outside right off the porch.

As I made my way back to the road that lead to the wildlife refuge and my hotel, I noticed this sailboat. The guy at the helm was readying to bring down the sails so I grabbed a quick pic before he did. Not far from the sailboat hanging off the side of the dock was this life preserver shrouded in rope. Who could resist such an image. A few days later, I found myself on the east side of the island right the bay cuts through and, more notably, where the Ponies make their way across the water for the Pony Penning every year. As I drove the road traversing the bay, I looked over to see this large group of kayaks sitting idle. What a colorful array. It's been a mainly 'single digit' temperature day here in the Bluegrass State. If you go outside, your breath travels through the air leaving you to wonder if it just might freeze mid air. My God is this what the Upper Midwest has been dealing with all these years? Not to mention the Canadians. I feel for all of you. ENJOY!

Shorebirds, Chincoteague NWR

Let me preface this post by saying, "Identifying shorebirds is not as easy as it sounds." There are Dunlins, Sandpipers, Godwits, Sanderlins, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, etc. etc. etc. OMG! So in an effort not to drive myself completely mad, I'm sticking with the 'shorebirds' heading before I take the plunge and tell you what species I 'think' these two lovely little birds are.

Spending time on Chinocoteague National Wildlife Refuge this Summer photographing the multitude of large wading birds was such a great time, in spite of the heat wave. As I drove the main route through the refuge, I would get close to the beaches and in turn the shallow waters where the smaller shorebirds were wading about poking their bills in the water. I snapped several images not really making much of an effort. They were pretty far out in the shallow water so I didn't expect to be able to crop any of the images and use them. However, there were a few that I felt were good enough to post. Keep in mind this image is heavily cropped. Now back to identifying these birds, I believe these are Lesser Yellowlegs as is evidenced by their yellow legs and feet and their long bills. There are Greater Yellowlegs that look similar, but their bills are longer and minutely turned up at the tip. Of all of the information I read about shorebirds and how to identify them, these were the main features that stuck with me regarding these two species. Regardless of whether my I.D. is correct or not, I love these little guys and their speckled bodies and especially their long snouts. Hope you are having a great weekend. It's still chilly here, but a warm up is coming. ENJOY!


PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE: I had a very scary header planned for Halloween week, but opted for a less scary one. I hope you like it.

Lighthouse, Chincoteague NWR

There's beauty everywhere on the island which plays host to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. There's Egrets and Herons and Chincoteague Ponies. There's beautiful beaches with creamy white sand. There's emerald green lagoons filled with huge wading birds. There's azure blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean surrounding you.

And then . . . there's this beautiful lighthouse. This lighthouse with its red and white stripes. This lighthouse that braves Fall's fierce hurricanes, Winter's blustery storms, Summers heat and humidity, and then revels in Spring's balmy days. With its new coat of paint the Lighthouse on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge stands in testament that time really does stand still. And everyone on Chincoteague couldn't be happier as they marvel in its new found beauty.

I didn't want to photograph the lighthouse up close, but rather off in the distance with perhaps the bay in the foreground. And what was so unexpected were the beautiful subjects in the foreground. The Egrets and shore birds were busily searching for dinner as I captured this image. Priceless to me. ENJOY!

Little Blue Heron, Chincoteague NWR

As the warm light of the day faded away, I continued to photograph this Little Blue Heron looking for a catch in the waters around Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge back in July when I visited there.


It is amazing just how light can change the look and feel of a subject. In these images this Little Blue Heron is so dark he almost doesn't even appear to be a Little Blue Heron.

He was busy fishing and only looked up once. Not sure if he was looking at me or not but I doubt it. He probably saw something in the water that I couldn't see. I saw a beautiful Little Blue Heron on Assateague which I posted earlier in the summer and then I posted another image of a Little Blue Heron on the bay side off of Chincoteague Island itself, and now here's a photograph from late day off Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. So needless to say, Little Blue Herons were plentiful around the Eastern Shore when I was visiting there in July. I hope to get back there again some day, but until then memories and these images will have to sustain me. Hope your weekend is going great. ENJOY!

Gulls, Assateague National Seashore, Maryland

Here you'll find my attempt at remedying the situation of not posting Seagull images, other than the Laughing Gull images, from my summer trip to the Eastern Shore.

These Gulls were at Assateague National Seashore on the bay side around the marshes the day I photographed them. This first image is of a Greater Black Backed Gull. I've started to realize some of the traits that make the distinction between one Gull and another. Traits like the spots on their beaks or the bright rings around their eyes, or even that some have pink feet while others have yellow. The characteristic varying greys and whites and blacks of their colors serves as identifying features also. So I downloaded a chart which I hope will help to demonstrate the complexities of the situation.

This next image is of an American Herring Gull which I believe is displaying breeding plumage demonstrated by the distinct white head, neck and breast. I wished the sun hadn't gone behind the clouds when I took this image, but I still wanted to share it.

This chart will serve as my witness as to the degree of difficulty in identifying birds. You can find it on the National Geographic Animal webpage. There you'll find pages on Gulls in their various stages of life and cycles. Stages range from juvenile or fledging to adult with 1st year, 2nd year and 3rd year sometimes indicated on the charts. And let's not forget the breeding and non breeding stages where generally the color of the feathers is the differentiating factor. It's a crap shoot sorting out an identification, but I promise I'll continue to try if you bear with me. ENJOY!

PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE: While in college, I studied Science and Geology and simply loved it. Yet, I ended up majoring in Communications. And while Communications has served me in my profession, it's now a major factor in my blog. And now ultimately so is Science. Is that what they mean by full circle? Regardless, I love learning the distinctions about all of the mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, etc. in our world, not to mention the landscape we like to call Mother Earth. Thanks for stopping by.

Beautiful Assateague Island National Seashore

Traveling to the Eastern Shore of Maryland last week, I pulled onto Assateague Island National Seashore, with a goal in mind to photograph the Wild Ponies. Needless to say, I was excited about the prospects of seeing them grazing on this barrier island. Wondering if they would even be close enough to photograph, yet reading exerts and seeing images online, I could only hope. Before I could even make my way past the entrance gate, there stood a Wild Pony grazing on the grasses. That just added to my enthusiasm. The motor route on Assateague takes you past miles of marshland and dense brush until you reach the farthest most point, South Ocean Beach. This area is perfect for visitors eager to spend the day sunbathing, beach combing or, need I say it, surfing. Unfortunately, further south the rangers had quarantined off the area due to nesting birds. Not to worry. All around the parking areas next to the beach stood the Wild Ponies grazing. Their long manes blowing with the ocean breezes was just an amazing sight.

After spending a few minutes at South Ocean Beach, I drove back out the same route I had taken in and about half a mile on the left I turned west onto the road leading to Old Ferry Landing. Basically this area has a parking lot, a short boardwalk and a small clapboard boathouse. But there, far off in the distance, out among the saltwater marshes, stood this small band of Wild Ponies. Knowing the horses were too far away for a decent image, I parked my car and pulled off my shoes. On went the muck boots and off I went trekking out into the marsh about 300 yards. Just enough to close the distance between me and those elusive horses. Mostly I trekked across mud and, well, more mud just to snap this next image. Later that evening I downloaded my images from the day. I opened them and stopped when I saw this one in particular. Boy was I happy I had gone to all that trouble. The beautiful azure greens of the saltwater marshes coupled with the tans and browns and cream colored coats of those Ponies just captivates you.

Before I left Old Ferry Landing, I walked out on the boardwalk for a short distance just in time to see I had scared up a Little Blue Heron that had been perched low next to the edge of the marsh out of my sight line. This is a Life List bird. Never before seen by me, but after seeing his blue bill I knew this wasn't your customary Great Blue Heron. I read later that the Little Blue Heron juveniles are born solid white and dramatically turn blue as they age into adults.

Leaving Assateague Island late that day after the best light of the day had finally faded away I drove south making my way to Chincoteague Island, Virginia. Yet, I know, without a shadow of a doubt, Assateague will stay with me forever. How could it not with its azure green saltwater marshes blowing in the ocean breezes. ENJOY!

Sea Dreaming!

I've been seadreaming! Of the seashore and shorethings. Of seagrass and seagulls. Of sailboats and lighthouses. I've no plans to visit the shore this year. I thought I would stay inland. However, a short trip to the shores of Lake Michigan might be needed. Perhaps. I've been seadreaming again . . . so I share with you mementos of beach days gone by. Almost certainly the seadreaming is a by product of the mild temps here in Kentucky the past few days. It's only going to get warmer later this week. Spring perhaps, ahhhhh.

I'm still playing with my Picnik software. I like the mirror mat I added to this image. I really like this software. Give it a try.

My sister left me a chocolate cupcake topped with layer upon layer of more chocolate from Gigi's Cupcakes and a beautiful Valentine card at my door today. She's the best. Thanks Jo. I love you so! Hope all of you had a heartfilled day. ENJOY!

Mosaic Monday!

A little something that I rarely do . . . Mosaic Monday. Thought a little color in your world might brighten your day. A few of my top photos from my summer trip to Cape Cod and Nantucket. It seems like ions ago and yet it's only been four months ago. Oh, before I forget, what is your favorite photo in the collage? ENJOY!

Cape Cod Trip 2010

DAY TRIP TO CHATHAM, MASSACHUSETTS

While visiting Cape Cod last week, I took a day trip to visit the town and harbors around Chatham, Massachusetts which is on the southeast tip of Cape Cod. Such a beautiful, quaint little village with a very busy Main Street, lined with shops, boutiques and restaurants, along with the usual tourist attractions. I drove through town southeast to Morris Island, which is part of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. At the tip of Chatham, I drove past the Chatham Lighthouse. There you'll find a narrow road leading back to the refuge. On the right is Chatham Harbor filled with boats. On the left is the refuge which is basically flatlands with various water inlets weaving throughout.

Pulling up to the refuge office, I parked, got out and took the wooden plank walkway and steps leading down to the beach.





It was a really windy day with the wind blowing 25 mph. Walking along the shore, I encountered plovers and dead horseshoe crabs aplenty. Looking back at the refuge there was a large osprey nest almost dead center, with Mom and Pop flying to and from the nest, feeding their young. I have a few photos of the nest I'll post later, but wanted to post these images of the coastline and the harbor.

As you drive down the narrow road leading to the wildlife refuge, looking to the right, you'll see this beautiful little harbor lined with boats. It was late afternoon and the light was almost perfect.



The Chatham Lighthouse is in the background in this image below. As I walked from the refuge along the beach towards Chatham I noticed kayakers paddling back into the harbor.





These beach cottages were sitting out past the town, its harbors and the refuge. How do they manage not to get blown away in a storm, I'll never know.



My favorite image of Chatham has to be this lone boat floating in the water actually in the refuge itself.



I'll be posting quite a few photos of my trip in the next few days or weeks. Hope everyone had a great week. ENJOY!