Burnt Cove, Deer Isle, A Decade Ago

When is the last time you took a trip down memory lane? I have embarked on that trip again today. Taking a decade's old journey back in time, I find myself on a remote island off the coast of Down East Maine. On the western edge of Deer Isle I find Burnt Cove. Carved into the landscape surrounded by quaint, clapboard houses and large, granite boulders, this tiny cove is the consummate Maine setting. Heavy clouds hang low in the sky, on this warm Summer's day, giving every element a larger than life feel. I snap images moving my viewfinder a tad left, then a tad right.

After photographing Burnt Cove, I drive the narrow, winding back roads further south on Deer Isle. Using a map, I hug the coastline taking in the scenery. An hour passes and I make my way back to Burnt Cove with anticipation. Just as I had suspected, the low cloud base had lifted giving way to blue skies. Have you ever seen such a beautiful Maine setting as this. Needless to say, the red clapboard house is a priceless find.

The granite boulders that hug the coast, as they do in most Down East shorelines, coupled with the dense Fir trees that grow right up to the water's edge, sets the perfect scene. My love affair with coastal Maine, and an equally passionate love affair with sailboats, brought me to the farthest northeastern state of the U.S. I can only hope if I journeyed to this remote area today that I would find a similar landscape. However, I know there is nowhere, in this our United States, that is safe from urban sprawl. So lucky to have captured these images at a time when coastal Maine was still rugged and unspoiled. Time really can stand still. All you need do is press your shutter release button. Click, and the scene is yours forever.

I have a very lazy weekend ahead with only a few chores. Perhaps the out of doors, which constantly beckons to me, will take over and I'll find myself by the lake shore today. Who knows. ENJOY!

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!

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!

Burnt Cove, Maine Repost!

Recently I've been contemplating photo editing software from a more professional standpoint. So I downloaded Adobe Lightroom 3 Beta's free trial software. Then I pulled up the rocky shoreline image from Burnt Cove, Maine. The original photo which I posted on an October 2nd post is the second image, with the new retouched image being the first image. I like the retouched version quite a bit. I used to have Adobe Photoshop CS4 on my old laptop, but unfortunately that computer died and I did not have the backup software. Sad but true. Not sure I'm willing to put the money out for Adobe Photoshop. It's rather expensive. It came on my other laptop so it wasn't additional.

If you have any thoughts on these two images, I'd like to hear them. And if you use Adobe Lightroom 3 Beta, please, I would like to know what you use it for mainly. Do you use it faithfully for minor retouching of images. If so, let me know. Enjoy!

Burnt Cove, Maine

A bit of a stylized view of Burnt Cove Up Close. As taken during my Maine vacation summer 2008. Enjoy!

Burnt Cove, Deer Isle, Maine #5

It's time to leave Stonington behind. A few miles down the road from Stonington on Deer Isle you'll find Burnt Cove. While researched my trip, I discovered a list of off-the-beaten-path photo ops on Deer Isle, one of which was this quaint little cove. I found Burnt Cove on an overcast afternoon. Walking out to the shoreline, I could see the potential for a few nice photos. The houses perched against the shoreline with the trees framing them, and the quaint little cove with its boats moored, calmly waiting for a trip out to Penobscot Bay. I hope you feel the essence of Burnt Cove as much as I felt it that day creating these images.

After leaving Burnt Cove, I had traveled about a mile when I came upon a path leading into a woods right off the road. I stopped and got out of the car and took the path, which as I guessed, lead out to the shoreline. Obviously, a well worn path used often by the locals as right at the end of the path laid a pair of old shoes left behind by someone. The last image is the beautiful little beach I happened upon. I had to photograph these large, brown rocks perched at the water's edge. Their weather worn look made me wonder what stories they would tell about winters past and storms blown in off the Atlantic into the bay. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed taking them. I share these images unretouched as I shoot the light with my Pentax. Enjoy!