The urge to take photos is never stronger than when I'm in Maine. That will come as no surprise to those of you who know me (or have ever read this blog or follow me on any sort of social media--my posts are basically a shrine to the great Pine Tree State). I don't know whether it's the blessed change of pace, the fact that life, when I'm up here, settles into a steady and lovely routine of walks, reading, cooking, and time with my family, or whether it's the incredible beauty of the place. I'm going to go ahead and say it's probably a combination of all the above that get me itching to photograph, draw, and post. There's just not enough time to do it all (more after the jump).
The other day, before the storms hit, I wandered down to the harbor and took a few photos. The light was just right--at noon this time of year the sun stays very low in the sky (as the photo above shows). The docks and boats have all been hauled out of the water and wrapped up on land for winter. The harbor is empty, save for a few brave lobster boats that still chug their way out of the icy inlets at 4am every day. The harbor is hibernating, asleep until the spring thaw comes and it's once again time for the boats and docks to shed the shrinkwrapping and launch back into the water.
While summer by the water is and will always be my absolute favorite thing in the entire world, the winter quiet of the usually bustling waterfront is also beautiful. It's so still--in the summer there are sounds of motors, of bait being unloaded onto lobster boats and crates of lobsters loaded onto trucks, work being done outside on boats tied up to the docks, fuel being pumped, kids being taught how to sail (which used to be done by yours truly), and tourists and dogs wandering around the seawall. But in December, especially when most of Rockport Marine (the world-famous boat-building shop) is on vacation between Christmas and New Year's Eve, the peace is a lovely change.
Here are some of the shots I took. I have a few more to put up, but they'll be in a separate post. And, dear readers, sorry for the hiatus--I've been on vacation and have been enjoying doing absolutely nothing. It's been glorious, and as a result I have some recommendations on books and music that will come in the very near future.