Friday, April 22, 2005

Crossing Paths

A trip to the grocery on a Friday evening anywhere is something usually best avoided. Here on the coast of Maine that's especially true as we get into tourist season because that's when the hordes arrive and need to stock up for their weekend stays. However, I'd gotting 2/3s of the way through making dinner and and desperately needed a lemon and there is only one supermarket in town. It'd be a quick in and out.

Since I was there, I grabbed a few other produce items, including a jicama. A 'woman of a certain age' bagging green beans next to the jicama suddenly stopped, her handful of beans suspended in midair. She looked at the beige, slightly wrinkled grapefruit sized item in my hand and gave both it and I quite an odd look, visible even behind her large, dark glasses. "You eat that? How do you eat that?" she asked in a New Jersey accent with an intonation that came in somewhere between baffled and slightly amused. I described its cool, sweet and crunchy charms. "I'll be brave and try one!" she excitedly proclaimed. When in Rome...

Heading towards the checkout lines I got busted staring at a tall, dark and handsome city dude wearing expensively classy gear that screamed "I'm casual, I'm cool, I'm on vacation." I'm pretty certain he belonged to the dressed out Harley with CN tags that had caught my eye in the parking lot . A cultural weekend warrior who'd successfully, albeit temporarily, escaped from his Armani suit (and Jerry Garcia tie?) in Greenwich only hours ago.

"Do you know where the coffee is?" he asked me. Several answers ran through my mind, but "Starbucks?!" was the one that popped out of my mouth. He didn't get the humor: there isn't a Starbucks for 40 miles! I could have given him a head's up though on where to find a NY Times to go with that coffee come Sunday, but he was already gone.

As I stood in the checkout line the finale appeared behind me: another version of the biker guy. This one 60-ish and dapperly attired probably rode more miles in a month than Joe Cool did in a year. In his 'going out dancing' black jeans and jacket, cowboy boots, hair and beard nicely trimmed, a tad too much gold jewelry, the hint of an OK cologne, he still had his sunglasses on and clutched a batch of red roses. I looked at the flowers, "Always a good move!" I said.

He sighs, and flashes a weaker version of what is probably a stunning grin. "I've been a real brat" he explains. "For a couple of days now." Pause. "It's my Irish stubborness. I'm going to hold these out in front of me when I walk through the door and hope they work. Sometimes flowers can say more than words." Good grief, I'm in an FTD commercial!!

The cashier and I exchanged a look. "It always works for my boyfriend!" We all laughed, she bagged my jicama and lemon, I wished him good luck. "It's better to bend than to break!" he said to me as I grabbed my bag, and to her "Can you get that price sticker off of there?"

I headed home to finish making dinner. Ahh, tourist season, it's started arrived early this year and with great promise!


tracks


dune grass


beached


The 'pink time'/sunsetting; Barred Owl box (my way-cool birthday present from my friends T&T) - so far it's uninhabited, although we have high hopes!


next week these will be leaves!


oooh, ahhhh

Saturday, April 16, 2005

Two days later...

Just after sharing an exquisite spring afternoon w/ my Girls, this is what happened! And my son says: well, it's 70 in D.C. and the cherry blossoms are out. Ahh, the joys of spring in Maine!

Dawn on the snowy trees, such divine moments, one's that will go into the scrapbook of my memories - those defining tidbits of time and space. Staying awake for them and capturing some of them is the point of this endeavor.

Wish I remembered who said this: "In such ugly times, it is a revolutionary act to create beauty. " Create some beauty today, or at the very least, grab a chunk of beauty that crosses your path today and carry it in your heart.


the evening before...


had to scrape the truck off, too!


ahy-up, 'at's spring in May-in


ditto


My backyard, 6-10 a.m. early last week (April13?)

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Sundays with...

One of those days that just ride in your mind afterwards as a reminder of how every day should be. The kind of day that we remembered all winter long would indeed return. It floated our spirits high, teased our skin pink and energized our hearts. And yet, the most scrumptious part was sharing it all - thanks Girls!


Serene Sunday


Next year's snowflakes


Hear it?


Last month's snowflakes


"What did the fish say when it hit the cement wall?"


We are like fine wine

Saturday, April 09, 2005

I'm a flatlander, from 'away' as the Mainers say. And even though I'll never be a native, I am beginning to feel like a true 'Local.' I've been asked for directions, where to get the best lobster, and what my favorite beach is. This is a secret, and I never really tell either of my top two choices!

As I begin my 5th summer living near the ocean, I reap huge pleasures in my expanding range of beach savy. Like knowing that a slight wind here at my place, 3 miles inland, means a stiff breeze off the ocean and 5 to 10 degrees cooler - so dress appropriately.

I love having figured out the perfect combos of clothing to layer for different weather days: silk long john shirt versus long sleeve cotton tee; v- neck light weight wool sweater or turtle neck; scarf and windbreaker, zippered fleece or both; and for another couple weeks anyways, my wool beret and leather gloves - at least to starting out. Just the right level of toastiness when walking in the beach wind gives me the same delight that crawling into my preheated bed on a cold night does!

By watching the sun descend towards the trees beyond the meadow behind my cottage, I know the exact moment to leave for the beach to catch the 'pink' hour each evening. That's the time when the angle of the sun paints the white cresting tops of the waves and the wet sand ethereal shades of mauve, salmon and rose. During these moments, when a soaring seagull tips its white belly and outspread wings into the light just right it transcends into a gold and brilliant creature, other wordly in midflight.

I've picked up some nuances of beach combing, too - like I no longer walk over to what I think is a sand dollar only to find that its really a perfect ring of seagull poop. And to keep a plastic grocery bag in my pocket to carry off the beach any trash, especially plastic - particularly prevalent on Mondays and after holidays. Also, that black sand is usually very soft, so its hard to walk in. And there's a certain size rock that when its left in the sand by the tide I know there's a better chance of finding sea glass amongst it.

Tidbits. Nuances. Garnered from repeated observations and continuous visits. Watching the same scenery walk through its subtle changes, the same backdrop with a different palette every moment. I absorb it, crave it, relish it, draw solace from it. And I am so much richer for having watched close enough to receive these gifts!


An oxymoronic sign with Canadian comment, eh?!


wind tracks


tidal pools


tide tracks


Tonight's sunset

Friday, April 08, 2005

That's not really his name, but he doesn't have one yet - my new nephew that is! Born just this evening. My brother Scott and sister-in-law Laurieanne haven't come to an agreement on a name, it's been an ongoing challenge for the past eight months. I don't remember it being this hard with their first two kids, Reece (5) and Jordan (3). When Scott was born (he and I are 10 years apart, youngest and oldest, with two brothers in between) I made him a welcome home card and spelled his name 'Scoot' - luckily, it didn't stick! During a phone conversation several months ago, my mother said Scott's current favorite name for the impending arrival is Culpepper. Quite the combo with the last name Campbell I thought! While in Virginia shortly thereafter with my son we rambled through a small town named Culpepper, took a photo of the sign and sent it to my brother. Cell phone rings, it's Scott - mildly frustrated. "Not Culpepper - Cole Pepper!" he says. I've got a feeling that neither one of those will stick either!! Stayed tune! Update - Reece and Jordan visited their mom this afternoon at the hospital while she was in labor. Reece heard a monitor making noises like a train, and saw the machine's locomotive icon on its screen and said "We'll call him 'Choo-choo' for today!" Uh-oh! This one sounds stickable!!


Culpepper Choo Choo's siblings


Beach bridge, Ogunquit, ME


Backyard, with a slight tinge of red in tree branches hinting of leaves to come


My back yard last week

Thursday, April 07, 2005

The Return

Now it is truly the return of spring - it was over 60 degrees for the second day in a row, I took the plastic off the windows, and upon returning from my evening beach walk I was greeted with the music of spring peepers! These frogs are about the size of a quarter and their voices are among my favorite sounds in the world. They will sing to me every night until summer arrives, when the bullfrogs take over. The peepers are one of the things I look forward to the most during the long winter. Like Van Morrison sings 'just gotta make it through January, just gotta make it thru February...' And if you're in Maine, you add March to that litany, and here we are!

Wednesday, April 06, 2005


The Guardian at my door


Queen Anne's Lace, retired


Tonight's sunset, 3


Tonight's sunset, 2 (chrono order)


tonights sunset, 1 (no techno-tweaking on any of these!)


today's shadows


snow shadows


cattails on ice


where the Peepers are - my backyard!

The View from Here

My virgin voyage into photoblogging! Thanks to my son for dragging me into this techno world. Happy Birthday to my Mom, too, by the way. I'll start with my visual pixels, maybe later I'll add cereberal ones!

Tuesday, April 05, 2005


the view from my 'office', right half - Bald Head cliffs, Cliff House Resort, York, Maine


the view from my 'office', left half


a perfect epitaph


sunset beach, low tide


nature's flotsam and jetsam


Lobster gear, flotsam and jetsam


my backyard, Wells, Maine


foot bridge, Ogunquit, Maine

a classic epitaph (may need to enlarge to read)


sculpture at Hain's Point in Washington DC


fog rolling in


evening


waves at high tide crashing up over road


shortly after the rainbow, this sunset evolved


Rainbow out over the Atlantic, Easter weekend