Ogunquit In The Fall

We had a marvelous camping weekend with our granddaughter and spent a full day with camera in hand. There are so many opportunities and beautiful scenery to point my camera lens at in Maine and I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful autumn weather while we had it. Steph was there with her camera as well. At times, I feel sorry for my husband who is inevitably left holding the camera "bag", literally. Does anyone have suggestions on how I can include him while I'm lost in the moment? We spent an entire afternoon exploring the Rachel Carson Reserve, a beautiful marsh area nestled between the forests and the ocean. Self guided walking tours with informational pamphlets explain the need and importance of these wet lands, not only as homes to all sorts of marine animals but also how they act as a buffer against serious weather such as hurricanes. The resource acts as a filter for pollutants and a nursery for hatch lings. Later, we had a night of campfires and cooking hot dogs and toasting marshmallows for s'mores. The next morning, we found ourselves at Perkins Cove, a picturesque but working fishing harbor, and we included a walk along the Marginal Way, a mile long path that follows the rocky coastline and offers breathtaking views of nature's beauty and power. Then all too soon, it was time to head home by way of my favorite Mt. Chocorua which never disappoints in the way of splendor.

My apologies for not posting photos in the last few posts. I've been making entries from other computers but I promise, in the next week or so, the problem will be remedied and I'll add a few images to older post so check back, please.

The Schedule Calls For Fun

This weekend is reserved for our granddaughter, Stephanie. We're going camping. Of course, it's a working holiday in that I will be taking photos during the weekend. The plan is to head to Ogunquit, ME and find some sleepy little fishing cove to remind people of what it used to be like up and down the entire coastline before the tourists became the mainstay. I'll let you know how that turns out.

This is also the beginning of the ALCS and I am a RED SOX FAN. So, with the campfire crackling away and Steph roasting marshmallows, I will be quietly cheering for the boys of summer to take the Angels out in quick fashion so they can move on up the ladder of success. Even though I choose to be out among nature and beauty, I also choose to follow baseball and either watch or listen to every game. There are few exceptions, like being at 30,000 feet in an airplane or in a foreign country ( Hawaii sometimes qualifies ). When the season is over, I'm lost.

Please Bear With Me...

As the days get shorter, so does the amount of time that I have to accomplish things. My week is filled with meetings, gallery staffing and preparing for shows which leaves precious little time to get out among the subjects that I love to photograph never mind the energy to fight with technology. This, however, seems to be the hand I've been dealt. we continue to have connectivity issues so my postings are not as regular as I would like. Don't become disinterested with this blog. We will prevail and solve these problems.

When Things Don't Work

I've been off line for a few days. Some would call it technical difficulties. First we thought our connection issues were caused by static on the line so we replaced connections. Then, we thought the issue was too much information flowing through our DSL line into our home over too great a distance so my husband changed our service to the more narrow band width. After being convinced that our connection troubles were modem related, we bought a new one which also didn't work so my husband finally called Verizon to complain that we hadn't been able to connect during the last week. The lady at customer service had him go to web sites that only "techies" know about to reinstall a password that apparently erased itself. Now, we're back on but only my computer because we have wireless issues to solve. Isn't technology wonderful when it works. And doesn't it cause a great deal of stress when it isn't working. Take our case in point.

Finding Balance

It's something I struggle with every year at this time. We've just come through a long hot dry summer with revenue from events being similar to a world class roller coaster. Even the activity at my web site was "sitting in the shade relaxing". But, when the foliage begins to turn, so does the emphasis and earnestness, if you will, on my patrons. It's like someone threw a switch and now, they can see a need to purchase for their favorite brother in Colorado or daughter whose gone off to college. Whether it's a Christmas gift or for some other special occasion, it doesn't matter. What it does mean is now, when I want to get out and enjoy Mother Nature's final and fantastic collage of color, I get busy. I've seen it happen every year and no matter how I approach this time of year, with whatever meticulous amount of planning, I always get caught short. In fact, just last night I had a call from a lady who visited my exhibit in Dublin this past weekend. She was kicking herself because she hadn't made a purchase and was now calling to order my "Dream" collage, a four seasons collection of images of the Old Man Of The Mountains. I told her I would be happy to fill her order just as soon as I became restocked with that type of mat. I knew it was going to happen. I could see it coming and I still let myself get too low on stock. This goes for the paper that I use, the foam core to back the images and even my frames are at an all time low. More on this subject later. The lady was all smiles and will happily wait for her new photograph. I will survive this sudden rush as I have done other years, but, wouldn't it be nice if I could figure out a way to balance everything out and be able to enjoy this year's fall extravaganza. It should be brilliant!

Variety

When I was a child, our family took camping vacations. It was a fun time for all of us. The necessary closeness that a family derives from all sleeping in the same "room" can develop bonds that last a lifetime and nurture feelings for the outdoors that you'll want to pass on to your children when the time comes. It's also a relatively inexpensive way to get that vacation for the parents. Nowadays, things have changed somewhat. Kids take off on bikes, seclude themselves beneath a tree to play video games and sometimes will have their own curtained area in their RV. The rates have gone up considerably for a night in a campground, as well. There are, of course, lots more amenities such as hot tubs, Wi-Fi, game rooms and water and electric included at each campsite. During the Meredith show, we stayed at Twin Tamarack on Rte 106 in New Hampton. It was a great family oriented place that was having a Halloween Party for the horde of children in "residence". A strictly enforced speed limit and noise curfew added to the family atmosphere. The place was clean, well kept and relatively inexpensive at $32.00 per night. We will be planning to stay there next year. On the other side of the coin would be Seven Maples in Hancock. This quiet out of the way place was also reasonably priced at $30.00 per night but the facilities have seen better days and the pool had already been closed. Our campsite smelled of dog manure and when it rained ( boy, did it rain ) our entire site became a small lake which drowned our cache of firewood and ruined my chance for a romantic evening beside a quickly snapping fire. Now, the owners aren't responsible for the rain but their lack of grading and upkeep certainly are to blame for my not having a fire that evening and even though the staff, in the office, were pleasantly outgoing and helpful in getting us directions, we most likely will not stay there next year. And, completely in the other direction, we have the event coordinators at Quechee Gorge Village who allow anyone with a camper to stay in their overflow parking area at no charge, with no hook ups and no amenities. There's a lot to be said for free.

Change Of Seasons

Sometimes, while sitting for hours at an event, there’s nothing to do while other times, things happen with surprising rapidity. Take this weekend at Quechee, VT. It was the middle day of a three day event and it was really hot. The vendor next to us called out to me and asked if I had my camera handy because there was something in the tree across the parking lot. It was a Peregrine Falcon perched high in a Pine Tree overhead. That was fun. Later, a lady walked by and I heard that same neighbor call out to grab my camera. There, in front of my exhibit area was a little girl, no more than three years old, trying to walk with two of the largest baskets I’d ever seen. I just couldn’t resist! That night, the temperature changed from summertime to autumn and dropped to 37 degrees. And, as luck would have it, the heater wouldn't work in the camper.