Climatic change is bringing more frequent and fiercer storms to Way Downeast. Last winter felled many trees in the region. Here’s what of those did to a riverside rental cabin in Calais.
Tag: Photos
Gilkey Harbor memory
The member ships of the Maine Windjammer Association are independently owned and operated, and apart from setting firm departure and return dates, each of them ventures at the will of its skipper and the elements each day.
Watching the others in the course of a cruise is almost a game, and sometimes two or three wind up spending the night in the same cove, as happened here on Islesboro. We had the Heritage, above on one side, and the Angelique on the other, and the atmosphere was festive.
For more schooner sailing experiences, take a look at my Under Sail photo album at Thistle Finch editions.
One checkpoint where we lucked out
A miraculous thing for us was that the roofing shingles, which had prompted our big renovation project, had held on for the four years between the insurance company’s alarm after our purchase and the actual replacement. Not so for many other shingles around us, even those that had been replaced during those years.
My initial impression, looking at the real estate market when we started considering this move, had been that we could fit into something cheap and make do. But things were shifting.
Most homes we saw for sale had problems, either for my coconspirators or me. Many of the remodelings were utterly puzzling. Others really needed to be redone.
I wasn’t the one who zeroed in on Eastport, but now I cannot imagine anywhere else I’d want to be at this stage in my life. Maybe it’s like Swami when she came to the Poconos and felt the vibes.
The ideal of moving to an island in Maine is almost a cliché. Even a Downeast shore, or a bit to our west, like the Wyeth clan. But we did need to downsize.
At one point, my dream had been to live on a mountain lake. The ocean never even entered into the picture.
Yet here we are, surrounded by interesting people, too.
Beaver lodge, too
The range of wildlife found in a healthy flowage like this can be quite impressive. Wetlands and open waters comprise about a fifth of Washington County’s landscape.
Quicksilver shifting and shimmering
Somehow, the sea looks metallic here. Just what would you call that range of colors?
Well, it does remind me that the Greeks lacked a word for blue. So did many other ancient civilizations, but let’s not get into a discussion of why.
For more schooner sailing experiences, take a look at my Under Sail photo album at Thistle Finch editions.
Pristine impression
The Dr. Albert Lincoln homestead along U.S. 1 in Dennysville presents an iconic image from the Civil War era, if you catch a view while driving past. Today the well-maintained second home is also a working cattle farm.
Square rigging
When you think of a tall-masted sailing ship, it’s probably like this, one with squared masts and rectangular sails. This one does have a gaff aft sail, resembling the sails on a schooner.
Square-rigged ships did require larger crews than did schooners and sloops, and they weren’t as agile in the wind, but they could carry more cargo.
As for the bird in the nest atop the rock outcropping? I think it’s an osprey.
Welcome to Rockland Harbor.
Two geese on a leisurely cruise
The Orange River in Whiting is becoming a prime wilderness water trail for canoeists and kayakers. The nature preserve, with holdings from several different organizations, is accessible principally by water.
It’s called the transom
The broad surface at the stern of a ship is called a transom. Usually above the waterline, it gives strength and width to the back of the vessel.
For more schooner sailing experiences, take a look at my Under Sail photo album at Thistle Finch editions.
Sharpened light
One of the sensations in watching a full solar eclipse comes as the light seems to become more focused before going into twilight. I skip the discussion of optics and physics. Here’s how it looked in the trees around us in the April 2024 event here in Maine. Something similar happened with shadows.
