#512 • Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park

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This past summer we took a fun day off from sailing and biked up into Acadia National Park.

 

Of course we were on eight-speed folding bikes with 20" wheels. Everyone else moved along on real  or electric versions. We were getting passed by EVERYONE, and I was tempted to scream at the electrics - that is not bicycling people! But I saved my breath because damn, I needed every ounce of it to get up hills that were climbs from hell. 

 

I think I'm jealous that I haven't reached the point where I need an electric bike, but also glad I haven't reached that point. Of course I don't want to try one because I'll probably find out I actually ready for one and don't know it.

 

We brought along our lunches this time and sat on the lawn under an apple tree in front of the Jordan Pond restaurant and visitors center. This was the view. It was simply beautiful The park is a gem. We are lucky to have it.

 

Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park • 19" x 10.5" • framed to 23" x  14.5" • $350

#511 • Carrabassett Valley Trailhead Path

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I was heading down valley when  noticed a riot of yellow to the left over the airport. So I stopped and snapped a few pics. That's the Longfellow Mountain Range in the background. I used to climb Bigelow Mountain every summer to see what kind of shape I was in. It was humbling. 

I haven't painted all summer, so I thought I'd begin with this. Can't climb it anymore, so I figured I'd paint it to maintain a sense of humility.

Carrabassett Valley Trailhead Path • 9.5" x 9.5" framed to 13.5" x 13.5 • $325

#510 • Tumbledown

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Last year at about this time, we took a ride over to Sunday River - hadn't been there for years. I have to say it sure had expanded. The ride up around the mountain and then back to our neck of the woods was beautiful. The views were stunning. And like all of the foothills and mountains in this state, it is always worth a Sunday drive.

We passed by this barn and field in Weld with Tumbledown in the distance. I hadn't hiked up there in decades, but was tempted after this trip. For those who are feeling the way I am now and again these days, this scene reminded me of how the soothing affect of just taking a ride upcountry into the hills and mountains can completely change ones attitude about everything, almost. Take a walk, a hike, a bike ride or whatever. It's way too beautiful out there right now to stay inside.

Tumbledown • 8" x 8" acrylic framed to 10"  10" • $300

#509 • A Peaceful Pause in Time

 

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I haven't been to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay for a few years. The last time I was there was with my daughter, granddaughter and daughter-in-law. It was all girls that day and lots of fun.

They were visiting from Seattle and I was a bit afraid this might be a little underwhelming compared to the big city scene out there. But as it turned out they were blown away as was I. It was August and everything was up, out and blooming. I got over-stimulated after a while but was pleasantly relieved when at one point in all of the busyness, I came across a pause in time and all the technicolor, and watched this young boy quietly crouching all by himself by a little pond that was engulfed in green. It was as if I had walked through a portal of some sort.

I guessed he might have been waiting for a frog or turtle to appear. I don't know if one or the other ever did - I had to move on. But I loved the idea that after he had waited so peacefully and for so long, that his wish finally came true and one appeared. I chose a turtle. I hoped that was okay with him.

A Pause in Time • 8" x 8" acrylic framed to 12" x 12" • $300

#508 • My One Lobster Dinner

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Every summer I try to have one lobster dinner. The last year we had lobster dinner we bought a bunch from the Swan's Island Co-op. This year I didn't get one in, but I did have a roll. I had one just before hauling our boat and leaving the coast for the winter.It's an absolute must and one I can afford once a year. Like the Greeks and Romans did, I still consider lobster a delicacy mostly because it is. I don't even use butter. And I always thank the lobster because I kind of feel guilty, but not all the way yet.

As all Mainers know, lobster wasn't always a high-priced delicacy. European settlers fished and ate the readily available and surplus of lobster off the New England coast, and used them for garden fertilizer and fish bait. Lobsters were consider trash food and a symbol of poverty, fed to prisoners and slaves. Servants, when possible, forced employers to sign contracts refusing to eat lobster more than a few times a week.

The advent of canning made lobster accessible to the rest of the country in the mid-1800s. Railroads shipped fresh lobster to urban areas in the early 1900s and chefs began featuring them as an exotic fish item on their menus. It even became a symbol of Guilded Age luxury and a staple of upscale restaurants. And so it remains.

My one sacrificial lobster dinner and lobster roll is my donation to Maine's fishing community. The rest goes to NPR these days.

My One Lobster Dinner • 8" x 8" acrylic framed to 12" x 12" • $300

 

 

#507 • The Beach

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When I was living in Portland I didn't have air conditioning in my ghetto apartment. My computer would stage a mutiny and start smoking after a while, so I'd shut it down and head to the beach with my chair, towel, lunch, and a good book. I'd read a while, take a dip and fall asleep while drying off. When I woke up I would sit back in my chair to watch the afternoon show.

Making up stories about people strolling by was one of my favorite past times, but it was the people and their dogs that just plain fascinated me. I found it to be true that people and their dogs took on certain qualities of one another, whether it be physically or in character - the way they carried themselves for instance.

Over the years the beach got crowded, the people louder, and the scene began to remind me of why I left my home state over 50 years ago. The ice on the lollypop was a $40 gift from the Scarborough Police Department - didn't see the newly minted NO PARKING sign hidden behind a big SUV in my regular parking spot on a side road. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth and an ice cream headache. 

I never felt good about the scene down there after that. So I took up surfing instead, but that's another story.

The Beach  • Acrylic on wood panel trip triptych • $550

#506 • Summer House, North Haven Island

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I'd like to say this is a new painting, but it's from a few summers ago. We've been sailing in between trying to fix one of the heads on our boat. It's ugly, stinky, thankless and gross work. But a must. So not much time to sit a sketch.

I have determined however, that sketching is a must too. So I'm bringing materials aboard for our next adventure. In the meantime, this is one of several lovely summer homes on North Haven Island that we see on our walk ashore to stretch our legs. 

I focus on the flag here. It's a reminder for me that the fight for Democracy is alive and for me, starting to really kick back up again. Many of us have no idea what it's like to fight for civil rights. We haven't had to. We're learning now.

Summer House, North Haven Island • 8" x 8" acrylic framed to 12" x 12" • $300