Moving Picture

Early in 1995, the skating scenes from the movie The Preacher's Wife were filmed here on the ice of Deering Oaks, with the line of apartments of Park Avenue in the background. At the time, my Dad was the Commander of the Harold T. Andrews American Legion Post on Deering Street and got word that they wanted to film scenes inside the Post to use as the church's office. When they arrived for a look, Dad gave them the grand tour of the entire building. The directors apparently loved all the doorway woodwork and the beautiful wainscoting throughout the first floor rooms, and the deal was done. They filmed in the building and at the Oaks for about a week. Dad said he never got a chance to meet Whitney, because in the true diva tradition, her handlers were all over the place and kept the public away from her. He did, however, get a chance to meet and shake Denzel Washington's hand. They talked for a few minutes about a love of the Boys' Clubs of America, something close to the heart of both the actor and Dad. I was reminded of this again last week during all the hoopla surrounding the demise of diva Whitney. And yes, Dad got a cameo role in the movie. His big screen debut was a 5 second shot of him in a soup line, with some friends, shot inside the Post. A star was born!

Oaks' Benches

Shortcutting his way through the snowy Deering Oaks, me thinks this might be a student on his way to the University of Southern Maine (USM) campus. It's a beautiful trip through the trees, albeit quite frigid. When I was taking graduate classes there, I did a lot of walking, but not through the Oaks. I was coming from the other side of the campus. We lived at Woodfords Corner and took evening classes after work. I must admit, in my haste to get free from the cold, I seldom took the time to appreciate a wide-open scene in the city like this.

Tree Feet

The trees in Portland's Deering Oaks are big. Most of them have resided there for hundreds of years. The park and her trees have quite a history together. Long before anyone ever heard of building fairy houses, there was a year where I spent some time away from rubbing bottle caps and playing baseball during recesses at St. Joseph's Grammar School. We built our little houses at the base of trees like this. Popsicle sticks and many small twigs provided the framework for our 'buildings'. You see, I've always used my creative energy to entertain myself. Growing up, whether it was Washington Avenue, Stevens Avenue or even on Coyle Street, I often went to my room and closed the door and entered a pretty interesting world... compliments of dear, old adorable ME!

Thin Ice

Here's the walkway around the pond at the Oaks. A thin layer of ice has begun to form, and by January kids will be attempting pirouettes and scoring goals here. Our favorite place to throw the puck around was the swamp at the end of Mayfield. It froze over early, and by Christmas afternoon it was the perfect place to try out those new skates and sticks. There was one place that was pretty wide open, at least enough for a small rink. We'd shovel it off, put out our goals, pick teams and play till well after dark some nights. We had quite a few choices to skate at nearby, but this was close and ours, and that made it special. Most winter days, we were outside doing something. Livingroom couches, occupying our butts, were alien environments to us. And as for 'thin ice' I've skated on it a lot, just ask my friends... then and now. Goal!

Oaks' Bandstand

"We're goin' hoppin'(Hop)

We're goin' hoppin' today

Where things are poppin' (Pop)

The Philadelphia way

We're gonna drop in (Drop)

On all the music they play

On the Bandstand (Bandstand)"

-B. Manilow

Come afternoons at 4 PM, Mr. 'forever young' Dick Clark would traipse his swinging soiree across the TV screens of southern Maine. Believe it or not, the dancing I could give or take, but what I really enjoyed was the Rate-A-Record segment. Clark would pull two dancers aside, play pieces of two songs and had them rate them from 98-35. "I liked the words and it was easy to dance to." In the end, the higher rated of the two was played in its entirety. I thought it was pretty neat to hear songs that, in most cases, were weeks away from airplay on my favorite radio stations. I did enjoy my music. Still do. Pretty cool!

Autumn Bridge

It's Deering Oaks Park in late autumn. In childhood and now, I never miss a chance to take a stroll 'through the Oaks'. The skating pond, the duck house, the bandstand, this bridge, the warming hut and the seemingly, endless pathways were all a part of my youthful ways and still are. I like to think that I'm still a bit 'youthful'. In many ways, the antics I pulled in Helen Kibler's seventh grade reading and social studies classes still linger very much in my adult psyche. I readily believe that those who know me well, today, certainly my siblings, would probably agree. This park is special to me, always has been. So, I was very excited, last Christmas, to open a lovely ornament of the Duck House from my PA(Personal Assistant... hahaha!) and dear friend Donna. It'll be hanging in another 3 weeks or so, filled with special times among these shrouded paths.

Entranceway

Here is one of the entrances to the Oaks. This has always been a special place to me, and I guess it has shown up that way in this Blog, because I got a special Christmas ornament (of the Duck House) from a dear friend D-. Thank you to all who have left comments about my images and about my upcoming 'little procedure', lately. I'm taking all your kind words and thoughts with me this morning. Peace!

Lots of Yellow

I happened to take a spin through Deering Oaks the other day.The early morning dappled sunlight was thrown across the park with these sticks slicing up in the yellow. It's the last stand, so to speak, of fall. By the first of December, it'll be pretty bleak in here, with just about every leaf having fallen to the carpet below. It's a fine refuge from the sometimes frantic world out there.

Stone Bridge

As we say goodbye to May and the seasons press on, one to another, simple words of Henry David Thoreau always seem so fitting to me.
"Within a little more than a fortnight the woods, from bare twigs, have become a sea of verdure, and young shoots have contended with one another in the race. The leaves are unfurled all over the country... Shade is produced, and birds are concealed and their economics go forward uninterruptedly."

Duck House

You know it's May in Maine- the Duck House at Deering Oaks has returned from winter storage. Growing up in the city, it was almost a 'rite of passage' when the duck house and the fountain were back in service each spring. When I worked for the City of Portland in college, I remember seeing it wintered, along with the city's police horses, in a storage building next to the Expo. I always wondered, as a small child, where it went. Secret solved! I love this view of Park Avenue lined with trees. Enjoy it! Because in another week, you won't be able to see these apartment buildings. The trees will have exploded!

Farmers' Market

You know it's May in Maine- the Farmers' Market has moved back to the Oaks. There was a little drizzle, but otherwise, it was just a 'walk in the park' the other morning. Lots of smiling faces, laughter and small talk were in evidence. I even caught sight of two, are you ready for this, belly dancers doing their thing before 8 AM. What's up with that? Do we really need entertainment, while we're buying seedlings, plants and small shrubs? Life is an intereesting ride at times.

Farmers' Market2

The Castle

The actual history of Deering Oaks goes back into the 1700's. Impressive! The Castle-in-the-Park was built in 1894, as a place of refuge for skaters from the cold wind and frigid January temperatures. I recall, getting my skates on in there on wooden benches and buying hot chocolate to stay warm. Today, 'the castle' still stands at the edge of the Oaks, amid other attractive features: the wonderful duck pond, complete with a duck house and water fountain, tennis courts, a baseball diamond, volleyball nets, a wading pool, basketball courts, horseshoe pits, a bacci ball area, a large playground for the kiddies, the cobblestone foot bridge and a newly renovated bandstand for summer concerts. The last time I stopped by, they were renting paddle boats out of the building and providing travel information for the city and the southern Maine area. As far as I'm concerned these days, there are two overwhelming attractions in the park: the spectacular trees themselves(hence the name Deering Oaks) and of course the 'millions' of squirrels! Both of these are well worth a visit, anytime of year.

A Snowy Afternoon in Portland