Lakeside

I'm a beach guy not a lake guy. When Mom loaded the station wagon up with the gang it was always off to Willard Beach. Leo's family loved Forest Lake in Gray, Maine and every once in awhile on a Sunday, I got invited. It was always great fun. In the heat of July and August, it was the best way to cool off. If spending four hours repeatedly jumping off the float didn't cool you off, there was no hope for you. Occasionally, I got invited mid-week to Vinnie's camp on Crescent Lake. It was fun for different reasons. We always stayed there for a few days and got to stay ovenight in bunks. The best part though was that Vinnie's Dad ran the local convenience store and sandwich shop, so the menu always included the old man's delicious Italian Sandwiches. Ham, cheese, tomatoes, pickles, onions, green peppers, black olives, liberally sprinkled oil, salt and pepper on a fresh sub roll was a memorable way to end a day at the lake.

Flagstaff Lake2

Road Trip- Any trip to Flagstaff gets me looking off to the Bigelows and thinking of what might have been. My brother-in-law S- loved hiking this area and along with my sister took me along on a memorable weekend to the Gulf of Hages, an 8.5 mile loop of challenging trails "The Grand Canyon of the East" and The Hermitage, both National Natural Landmarks. Not long after this weekend of joking and fun, S- life was tragically taken in an accident on 302. I must truly say it was one of the most trying moments in my life. The following spring, my sister wanted to climb Little Bigelow, and I wasn't about to let her head up alone. Long story short- we spent a starry night atop the rocky peak and awoke to a dynamic sunrise on Sugarloaf and Avery Peak, the summit of Bigelow Mtn. Before we left, we 'planted' some mementos to S-. I think his jackknife still rests somewhere up there. Since the early 90s, the Appalachian Trail lean-to just down from the top of Little Bigelow has had a plaque with S- name. In the fall of '95, my son(9 years old at the time) and I climbed to the lean-to and spent the night. We each wrote a note to him in the trail book that evening. It was very nice. J- wanted to know all about S-, and I obliged. That night, we had the lean-to all to ourselves (I couldn't have planned it any better)... well J- and I and a few mice that is! I'll never forget those trips to the shore of Flagstaff Lake and beyond!

Flagstaff Lake1

Road Trip- Ever been to a ghost town? Here's another 'adventure' we've taken recently. This one took us to Flagstaff Lake. It sprawls over Somerset and Franklin counties in the north-western part of the state. There's an interesting history here centering around the town of Flagstaff. Back about 60 years, the town's buildings were either dismantled, taken away or just torn down and surrounding area was flooded over and a once Maine town slipped into oblivion. The Lake itself occupies parts of the abandoned and now submerged townships of Flagstaff, Bigelow, Dead River and Carrying Place. The last time we were here we photographed, investigated and took in the stillness of it all. It's a bit eerie to stare out across the open water and remember that a town and people once stood there.

Rough Water, Smooth Water

Today, my wish is for a smooth, glass-like lake surface here. It's a special day for me. I meet a part of my life that I've never seen. She's a part of my past, a part of my 'today' and surely part of my future. Nine years ago, my brother and sisters learned we had a half-sister. Simply put-- today, we'll all be together at last. I'm excited! Stay tuned for the book...?

Boat Launch

There's a new boat launch on Sebago Lake in Standish this summer. The last time I photographed here, it was January and there was nothing to look at but ice fishing shacks. Now, this is quite a change, for the better I might add. Hate fishing in the winter or in the spring with the bugs! Boats and dogs, I have neither. It's my struggle in life. As a child, I wanted a dog. Mom said, "Wait til you get older and married, and then you'll get your dog." I married a wonderful woman, but to put it nicely, she has no interest in having any pooch around the homestead. Kind of ironic, but I can handle it. Love cats anyway! Now as for the boat issue, they say the two best days in a boat owner life is the day they buy their boat and the day they sell it. I'm resigned to the fact, that'll I'll experience neither in my lifetime. Hey, I can live with this too. You see, at the heart of the matter, I'm really an easy man to please!

Blue Spots

The naming of names is an interesting business; names are intriguing. Here's a favorite poem of mine by Kate Barnes, the daughter of Elizabeth Coatsworth(The Cat Who Went to Heaven, Newbery Award 1931). Where do our names for places and things come from? Some simple, some strange, indeed. If you've traveled some of Maine's blue highways, you've probably come across a few of these 'blue spots'. This one is Sebago. Enjoy!

Lakes and Ponds: Some Blue Spots on the Maine Highway Map
By Kate Barnes
There's Blunder Pond and Bluffer Pond, Molasses Pond and Bean;
There's Scraggly Lake and Ragged Lake; there's Silver, Clear, and Green;
Bear Pond, Caribou, Beaver, Mink; Moose Pond and Eagle Lake.
White Horse Lake and Spider Lake; Panther Pond and Snake;
Hound and Otter, Togue and Salmon; Loon, and Swan, and Duck.
There's Hot Brook Lake and Cold Stream Pond; there's White Pond and there's Black;
Lobster Lake and Bean Pot Lake; Shin Pond for a stew;
(Toddy Pond will make you cheerful, Brandy Pond will too,)
Hay Lake, Harrow Lake, Chain of Ponds; Buttermilk and Mud;
White Oak, Cedar, Seven Tree, Elm; Mill Pond, Meadow, Flood;
Meddybemps and Pocomoonshine; Simsquish, Skitacook,
Syslodobsis, Nahinakanta; Ugh Lake and Ticook;
Indian Pond and Soldier Pond; Polly Pond and Jim;
Round Pond, Square Lake, Corner Pond; Cut Lake and Old Stream;
Endless Lake and Desolation; St. Froid in the snow;
Flying Pond and The Enchanted, its haunted stream below:-
Blue spots on the road map with their blue names printed by,
Many words for "water", many eyes that see the sky.