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Pleasant Mountain hikeYesterday afternoon there was time for the short hike up Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton. We took the Ledges Trail up the east side and climbed to the main peak. My nephew, 8, when asked how he was doing making it up the trail kept responding, "Pleasant."
The first viewpoint; Moose Pond below.
The abandoned firetower on the summit.
A panoramic view to the west. (Multiple shots, assembled with PtGui.) The winds were gusting to over 30 mph, but the showers in the distance did not reach us. Late MayOur leaves are losing that new green color.
Today the weather was constantly changing from deluge to sunshine. It made for some very dramatic skies.
Taken with the Tokina 16-28.
And the the day ended with this brilliant rainbow.
See how the green-blue-violet appears to repeat itself?
The Tokina 16-28 gets the whole view of the double rainbow with one shot, but not without some distortion. The distortion is noticeable because the lens is tipped up. There were raindrops on the front of the lens which affected the pictures with the lens levelled. My house is at the left end of the double rainbow.
This rainbow was exceptionally brilliant: I did not use a circular polarizer to increase the contrast and did not have to adjust the saturation in Lightroom (I did boost the vibrance a little, but that seemed to have little affect on the rainbow). Casco BayThis past week I went down to Portland. It is an opportunity to see the ocean. Here are two views of Caco Bay from Munjoy Hill. The first shows Portland Head Light on the left in Cape Elizabeth to Bug Light on the right in South Portland.
Mid-May in MaineFor my friends in thirstier lands, you may want to skip this post. We have received a little rain here recently and so the leaves have exploded with the beautiful display of new green.
Beech leaves and poplar trunk.
This clear, tranquil stream in Paris, Maine has been transformed into a rushing torrent after the heavy rains of the morning. The next two are from Paris Hill, Maine. It is an historic area with a number of interesting old homes and an old granite jail. Or course the most famous former resident was Hannibal Hamlin. (Not of the jail.)
Two yellows and a millstone.
This photo is interesting for what it depicts: notice how the continuation of the chimney is visible through the attic window. The old rippled glass and the reflections make it a little hard to see. And then the sun came out as the clouds scattered across a brilliant sky.
Norway Lake, or Lake Pennesseewassee, was a fixture in the historical fiction books by C. A. Stephens about the Old Squire's Farm. This collection of tales about a group of orphaned cousins living with their uncle and aunt in the late 19th century is roughly modeled after his own childhood. Those of us living in this area of Western Maine find the happenings familiar to how it really is like here. Search for two recent collected printings: "Stories from the Old Squire's Farm" and "Sailing On the Ice..." Three of his stories are available on Project Gutenberg.
A roadside waterfall in North Waterford, Maine.
And finally, a single Painted Trillium is in the spotlight back at home.
Road trip #8 returnAnd then it was time to return to Maine.
Dogwood in Harrisonburg, Virginia on the campus of EMU.
Wayside American redbud in West Virginia. A change in plans allowed for a short stop-off in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is one of those historical East coast sailing towns. The ocean and river dominate its history.
Rooftops seen from the upper level of the downtown parking garage.
There is a very interesting area of preserved buildings just off from downtown called Strawberry Banke. I did not have time to enter the museum property, but it is well worth a day trip of its own. If you go to their site, be sure to check out the webcam.
And on to Maine. Over 2900 miles in 11 days. It was too early to see the best of spring flowers, but without the foliage, the views were expansive from Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway. I hope you enjoyed the ride. |
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