of New England
I am a water person – more specifically, an ocean person. Yet, for some perplexing reason, I live in the middle of the continent. Something in me comes alive when I am near the ocean.
The first morning of this trip in Maine I was driving north on U.S. Highway 1 after flying into Portland the previous night. I was desperately trying to find access to the sea. It was just after sunrise and the coastal highway was quiet and pretty but I couldn’t quite see or get to the ocean. I tried a few roads that ended in private property and a few State Park entrances that weren’t open yet. I was starved for it – I had traveled a long way and I could smell it in the air and sense that I was near, but couldn’t quite get there.
When I finally hit Reid State Park, I ran down the trail and out onto a huge, smooth rock ledge and there it was! At first I took great gasping gulps – like being at the dentist, scared and sucking in as much nitrous oxide as possible – waiting for it to happen. And then when it does, it changes every cell in my body. I literally got high as I sat there and watched the waves crashing over the rocks and making little inlets and three or four tiered mini-waterfalls as it flows back out, leaving pools rimmed with bubbles. I watched the sea birds and the living, breathing, sensuous ocean until I became a part of it all. I sat for two hours and when I stood up I was a little unsure of my feet because of my altered state. But, I was ready now for this adventure to begin!
It was late July, high summer in Maine, and I had two glorious weeks ahead of me. The first I would spend at the Maine Photographic Workshops in Rockport, studying with Bob Krist, one of the best known travel photographers in the country. I had read his books and watched for his work in National Geographic Traveler and Smithsonian for years. I was excited and a little anxious about what the week would bring. The second week I would spend on my own, exploring and photographing this country that, although I have spent very little time here, I have been in love with for most of my life.
The workshop was fabulous! Bob Krist is extremely talented and knowledgeable after his years in the business, but he is also humble and accessible and genuinely interested in everyone’s development as a photographer. What it did for me was turn me loose! There were hundreds of students at MPW in a wide range of film and photography workshops, all taught by people at the top of their field. Being immersed in that level of talent and creativity and being encouraged to let my own creativity fly while in a place like mid-coast Maine was heaven! It was six intense, jam-packed days that added up to one of the most fun and growth-inducing experiences I’ve ever had!
The second week I followed the coast north from Rockport, just me and my cameras. I was up at least by 4 a.m., because it was fully light by 5, and worked with a fever until mid-day when I would often find a way to eat lobster in some form or other, mark my film, clean my equipment, plan where to shoot in the afternoon and evening and rest briefly. Unless, of course, the weather was doing something interesting, in which case I would work straight through till twilight at 9:15 or so. I was on fire! I was tireless and some days running on adrenaline and granola bars. The combination of the previous week of inspiration and encouragement and the current week of freedom and beauty was intoxicating!
I am more in love with Maine than ever. Of all the places I have ever traveled, it is the only place that feels more like home than home. It is real. In spite of the volume of tourists that come to visit, it has not been taken over by franchises. I stayed in tiny little 1950s cottages, bought wild Maine blueberries along the road, shopped in family-owned grocery stores and ate in local restaurants. Of course, the scenery is breathtaking, but what made this whole experience even more extraordinary was the people.
I had heard and read the descriptions of Mainers as “stoic”, “distant”, even “unwelcoming”. I don’t know where those authors were! Surely not in the same places I was! I can honestly say I have never had so much fun meeting people anywhere! People invited me to their homes, led me to “secret” places for great views, and made calls to friends and family members to arrange access, meetings, and opportunities. They were willing to play with me and anxious to participate in my project in all sorts of ways. They allowed me into their lives and spent some of their precious time with me and I am enormously grateful!
I am happy to be able to share some of this experience with you here. Thanks for taking the time to visit. I hope I can convey some measure of the splendor of Maine and the vibrant good nature of her people.
