...Challenging Assignment

Steve assigned a challenging homework project this week…...“Plan a morning to take 24 photographs BEFORE getting out of bed, six to be included in the blog.”...... Not an easy assignment for me. Just waking up in the winter months takes about all the creativity I can muster .

Winter Mornings are full of aches and pains and interrupted dreams and dreary gray windowscapes. I don’t look so good either. The night fairy inflates my eye bags, presses the wrinkles deeper into my face, then tosses , twists, and tangles my hair into a brillo pad. No, the last thing I want to think about upon waking is creativity. If I am going to focus at all it is on how to get the twelve feet from the bed to the bathroom.

On the other-hand, nighttime rituals are a relaxing, welcomed part of my day. I work a sudoku, read a chapter or two, fluff Annie’s “bed”.



With the rituals completed, Thursday night, I tucked the blankets under my chin . In the darkness I thought about the blogging class. How committed was I?. I pride myself on being up to a challenge. Was I up to this one? I paid good money to take the class. Besides, the only preparation I needed to do was place the camera conveniently on the night table by the books. Yes I could do it!


CLICK….the light.. Quick, down the stairs, get the camera…..and CLICK…..! Back in bed, re-tucked. I thought a little about which corner of the ceiling I would photograph then discovered the ceiling fan. I will shoot the four corners and two shots of the fan…..six, that’s all I need. Good-night!


Peeked at 7 a.m. NPR news started broadcasting in the cold morning air. NOT ALREADY!



Turned down the volume!. Pulled the covers tighter around the head….left one ear and the nose in the cold.

Peeked again at the clock……..7:50a.m. Picked up the camera. It was cold in my hand…….CLICK……..

Checked the view out the window….yuck………CLICK…… Pulled covers tighter!

Awoke from a dream 8:14 a.m….CLICK… O
Opened my swollen eyes.
and there we were eyeball to eyeball!! ......CLICK......

It wasn’t a dream after all. It was rather frightening....... She did not look happy!! . She wasn't happy!! Her piercing eyes and switching tail said it all….”Get out of that bed and get me breakfast!!” OH ……NOT YET ANNIE! …. FIVE MORE MINUTES……PLEASE ....

8:31 a.m ......CLICK……She hasn’t stopped staring…..




……. I looked at the floor……CLICK. I wiggled my feet. I must get up. Annie has been so patient. I CAN make it to the sink…..the warm water will wake me up. She wants her breakfast. She is usually such a nice kitty. She just doesn't realize I worked all night on my homework assignment!!

...Not All Lobstermen..... are Men.

To all who wonder.......not all lobstermen....... are men!! This is a Bass Harbor Skipper preparing bait aboard her "Downeast Pride" .

On the following morning she and her daughter offered to take my friend out to her designated fishing area to check the buoys and traps. An invitation readily accepted as my friend was really into "lobsters" after reading Trevor Corson's book, 'THE SECRET LIFE OF LOBSTERS.'

We met other "lobsterwomen" on our journey along the coast of Maine.......... Incredibly hard work and not for the faint-of-heart!!.

...Inside a Lobster Fishing Co-op

Travelling the coast of Maine awakened more than just my sense of sight, so being of curious mind, I found myself exploring the interior of the Bass Harbor Lobster C0-op.

The lobstermen were at sea checking their traps, and I was all alone in a most disgusting place. I repeat ..DISGUSTING! It took most of my strength to keep from upchucking breakfast. The smell CANNOT be described. But I knew there had to be a great photo somewhere in that building and what little strength I had left I was going to find it!

The co-op was divided into assigned stalls where each lobsterman stored his bait, heavily salted rotting fish.

Tubs are hoisted and in some cases a tray is used to load the bait on board the fishing boat where it is stuffed into net bags and tied into the traps......a great treat for, but dangerous dining if you are a lobster. ...... Well I am not sure these are great photos, but they certainly express the environment inside a lobster co-op!

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...Stonington Harbor at Sunrise

Stonington Harbor at sunrise is magical. This is the lobstermen's Fishing Co-op. The tubs are color coded holding tanks for the catch. To capture this shot as I had to go down a narrow and steep (low tide) steel ramp to the floating, bobbing dingy dock. Considering my lack of coordination it was quite an "adventure". But the shot was worth it!!

...Why Write a Blog?

Our home work assignment in our "Blogging Class", (yes, I am taking a class to do this) is to answer, "Why am I doing this?" I think my purpose has something to do with being older and maybe wiser but definitely more focused on the world I live in, the beauty, the intrigue, the challenges, the celebrations. Photography has given me permission to capture these focused moments . Everyday is incredibly interesting when viewed through the lens of my camera. It makes me so happy I want to live forever. I want to share the joy.

I know what you are thinking after our Mussel dinner experience. You think I am a Martha Stewart "wanna-be" and that I spent time tying lemons in little mesh bags and setting the table with multi sized crystal stemware. No so. Usually it's a tray, a white procelain bowl , a spoon and a fork while watching Brian Williams and the 6:30 news. The photo was taken in a restaurant while on a road trip along the coast of Maine.

Traveling coast of Maine in September with a camera and an appetite for seafood is such a memorable experience. With two friends I spent 14 days along the coast exploring coves and harbors, lighthouses, little villages, and hard to get to islands. I'll share some of those photos with you.

...Finally in Focus

"Finally in Focus", ...........maybe not quite yet. Let's eat first! Yes, I am going to cook something I have never before cooked .....never before photographed .

MAINE MUSSELS.
2 lbs. fresh Maine Mussels......Pour a little white wine.........a little water......garlic.......spices you like..........and a tad+ of butter. Steam 7 minutes until all shells are open. (Throw out the closed ones!) Serve Mussels and broth in a nice white bowl, or any color bowl....., I prefer white. Add a loaf of crusty bread, lemon, a little Canon elph,........ And join me for dinner!