Saint John River - Day 1

A low-water trip down the Saint John River in Maine.


5:30 AM - The rush to sort gear begins at Chris' house in Augusta.


5:50 AM - Packing the pickup.


8:30 AM - Everyone enjoys Richard's recitation of "The Cremation of Sam McGee".


10:30 AM - Pit stop on Route 11.


11:50 AM - Norman and Leon tie down the the canoes for the long ride to Baker Lake.


11:55 AM - Richard sports his pristine new red Crusher.


12:20 PM - A view of the trailer at the Allagash Checkpoint on the Michaud Farm Road.


4:20 PM - Unloading and resorting gear at Baker Lake.


4:30 PM - Loading the canoes.


4:35 PM - The warden's dog. We're told "You'll be the last trip down the river this season". The stream gauge at Ninemile Bridge reads 1710 CFS.


5:30 PM - Finally underway!


5:45 PM - John and Dan enjoy the scenery.


5:44 PM - Dan flashes our canoe gang sign?


5:45 PM - Chris paddles while Dick looks for fish.


6:30 PM - Turner Bogan, our campsite for the night.


7:20 PM - Relaxing by the fire while waiting for dinner.


7:40 PM - Mark's old Blue Hole.

The Boston Marathon

While attending college in Boston, I often watched the Boston Marathon, whose course was only a few blocks from my apartment. I was on the cross-country team in high school, where a race was 3 1/2 miles or so. However, I wasn't a very good runner - my legs are short and my oddly shaped feet always developed a wondrous pattern of blisters in the wafer soled Adidas we wore back then. Still, I identified with the marathoners in a way I never did with someone who played baseball or basketball.

Thirty years ago, it wasn't that difficult to get a good spot at the finish line and watch the runners on their final sprint down Boylston. This time, though, I decided it would be easier to watch from Kenmore Square, about a mile from the finish and the crushing crowds.


10:08am - The wheelchair runners started at 9:25, the women started at 9:35 and the men started at 10:00. All is quiet in Kenmore Square.


10:11am - Boston Police are out in droves - not just for the Marathon, but because for some perverse reason there's a Red Sox Game at 11:00am today.


10:58am - The first wheelchair competitors head down Commonwealth Ave.


11:25am - The crowd is still thin as the wheelchairers continue to zip past.


11:56am - A growing blare of sirens and a camera truck signal the approach of the first women runners.


11:57am - Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia and Dire Tune of Ethiopia run past my lamppost perch.


12:03pm - Just six minutes later the first male runner, Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya makes his way towards the finish.


12:06pm - Last years winning female runner, Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia, looks pained.


12:45pm - Antoni Kot of Edinburgh looks intense.



12:48pm - Adam Mulia of New York looks... like an airplane?


1:01pm - The runners, coming thick and fast now, round the corner on Hereford Street. Only two blocks to go!


1:34pm - Tracey Martin of Chicago (official time 3:01:35) stands triumphant and slightly dazed amid the chaos near the finish line. "Can you tell me where the subway station is?" he asks.

Wide Angle Grocery Shopping

Selecting your cart.


The produce section.


Oh look! Cheez-It's are on sale!


Canned food.


Processed meats.


Mission accomplished!

Stata Center, MIT

I bought a new wide angle lens.



But I'm not sure I like it.



It really seems to distort everything.

TWiN BAKERY

The Bakery.




The Twins.

Portrait

I'm having a show of my photos at the Harlow Gallery in Maine.


It's a joint show and the other artist, Mike, does more conceptual work. This includes filling one of the front windows of the gallery with trash.



It also includes doing portraits of visitors to the gallery. This afternoon, he did my friend Jude's portrait.


The first moments of a sitting are always a bit tense...


Things loosen up a bit when Jude's dog joins her. But where is the portrait going?


It looks kind of cartoony...


Okay, now it's looking a bit more like Jude.


Wait, what's he doing now? Several silver-haired ladies watching the progress of the portrait gasp and go "tsk-tsk".


Um, okay - I think I see where this is headed.


Mike gets out his fine brushes...


Using a stick to add some white. The silver haired ladies go "oooh".


After 45 minutes, Jude gets her first look.


Jude bolts as Mike says "Wait, let me touch-up that nose a bit!"

Why Are Cemeteries Named Pleasant?

Both in Livermore Falls, Maine.

It's Been a Long Winter

In Bethel, Maine they create the world's largest snowwoman to pass the time.


Despite a treacherous plaza of lumpy ice, a steady stream of camera toting visitors makes their way to the foot of the snowwoman. Be careful Grandma!


Oh snowwoman, please make this winter end!


Bah! Don't bother me you pathetic warm-blood. I will freeze you and crush your tacky duplexes! Bu-wah ha-ha!

One Morning at the John Hancock Building

See that guy there?

Where?



The guy walking towards you.

Oh, I see him now.



He's going to tell you you can't take pictures of the John Hancock Building.

Phosphorescent Frogs!

Odd stuff at the barn...


DA-DUM!


DA-DUM!


DA-DUM DA-DUM DA-DUM DA-DUM...