Four Skiffs. Seal Cove, Maine.

The island is waking up. People are shaking off the cobwebs and taking the shutters off the store windows and a bunch of people who aren't here for the cold season are walking around looking for summer jobs and such and those who've been here for the whole thing are still wearing there beanies even though it's 60 degrees f out- out of fear I figure. You really get used to those "security blankets" of the winter and when you've lived around here for long enough you know that another cold snap is just a gust away. But it's definitely almost summer now and time to turn on the machine that is the tourist industry that which pays for us to live here even after they've all left for the off season. Tell you what- there's nothing like winter around here, I really love it- you feel a tough kind of camaraderie with the people who live here then, a kind of bond of "if you can do it, then I can do it" sort of thing. Everybody waves to each other driving to the store and there's never any traffic driving over to "the big city" of Ellsworth to go to the proper grocery. From here on out most cars on the roads will be from out of state and nobody knows where there going and they crash right into you making 13 point turns to go back to the lighthouse which they missed three miles back. Oh my word how they love that silly little lighthouse! The fishing season will be in full swing and the bait trucks will be leaking their stinky sludge on the way to the docks (that is truly the nastiest smell, a bait truck can stink up the road for a whole day sometimes especially if the breeze is blowing right at ya.) But for all the inconveniences and ridiculousnesses I think most people enjoy it- I approach it like something like a battle, a 5 month long battle- I take multi vitamins and I deal with them wave after wave and they haven't got the worst of me yet. Or is it the best? That remains to be seen. Anyways, here's my formal invitation to all ye listening: come on up to Maine, "vacationland", and get away from the heat and the craziness of the rest of the world and have some tasty lobster (I'll have only about two a year myself- rather get some excellent pizza from "Rosalie's" in Bar Harbor). Go for a hike in  Acadia and take a bike ride around the carriage trails, get some pop-overs and cappuccino at the Jordan Pond House and maybe take a paddle in a kayak on one of the ponds. And most definitely at least once get up for sunrise and go to Eagle Lake or up Cadillac Mountain (at the lakes you'll here the loons calling though which is absolutely priceless) and when you see me with my kit on my tripod please try to stay out of my shot: I'll usually be shooting wide so anywhere behind me will be fine, thanks in advance on that! And if anybody wants a proper photo tour of Mount Desert Island send me a communique and I'll be glad to take you around and tell you where the best lobster bakes are etc.- for a small compensation I'm sure. Right then. Have a good one friendos! -N8!

P.s. 5 days left on the big '30 percent off any of my prints' sale! Get em while they're inexpensive!