Looking out across the open bay this time of year emphasizes some of the luxuries of our coastal community. Lots of unoccupied space, which for me, appeals to my appreciation for calm. In a world full with all sorts of distractions the simplicity of this view helps me be grateful for the gifts we have been given by the coast of Maine. Sort of whittles down to basics without much fluff. A boat, a church and lots of water. The same as it’s always been, at least during our brief stay. This is a view for the ages. A hundred years ago it very well could have been the same.

Whenever you see a Boothbay town crew pickup with plow attached, heading around Ocean Point in April, when it is 50F and sunny, you can be pretty certain that it’s not for accumulating snow. However, it is entirely probable that there has been a seaweed invasion somewhere along Shore Road, most notably in the vicinity of Ocean Point Inn where portable traffic barriers have been assembled to help deflect ocean waters laden with all varieties of waterborne adventures. A generous helping of seaweed is often freely dispersed across the road mixed with sea gravel, sand and maybe even chunks of flotsam. Other areas along the shore also receive gifts, depending upon, in some part, the direction from which a storm has come. The stretch of road from the Ocean Point Chapel along Shore Road toward the remains of “Three Trees” also is often the recipient of much ocean delivery service.

Funny how people end up doing what they do. Growing up in a small Pennsylvania coal town, I never imagined being a teacher or a photographer. The thought never crossed my mind. Too focused on the day to day I guess. “Down the road” and “in the future” never occurred to me. Going to college wasn’t really something I felt sure of.

Sometimes things can be a blessing in disguise in addition to being a pain in the wazoo!

One of the biggest challenges for me, over the years, is managing the huge volume of images I have produced since the late ’60s. I am not a highly organized unit, so when a call comes in for a photo made long ago I can feel my central nervous system beginning to set sail. It’s one of my biggest nightmares. But, sometimes, being forced to circumnavigate my storage bins provides an opportunity to revisit good memories and fun times. Such is the case with today’s adventure.

Frequently during my years in the vicinity of boatyards, alumni of Lance Lee’s Apprenticeshop have emerged from the sawdust. On my present Ernestina-Morrissey photography project at Boothbay Harbor’s Bristol Marine there have been a handful of Apprenticeshop grads. It doesn’t take long after the mention of the Apprenticeshop to recognize the craft and talent of those who learned boatbuilding with Lance. They are a very skilled bunch.

When I stopped by to visit Richard Macdonald, one of the first things he mentioned was the cedar shingles I had applied to a side of his house close to the gallery section of his studio. “They’ve lasted a long time,” Richard said. “Probably due to their shaded location.” I took that as a backhanded compliment as I was not a particularly highly skilled carpenter at the time!

When I stopped by to visit Richard Macdonald, one of the first things he mentioned was the cedar shingles I had applied to a side of his house close to the gallery section of his studio. “They’ve lasted a long time,” Richard said. “Probably due to their shaded location.” I took that as a backhanded compliment as I was not a particularly highly skilled carpenter at the time!

Every year, about this time, old friends begin to show up in the neighborhood. It has always been quite remarkable to me that this happens. We have kept track on the calendar of returning critters. I know, we really should find better ways to spend our time, but it is amazing to see how precisely they return from year to year. When we see certain birds show up at the feeders, sure enough, the previous year’s calendar notes visual contact within a week, sometimes within days. This often happens without regard to what the weather is or has been. They just magically appear and we magically enjoy.

Edie McDaniel Climo started coming to Maine at a very early age to visit with her grandparents in Boothbay Harbor. As a child she would often “hang out” at their store “Angels Unawares” which was located in the parking lot of Captain Fish boat tours, across Commercial Street from where “Ebb Tide” once was. When I first landed here there was still a chimney standing in that location until it was hit by lightning and eventually disassembled.

Albert Greenleaf was wired differently. Not in a bad way. Just the occasional drifting between positive, negative and the ground. I never personally observed any significant “misconnections” but Albert did share a story or two about incidents of concern. One of the extra benefits of working with Albert was his sense of humor. Untangling wires was just the tip of the iceberg.

Recently, carrying an arm full of firewood into the house, I hurried to get the evening stove perked up before dark. My internal clock, significantly aggravated by the shorter days of winter, urged me on. It takes real effort for me to push through the major darkness this time of year.

The connections from shore to water are all hauled up – mostly. Some folks leave their docks in through the winter months. If you are a working lobster fishing person this time of year, and want to work from a home office base, your dock may still be in. Otherwise, perhaps, boats can be docked at local piers, which I guess makes more sense. On average, boats tied up in bunches at protected locations are safer. But, on the other hand, most who own and use boats seasonally opt for dock and run removal to higher ground.

In the vicinity of 40 years ago I was invited to photograph the wedding of Kelsy Hartley’s parents at the United Methodist Church in Boothbay Harbor. It was a packed church. Gregg was working for Eliot Winslow on the tugs and Kathy, I believe, was just at the beginnings of what would be one of our most wonderful experiences at Boothbay Region Elementary School.

Strong independent young women is how Katie Lewis Yereance described the dedicated horse family at Sea-Vu farm. And that could not have been more obvious to see during one of my visits. It was a whirl of moving parts as horses moved from stall to training to feeding to brushing. As a novice bystander, it was difficult to follow along. But under the watchful eyes of four ambitious managers, things moved along smoothly and efficiently with horses of many colors and dispositions.

Used to be we could refer to “TV Guide” for a reliable schedule of what would or would not appear on the tube at any given time. If you looked up Channel 6 and the evening news, for example, you didn’t expect to see WWE Bruno Sammartino v. Haystacks Calhoun! Like it or not you got the news.

It's kind of a neat loop over there in East Boothbay. Little River. Woods roads. Some cabins and a refreshing water side stroll if you are so inclined. Another favorite of mine when wandering around the region enjoying our beautiful location on the planet.

It wasn’t the storm of the century but it was enough to launch the region’s fleet of snow plowers and salt and sand spreaders. They were flying around all over the place, on state roads, out of driveways, in parking lots and on town streets. There was a parking ban. On the highways and byways, drivers needed to be alert. In addition to all the snow activity there seemed to be a lot of people with binoculars and long lenses flitting about. There was a bird alert on the internet tracking a poor creature from Russia which had either lost its way or was on a tour of local feeding grounds. We saw it by accident off Pratts Island. A small dot on a rock being approached by a kayak in Sheepscot Bay. The bird flew off before said kayaker could get close enough for the award-winning photo. It headed up the Sheepscot toward Five Islands/Westport. We lost sight of it rounding the point heading north.

Dec. 31 is a special day for our family. It’s our youngest daughter’s birthday. Yup! New Year’s Eve. Not an ideal date just after Christmas and the heavy party day prior to the new year. All through her growing up years we attempted to create a fun day but as you might guess, not many people/family/friends are available. Schools are closed, many businesses are closed, and often the weather is very challenging.

Back in March when I turned in my old worn out knee for a new one, I eventually returned home to recover. A physical therapist came to the house and we made over the den into a bedroom for me so there were no stairs to climb, with the sprints to the bathroom substantially shortened. My “Chief of Staff” nurse wife was also more able to keep an eye on things as I gradually climbed my way back from being one wheel down. It worked out very well with one exception.

We got our first measurable snow this past weekend. Not a huge dump, maybe five inches here on Southport. It started to snow in the late afternoon, light fluffy stuff. But when it hit the warm ground, light fluffy turned into wet slushy. Once the snow got going, the light fluffy took over. We could hear the snow plow crew out during the night making passes along the state road and down some of the side roads to Cozy Harbor and beyond. Adam Harkins has taken over as the person in charge of keeping the island in good shape and I think he wanted to make a good first impression. He did. Thanks, crew!