Sunset on Lake Champlain

A few weeks ago, I spent a night on the shores of Lake Champlain near Milton, Vermont. Nestled between upstate New York and Northern Vermont, the Lake Champlain region houses many former Massholes and New Yorkers in addition to its own sea creature, Champ.

A picture of yours truly manning the Weber for two and fiddling with my Ricoh AF-5.

Emma manning the Weber and rocking her new APC's.

Another angle. The Adirondacks are visible in the background.

After spending a summer in New York, where buildings and smog obstruct all sunsets, I have a new-found respect and appreciation for taking time, grilling some meats and watching the sun sink behind the horizon.

Here are some more links,
Sunset on Lake Champlain (Picasa).

Sailing Tackle

This summer I played on sailboats in Casco Bay with the help of the Becks. As much as I enjoy playing in the water and going fast over the chop, the technical aspect of lines, pulleys and cleats captivates me in the same way that Legos consumed my life when I was seven. Call me a nerd, but this hardware tells just as relevant of a story as gas pedal, steering wheel, and shifter tells the story of driving.

This collection of images of nautical tackle sets the scene and anchors

That's not my foot, but that's my camera and flash.

To differentiate between lines, sailors rely on bright colors.

I love the rust and remnants of mussel shells.

A high school English teacher, Art Leo, once told me that descriptive detail makes a story real and memorable. I like these sailing details because they tell an anonymous story that anyone could be a part of.

Here are some more links,
Tackle (Picasa),

Out of Reception: Early September

Last week I took some time off and ran around Maine, enjoying the shoreline and lakes of Central Maine.

A look back from the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.

My friend Tucker jumped off the breakwater. Those aren't breasts, he is just a vegan and breathing in.

Moon rise over Heather's cabin on Great Pond.

Tucker about to take the leap.

Sunset over Great Pond from the Colby Outing Club Cabin.

I love how the iPhone simplifies images and turns thousands of people into photographers. It's democratic. The iPhone is now the most common camera of Flikr because it allows people to be spontaneous and capture the beautiful images around us. Images don't have to be 21 megapixels to inspire.

Here are some more links,
Out of Reception: Early September (Picasa),
Out of Reception (ART).

US Route-2

Last week, I drove from Waterville to Middlebury to drop off Edge's car. Both ways I drove on US Route 2 through the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, The Greatwoods Region of New Hampshire and Western Maine.

Route 2 is a prime moose zone.

America!

Along the way we stopped and played in the Connecticut River.

Half of these images were taken with my Canon 5d Mark II and the other half with a 5 dollar Ricoh AF-5 from Goodwill. Can you tell the difference?

I like logs more than blogs.

Rock hopping on the shore of the Connecticut River.

US Route 2 does not feel like the numerous Volvo station wagons, Red Sox hats, twenty minute suburban commutes to Boston, and feverish obsessions with selective high schools that defines the New England stereotype. Route 2 feels more like a Pacific Northwest logging road with dirt sections skirting the shadows of remote mountains than a New England thoroughfare connecting the ski areas of Vermont to Vacation Land. But that's why I like it so much; it is unexpectedly rugged yet rooted in heritage and tradition.

Here are some more links,
US Route-2 Ricoh AF-5 (Picasa),
US Route-2 Digital (Picasa).