Ah, these are the days. Sunrises over the neighboring farm are golden. Last day of school was yesterday. The garden is planted...peas are already feet high. The pool was 53F when we opened last month [brrrrr], but much warmer now. Summer in Maine can't be beat. ​

Yay! The telescope is back from Celestron. They tell me that the auto-nav features are working perfectly for them...we'll see. Looking forward to the next clear night.

Meanwhile, I've been thinking back to the moon photography I used to do at the last house...where I could walk to the ocean with tripod and camera slung over my shoulder. The shots above were from last year, doing just that. Nice.

Well, we had a little more snow. 
We love the landscape here, but are a bit distracted by the ongoing renovations on the first floor. 
Looking forward to the final result.
All the best in 2024! 

​I contribute on occasion to a travel photography site, and they solicited favorite photos of the year from us. Not 'best', but photos that meant something to us. So I thought I'd post mine here as well.

Happy New Year to all!

Photo 1 was taken in Halifax, NS late in the afternoon. It has remained a favorite for the mood and the timeless story that it tells.

Photo 2 is from the back porch of the house we bought this year. The wonderful views to the north-west were a revelation after years of living in the deep woods here in Maine. Sunset photos typically leave me unmoved...but this view and the amazing contrast was special for me.

​Photo 3 is also from our new community. For years I've enjoyed photographing the beach, and especially surfers. I actually had a gallery show of such work years ago. This image just barely holds together at 10,000 ISO on an MFT camera. But I love the ethereal nature and skewed colors.

Meetings over, beautiful day, thought I'd take a walk around the new property. 
--Lumix G9 w/ Leica DG 50-200mm f2.8-4 ASPH

Well, Hurricane Lee was not that big a deal down here where we now reside, but apparently it hit our old neighborhood pretty hard. Hope all is well up there. I actually drove up to Portland Saturday morning for a concert that evening, only to find out that it had been postponed...I'm not a social media maven but I checked a lot and saw no notice online. No bother. I had a nice evening out in a great small city and made new friends. Calling this one a win. 

Shooting through water with an iPhone the other evening. What interesting and unpredictable results.

The move from rural, beautiful, remote St George to the SeaCoast region of Maine has been as smooth as we could possibly have hoped for. Neighbors have been welcoming, services available sometimes at urgent notice, all in all a very comfortable transition. The Boy will start 2nd grade in the local system soon, and we look forward to settling in for a warm and wonderful winter here. Best to all.

My wife, son, and I started what was intended to be an annual vacation to the eastern provinces of Canada a few years back...just before covid. My mother's side of the family hail from here so I'd like to think it feels familiar. Bonus is we really enjoy the area and people. 

The pandemic and other priorities put things on hold until this year, when we were able to pick the tradition back up, and travelled from Maine to Rothesay NB, Lunenburg NS, Indian Harbor NS, Halifax NS, back to Rothesay and home. 

As different as the towns and settings were, there was really no favorite in the bunch. It was more of a smorgasbord of experiences, each one successful in its own way. A little car trouble along the way spiced things up, as did some torrential rain...apparently the new normal for parts of the world this spring/summer. 

As for kit, I just realize that I was still hauling around full size DSLR gear last time. One afternoon in particular comes to mind. We'd been walking all morning in Charlottetown, PEI. It was hot, and we collapsed at a small outdoor table hoping for refreshments.

Even then, hauling a big Canon body with multiple L zooms around in a bag was just too much like work. So instead the camera and one lens sat strapped across me, heavy and at risk of whacking into tables, chairs, and passersby. But where to set it down safely amongst all the bustle? How uncomfortable. 

Was it then and there that my later decision to sell it all and switch to a smaller, lighter system was born? I suspect that to some degree it was.

This year, my walkabout kit was the Lumix G9 body and one lens...usually the Leica DG 9mm or 8-18mm ASPH, while the 50-200mm sat at home in the sling bag. This system did not weigh me down, nor seem likely to hit and injure itself or others. The one change for next time will be to take the 15mm f1.7 instead of the 9mm. Just a preference. 

At the end of the day, the wet conditions added punch to the already brilliant colors of the area. I did not have any goals in mind while shooting. It was just a family vacation, and mostly I was simply recording whatever caught my eye. But I seem to have captured the flavor of the different towns, and truly enjoyed the process. Success. ​