[negative] memories

scrolling through facebook one night, i saw an old high school classmate post one of the photos i took in high school, saying "i found this old gem in my parents' basement1" it was of the softball team practicing one of their pre-game traditions of embracing in a large circle and crossing their legs.  it was actually one of my favorite shots during my years on the yearbook staff.  i dug through my high school bn and actually found the original negative.  Downloading an app, i was able to scan it onto my phone and sent it to my classmate.

i love photography. but honestly who doesn't. this day in age everyone is a photographer..  back in the day though, photos were just a little more rare. they weren't digital, they couldn't be "shared" endlessly. they had to be printed and held and cherished.  the fact my old classmate held on to this photo meant a lot. ironically, my first instinct was to digitize it, so it could be shared...

a [maine] reason

alright maine....you do fall pretty well.

 

 

flowered with [flowers]

 so i know i've mentioned my obsession with sunflowers this year, but i have a hidden obsession as well.

a couple of weeks ago, a neighbor down the street, i don't know all that well, gave me some bulbs she said were dahlia's.  a flower i was not familiar on, let alone how to grow it.  i did some research and thankfully they're not too complicated to grow.  so along with the sunflowers, i've been caring for these dahlia's which are finally blooming and are gorgeous!  apparently the hardest part of caring for dahlia's are this fall when i have to dig up the bulbs and care for them this winter.  i'll let you know how that goes.  for now please enjoy these photos.

come[t] as you are

i was able to get out to check out comet neowise last night.

i am by no means an expert at photography, let alone, night time, long exposure space photography, but i was pleased with the pics i was able to get.  basically i've learned to take a lot because 90% of the photos will not come out right.  thankfully the subject of the photo was pretty chill and let me take my time. 

hopefully i'll be able to get back out before his comet dissapears for the next 6,800 years.

birthday [selfie]?

this year's birthday was a little different.


the current pandemic and self isolation canceled the few plans i had.  however, one thing that was different and new, this was the first time i celebrated a birthday as a dad.  spending the day relaxing and chilling with my daughter was a perfect way to celebrate my last year in my 30's.

foggy, foggy [evening]

a foggy evening was a brief reminder that summer will soon be ending.

year in pictures [2018]

year fourteen for the [year in pictures] post.


every year i’ve done this post, i’ve been able to come up with a theme that seems to encompasses the entire year.  sometimes it’s very apparent, other years it takes a while to discover.  this year was the latter.  i’ve stared at these ten pictures the last four weeks trying to figure out what binds them together; what’s the common thread weaving itself around each one? 

i think i might have figured it out with just a couple of days in january to spare….

in this social media world we live in, where you scroll through pages and pages of pictures of people showing you what they’re up to, it's easy to fall into a “grass is greener on other side” mentality.  even when you post a picture yourself it can give you anxiety wondering, “how many people will think what i’m doing is cool?”  as cliche as it sounds, the grass isn't greener on the other side, it’s greener where you water it.  

that’s what 2018 was for me; realizing that putting time and effort into your situation and the relationships around you are really what’s most rewarding; basically [watering your lawn]. now i understand the irony of saying all this on a blog post where i’m basically showing you pictures of what i was up to last year, but believe me…. this is just me looking back and appreciating what i've [watered.]

after moving away from my friends and family three years ago, to a city i had never been to before, nearly all my relationships were new.  with the perspective of time, i’m able to look back and see how those early interactions have grown into true friendships.  as a newly married man, i can also see how that rings true with my relationship with my wife.  if marriage has taught me one thing, it’s that i’m no lawn care professional.  hell, sometimes i wonder how was even lucky enough to acquire a lawn.  although there’s a lot to learn, i feel i do know one thing, and that is, even a little bit of water makes the grass greener.  also....don’t shit on the lawn…that’s a big one too.  i also know how important it is to take care of relationships with friends and family [back home] and how i need to keep those lawns [watered] with phone calls, texts and face time chats.


like i said before, this post and the following photos are just a look back at my life and appreciating the time and effort i’ve put into the last three years living in maine and enjoying the product.  i know all of you out there have your own wonderful lawns you’re taking care of as well.  this neighborhood called life we all find ourselves living in really is better when we can all sit back with a beer and enjoy a nicely maintained and watered lawn…and trying not to get too terribly mad when you find shit in it.

that being said…. here is my [watered lawns] of 2018

 ice_friends_1.20.18

 i've made a lot of good friends here in maine and they're all very active people that do maine things.  you meet someone, you hang out with them a few times, you become acquaintances, then you become friends and pretty soon your freezing your ass off with them in the middle of a frozen lake.
[frozen lawn]

 

 snowy_steps_3.8.18

 i hate the winter. 

let me rephrase that; i hate the winter when it lasts into april, which is what it does here in the northeast.  as awful as it is and as tiring as it can be to deal with it, one day you walk to work and look up and admire how the snow is falling on a historic building, and it almost makes it all worth it. 

[snowy lawn]

bowling_team_3.28.18

three years ago i joined an architecture board. during that time i got to know several of the people on it.  in january of last year, a few of them asked me to join a bowling league they were on.  not only did this help make the winter months a little more bearable, but it also turned acquaintances into true friends. 

[lawn league]

hunting_5.18.18

my wife and i spent most of 2018 looking for a house.  weekends were filled with going to open houses and setting up showings with our realtor. it's been a long, boring and sometimes stressful process.  it's also created many high energy discussions between my wife and i, but in the end,  there's no one else i'd rather go through all that with. hopefully we'll find a home in 2019.

[my own lawn]

under_the_falls_5.31.18

my wife and i took our honeymoon to jamacia almost a year after we got married.  one of the many activities we tried was climbing up dunns river falls.  between, the water, the rocks, the climbing, me helping her and her helping me, it almost felt like marriage counseling.  we were there for each other and had a blast doing it.  it was one of my favorite memories of the trip.  with all the stress we had with the house shopping, spending a couple hours climbing up a waterfall, with our only goal being not to slip and fall, was as priceless as it was enjoyable.

[waterfall lawn]

 time_to_sketch_6.5.18

sometimes you have to take a little time for yourself too.  while on our honeymoon i found time to draw in my sketch book, which is one of my favorite things to do.  although it's not a picture, this sketch sums up how relaxed i was during our trip.
[lawn relaxation]

 casco_sunset_7.21.18

sometimes i still can believe i live here.  this statement has a different tone when said in the summer.  witnessing a summer sunset from peaks island was one of my favorite moments of the summer.
[lawn sunset]

glass_house_8.24.18

sometimes i forget i'm in the northeast.  several places i studied in school that were thousands of miles away when i first read about them, are only a few hours away from me now.  with the glass house only being four hours away, there was no way i wasn't going to visit it.  also, introducing my in-laws to mid century modernism was a memorable and fun experience.

[minimalist lawn]

 boothbay_with_the_fam_9.7.18

i miss my parents...a lot.  it meant the world to me they drove from kansas to maine to spend seven wonderful days with my wife and i.  i was also able to show them my favorite spot in maine, boothbay harbor.  if absence makes the heart grow fonder, my heart is full of "fond" for these two...
[family lawn]

date_night_11.16.18

the last few months of the year, my wife and i went on a mission to find the best ice cold dirty martini in the city of portland.  every friday night, we'd hit up a different bar looking for the elusive cocktail.  the goal was to find the best martini, but what i really enjoyed was quality time with my best friend.  this picture was taken one night as we waited on our martini's.  not as exotic or exciting as a honeymoon, but little adventures like this seem to help create a healthy relationship.
[date night lawn]

[christmas lights] on the water

this year my wife and i checked out the "parade of lights" in casco bay, an event we've always wanted to see.  we watched along the shoreline as several boats all decked out in holiday lights cruised the bay, a few even shooting off fireworks.  it was a wonderful start to the holiday season although next time i might bring a heavier coat...and maybe some coffee...and maybe some alan's coffee brandy....and maybe a tripod.

 

family [captures]

like a lot of people, i enjoy taking pictures.  being an architect the majority of my digital camera roll usually consists of buildings or other structures, but occasionally something else finds its way into my viewfinder... people.

during my thanksgiving trip back to kansas, my sister asked me to take pictures of her family, a request i was more than happy to do.  not only is it a hobby i enjoy, but it gave me a chance to spend some quality time with my niece who is growing up far too fast and too far away for this uncle.  with the help of my parents and wife, who were behind me making noises and actions, we were able to get a few shots of her looking at the camera, just perfect for a frame.  however several of the "outtakes" were too precious to delete.  below are a few select pics, i hope you enjoy looking at them as much as i had taking them.

 

thats [amore]

after attending the st. peters italian bazaar festival last year, my wife and i fell in love and couldn't wait to attend again this year.  with the sense of community, the food, the games, the greased pole competition...and of course the cannoli's, what's not to love.  much like the year before we started at tomaso's canteen for a few drinks before going to the festival.  after a bit we ventured to the front of st. peters church where everything was going in full force, italian music was playing, kids were attempting to climb the greased pole and the cannoli booth was set up.  we walked around and took in the sights and even ran into a few people we knew.  this year however i was better prepared for my cannoli purchases.  after stuffing my face with two as soon as the were purchased, i was smart enough to bring extra cash to purchase several more to take home and enjoy later. 

they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and the annual st. peters italian bazaar festival has secured a direct route with those cannoli's.

 

 

[bristol]party

a friends 40th birthday party lead us to a new part of the state last month.  slightly short of a two hour drive we discovered the area known as seal cove next to the town of south bristol.  it was a wonderful little day trip and allowed us to have another great weekend enjoying the summer with friends near water.

[beach] please

on our bucket list of new places to visit this summer was ogunquit beach.  we had heard from several friends it was one of the more enjoyable beaches to visit in the area, so we were excited to check it out!  one hot july day we decided to make the trek.  even though it's not too far of a drive, the traffic on route 1 was horrendous.  sitting in traffic for over an hour had me skeptical it was worth it.  upon arrival however, we discovered a gorgeous beach, and we weren't the only ones.  it seemed everyone in maine was on this beach, but for good reason.  the water was actually fairly warm and the sand was perfect and fine.  to my delight there was also a snack bar nearby offering french fries.  a perfect snack as we ended up staying there most of the day.


yet another new maine location crossed off this summer!

land o lakes [also]

apparently maine has more than just coastline, it has lakes as well. a quick day trip lead us to naples, maine to an area called the "seabego lakes region."  it was only a few hours but in that time we watched sea planes land and a steamboat dock.  we also had a wonderful lunch right on the lake.  a great little getaway and another adventure in this summer of new maine discoveries.

sunset [peaks]

i don't normally enjoy or take pictures of sunsets.  one reason is because everyone AND their dog takes sunset photos; they're horribly unoriginal.  another reason is because, i've rarely seen a picture of a sunset that does the actual scene justice.

all that being said; here is a sunset photo i took. 

i along with about 30 other people...and a couple dogs, took a picture in that moment and yes, it does a poor job representing what we all actually saw, but it still represents a great summer night with friends...and that is priceless.