Maine Views

I mentioned in a previous post that everything in Maine seems to be prepared for a spontaneous "photos of Maine" calendar shoot.

Seriously, everywhere I looked there were charming views like this:

It rained the majority of time that I was there (which was actually quite nice, coming from the drought we've been enduring in Houston!) and the skies weren't blue... but the leaves were just starting to turn and the colors were beautiful already!

One rainy morning we ate at a little restaurant and sat next to this charming window:

You can see that most of the tress in the background are green, but imagine how beautiful that will look in a few weeks!

Our first evening in Maine, we visited a small town near Augusta.

It was a fairly quiet evening, so I was surprised when all of a sudden I heard a live band start up. I couldn't pin-point it at first, but soon I realized that it was coming from here:

See the door below the Kennebec Wharf sign? It's a lower room that has a bar and (apparently) live music. Fact: as a Houstonian, I get really excited when I see a basement.

We walked into a convenience store where they had a section of locally grown foods:

Later I saw a barber shop. My dad has always said he wishes there were more men's barber shops with the close shaves and the friendly banter. So I snapped a photo:

Um, hey dad, how about a smile?

Well, there you go. See the barber pole in the background? I wish I had gotten a shot of the barber chairs inside...

Another thing I found charming were signs like this in front of many of the shops (keep in mind, it's around 6pm on a Friday):

I love using "ish" when talking about time.

Another sign that says, "Call and we will open the store for you-- Robert". How fun is that?

We walked by an open bookstore and my brother told me that there is rarely someone behind the counter. It's run on the honor system-- people choose their book and leave the money.

This last photo isn't really a good example of the beautiful Maine views... but it's a good example of Maine-speak:

At this counter you can order soup or "chowda". I wish I could copy the Maine way of talking. It's very distinct-- a little loud (almost gruff) and very matter of fact. I think it's a subtle nod to the "heartiness" that these folk must have in order to survive (and enjoy) the long, cold winters. Accents intrigue me-- and it was fun to hear a new one!

All of these photos were taken by a non-photographer (me) on an iPhone. So you can imagine what a professional photographer could do with this kind of backdrop-- charming overload!