Category Archives: Photos

Baggage claim is located on the grass next to the terminal

"Mars Hill Regional Airport" taken by Kelly McInnis. Reprinted with permission.

Here’s a photo shot by Kelly McInnis taken in Mars Hill, Maine. She slugged it “Mars Hill Regional Airport” because of the windsock and what appeared to be a grassy runway nearby. She says it might have been used for crop dusters and such.

Kelly, with whom I graduated from Ashland Community High School in 1980, gave me permission to publish the photo and I thank her very much. I wanted to share it to show off the incredibly blue sky and lush green grass of northern Maine.

Oh, and Kelly’s Maine wit, too. 🙂

Maine stuff in my California apartment No. 3

Several books from my small library on the American Civila War. These books center around Joshua Chamberlain, scholar, warrior, hero, and politician.

 This is an occasional multipart series of photos of things related to Maine that can be found in my California apartment. Today’s photo is of a few books in my small library on the American Civil War.

The first set is a series of books related to Joshua Chamberlain, a Bowdoin College professor, who joined the troops from Maine going off to fight in the Civil War.

He was given a leadership role in the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment and later, despite having no education in military strategies, became a highly respected and honored officer. He fought gallantly at Gettysburg, leading a bayonet charge in protection of Little Round Top Mountain, was severely wounded several times throughout the war, received the Medal of Honor, selected to accept Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, served four one-year terms as Maine’s governor, and eventually died several decades after the war’s end from complications caused by war wounds.

These are three fictional novels from my small library on the American Civil War. They were written by Michael Shaara and his son, Jeffrey Shaara. "The Killer Angels" won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was made into a movie, as was "Gods and Generals."

The second photo is also related to Chamberlain, but it is a trilogy of fiction. The first, “The Killer Angel,” was written by Michael Shaara and won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It was made into the 1993 movie “Gettysburg,” with Jeff Daniels starring as Chamberlain. Shaara’s son, Jeffrey, added the prequel, “Gods and Generals” and a sequel, “The Last Full Measure.” “Gods and Generals” also was made into a film and Daniels stared as Chamberlain in that as well.

In “Gettysburg,” besides Daniels, the cast included Martin Sheen (Robert E. Lee), Tom Berenger (Lt. Gen. James Longstreet), documentary film maker Ken Burns (general’s aide), Sam Elliott (Brig. Gen. John Buford), Stephen Lang (Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett), and a bunch of other actors.

In “God and Generals,” the cast included Robert Duvall (replacing Sheen as Lee) media mogul Ted Turner (Col. Tazewell Patton), Bruce Boxleitner (replacing Berenger as Longstreet), C. Thomas Howell (Thomas Chamberlain), and Kevin Conway (Sgt. Buster Kilrain), and a bunch of other actors

This is an occasional multipart series of photos of things related to Maine that can be found in Keith Michaud’s California apartment. Keith Michaud shot today’s photos.

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Maine stuff in my California apartment No. 2

 

Don't mind the guy in the photo. He's just "from away." But he does have Maine stuff in his California apartment, including the T-shirt, cup, moose crossing sign, and chili bowl.

 

How could you have a set of photos of Maine stuff in a California apartment without having some of moose stuff.

You may notice that there is no question mark after the previous sentence. That’s because it was so obviously rhetorical that I didn’t bother with one. Moose and Maine go together like, well, blueberries and Maine and lobsters and Maine and trees and Maine and … well, you get the point.

Yes, I have moose stuff from Maine in my California apartment. You will notice in the top photo alone that I am wearing a T-shirt and holding a cup with moose on each. The phrase on the cup reads “Moose Country: I brake for moose,” which is a great idea, breaking for moose, that is. Those gangling, clumsy, majestic monstrosities of Maine can do much damage to a vehicle – and the vehicle occupants – in a collision. They are best avoided on the road.

Anyway, back to the photo, you’ll notice a moose on a chili bowl on the shelf behind me. It’s currently holding stick matches for cigars. And there’s a moose crossing sign on the floor. I’m pretty sure I still have a T-shirt with a moose crossing sign on it, but I can’t recall just where it might be.

I’m also wearing hat with a moose on it with “Cool Moose” written in the moose’s antlers, but I seem to have inadvertently cropped that out of the photo. Just take my word for it.

I’ve included a few other photos of moose stuff from Maine in my California apartment.

This is an occasional multipart series of photos of things related to Maine that can be found in Keith Michaud’s California apartment. Keith Michaud shot today’s photos.

Here's a closer look at the chili bowl. My sister sent it to me this past Christmas. Or the Christmas before. I really didn't want to eat chili out of it so it currently holds stick matches I use for cigars.

Here's a closer look at the moose crossing sign. I am pretty sure I still have a T-shirt with the same design on it.

This is the design on the hat I'm wearing that was cropped out of the top photo. I posted a photo of the hat earlier.

I receved these lovely moose coffee cups this past Christmas. I love 'em because they desplay the essence of the moose. And there's a stuffed moose sitting in the cup on the left. I don't recall when or where I received the moose, but it is cute. At least, as far as moose go.

Oh, yeah, moose go with Maine like maple syrup goes with Maine. Here’s a maple syrup pitcher with a moose on it.

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Blueberries on the balcony

If you look closely, you'll see a few blueberries on the bushes on my balcony. A touch of Maine in California.

A little more than a year or so ago I bought a couple of Southern Highbush Blueberry bushes and put them on my balcony for a touch of Maine in California.

And now some of the berries are starting to come out.

According to the instructions card that came with the bushes, they are a fairly new hybrid specifically for southern climates that “does triple duty with fruit, flowers, and foliage. Yields bountiful crops in sun or part shade. Self pollinating.”

I’m hoping that I won’t kill these bushes. I’d like a few blueberries.

I love these tiny blue nuggets of gold.

With only two bushes, I seriously doubt I'll harvest much more than a handful, but it will be a very tasty handful.

Here's the last of the blueberry photos ... for now.

Rockland won’t use taxpayer money to fund Lobster Festival | Bangor Daily News

Rockland won’t use taxpayer money to fund Lobster Festival – Bangor Daily News.

Launch the Maine Stuff in My California Apartment series: Maine stuff in my California apartment No. 1

This is the first photo in an irregular series called "Maine stuff in my California apartment." It includes a book of a history and heresay and a cookbook to mark Portage, Maine's centennial. And a cookbook to mark the centennial of the local Catholic Church parish.

This is the first photo in an irregular series called “Maine stuff in my California apartment.” It includes a book of a history and heresay and a cookbook to mark Portage, Maine’s centennial. And a cookbook to mark the centennial of the local Catholic Church parish.

I’m launching a new feature today on Letters From Away. I’m calling it “Maine Stuff in May California Apartment.” From time to time, I will photograph and share stuff from Maine or related to Maine that can be found in my California apartment. Um, I suppose you probably figured that out from the title of the series.

Most of the Maine Stuff may seem insignificant to some, but it is my stuff and it means something to me. I suppose it means something to me because the Maine Stuff helps me maintain my tie to that emerald jewel of a state.

I’m not sure how often or how regularly I’ll post Maine Stuff photos on Letters From Away, but the other night I took about two dozen photos of Maine Stuff and I didn’t even leave my living room, so there is Maine Stuff aplenty in this apartment. Look for at least one new Maine Stuff in My California Apartment at least once a week.

Enjoy! Or not. It’s your choice.

Today’s photo shows three books found in my California, a book of history and heresay and a cookbook marking the centennial of my hometown of Portage located on Portage Lake in Aroostook County and a cookbook marking the centennial of the St. Mark’s Parish and Missions. Portage turned 100 last year and St. Mark’s – including Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Portage – turned 100 in 2002. Fun stuff in the history book and yummy stuff in the cookbooks.

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Photographer captures National Guard soldiers in civilian workplaces | Lewiston Sun Journal

On a 4-degree January morning, Buddy Doyle pulled off the road to wish a random soldier luck in Iraq.

“We argue to this day who initiated the long, lingering hug,” said Doyle of Gardiner. “I told him, ‘Take care of yourself. Don’t do anything stupid.’”

A year and a half after that chance meeting near the National Guard armory in Gardiner, when the soldier had returned home, Doyle looked the guy up.

“I had told him I wanted to shake his hand,” he said. “I still did.”

He had another goal, too.

A photographer, writer and designer, Doyle had spent years creating glossy calenders of firefighters. Now he hatched a plan to take portraits of reservists guard members at their civilian jobs. He wanted the soldier’s help.

Click on the link for the rest of today’s story by Daniel Hartill in the Lewiston Sun Journal.

If you aren’t a Cool Moose, you’re just not trying

Here is the Cool Moose logo on a hat given to me by my sister for my birthday.

This is the back side of the hat. Bridgton is east of where my sister and her family live in Western Maine.

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For some reason that still escapes me, I wore a hate yesterday that my sister got me for my birthday.
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Or it might have been Christmas.
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I joked on Facebook yesterday: “Keith Michaud is wearing a cap that has a moose on the front. The antlers spell out “Cool Moose.” And Keith is not at all embarrassed. … Well, perhaps a little.”
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A former coworker – who happened to have the intelligence and presence of mind to marry a Maine girl – shot back: “rock that with pride!” So here is a photo of the front “Cool Moose” logo – sorry about the sharpness; still learning the new camera. And a photo of the back. Bridgton is a town to the east of where my sister and family live in Western Maine.
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Picture is worth a 1,000 words – or just under $200

I finally dove into digital photography.

Sort of.

I’ve been without a camera for a quite a while. Well, that’s not exactly true. I still have two 35-mm film cameras – a Canon single-lens reflex camera and a Pentax.

But who shots film anymore? Not many people.

And ever since I started the Letters From Away blog, I’ve wanted to include photos to illustrate some of the things I’ve written about.

I’ve been thinking about getting a camera for a while, but I’m still unemployed and funds being what they are, I have been putting it off.

Finally, I gave in and picked up a Canon PowerShot A1300 IS at Best Buy. I know, I know, it is a very basic camera. But it will do what I need it to do until I can get a job and can pad my bank accounts and buy a better camera.

The package I purchased for a bit under than $200 included the camera, wrist strap, battery, charger, cables to connect the camera to the computer and another to connect it to a TV, software, a 4G memory card, carrying bag, and Flexpod gripper tripod. I figured it was worth putting on a credit card in order to put more photos on Letters From Away.

So, expect more photos. Some will be good. Some will be, well, not so good.

Also, if any reader has a photo of Maine or Mainers or taken by Mainers and you’d like it to have a little play, please forward it to me and I’ll put it up on this blog. Don’t forget to give me your full name, your connection to Maine, and a bit of information so that I can write a cutline to go with it.

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