After a decade and a few years, I was promoted to black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by an incredible group of people at The Foundry in Farmington, Maine. It was a long, yet remarkably rewarding road and I’m more than proud of myself for making the trek. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu isn’t like other martial arts. Belt promotions come few and far between, so it takes an enormous amount of commitment and dedication to make it to the level we all strive for. In this post, I discuss the event and show off a few photos. Continue reading…
Powder House Hill Trails, Farmington, Maine
If you’re looking for a quick hike and you’re in the Farmington, Maine area, consider Bonney Woods. It’s a 10 acre nature trail system that’s close to the heart of town. As a matter of fact, if you park your car near the action on Broadway or Main Street, the walk to Bonney Woods is a short one; just one third of a mile. Once there, you’ll be greeted by trails that are just over a half mile long and hemlock trees that tower over everything. Be sure to bring your camera because there’s a nearby historic cemetery as well as abundant wildlife. Continue reading…
My Live-In Servant & His Little Peculiarities
In this somewhat uniquely styled post, I discuss various types of writing by various authors. I include J.K. Rowling, James Baldwin, Patrick Rothfuss, Stephen King, and even Edgar Allan Poe in the discussion. It was this last author the post was actually structured around. After reading a book of short stories, I decided to try my hand at one of the assignments found at the end of each section (the collection of stories was contained in a textbook of sorts). The assignment asked the student to change the point of view of a part of one of the stories. Or to put it more simply, to flesh out a character’s position that wasn’t already fleshed out. I chose to see things through the eyes of the old man in Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. What an outcome. Enjoy. Continue reading…
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Crossover by Michael Jan Friedman (Summary)
The Star Trek: Next Generation television series is my favorite of all Star Trek shows. I can relate to it much more than the Original Series and it’s more exciting than Voyager and Deep Space 9. I’ve also read quite a few Next Generation books. When I found Crossover by Michael Jan Friedman, which merges, or combines, some of the best features of the Original Series and Next Generation, I knew I had to read it. In this post, you’ll find an extensive summary of the book. At the end of each chapter, I offer my opinion on that chapter. If you’re a Star Trek fan, please click through to learn about this story. Continue reading…
Ship Harbor Trail, Acadia National Park, Maine
The Ship Harbor Trail in Acadia National Park, Maine is one of the most beautiful trails I’ve ever been on. From the start, the scenic views arrive in short order. From the harbor itself to the rocky coast, to the mossy green pine forest, there isn’t much to disappoint even the most discerning of travelers and hikers. There are many lovely and scenic hikes in Maine, but only a handful combine the coastline with the wonder of the forest like this one does. It’s a gem. In this post, I show off some of my many photos of this natural wonder and write about my adventure. Click through to see it all. Continue reading…
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, Maine
The most quintessentially New England destination I’ve visited thus far in Maine has got to be the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. Hands down. This lighthouse is “it.” It’s the one so many tourists visit each year and it’s the one that’s photographed and posted on websites, in magazines, and contained in tourist literature alike. It’s beautiful and picturesque and everything in between. On a lovely November afternoon, Laura and I visited this lighthouse specifically to take photos of it. We weren’t disappointed in any way when we arrived. We took many photos, some of which I share in this post. Please click through to read my commentary on our visit as well as view pictures of the lighthouse and the surrounding area. Continue reading…
Somesville Bridge, Maine
Somesville bridge can easily be categorized as the most popular bridge in the state of Maine. Or at least the most photographed. That’s the claim out there and I tend to agree with it. It seems as though I can’t get away from pictures of this bridge. They’re all over social media and tourism literature. It was only a matter of time until I visited for myself. Luckily, it’s not to far away from home. On a beautiful November morning, Laura and I ventured to Somesville, which is located on Mount Desert Island, near Acadia. Since we visited during the month of November, very few people were on the island and we were able to take as many photos as we liked, unencumbered. The bridge was everything it’s cracked up to be; it’s lovely, tranquil, and was built with photography in mind. In this post, I share some photos of the bridge and surrounding area as well as commentary about our visit. Continue reading…
French’s Mountain Trail, Rome, Maine
French’s Mountain Trail in Rome is an extraordinary adventure that’ll lead you through some beautiful forest to the top of a mountain that overlooks two ponds in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine. The best part of the hike is that it’s less than a mile long, so if you don’t have a lot of time, but are interested in some stunning scenery, this one’s for you. French’s Mountain is actually one of my favorite hikes in Maine; I have yet to find another that offers what the top of this mountain does. As you browse through my photos in this post, I think you’ll see exactly what I’m referring to. Choose a nice clear autumn day and I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Continue reading…
Bangor City Forest, Maine
The Bangor City Forest is huge. It covers more than 680 acres and offers over nine miles of trails for walking, biking, and horseback riding. While you can’t ride horseback on all nine miles, there’s plenty of room to do so. When Laura and I visited this trail system, we were primarily interested in the bog section. Within the system is a boardwalk that’s just about three-quarters of a mile long. It traverses the bog. The bog itself covers just about 616 acres (not all of the bog is in the forest) and is over 10,000 years old. If you’ve never seen a bog close up, I recommend doing so. It’s quite the experience. Click through to view some photos I’ve taken of our visits to this area. Continue reading…
Freeport & Brunswick, Maine
Freeport, Maine is a tourist town that offers lots to do. First and foremost, the flagship L.L. Bean store is located right at its center. From it, there are many small shops and restaurants that’ll keep you busy for hours. The shops range from gift and candy stores to boutiques that sell clothing and chocolates all the way to outlets that offer incense and other hippy paraphernalia. Also, if you’ve never seen a McDonalds that’s housed in a historic colonial home, you’ll need to stop by. Just a short drive north on Route 1 is another town called Brunswick. Larger than Freeport, Brunswick offers a much more busy “Maine Street” as well as many more shops and restaurants. During our visit to both of these locations, we explored many of the finer points they had to offer. From Cameron’s Lobster House to Bull Moose to Mexicali Blues. What a great time we had. Continue reading…