Hidden Maine

Hidden Maine

Twenty years ago, I bought this candelabra in an antique store in Savannah, Georgia. I hung it in the V of an old oak tree. At certain times of the year, the sun swings around, and the candelabra is silhouetted against a sun-dappled sea. It stops me in the early morning, and I sit for two or ten minutes to watch the leaves blowing, the candelabra swinging, and the light on the water.

For any of our out-of-state email friends, you probably wonder what we do up here in Maine after July and August. Watching silhouettes against a sun-dappled sea is one of my activities.

Hidden Maine

Kettle Cove,
Cape Elizabeth, Maine

September: cool, in the 60s, overcast, not raining. Kettle Cove has a big sand beach and two small rocky coves. On this day there was a strong sea breeze. I’d been on the second rocky cove for 15 minutes. Near the shore, there were black loons paddling about. Further out, there was a guy in a black wet suit waiting for a wave. I’d not noticed because, at that distance, he looked like a loon. I caught him on his surfboard on one of his last runs.

Hidden Maine

I went to Monhegan Island, Maine and stayed at the Island Inn, two minutes up the hill from the dock. I spent most of my days within 500 feet of the Inn. I played the part of an old guy and sat on the porch or in the white Adirondack chairs on the lawn. I loved every minute of it.

This is the view of the harbor at Monhegan at three in the afternoon, sparkly light on the water. The video shows a couple in a rowboat, It looked like they were both wearing life preservers. If you have been to Monhegan, you know. If you’ve never been to Monhegan, you have one of life’s great treats yet to experience.

Hidden Maine

So yes, this could be a hundred miles from civilization. It could be a choice coastal marsh that takes hours to get to and see nature, and this Great White Heron…..or it’s the saltwater marsh at my grocery store ten minutes from my home.

In two hours, it would be high tide. I parked the truck next to the marsh. The rising tide would be within ten feet of my bumper in two hours. There were six gulls and three white herons ankle-deep in the water. All nine birds were studying the water with great intensity. I imagine they were waiting for minnows. The heron was pure white with black legs and a yellow beak.

Nature is close. If we slow down, nature’s beauty is everywhere and it’s grand.

Hidden Maine

Monhegan Island, Maine

If you’ve been, you know. If you haven’t been, you have yet to experience a thin slice of an ancient Maine 25, 50, 75, or 100 years ago.

The island is 10 miles offshore. It’s 10° cooler than the mainland. You can come by personal boat during the summer. Two hundred day trippers come by ferry from the mainland every day. I take the boat out of Port Clyde and stay for 2-3 days. Monhegan has two big places to stay. I often stay at the Island Inn. The Island Inn is up the hill from the dock. The Island is rustic in an authentic way. It’s not trying to be rustic; it just is. The island has a fishing culture with dirt roads and old buildings. Lobstering starts in the late fall.

I’ve come for 30 years. On all of my previous trips, I’ve hiked the island, done the perimeter, and explored Cathedral Woods. This time, I came and sat. I played the part of an old guy. I loved it. The harbor is unlike anything on the Maine coast. Monhegan has height. Two hundred feet across the harbor is a smaller island called Manana. It, too, has height and looks like a whale rising out of the ocean. It’s made of bare rock and grass. It’s magnificent and protects the two dozen anchored boats and the village from the open sea.

So, I came and sat on the white Adirondack chairs on the lawn with a hat and sunglasses. I read a book. I watched the ferry boats come and go. I watched the sailboats arrive and the half-hour it took to tie up and come ashore. There is more time on an island.

This time, I had breakfast and dinner at the Inn. I studied gulls. I’ve concluded that gulls on the island are more relaxed than our land-side gulls. Back home, I live by the shore. We have gulls, and while I’ve seen gulls glide, island gulls far offshore seem to have an entirely different mindset. They glide, they soar, they play in the air.

On my first day, I watched dozens of gulls glide on the updrafts. They were like kites out on a string. They were kites with wings. I saw no driven purpose. They loved their airtime. We had a slight sea breeze: not too strong, not too weak, just right. The breezes created an updraft along the cliffs, and the gulls rode the wind.

There were gulls with effort and flapping wings, there were so many more gulls who were just out for the ride. As I sat, a big, white gull came over and stood beside my chair. The gull was a foot away from my right arm. I filmed him standing patiently. I imagine he thought I had a snack. Back home, I’ve never been 20 feet close to a gull. This one just came and sat beside me for the longest time. He had time. I noticed how yellow the bill was and the big red spot on the bill. On the second day, the sea breeze was stronger, and while I saw some gulls gliding, air traffic had a more serious tone to it.

I encourage anyone who has never been to Monhegan to go, not as a day tripper, but for two or three days. Its simplicity and rustic character, with two dozen trucks, no cars, three dozen golf carts, and dirt roads (the speed limit is 5 miles an hour), and its rustic character is real.

You have been looking for this place and perhaps, for a minute or two, have caught glimpses in photos. When you come for a full day or a week, if you’re lucky, there will be fog. You might have a day of rain. Monhegan is a world apart. It’s a time machine made possible because it’s an island, because it’s a small village with a small harbor, and it’s far offshore. When you come, you’ll likely discover a space and place in your heart that you always knew was there. When you come, you will know this is the place you’ve been looking for. It’s only an hour from the mainland. We’re not selling Monhegan; we are only encouraging you to visit.

Hidden Maine

A Maine Mystery

Two things puzzled me this summer. The first is the lack of sailboats. In years past, I would see, on any ordinary day of summer, at minimum, a dozen sailboats out on the water, often more. I think this summer in July and August, I’ve seen fewer than two dozen sails all summer. I’ve seen hundreds of sailboats at boat anchorage locations, all parked neatly. I’m not sure what it means. I’ve seen lots of motorboats.

Lobster buoys are the second mystery. Standing at my shore in Cape Elizabeth 10 – 12 years ago, I counted over two hundred lobster buoys. This summer, hardly any. In this video, I’ve captured just a few white buoys along the shore.

The answer to the buoy question is fewer lobsters along the immediate shore. Lobstermen set their traps where the lobsters are. I see no connection between these two puzzles. The Maine coast is still beautiful.

Hidden Maine

I watched from the porch for a half hour. In 70 years of summer storms, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was lightning so continuous, flashes so close, seconds apart over the ocean, so bright. Before the next flash came, the previous flash lingered and lit the landscape. It was wild. Nature rarely disappoints.

Hidden Maine

I’m a saltwater marsh watcher. Marshes are our coastal meadowlands. They are level expanses of vast, flat, green fields of salt-tolerant grasses with rivers of blue saltwater winding their way through. There are two tides a day: saltwater flowing in and saltwater flowing out.

In Maine, the largest saltwater marsh is in Scarborough. It’s 3,000 acres bordered by spruce trees and houses because people love the water and all the green. The first photo is of the Scarborough marsh in August as the tide is rising. Our second image is a video in late July at high tide.

If you’re coming to Maine keep your eyes open. Marshes are beautiful landscapes. We still have roads in places that run right through the middle of marshlands. If you’ve got a minute stop and savor the experience.

Hidden Maine

Why This Quartz Crystal is Famous

For 200 million years this crystal sat in total darkness in Buckfield, Maine. The 500-pound crystal was in a gem pocket hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier. It is composed of several massive quartz crystals interlocked into one another. The walls of the gem pocket where it was discovered were lined with thousands of clear quartz crystals.

Directly below this massive quartz crystal was a 52-pound pink emerald—the largest fine pink emerald (gemologically called Morganite) ever found. The big pink crystal was cut, and hundreds of 5, 10, 15, and 20-carat-size emerald cut gems were cut and polished, and made into jewelry. The color of the gems was pure pastel pink. We showed restraint and made only a dozen pieces of jewelry, while other jewelers in Maine made hundreds of pieces. In less than three years, the pink emerald cut gems were all set and sold.

We acquired the big quartz crystal at the time. We also bought a 2,600-carat sister crystal of the pink emerald from the same find. We still have the little sister crystal from this particular gem find. This gem find illustrates an important principle of gem discoveries: all gem finds are finite: there is a beginning and an end. And, although we have the sister pink emerald gem from this find, we have no intention of cutting it which means Maine pink emerald is finished.

The Big Quartz Crystal
Was on Display

For twelve years, the big quartz crystal was on display in our Portland showroom. Many thousands saw this quartz crystal and saw the 2,600-carat sister pink emerald crystal. Because no one could see these crystals during the Covid years, and because we have closed our showroom, I decided to give the quartz crystal a place of honor by the ocean. Today, the big quartz crystal sits

Hidden Maine

In May, June, and early July, there are mostly lobster boats and motorboats off the coast of Maine. In mid-July, the sailboats arrive with their white hulls, white masts, and white sails. Stiff breezes from the south, not just a sea breeze, are signatures of good sailing weather. Mid-July through August gives us a solid six weeks of good sailing weather.

Hidden Maine

A Saturday In July

This is a hill in our town. It’s three stories high. It gently rolls over from the flat fields above. It’s ready for haying. Big puffy white clouds are sailing down to the sea from the mountains in New Hampshire. A raptor glides above the hill. In two hours, the sky will darken with lightning and thunder. A summer rain will sweep through. This hill is 20 minutes from downtown Portland.

Hidden Maine

It was a busy day off of Kennebunkport. This was a tourist boat from the Kennebunk River. The sloop was not powered by the wind; it was under power. The clue is the banner at the top of the mast. Had the boat been powered by the wind, the banner would have been bowing toward the bow.

Hidden Maine

Crystal Cove

This is the entrance to Crystal Cove. The entrance is narrow, 10-25 feet. On a calm day, one could land a boat without damage. On June 23rd, when I took this picture and video, there was minor surf. I would not try landing a boat here on a day like this. The coast was shrouded in fog. The air temperature was 63°. Crystal Cove is a thousand feet down shore from Portland Head Light.

Hidden Maine

Stand Up Cave

On Thursday, June 20th, in Portland, Maine, the heat dome sent the temperature soaring into the upper 80s. That was Thursday… On Sunday, the temperature was 63°. There was a fine rain on and off most of the day.

This video is Crystal Cove, one thousand feet south of Portland Head Light. The 55-second video captures the cave and cove on June 23rd in the fog.

Sunny days are a delight. Foggy days are pure magic because they focus attention on what is close, eliminating the distractions a few hundred feet away. This is mid-tide. In a storm, Stand Up Cave fills with waves and water.

Hidden Maine

Daisies growing wild on the heart rock terrace, lawn, freshwater marsh, and the cliffs with the open ocean extending all the way to South America. This is a welcome to summer.

Hidden Maine

This photograph and video were filmed 500 feet south of Portland Head Light, 70 feet above the ocean, and 150 feet back. They were taken at 6:57 in the morning. The light on the water, the chirping birds, and the stillness of the Earth are why we live in Maine.

Hidden Maine

We have a new guy in the neighborhood. He’s from away. His house is out on the rocks. He has water on three sides. And yes, sometimes in storms, he has saltwater all the way around.

We have a weathervane competition in our neighborhood. This new guy put up a lobster weathervane on his garage. We have puffins, mermaids, and mermen. You can see Portland Head Light in the distance.

Hidden Maine

Waves at the Shore

This is an ordinary day at the shore: blue water, white froth, new grass growing, buoys offshore. Just another day in Maine.

Hidden Maine

These are grocery store lobsters. The claw bands give them away. Within sight of our building in Portland, we can see the open ocean. Millions of lobsters live there. These grocery store lobsters were roaming the ocean just weeks ago. Lobsters are perhaps one of the scariest-looking creatures on Planet Earth. Lobsters are deeply loved by millions. It’s rather amazing that they have these saltwater aquariums in our grocery stores.

Hidden Maine

Jordan Farm is a legendary institution in the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 15 minutes south of Portland. The Jordan Family has been farming the land since the beginning of time. On one side of the street, they have their farmstand for strawberries, and in season, you can pick your own, buy muffins, and buy a can of whipped cream.

On the other side of the road, they have topsoil, stone dust, and mulch, light or dark. Last Sunday, I stopped to get a pickup truck full of mulch. While I was waiting for fill up, I went out to the edge of the field that stretches down to the saltwater marsh. The dandelions were beautiful. See if you can find a four-leaf clover in the video.

Hidden Maine

We have a 3,500-mile coastline in Maine. Part of the magic of the ocean, as it meets land, is the unlimited combinations of rock, sand, water, and time of day or night, and various atmospherics: sky, clouds, sun, rain, wind, waves, and within that, there are endless possibilities. This is a classic Maine coastal scene. It’s 500 feet south of Portland Head Light on a foggy day. Not at all spectacular, but classic Maine. Greetings from Portland, Maine, May 5, 2024.

Hidden Maine

Sunday, April 22, 2024. I have close to 500 daffodils. All are pastel cream with post-it-note yellow centers. The grass is long enough to consider mowing any day now. It’s 10:45. There is a breeze out of the northwest. There is glittery light on the water. It’s good to have spring return.

Hidden Maine

Best Picnic Table
On the East Coast

This is one of the ten most romantic picnic tables on the coast of Maine. Seven of the best State of Maine tables are at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. If your desire is building, imagine this…one hundred feet away is a takeout restaurant called Bite Into Maine, which serves the best lobster rolls in the State of Maine. This lofty table is fifty feet above the sea. From its position, you can see the inner harbor of Portland, the islands of Casco Bay, the open ocean, and Portland Head Light 200 feet away.

This isn’t just any picnic table. It’s the best table on the East Coast. The fort was filled with 500 army personnel during World Wars I and II. After World War II, the fort was retired, and its 90 acres were converted into the State’s best seaside visitor spot. This premier table is on top of one of the back-filled gun emplacements. You can see the cement of the roof beneath the picnic table.

If someone else is having lunch here, the park has six other awesome tables. If they are all filled, there are thousands of other amazing places to have your lunch at Fort Williams Park. Fort Williams is a must-see, lunch or not.

Hidden Maine

This was a place up on the cliffs in my neighborhood in a place no one ever went to. Twenty-five years ago, a neighbor and I found a spot that had a natural rock backstop. We built a low terraced stone wall in front, filled in behind with rock and soil, and leveled out to the edge. We have two wooden chairs there and a solid, small wooden bench. I hike up there two or three times a year. This was a recent sea storm late in the day as the sun was setting, catching juniper and the cedar tree at the edge with the waves out beyond. This spot is 500 feet south of Portland Head Light.

Hidden Maine

We’ve had some interesting weather in Maine so far this year. On the morning of April 4th, after a night of wind and rain on the coast, we had snow and wind. The picture above shows snow at 7:45.

We have staff who live north of Portland who have over a foot of snow. I believe winter is over in Maine. The snow will melt quickly. Spring and warm temperatures will arrive next week.

Hidden Maine

Summer in Maine is beautiful. Winter in Maine can be dramatic, damaging, disruptive—yes, all of these at times. There are moments, though, when the sea is wild, the wind dies down, the clouds part and thousands gather at the shore to watch. This is recent: March 10, 2024. The lighthouse offshore is Ram Island at the entrance to Portland Harbor.

Hidden Maine

In the morning, the wind blew, and the rain fell. It was fierce. At 9 a.m., it was still coming down. The coast was shrouded in fog. Nearshore, we could see waves and the rising tide; electricity was still flowing.

We went to breakfast…an hour in, she said, “It looks like the sun is coming out.” By noon, the rain had stopped, the wind had settled back, and the coastal waves on the shore were still awesome. Rarely in a storm is there a break in the clouds to provide really good light for photography.

I took forty videos. They are awesome. Today’s video is Heart Rock Beach, five hundred feet down from Portland Head Light. You can see the white house on the west end of Hope Island, several miles into Casco Bay.

Our winter storms and winter waves can be destructive and, at times, beautifully dramatic. The video pans right, capturing Ram Island Light with Jewel Island behind.

Hidden Maine

In Cape Elizabeth, we have a rock on Route 77 that gets painted every year by the graduating class of the high school. The rock for the class of 2023 featured mermaids and mermen. The handprints may be from students of the graduating class. Cape Elizabeth fronts the ocean and is 20 minutes south of our store.

Hidden Maine

I live on the Maine coast. I study many things. I’m a fog watcher. I actually love fog. Fog paints a fascinating view of the world by hiding many distracting things. Fog feathers backgrounds into invisibility. The year 2023 had little fog. Where I live, just outside of Portland, our summer was almost fogless.

This morning of fog was beautiful. The sunrise was magic, and yes, I’ve gone back seven years for this still and video.

When you come to Maine next, I wish for you to have several precious days of fog. It’s one of the gifts our state has to offer.

Hidden Maine

This is 34 seconds of a rising tide on the Spurwink River at Higgins Beach. It’s a happy place on a summer day. Yes, July will be here before you know it. Higgins Beach is in Scarborough, 25 minutes south of our store.

Hidden Maine

Explore Portland, Maine

If you live outside of Maine and you love the Maine coast, I have a strong recommendation for you. There is a rich world on our Portland waterfront. We have more than a dozen piers that jut out into the harbor. It’s a Hollywood-like setting of a real Maine working waterfront with lobster boats, tuna boats, trawlers, shrimpers, and scallopers. There are day sailors, motorboats, and ferries. This may sound crazy, but you could come to Maine, stay in one of our fine Portland hotels, explore the piers for a week, have breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Old Port, and never begin to see it all. People come from all over just to see our jewel by the sea. And yes, you can fish off our piers. The possibilities are endless.

Hidden Maine

It snowed overnight. Everything was white. As I prepared to leave, I decided to film the snow, the sea, and the sky. I caught this person with a black and white dog down on the roadway. This photograph and video were taken a thousand feet south of Portland Head Light.

Hidden Maine

In my neighborhood, it’s mostly guys who venture out on great storm days to approach the edge and watch the waves. I will admit, I’m old enough to take the truck. It protects from the wind and the rain. I could claim otherwise; the windshield wipers, though, would give me away.

Hidden Maine

On Saturday, January 10, we had 10, 15, 20-foot waves along our shore. The frothy water in the front is dry on a normal tide. Today, the waves broke upon the lawn and swept Adirondack chairs across the road into the freshwater marsh. Window up, window down, the wind and salt spray were so fierce it coated the inside of the windshield with a layer of salt.

We lost a section of a cliff in this storm. You can see an open spot along the cliff line where a 2-ton block of rock was pushed out. This location is a quarter mile south of Portland Head Light.

Hidden Maine

Wild Maine Coast Surf

Tuesday into Wednesday, we had a wild night of wind and rain. Although we closed the store on Wednesday, I went in at 6 AM. The wind was still blowing, and the rain was coming down hard. Another member of my staff came in, and we took care of several storm issues. I left the store around 11:30 and headed for the coast.

As I approached Crescent Beach in Cape Elizabeth, they had the road blocked off. I could see front-end loaders, big trucks, and what they used to call a steam shovel working on repairs to the road. The 59-second video was near high tide and showed the waves coming into Seal Cove, Crescent Beach, and Richmond Island.

Hidden Maine

An August Sea Breeze

Ours is a blue planet 2/3 covered by water. The sea is everywhere. This spot is the Spurwink River on an outgoing tide. It’s an afternoon in August with a sea breeze and one-foot waves. On the right-hand side of the video is Higgins, a white sand beach. On the left-hand side of the video is the Cape Elizabeth shore. And obviously, in the middle is a red, white, and blue dory riding the outgoing tide.

Yes, August is only seven months away.