Great Day in the Mornin'

Well, I finally did it! After wasting (not really) all these beautiful Maine summer mornings lately sitting here at the computer until noon or better, I decided upon rising that today I was going to do something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and that was go over to Little Long Pond and try to recapture a shot I took back in 2000 or so. As usual, it didn't come off exactly like I'd hoped, but I got fairly close. Here's the original shot, scanned from a photo:


One thing I forgot was the original composition, which may have been part of the problem, but I liked the way it was set up in today's shot pretty well. (Except that tree in front of Pemetic Mountain is much taller now!) I still like this shot a lot, though. Boy, it was an absolutely gorgeous morning. Just look how glassy that water is. It's perfect!


Anyway, since I was there I thought I'd mosey on across the road and take a few shots of Seal Harbor while I was at it. (By the way, Martha Stewart lives around these parts, for those who might be interested.) I've always been intrigued by the beach, especially at ebbing tide when things are revealed.


Again, as with the recent shots at Sand Beach in an earlier post, I find myself fascinated with the rivulet patterns caused by the outgoing water left in the sand. The addition of the rocks is an added bonus and I may have to return some other morning and do them in detail. I just had too many things I wanted to get in this morning. I was fired up.


The next thing I had on the menu was . . . well, breakfast. This is something I've promised myself ever since I got here back in May -- breakfast at my favorite all-time restaurant, Cafe This Way. Isn't that a great name? It's named that for the signs that point to a little hidden alley wherein the restaurant lies, but whether that's the original name of the restaurant or not remains a mystery to me, and I keep forgetting to ask. Whatever the case, it works.


They have the menu and other related items about the place on a board at the base of the sign in hopes of drawing in the casual passers-by. Lots of good stuff here. Yum!


And here it is! Isn't this just too classic? There are several tables on the outdoor patio, but by the time I got here, they were all taken. No problem, though, as you can see they have a rollaway wall on the front to let the outside in. (Or is it the inside out? I'm not sure which.)


And here we are, inside and seated at my table. The two suspended awnings, which are quite bold and colorful, are new additions to the decor, and are beginning to replace the pointing finger logo on their coffecups. (The new logo can be seen on the "10th Anniversary" notice on the menu board.) That had me worried, as I had intended to purchase one for myself on this outing, but there are still some to be had. Whew!


Here's a better shot of the two awnings -- kind of a yin and yang affair. On all of my previous visits here, I always felt that something was missing, and they must have, too. I feel this really gives the interior a lot of character.


And here is the third thing on my list of Things To Do (it's always in threes): To stop at the Trenton Airport and shoot this yellow Waco YMF-5 used for scenic flights around Bar Harbor. (You can check it out at http://www.acadiaairtours.com) I'd happened across the pilot, Phil, on one of our trails earlier this season and we'd chatted up airplanes for a while, and as he was leaving, he suggested I come out and take a look at the operation someday. Well, hell, yeah! You don't have to ask me twice. It took me long enough to get out here, but it was well worth it, as I now have another classic plane for my photo collection.


Here's Phil himself giving his first morning's passengers a briefing on the route (they chose the lighthouse tour) and some ins and outs about entering and settling into the rather cramped -- for two -- front cockpit of the Waco. I could tell they were a little nervous about the flight, but excited at the same time, and I envied them. What a beautiful morning for a flight in a biplane!


Well, they made it into the front cockpit at last and are now getting instructions on what things are on the floorboard and why you don't want to push on them -- rudder pedals and such -- and soon will come tips on the operation and wearing of the David Clark headsets used for communications. With that big radial engine banging away up front and making all that noise, you really need something to be able to hear what's coming up and where to look. Those big engines are really loud!


Finally, with a gutteral cough and a roar, the big 275-hp Jacobs radial engine springs to life, swinging that beautiful wooden propellor into action. A lot of pilots these days prefer to use metal propellors on their planes for ease of maintenance, but some still insist on the look of wood, especially on an antique biplane. (Technically, this particular ship is not really an antique, having been built by Waco Classic Aircraft in 1999, but the design is from 1935, so it's still an antique in my eyes.)


There they go, taxiing out past the airport's rotating beacon for an exhilarating and fun-filled hour into the very air of yesteryear. It's amazing, but when you're up there flying in one of these old birds with struts and wires all around you and a big wing right up over your head, it's almost impossible to keep yourself seated in present day. That's one of their great appeals, I think. They're magic.


And they're off! Our two happy (I hope) adventurers on their way at last for the ride of their lives. I overheard Phil telling them about all the lighthouses they were going to see along the way, which were quite numerous, so they should have a very spectacular hour's flight around every lighthouse in the area. I wouldn't mind taking that flight myself some day.

So that was my morning this morning, and now it's time to get on with the rest of my day. I don't quite know what I'll do to top this, but I'll think of something. Oh, one final shot:


And with that, I sign off for now. Guess what I'll be drinking my coffee out of tomorrow morning?