OUR COMMON HOURS

Kelli Ann Wilson August 23, 2013

lubec // quoddy head state park 3

The great thing about the fog in Lubec is that it is thick. I thought it would be interesting to shoot the park in the fog because it would remove all of the background information, leaving just the shapes of the coast behind. I enjoyed focusing on aspects of the coastal trail that I missed during our first hike — the vistas are very magnetizing on a clear day so it’s easy to miss the details on the shore. I’m still a beginner so these could certainly be better, but I really like how different they are from the previous set.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 23, 2013

lubec // quoddy head state park 2

From “Moss” by Mary Oliver:

Maybe the idea of the world as flat isn’t a tribal memory or an archetypal memory, but something far older — a fox memory, a worm memory, a moss memory.

Memory of leaping or crawling or shrugging rootlet by rootlet forward, across the flatness of everything.

In this second installment from the Quoddy Head State Park I’m sharing with you the photos I took of the inland trails and the peat bog. This forest is magical. If fairies or gnomes live anywhere in the world, it is here. There is a silence and a stillness, but also the powerful presence of life — so small that the human eye cannot quite see it, but it’s there. It is one of my most favorite places in the world, and whenever I go there I am reminded of all the other forests in which I have wandered and how much I love them, too.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 23, 2013

lubec // quoddy head state park 1

The West Quoddy Head Light, and the surrounding national park, is one of my favorite places to visit in Lubec. The lighthouse is the Easternmost point in the United States, which is pretty neat. But, by far, the best part of traveling so far into the East is the Quoddy Head State Park. There is a system of trails that takes the hiker through several different ecosystems (a photographer’s dream!). I’m separating my photos into three parts: the lighthouse and the coastal trail; the inland trail system and peat bog; and some black and white photos that I took on a foggy day (a very different experience of the park). Today’s pictures were taken on a bright and sunny day — you could even see Grand Manan in the distance. Lillia brought her dry-erase board with her so that she could sketch some of the things we saw.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 21, 2013

lubec // fireweed

Fireweed, otherwise known as Chamerion angustifolium, grows everywhere in Washington County. You can see it on the sides of the road, and along the edge of the shore. The house we rent in Lubec has a huge patch of it growing on the side of the lawn facing the channel. The hummingbirds love this stuff, and you can hear their little wings beating furiously if you’re standing close enough. One evening I was lucky enough to have some time to photograph this beautiful plant during that special “golden hour” just before sunset. Of course, I had to act quickly because (as you can see in a couple of the photos) there was a thick, white fog rolling in from the southwest which obliterated everything within a few minutes of my finishing the shoot.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 20, 2013

first haircut

In honor of his upcoming birthday (he’s turning 2 on Friday *sob*) we decided it was time for Zane to get an “official” haircut. I’ve been trimming his hair for all of his, albeit short, life. But, it takes me forever because I’m not a very confident, or trained, hairstylist.

Before — very cute, but a bit wild.

After — I barely recognize my little Zane! Who knew there was such a handsome boy hiding under all of that hair?

He’s a dead ringer for his dad in this last photo. Okay, I’m going to go distract myself so I don’t start crying. How could he be so big already?…