“Will you keep the cash ... Or, take a chance on what's behind curtain #3?”

“It's a holiday vacation in beautiful Boothbay Harbor, Maine!” When you visit this charming New England village, you can expect to see lots of the most refreshing and jubilant people alive during the shortest days of the year. On any given day, in the downtown walking area, there are many wonderful shops and shopkeepers who can help you prepare for the holiday season and brighten the four o'clock sunsets. An unforgettable experience awaits you.

I've been stalking Wayne Closson for years. Ever since I photographed for the wedding of his daughter, Megan. We had a grand time and Wayne had no choice! Father of the bride had to behave, especially with some local “foto geek” in the house. He reluctantly tolerated me with the help of wife Mary who was almost as happy as Wayne about being photographed. What is it about having someone point a camera lens at you? I resemble that comment. Just ask my family. “Dad, could you please smile?” “Don't make one of your silly faces please.” It's why I prefer my side of the camera. Also, helps me appreciate some folks' reluctance to be photographed.

Horace Lee and Ethelyn Giles helped us buy our first house in 1978. It was a complicated purchase due to some unusual circumstances. We had no knowledge of real estate but we were excited for the opportunity to settle in to a neighborhood and become more a part of this wonderful community.

So, guess who will not be coming to dinner?

For several years, about this time, we have moved to our horse barn/bunk house for the winter. Easier to heat, fewer pipes to freeze, smaller space to manage. It has worked out pretty well over the years. And, it seems that the local wildlife community expects us to start banging around their “hood,” for better or worse, as we attempt to prepare for the long winter.

For any Opera House August event, a window seat with a cooling breeze would be nice. In fact, once the lights go down in the House, a mix with fresh air helps everyone breathe a bit more gracefully, especially when some of the heavy rockers hit high gear.

First of all, let me say that when I first heard the name Ella Beauregard, I was reminded of someone like a Formula One race car driver. Someone like, say, Ayrton Senna, the great Brazilian. Her name just made me think of speed and racing and unusual gift. Don't ask me why, but in my crazy mind the names connected.

The Harbor Framers space in the Small Mall always made me recall a watering hole I used to vist during my teaching years, on Bleecker Street in New York City. There was something about the character of the place. Like when you go to a bar never quite sure who you will find or what might be on display!

Over the many years of our time here in wonderful Maine, I have had opportunities to photograph an extraordinary variety of boats. From turnabouts at the various summer sailing programs, to great ocean going power yachts, racing sailboats, lobster boats, and custom extravaganzas like Antonisa and Scheherezade. Unsophisticated as I am regarding the whole boating scene, there are many to thank for helping me, chief among them, the late great Sonny Hodgdon. He was never really convinced that I would be the next Stanley Rosenfeld, but he was always supportive.

Reflecting has always been a fall thing for me. I'm not sure why, but leaf changes, cooler temperatures and shorter days make me think back over the year. Something about how summer ends. The autumn is my favorite time.

Some weekend, when you are looking for something to do, try a short adventure drive to the fascinating “Wizard of Odds and Ends” antiques extravaganza in Head Tide. It is the first right after the world famous Alna Store, a quick peep off Route 218 at 45 Head Tide Road, immediately downstream from the now made-over Head Tide Dam. Richard Plunkett, proprietor, has two great buildings loaded with all sorts of interesting collectibles. And, there is 20-30% off all purchases until the end of November. But, it is a weekends-only place or by appointment.

It’s not often that I roll out to the back field at home very early. Not that 9 a.m. is very early. I always have thought about people like Chip Haggett and Rock Radasch starting their day at Hodgdon’s at 3, 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning. They had half a day in while sugar plum fairies danced in my head!

Forty plus years ago I met Gerry Gamage on a cold winter night when he was a plowing for the town of Southport. At the time I was house sitting for the Pink Ladies, Mary Harward and Liz Kiehn, and their long-haired white cat who was prone to large knots of fur and hair balls. Their place was over on the Nickerson Road near the Sprouls, across the cove from Robinson's Wharf. It was a nice spot but a wicked nasty place in winter.

Attempting to catch up with Rachel Roberts in person is like hitchhiking on the Autobahn. I had way more luck working the Berkshires back in the ’60s. Traffic was a whole lot slower then. But, not one to be discouraged by obstacles, I persisted. Lo and behold, Rachel was in town in August, however, for about five minutes, and I missed the window.

I asked my wife the other day where the pills were put that are meant to improve my memory. I'm awaiting her response.

Over the years of doing this “photo with words” thing in the paper (Joe Gelarden, responsible party), I have shared many subjects. Whether anything appeals to Register readers is another matter. However, I must say, on several occasions in my office at the Hannaford, people who shall remain nameless, pull me aside in the frozen food section with comments.. My response: “Well, I never quite know what will bubble to the top any given week.”

Back in the late ’70s, Russ Brackett was the Nissen bread man who delivered supplies to the Tugboat Inn at 2:30 a.m. while I was cleaning the kitchen and dining room there. I provided a piece of apple pie with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and a fresh brewed cup of coffee. Probably should not have been so generous with Tugboat grub. But at least Russ was sober. Such was not the case with many who dropped in “after hours.”

In my 40 plus years of photographing hundreds of weddings, I’ve met thousands of people from all over the world. It’s been an amazing ride. Walking into an enormous gathering of people with little more than my camera gear, in many cases knowing no one, can be pretty exhilarating. You can’t begin to imagine the things I've seen! Perhaps you’d prefer not to.

Every time we visit Monhegan Island there is something new to discover.

Our family members save nickels, dimes, quarters, returnable “CLYNK” money and tooth fairy deposits for a wonderful week rental at the Wik Wak cottage on the western shore overlooking Manana Island. It’s our bliss refill.

I was quite shocked recently to read some considerable information regarding the number of children and families in our county without enough to eat. It's very disturbing.

A few years back I was asked to provide visuals for a local group who put together bags of groceries for area families. The group “Food for Thought” met in the basement of what used to be St. Andrews Hospital to package foods for distribution throughout the region. I was shocked then, too. We have always been so fortunate. I had never given much thought to the lack of food for anyone here. That gang did a great job and really educated me about the local need for support.

Over the 45+ years we've lived in the region I've had the distinct honor of photographing at many area shipyards and boat-building facilities. The places I have photographed vary in complexity and size, from back yard outdoor set-ups to some of the largest companies in the area. Places like, Goudy & Stevens, Hodgdon's, Washburn & Doughty, Jones, Nutt, and Sample’s. Other smaller but no less impressive shops were at Mr. Blaney's, Roscoe Rand, and Chetley Rittall, to name a few. What I did learn through my boat building observation and recording is that boats can crop up almost anywhere, with the right amount of ingenuity and skill. It has been an amazing run.