My son and his family live in Bangor, Maine, so my wife and I are there quite often during the summer while in Maine. Not too far from Bangor, south on Route 1A is the town of Ellsworth. If traveling south on 1A, just as you enter the town, you’ll find a sharp left turn that takes you onto Route 179 or the North Rd. If you follow this route for approximately 3 or 4 miles, you’ll find this lovely little structure on the right side of the road.

Tom Remington photo

I first spied this charming potential bed and breakfast (not) about three years ago while I was working with a friend on Mt. Desert Island. We stayed at a cottage on Molasses Pond. We took a different route each day from Molasses Pond onto Mt. Desert but when we left to come home, we took this route and that’s when I spied it the first time. I vowed someday I’d get back to take a picture.

It’s a small world as they say and the next year my wife’s twin brother and wife bought a lot of land on Graham Lake. Guess what? The turn off Route 179 to get to their lot is not too far from this shack. Not only did I get this picture but I got several more.

Moving back north into the Bangor area, one beautiful summer day, my son and I, along with four of the grandchildren, headed to Orono to visit the Orono Bog. The Orono Bog is a great place to go for a short outing and an easy hike for kids. As you can see from the photo, the grandkids ranged in age from 7 down to 3.

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The walk leads down a dirt path for a ways until the start of the boardwalk that will lead strollers out into the bog. Along the way out, I discovered that my grandchildren had not had the experience of eating wild Maine raspberries. The photo below shows all the kids looking for berries. At first their noses wrinkled a bit until they say grandpa eating them. Once they got a taste, it was hard to get their minds back on walking the bog trail.

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To the passive walker at the Orono Bog, one might miss out on some of Nature’s beauty. Some of my wife’s favorite wild flowers are Queen Anne’s Lace.

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Humans aren’t the only ones that appreciate a bit of Queen Anne’s lace. For a much different reason, these visitors also find the flower quite enjoyable.

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The boardwalk that leads through the dense, swampy undergrowth, eventually opens up into the peat bog itself. By spending some time and looking closely, you can see some much beauty in the plant growth that completely yet inconspicuously envelopes the entire floor of the bog. Information that I read about the bog said that in places the peat may be as much as 30 – 50 feet deep.

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If you’re in the area, I encourage you to take about an hour minimum to make the trip around the loop through the bog. You can spend as much time as you like but you can do it in a short period of time.

Make sure you check out all the other parts of Maine – The Way Life Is
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V

Life in Maine more times than not will lead us off the beaten path and into the woods, over rivers and streams, and even high atop some spectacular mountains. On a recent outing with good friend and fellow photographer, Milt Inman, we packed up Milt’s son’s Mule and headed for two destinations – Patch Mountain in Greenwood, Maine and Noyes Mountain, also in Greenwood.

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Our journey led us from Greenwood City over the Patch Mountain Road. Eventually we would end up near Hutchinson Pond in Albany where we ate lunch at Hunting Camp. Our first detour took us into Oversett Pond.

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Few will venture into Oversett as the ride in isn’t conducive to ordinary vehicles and it’s an ambitious walk. If we hadn’t been driving our Mule, it is certain we would not have made the trip. In the photo, Oversett Mountain and the ledges show up nicely behind the pond. Oversett Mountain is often called Elephant Mountain by the locals. From a distance, the mountain resembles an elephant’s back and head.

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For some who like to fish Oversett Pond, they make the journey in at some point and leave a canoe partially hidden in the woods. Most of these boats where locked and trust me when I say they were not the most prized of boats. That’s why they are left in the bushes.

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Among the living creatures that inhabit Oversett Pond is this big old bull frog. He just rested lazily atop the water seeming to stare directly into my camera lens.

We beat our way over the rough terrain and left Oversett heading further into the woods for a place called Willis Mills, once inhabited by locals. Now all that stands are a handful of small houses and camps. Milt explained to me, while trying to find the remains of a big tree stump, that town meetings were held under the shade of the big tree many years ago.

We made our way up and over Patch Mountain. Along the way there were many things to see, catching glimpses of birds, butterflies and we also had our fair share of deer flies.

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This butterfly looked like he was posing for me. I took several shots as I tried unsuccessfully to snap the shutter just at the moment he had spread his wings wide apart. Neither I nor the camera’s shutter was fast enough but needless to say quite impressive just the same.

Having eaten our lunch in Albany, we decided to retrace our footsteps and head back to Greenwood City. From their we turned to the opposite side of the Greenwood Road and headed for the top of Noyes Mountain. I had never been up there before but Milt had talked a lot about it over the years. I am appreciative of the opportunity to get up there and to do so by vehicle and not have to make the long walk.

Getting up the mountain required us to first traverse the pastures of the Holt farm. Often I have driven past these absolutely stunning fields dreaming of someday being in the midst of them and wondering what kind of views must be waiting those fortunate enough to be there.

Riding up through the tall grass, I had to turn around to take in the scenery. I was advised by my tour guide, Milt Inman, to wait on the photographs until we returned from the mountain top. That we did but I’m not going to make you wait. I took several breathtaking pictures and had trouble finding only one that captures it best.

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From the fields above the Holt farm, we got onto an old road that lead to the top of Noyes Mountain. Once again, if we hadn’t had the Mule, I would have missed out on the things I saw.

As Milt yelled orders to “hang on”, we banged a left-hand turn off the “main” road and began to sort of bushwhack our way through young growth trees and came to rest at the top of a rock-faced knoll. “Come on!” Milt said. “I want to show you something!”

And show me something he did. While bushwhacking in, I was distracted enough that I didn’t look around me. If I had, I might have seen some of what he was about to show me.

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Sitting where seems to be the middle of nowhere, are the remains of what Milt explained was the “Hunter’s Cabin”. It is remarkable to find virtually nothing left of the wooden structure, yet standing tall, strong and picturesque is the field stone fireplace which was once part of the cabin.

I moved around as best I could in an attempt to take it all in. Looking around at the relatively young growth of trees and the lot being situated at the top of a knoll, the views from this cabin had to have been some of the most spectacular that you would find anywhere.

Milt always tells me that someday man will invent a machine that can take a piece of wood from an old fallen-in cabin like this one and extract stored-up sounds so that we will be able to one day listen in on the conversations that took place centuries ago. That would be something.

We still had a journey ahead of us, so we ventured on. At the top of Noyes Mountain, the views are incredible. If you move to the south ledges, you can easily see toward the Atlantic Ocean. The day we were there was very hazy and so our views were limited. Milt believes on crystal clear days, you could see the ocean.

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One of the things that first jump out at you from high atop the ledges looking south, is this view of Norway Lake or more formally known as Lake Pennesseewassee.

Also at the top of the mountain are old mines, something that is common around mineral rich Maine. Overlooking one of the open mines, I found this wooden Adirondack chair sitting all by itself, perched on the sheer rocks and facing the northwest.

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Undoubtedly a place where any sane person, or at least anyone seeking to find some sanity, some purpose in life, would want to sit and sit for hours, perhaps days. Whoever put that chair there sure knew what they were doing.

From this chair, I could look to the west and drink in the skyline, that through the haze, revealed the Presidential Mountains. Not so far away, I was directed to the Patch Mountain Overlook, Lovejoy Mountain and Long Mountain. Further to the north, I easily found East and West Baldpate and just to the west of those lay Old Speck and Goose Eye.

If you are traveling the Appalachian Trail, one of the toughest parts of the entire length is known as the Mahoosuc Notch Pass, through Goose Eye and Speck Mountains.

The only thing I would have traded on this day was to rid the sky of the haze in order to get a clearer view. Other than that, I can honestly say there are fewer places more beautiful than some of the ones I visited on this day.

Make sure to check out all the other parts to Maine – The Way Life Is

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part VI

Tom Remington

A quick trip to Popham Beach on the southern coast of Maine.

It was a great day, weather wise, and so we headed for the coast to enjoy the sun and the warmth – something we haven’t had an abundance of this summer so far. As you can see from the first photo, we weren’t the only ones with the same idea.

Tom Remington Photo

Tom Remington Photo

We arrived at the beach just in time to see the tide making its return trip in. Although we got there too late to walk the sandbar out to the rock island, my granddaughter sure did enjoy the large waves. I think the water temp was around 60 degrees, give or take a few. Brrrrrrrrr!!

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No trip to the ocean would be complete without a few of these guys looking for a handout. Seagulls or more affectionately known in small groups as dump ducks, never stay too far away from the crowds of picnickers.

Tom Remington Photo

Difficult to get a good quality shot of the lighthouse from so far away but this should give you a good idea of what it looks like. I believe this lighthouse is located on Fox Island, which sits about a mile perhaps just southeast of Popham Beach.
*Update* Reader Richard Paradis was kind enough to straighten out on the location of this lighthouse. It is the Sequin Island lighthouse. I honestly knew that and don’t know why I said Fox other than it’s nearby. Thanks Richard!

Make sure to check out the other series of Maine – The Way Life Is

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part V
Part VI

Tom Remington

We continue our journey across Maine in my return trip from Bangor. If you will recall in my previous post, I shared pictures and short stories of my trip from Bethel, Maine to Augusta, with my ultimate destination being Bangor. Upon my return, I retraced my route and got some pictures I missed.

The things we can find sitting on front lawns across Maine can be anything from interesting to puzzling, attractive and garbage. Near Kent’s Hill School, this rusty old tractor adorns the front lawn of some folks just east of the school.
I guess this is lawn art to some degree or other. I am reminded of a time when I was managing a motel in Bethel. We had guests who traveled all the way from California just to fish for native brook trout in Maine waters.
After spending a few days trying to follow my pencil scratchings inside an old copy of a Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, I talked with the mother of the foursome about their experiences. Aside from the usual stories and discussions about finding brooks, streams and ponds and the number and size of fish caught, I heard this comment, “Maine is a beautiful place and interesting…..like so many people who own junk yards!”
How does that saying go? “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Art is in the eye of the beholder and I guess referring to one man’s junk yard as art seems to have less a negative impact than just calling it junk.

Traveling east on Route 17 through somewhere around Fayette, you might just spot this “Swamp Thing” lurking in the swamp brush of a bog hole near the highway. I guess you could call this a form of lawn art.
I did notice that this “thing” has sunglasses. I sure hope it has on plenty of sunblock and layers of insect repellent.

This was a bonus attraction for me. I knew when I got back to Livermore Falls I wanted to get a picture of the town bandstand. What I didn’t know when I got there that it would be busy with a show.
A three piece band, about the age of “baby boomers” was performing tunes from the 50s, 60s and 70s. I tried to get a few pictures and hit the road before it got dark but my wife wanted to stay for awhile and listen to the band. I was convinced once I spotted the ice cream shop nearby.

To the untrained eye, this might appear to be an old abandoned and run down house trailer with what’s left of a dilapidated custom roof on top. It is not always you find one in this condition that’s unoccupied. I have seen some in worse shape still being lived in.
What caught my eye with this particular building was it appears to have been air lifted in and placed right where it sat.

An entire summer or longer could be spent traveling across Maine just getting pictures of barns – some standing, some not and others halfway between.
Sitting up on a hillside near Canton, Maine, this barn reeks of character.

Located on Route 140 near the Jay and Canton town lines sits this very typical Maine working farm.

In Canton Point, just off Route 140 heading toward Dixfield, you’ll come across this old memorial chapel. Many of these churches which at one point was a focal point of a community, now sit feeling a bit lonely but not completely abandoned.
Difficult to see in the photographs, the church is handsomely adorned with some beautiful stained glass windows. What makes it even harder to appreciate the stained glass is the plexi-glass covering them to protect from those who find a need to throw rocks through windows.

I stopped at a public boat access spot near Dixfield and was fortunate to find this couple returning from an outing of kayaking the waters of the Androscoggin River. I spotted a fish pole and my wife asked my if they were fishing, thinking it a bit odd that fishing and kayaking would go together. I explained to her that it was actually something that was growing in popularity of late.

In the town of Dixfield, Maine stands the statue of Bullrock. On the placard is the History of Bull rock:

Bullrock the Dixfield moose is named in memory of a moose of local legend. According to this legend, a wandering moose journeyed from the back side of Dixfield’s Sugarloaf Mountain. As he approached the rock formation now known as Bullrock, he became so entranced by the beauty of the valley below that he lost his footing and plunged over the edge.
Today, Bullrock’s spirit can be seen in the majesty of our forests and in the steadfastness of our people. He not only symbolizes Dixfield’s colorful past, but represents a strong and steady future for us all.

Make sure you check out Part I, Part II, Part IV, Part V, Part VI.

Tom Remington

Part II of “Maine – The Way Life Is” will take you on a journey from Bethel, Maine to the state capital city of Augusta. Part III, which will follow Part II, is a collection of photos that I gathered on the return trip from Augusta to Bethel. I hope you enjoy.

I want readers to know that what I decide to publish on this site are only pictures selected from a host of photos I snap throughout my journeys. They are intended only for your enjoyment and in no way are any kind of statement that I am trying to make. This is a photo journey of Maine as I see it through my camera lens. I am hoping to capture every aspect of Maine from its beauty and simplicity, to its complexing contrasts, wealth and poverty and the uniqueness of Maine’s people.

Many times while my wife and I are in Maine for the short summer season, we travel to Bangor on a regular basis to visit our son, his wife and 5 of the most beautiful children in the world. The journey for us entails nearly 3 hours, providing we don’t make more than our usual number of stops along the way, which includes a stop in Manchester, Maine at Mulligan’s to pick up a box of “Munchkins” at the Dunkin’ Donuts – for the grandkids of course!

When we head north, there are several different routes we can take with side roads, cut-offs, short cuts and long cuts. Sometimes a one-way excursion has lasted as long as 7 hours.

On this trip we left Bethel heading east on U.S. Route 2 to Dixfield. A few miles east of the Dixfield village, we turned off the main route near the Maine Department of Transportation lot and headed for Canton.

In Canton, we picked up Route 140 and bumped and rolled our way into Jay/Livermore. From Livermore we followed Route 17 all the way to Manchester where the highway connects with several routes that lead to Augusta.

I’ll do my best to inform you of the location of all the photos and any bits of information that might make the viewing more entertaining.

Maine has a healthy population of whitetail deer. During the spring of the year, after “green up”, we can regularly see the deer as they pop up in some very unusual places in search of a good and easy meal. Although I have to confess, I did not take this picture on the day of my trip from Bethel to Augusta, still it just as easily could have been.
This deer was one first spotted by my wife. As we turned off Rt. 26 in Locke Mills village onto the Mt. Abram road, the deer was to our right, next to the railroad tracks and only feet from the Greenwood fire station. Mostly unafraid of our presence, this photo makes the deer look to be posing.

South of Rumford Center, along U.S. Route 2 a Maine farmer works his tractor to care for what I believe to be potato fields. Growing up in this area, I remember nearly every year these fields have grown potatoes.

There are not too many states where you can travel in America and find a person setting up beside the highway selling moose horns.
Located at the truck stop near the top of Rumford Falls alongside the Androscoggin River, an unidentified man was sitting in his car waiting for someone to stop and buy some of his moose antlers. I guess with the upcoming Fourth of July week, traffic should pick up on the highway which might lead to more sales.

A mill town for many years, Rumford sits below the big falls. Although this paper mill has changed hands over the years, it has provided jobs for thousands of Maine people for decades. The oder that emanates from the smoke stacks is foul to noses not accustomed. To the locals, they say it is the smell of money.

A town park located at the collection pool below the falls, is an attraction for locals and visitors. It was not that many years ago, nobody was interested in getting near the water because of pollution. There are steel and wrought iron figurine cutouts that depict past and present life along the Androscoggin River.

Located within the same park as the picture above, is a memorial to Edmund Muskie. Ed Muskie was born in Rumford, Maine. He was a democrat, a Maine politician and served as governor of his home state. He went on to become a U.S. Senator, served as U.S. Secretary of State and was a vice presidential candidate. This town of Rumford remembers a fellow resident.

The town of Rumford straddles both sides of the Androscoggin River. To keep the community connected, there a several bridges to get motorists, heavy logging trucks and pedestrians back and forth.
I crawled down over the bank and across the rocks jutting out toward the river below the lower dam and got this photo of two bridges connecting the downtown area to the rest of the population.

Much of what any traveler will see touring about Maine are stark contrasts like the one above. Towering over the treetops that line one of the most picturesque rivers in Maine, are the smoke stacks of the paper mill in Jay. Maine’s rivers, and in this case the Androscoggin, are the location of many paper mills and other industry. Those mills provide work for the residents. They have also contributed to its share of pollution to the river. It has taken decades to get the river back to a point where people are once again interested in the river as a great natural resource.
We look at such beauty in the river, the vegetation, trees and landscape it provides and the wildlife that uses the entire watershed as part of its natural habitat, yet lurking behind is a necessary part of human survival as we have created it.
Finding the balance between industry, jobs, clean water and air is a task that will be juggled for many years to come.

Not all libraries are created equal. Did you know that every library in the state of Maine has received some kind of support from Stephen and Tabitha King? I wonder if that includes the Fayette Library. To passersby this might appear to be an abandoned building but to many it’s a place to read a book.
I had to get this picture in here because I happen to know this library has the book my son and I wrote, “The Legend of Gray Ghost and Other Tales from the Maine Woods”. My aunt got it in there for us.
The Fayette Library is on Route 17 in Fayette.

As they say in Maine, “Just up the road a piece”, at the top of the hill is Kents Hill, Maine, home of Kents Hill Academy. This locale is very breathtaking for its scenic beauty. The above picture is of the main building of the school overlooking the miles of valley to the north and west.

Believe it or not, we decided to forgo the stop at Mulligan’s for “Munchkins” and instead headed for downtown Augusta. Our ultimate destination was Bangor but my wife insisted on a stop a the local Goodwill Store on Western Ave.
This got me to thinking, so I decided to leave my wife at the store, grab my camera and head out on foot to capture some photos in and around the Capital area.
The above shot is the front of the building which gets used like never anymore because of security reasons.

Just across the street from the Capital building, is the Blaine House. This houses the current governor and his family. It’s quite easy to poke around and get pictures. I wasn’t there at the right time to get into the grounds for shots but from two different streets I was able to get more than enough pictures. I chose this one because of the framing of the trees and the curving sidewalk.

The trip continues soon with Part III and as the journeys across the state continue, I’ll continue to bring you photos and short little stories.

If you enjoy this sort of thing, just leave a comment below. I’d appreciate knowing people are reading and viewing.

Check out “Maine – The Way Life Is”, Part I, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI.

Tom Remington

I would say for at least ten years now I have talked about one day having the time and money to travel through every corner of Maine taking photographs and meeting and talking with real Maine people in order to compile a photographic essay about life in Maine. I had figured out the title shortly after the state of Maine tourism people coined the slogan, “Maine, The Way Life’s Supposed to Be”. My title was going to be “Maine, The Way Life Is”.

Well, to date I don’t have the time yet nor the money to back me. I actually think I might be a bit late as well because I recall my wife saying something to me about someone else using that same title for a similar project. Such is life…….in Maine!

Yesterday, I was traveling south from Bethel. My wife wanted to visit southern Maine and maybe take a small detour down memory lane for her. She said she wanted to revisit Higgins Beach, a place where she hung out with family and friends during her high school years.

We ended up taking a few side trips visiting other places that were part of her past – Deering High School and her old home nearby.

On the ride down I got to thinking and decided that it may be years before I ever get to do my photo journal journey, so why not take pictures of some of the trips we take while summering in our home state.

Below is a small sampling of photos I took yesterday that I thought would show only one tiny side of Maine, the way life is.

I hope you enjoy them and I will make every effort to continue this series of my meanderings this summer.

A young entrepreneur sells his wares on a street leading toward the beach. I particularly was attracted to the architecture of the lemonade stand. After studying it for a while, my wife and I determined that it was purpose built.

For those who haven’t been to Higgins Beach, it is a remarkable small Maine coastal community and unique in several ways. What makes Higgins Beach unusual these days is that it has remained much like it always was – small cottages with little or no commercialism.

Unfortunately for us tourists and thrilling for the residents, it’s not very “tourist” friendly. What I mean by that is there is no place to park to get to the beach. So if you’re going, plan to walk quite a distance to get there.

As we walked down the street to get to the beach, we came across this very friendly woman who was out manicuring an absolutely gorgeous flower bed, complete with stunning poppies.

Once onto the beach, we walked the length of it coming across this architectural design by two women enjoying the day at the beach. I was most intrigued by the keeper of the gate into the castle.

From the far end of the beach sat this quaint looking little shack. To be real honest, I couldn’t tell if anyone was living there or not. There were a few boats tied up to the dock in front of it though.

We left Higgins Beach and headed down east toward Cape Elizabeth. We took a slight detour and ended up at Fort Williams, location of the Portland Head Light.

As are most New England lighthouses, the Portland Head Light if photographed my thousands of people each year.

A bronzed plaque that is mounted on a large stone on the south side of the lighthouse reads as follows:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow often walked from Portland to visit this Lighthouse. The Keepers were his friends and it is believed he sat here for inspiration for his poem, “The Lighthouse”.
“Sail on sail on ye stately ships.
And with your floating bridge
the ocean span.
Be mine to guard this light
from all eclipse.
Be yours to bring man near
unto man.”

Navigating the rugged rocks of Fort Williams Park, these two eager fishermen hope for some unsuspecting fish while standing in the shadow of the the Portland Head Light.

Make sure to check out Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI.

Tom Remington