CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
Here are a few shots of the old cage elevator in the famous Transit Building. I can well remember riding up in it with my mother to see the pediatrician. The nice lady who ran the elevator always wore white gloves and had a little fold down stool to sit on. I can still here her say, "Just one moment please" as she juggled the controls to make the elevator perfectly even and level with the floor landing. I seem to recall she usually had a lollipop for me too.

FRIENDS FOR 49 YEARS
In July I went back to my hometown, Oil City, Pennsylvania, to visit family during the town's celebration called "Oil Heritage Week." It was amazing to see that finally things are changing for the better. The town had a brighter look and the downtown area was cleaned up and perked up. A big new addition was the art galleries and the artists studios in the old Transit Building. Thankfully the building has been preserved as a national historical site. It was built by J. D. Rockefeller during the oil boom days. It has been preserved, restored and is functioning nicely as an art space. Something beneficial to city.
Fran, my cousin, and I renewed our 49 year old continuing friendship with Miriam and had a great day exploring the festival area and the art spaces. One of the galleries had a wall for anyone to add art. Miriam took the opportunity to document our reunion and presence on the scene. Ah, nostalgia.

WHITE GARDEN UPDATE
As you can see the white garden is progressing nicely. It is such a joy to open the door to the heavenly scent of the Casablanca and Asiatic lilies. They are an eye-catching site both in the bright sunshine and in the full moonlight. I enjoy seeing people stopping to admire them on their walks by my house. The was definitely a labor of love.

BEAUTY IN ALL STAGES
Yesterday while I was out photographing the beautiful blooms in the Thistle Garden, I took notice of the giant alium. These two plants dominate the East garden. It's quite something to see the huge purple spheres when the alium changes from it's initial ghostly white color. Now as thistle and the sea holly come into their own, the alium is beginning to dry up and die off. Even in it's final stages of the life cycle it remains a breath-taking wonder. These two plants are complimenting each other now and I am so pleased I have arrived at that time in my when I feel I am really seeing things and taking the time to stop and marvel at the constant beauty in my environment.

ANOTHER SEASON BEGINS
Last night was the opening reception for the 2110 Eastport Gallery season. It was also a celebration of their 25th anniversary. So much time and so many changes. It is always fun to go to a gallery reception and this one was exceptionally crowded. There were so many people there you actually had to go out on the sidewalk for a breath of air and to cool down a bit. The snack tables were over-laden with goodies and it appeared everyone had a great time. I know I did.

MORNING VIEWS
This is one of the joys of living near the sea. Looking out from the balcony on a warm, breezy summer morning to see the fishing boats heading out. The slightly choppy water is so inviting. Already the temperature is 72 degrees and it seems like being on board this boat would be a cool and refreshing experience. Who needs TV when views like this are just outside every east-side window?

WHITE GARDEN UPDATE
This picture was taken only four weeks after the first white garden photo of 2110 and you can see how things are growing, especially the Casablanca Lilies in the right background. They are last year's bulbs and they have taken well to their new environment. I noticed a few wild daisies seeded themselves in the mid-center back. I never planted them; so, it must have Nature's hand at work. Although they are not completely white due to their buttery yellow centers, I have decided to leave them for a little accent and contrast. After all, they managed the seeding all by themselves; I guess I should admire their beauty and resourcefulness. Can't wait for the lilies and white roses to bloom.

EARLIER RISER REWARDS
So, I woke up at 5:10 AM one morning and couldn't go back to sleep. I took my camera and my dog, Dylan Thomas, and went out cruising the island for photo ops. I got a few nice sunrise pictures and a good shot of the morning light on greater downtown Eastport. Then we drove over to the south side on the island and were greeted with a small herd of deer in somebody's front yard. In fact one of the deer was stepping up onto the porch. I stopped the car, Dylan didn't bark, and I got a few nice close-ups of the deer. The noise of the car and the closeness of me did not seem to bother them a bit. They looked right into the camera and gave me all the time I needed to enjoy this lucky find. I swear they wanted their picture taken. Just another perk of living here in the downeast paradise.

Needless to say the meal was a success and enjoyed by everyone. It is so nice to treat ourselves well. I truly believe the best revenge is eating well. Good food and good company - what else could you want. Maybe a nice Dalmatian - but, we have one of them too.

MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING IN EASTPORT
Today was a rainy and dreary day - what to do. How about preparing a classical French meal from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child. It seemed quite simple - read the recipe, follow the rules and take no shortcuts. So - I did and the results were fantastic. We fasted on: Martinis, sreak au poivre, crepes de pommes de terre, concombrs au beurre, beaujolias villages, chocolate sorbet and chocolat petit ecolier. Everything turned out perfectly and this was my first time trying Julia Child's somewhat difficult recipes. We dedicated the dinner to Martha who is still in France and is celebrating her birthday tomorrow. I may duplicate the meal for her when she comes to visit in August. What a lovely and productive way to spend a rainy cloudy day.

SPECIAL TIMES
There are some special seasonal times to look forward to and enjoy with relish (no pun intended). A big thrill for me is the first and the last hot dog at Rosie s on the Breakwater. The place has been open for a few weeks now and recently on a very sunny day we went down for lunch and savored how delicious it was. We can go to Rosie's for lunch everyday and no hot dog will ever taste as good as the first and the last of the season. Things can become very special when they are not always readily available.

STOCKING WINES
It was a perfect day for a drive out to Audrey"s Ice House to pick up our wine club selections. How fortunate we are to have the choices of wines and the knowledge and assistance of Audrey, who has never steered up wrong, right here in our backyard. I may live out in the middle of nowhere at the end of the world, but all I want or need is here or easily accessible. Plus I spend every day totally surrounded by Nature's beauty. And - The Big Apple is just a pleasant train ride away!

GARDENING AGAIN
Last month the 2010 gardening season began again. What a pleasure it was to get outside and dig into the earth and start to dream about the vegetables and beautiful flowers to come. This is the second year for the white garden. Last year it was a huge success and had many admirers - both locally and from away. I am striving to improve this little plot through trial, error and self-education. Here is a picture of this season's beginning. As you can see the Casablanca Lilies have already started to shoot up from last year. They were so lovely that I have added many more to their number. Perhaps in years to come I will end up with a white lily garden. I thought it would be fun to keep a pictorial record of the progress for my own amusement. And so - this is the beginning, early May, 2010.

LYING ABOUT
I must confess. I sometimes do not make good use of my time. I am not always terribly well organized and I do love to spend some time just lying about.
Somewhere down inside a little guilt came bubbling up and I have decided to turn over a new leaf. I am going to be much more attentive to my blogging and I am going to tackle and complete all those projects that have here-to-for remained buried beneath mountains of procrastination.
For inspiration I have started a new blog which I hope to eventually have printed up into my own cookbook. Here's the site if you would like to follow along and keep tabs on my progress:
http://thomas-kimes.blogspot.com/

GRAFFITI OR STREET ART?
I personally would rather look at the graffiti than the sloppily painted "Post No Bills" signs - the "bills" and the graffiti were certainly more eye catching and thought provoking.

FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM
After going to the top it was time to hit the streets and just walk about. There is a special feeling being part of the hussle and bussle of the big city. You can feel the heartbeat of the place as you scurry along. It seems everyone is on a set course and nobody gets in anyone's way. Yet I found the people to be accommodating and helpful. Was this a post 9-11 syndrome or has it always been this way? I certainly was impressed; especially after my initial paranoid thrust into Penn Station. My very first impulse was to re-board the train and go home. So glad I didn't as I would have missed a very unique experience. Our trip was smiled upon by excellent weather - sunny, bright and warm days. People were even eating outside and it was very comfortable to just pound the pavement and explore.

New York City at my feet - where to begin?
Since I had never been to the city before, The Empire State Building was naturally headlining my "must see" list. I had watched a documentary years ago about the construction of the building and now was my chance to check it out in person. So impressive and so intimidating. I was ill at ease and very intimidated by the elevators. In my mind elevators just should not rise to the 102nd floor; it seems unnatural. Once my anxiety was overcome and I arrived at the top, I concluded the stress was all worthwhile. What a grand view of Manhattan. You can literally see for miles and miles. The fear of heights got lost somewhere in the background of my mind as I gazed at the breath-taking panoramic view. Best way to see the city - from the TOP!

My first view of the Big Apple from our 30th floor hotel room on 40th Street. I was intimated at first when we arrived at confusing Penn Station. Next, as I gazed out the window, I was impressed. Finally I became excited and anxious to get out onto the streets and start discovering all the wonderful things I had read and heard about the city. Television and movies just cannot give you the thrill of actually becoming part of the pedestrian traffic of that high energy place. And my short adventure was just beginning.

As the red cap led us to our car he asked if we wanted a "quiet car". We accepted after finding out in was a space when cell phones and noisy electronics were not allowed. Even conversation had to be kept to a very low non-annoying volume. The instructions were to treat the area as a "library". What heaven. What peace. Quiet time to reflect and enjoy the passing beautiful scenery or to just wile away the hours reading and napping. Such a pleasant trip permits one to arrive fresh and rested before diving into the overwhelming culture shock of NYC. And, believe me, it was culture shock coming from tiny little isolated Eastport, Maine.

Earlier this month I took my first trip to New York City. To make the adventure more exciting we traveled by train. As we boarded in Boston I was reminded of so many old movies I had seen of train station settings in Europe and felt as though I was joining an old tradition - train travel. I had never been on a train trip before either. The service was quite classy, red caps and all. I felt privileged and spoiled. The train was the Amtrak Acela when can run at 150 miles an hour and the accommodations were very nice - plush.

Well, it seems almost a year has past since I've made any entries here. Lazy? I guess so. Sometimes I think it is an unfortunate mode one falls into and things appear to lose their attraction. But today I feel like "getting back into it".
This morning I awakened early and went downstairs to open the blinds and allow the light of the glorious day to come into the house. To my pleasure and amazement there were six deer returning from the water and heading to the wooded area across the street from me. There they were standing in the vacant lot and in our driveway enjoying the beautiful morning. They appeared very calm and were leisurely strolling past my window. Of course, before I thought to grab my camera, I just stood in awe and absorbed the wonder before my eyes. Again I was made acutely aware of what an enchanting and very special place this is. I am so glad I live here.