Lower Exchange Street

Portland’s downtown shopping district is known as the “Old Port”.  And though it stretches about three blocks in either direction, this street is one of my favorite areas.  This picture was taken at the bottom of Moulton St, looking back up toward Fore St.  Since Moulton connects Exchange St. with Commercial St, it is sometimes referred to as “Lower Exchange”.  Commercial St (behind me in this picture) is another very important Old Port road as it runs the length of the Portland waterfront and is lined with dozens of restaurants (more on that soon!).  I especially like this time of year as the tree blossoms make this New Englandy cobblestone street even prettier!

In this area you will find a number of local favorites.  Bull Feeney’s Irish Pub, a favorite gathering place for food, drinks, and entertainment, is at the top of the picture on Fore Street.  If Guinness or Whiskey are your drinks of choice, you can’t miss this place.  Not only are they revered by bartenders and patrons alike, they also somehow manage to be inserted into nearly every dish served here!  You've gotta love a place whose motto is "Losbter's love Guinness"!  Certain to impress any connoisseur of good food too, the environment in this place cannot be matched anywhere in town.  At once a rowdy bar, a quiet restaurant, and a music venue, their two story, three building expanse allows them to provide a niche for just about everyone.   Mexicali Blues, located on the right, is a locally owned import store.  They specialize in clothing, jewelry, and gift bought around the world using fair trade practices.  And though their style may not suit your tastes, simply walking through their store adorned with bright colors and the smell of incense will warm your heart and awaken your senses!  Even walking anywhere near their storefront, you can’t miss their sights and smells.  Located next store is a relative newcomer to the Old Port Scene (2007), The Maine Squeeze.  A truly authentic California style juice bar, this little gem may be new, but is already one of the coolest kids on the block!  Need a morning meal replacement?  This is your place.  Looking for a mid-day pick-me-up?  This is your place!  Thinking about walking around the Old Port on a warm day and looking for a healthy alternative to the standard iced mocha frappuccino or ice cream cone?  This is your place!  Owner Buzzy Trusiani, himself a California native, has blessed our little corner of the world with the real thing.  In his attempt to bring a slice of the California coast to Maine, he has created a gem.  You can find thousands of juice possibilities in this place from the extremely healthy (think: raw/vegan/vegetarian) to the not so healthy (think: chocolate/honey/ice cream) and everything in between.  You can fall into a coma just trying to decide what to order - if one of the hundreds of named drinks don’t inspire you, Buzzy and his staff gladly entertain any combination you can think up and might even add it to the board if it turns out well.  And though we all think of juice bars when the weather turns warmer, Buzzy stays open twelve months a year and is quick to point out that you need your fruit and veggies most when the days are coldest and the sun is lowest in the winter sky!   One more thing before you head here...bring cash because they doesn’t accept plastic.

If you’re lucky enough to live in the area, or are planning a visit, make sure to put this corner of Portland at the top of your list of must sees - you won’t be disappointed!  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to walk down to Maine Squeeze and get my favorite juice shake for lunch!

Kennebunkport Bush Compound

Living in southern coastal Maine, you get used to the idea that a family named "Bush" vacations here.  If you hang around Kennebunkport enough, you're bound to get caught up in the "Bushmania" that takes hold of this town at least a few times a year.  I've never been much for putting up with crowds of insane tourists just to get a glimpse of someone famous no matter who you are.  Lucky for me I have a friend who works in the secret service and gave a bunch of us an "insider's" view of the Bush family property this week as they were preparing for the next family visit in a couple of weeks.  I must have taken 100 pictures that day, but this picture is my favorite.  If you were to sit on the back porch of the main house (yes there is more than one), this is the view of the Atlantic Ocean you would have, looking northeast.  I stood there for a few minutes smelling the ocean and wondering how nice it must be to be served steak and lobster in your own paradise.  It might feel very private if it wasn't for the hundreds of cameras, dozens of secret service agents, and Coast Guard boats circling in the waters all around the property.  Coastguardsmen who were with us on the tour said when the wind blows just right, they can hear a conversation from this porch from a few hundred yards off shore! 

Portland Headlight

I was lucky enough to have the day off today.  Where does a local go to get away without going too far?  The Portland Head Light is a good pick!  Guarding the Portland Harbor since 1791 it is one of the oldest light houses in the United States.   Located on the grounds of Fort Williams State Park in Cape Elizabeth, the Portland Head Light is considered one of the country's most photographed lighthouses.  It is equally impressive donned by snow and a steely winter sky as it is by the bright sunlight during the peak of the summer.  It is at it's best (and most helpful) when the waves are the highest - a few times each year wave splashes are known to reach higher than the house itself!  If seeing a lighthouse isn't impressive enough, the grounds of Fort Williams (which occupies a peninsula where the Casco Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean) also holds the remnants of the fort itself which served as an important military post during both Word War I and Word War II.  Whether you want to explore the Head Light or fort, walk along the rocky paths, picnic in the vast expanse of the grassy park grounds, or fly a kite... this is a perfect place to spend a day!

Harbor Seal

I chose this picture because it accentuates the meeting of sea and city so well.  Portland always has been and always will be a working waterfront.  The roots of Portland remain evident in the lobster boats and docks (and yes that is a harbor seal in the middle of the canal).  On the right side of the picture are some condos which afford lucky residents a front seat on nature unfolding (good thing because after they pay their monthly mortgage that's probably all they can afford).  This is one of my favorite spots in town and one that tourists often miss.  It is one block east of J's Oysters, a famous oyster shack off of Commercial Street.

An early spring

Our trees are blooming approximately five weeks earlier than last year.  I hear we have snow in the forecast.  I wonder what that means for the blossoms?

Welcome to my Blog

Greetings!  The purpose of my blog is going to be simple.  I want to bring Maine to those of you who don't have the privilege of living here or those who live here but aren't taking the time to slow down and look around.    I will take a picture everyday and write a few words explaining why I chose to post that particular picture.  I should say up front, I'm not a professional photographer nor do I own a fancy camera.  In fact, I will be posting pictures I've taken with my iPhone.  That's it.  Pure and simple.  You will see Maine as I see Maine.  My goal is to find special moments or scenes and capture them in their simplest form.  Nothing fancy here...just Maine seen through the eyes of someone who has lived here for about four years and despite having lived all of the country and world, finds this corner of the world to be utterly fascinating and delightful, regardless of time of year.  I hope you enjoy!