The Daily Joe

  Sunset sky behind the hospital We went to visit my Mother-in-law at the hospital last evening - she had her knee replaced in the same wing where I was 3 weeks ago. I knew we would see a great sunset but as we were on highways, I was pretty sure it would be for viewing only.  My wife said she would park on the garage roof - for a chance.  This was the view we saw. I thought it was beautiful.

  Morning sun through the trees at our new home We moved into our new home over last weekend (not completely done, but close) and this sunrise greeted me on Sunday - our first morning.  While not as glorious as some of my sunrises - it's still special to me.

  Misty summer morning at the lake On summer mornings, the air versus the water sometimes produces this fine mist, hugging the water.  The sun was shining and the air was humid but the water was cool. The layers of water, trees, hills, and finally, the sky, make this photo a real beauty to me.

  Sun rays through the clouds over the farm I haven't been able to get out as much as I wanted lately with moving and recovery, so I'm going back through my archives and posting some of my favorites from the past.  Here's one where I was disappointed to miss the sunset, but the sky made up for it.

  Summer morning over a misty valley This was a very lucky shot.  After my recent surgery, I am still not allowed to drive so I took this from the car while my wife was driving me to work. I was feeling frustrated because I could not take the sunrise - but I saw and captured this scene - likely even better. 

  Soft afternoon sunshine through the trees at the lake A lazy summer afternoon (or early evening) down by the lake.  The warm air, the sound of families having fun, the sun shining through the trees - what better end to the day?

  Storm clouds over the fields While we've been short of rain this summer, the storm clouds roll by almost every night.  Sometime we see the rain and other times, we may hear thunder and see lightning. Most time, the storms are very localized and we see amazing clouds and sky scenes.

  Old barn in an old orchard I saw this old barn behind an old orchard while out on walk on a dirt road on a mountain in the woods. The orchard didn't appear to be productive and the barn looks very well worn. It looked as if it should have been an a story somehow.

  Sunset sky over the old farmhouse This photo is of a local farmhouse where a friend of mine rented for some time. The sunset sky burned in glorious colors that night but I could not get the sun setting over the house, just the colorful skies.

  Winding road down to the dock On the quiet side of Mt. Desert Island in Maine, there are places to reach the coast that are, indeed, quiet. This dirt road led down to the dock you see in the distance. It was a fantastic, blue sky day and I wish I could be there now.

  The view from Otter Cliffs This view is one of my favorites on Acadia. It is accessible, it is beautiful, and it captures the vision of Maine, to me. This view is from my most recent trip. The day was a gorgeous and climbing the path with my wife was worth it.

  Sunlight dancing through the sunset sky Last evening was the first time I really ventured out to try to capture a photo since my surgery.  The walking is still not pleasant but the sunset sky was worth it. 

  Sailing on a warm summer day at the lake Just another summer day at the lake. Seeing someone out with their sailboat makes me want for the water. The blue sky, the puffy clouds. This almost looks like my favorite place, Maine. But it's the closest I'll get until next year.

  Afternoon storm clouds passing through Since last week, I haven't been out for too many walks, due to 2 hip revisions on the same side.  I finally got up when I heard thunder and this was the view that greeted me out our frond window. Amazing clouds - a few mile away, there was hail and driving rain.  We got a few dribbles, but we got the cloudscape!

  Colorful afternoon sky across the fields This was an afternoon of drifting clouds and warm summer sunshine. As the afternoon moved towards evening, the sunset colors began to reflect their colors onto the lower clouds.  I couldn't pass up capturing this shot.

  Sunset clouds in the back yard   When riding home from class, I noticed the colorful sky in my rearview mirror, but could not get anywhere to get a good shot.  When I pulled into my driveway, I walked into the back yard and managed 2 shots before it disappeared.  This was the best one.

  Streaming clouds over our road  A while ago, while out on our evening walk, the clouds were streaming across the sky. It was almost sunset but the streaming clouds caught my eye.  A wide view made for the "big sky" look and black and white accentuated the clouds.

Dinghys waiting for the fishermen I saw these dinghys under a dock on our last trip to Maine. The sun was setting and these boats were in for the night - resting. The place (Lubec, Maine), the time, and the folks I was with, were just so serene and timeless. This had been a wonderful vacation.

  Mailbox in the mountains of New Hampshire While driving from Vermont to Maine - we did not take many highways and decided to drive on country roads.  This scene just presented itself to us on one of those roads.  The mountains are the "Presidential Mountains" in New Hampshire and this lone mailbox at the end of a lane just "stuck out" and I thought it made for a neat shot.

  Beautiful river view at “The Lost Kitchen” in Freedom, ME There is this TV show in USA on the Magnolia Network called "The Lost Kitchen" - we got hooked and have watched it frequently. While were on vacation, my wife wanted to visit the location. Being able to eat there is based on a lottery and we didn't even try - but the place is beautiful.

  Bailey in the afternoon sun Bailey is the oldest of our neighbor's dogs - she likes to bark at us to make her presence known.  For years, she would just stand off and bark.  Recently, she has decided we are friendly so she'll come up and let us pet her.  I caught this view as she came up to us late in the afternoon.

  Lone gull at the end of the dock First, let me apologize for those who read this regularly.  I've been in the hospital and had 2 hip replacements - 2 days apart. A part failed after the first one so they had to go back in.  And it's hard to blog postings from my phone - so I'm catching up.

  Lone pine in the morning reflection While in Maine on a Photo Workshop, I managed to capture this little scene while the other members of the group were scrambling on the rocks near the water. I was rewarded by this little pine standing directly in the path of the morning's reflection. I hope my next trip to Maine will be an equal reward to me as this trip was.

  A shady spot of rest in the farm   On our way home from vacation, we decided to stop at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The farm/village was warm but so beautiful and serene.  These two chairs in the shade of the tree, caught my eye with their view of the fields and hills.  A restful spot.

  Old shed across the fallow field in Deer Isle, Maine When we were in Maine, we visited a very odd (in my opinion) museum of a gentleman who creates art from what most people call junk. There were many sculptures, buildings, even cars. However, there were also, in the background, other more traditional scenes that caught my eye.  This was one of them.

  Rocky coast view through the trees On one of our early morning travels in Maine, I separated briefly from our photo tour instructors and found this view of the cliffs and rocky coast. The trees formed an almost perfect frame so I couldn't pass it up.

  Late day clouds over the bay As sunset colors blazed in the sky, I saw a different view as the wispy clouds streaking off to the east over the bay. The patterns lent themselves to a monochrome treatment and I really like the different levels of grey with the white clouds leading away into the picture.

  Puffin in flight over the roof When you're in a blind photographing seabirds (primarily puffins) - and there are thousands of them around due to the foggy weather, you keep snapping. The problem is finding ones your really like. I like this one because he's in flight and the rooftop offers some balance to the photo. It was a great time - too bad I'm not there now.

  Fishing boats in the afternoon light On one of our last vacation days, we drove around the back roads of northern Maine.  We returned to Cutler, where I had left for our Puffin adventure. In the afternoon, it was so very serene and peaceful. While I walked around, I saw no one out and about - just the quiet sound of the ocean and the birds. It was like a live postcard.

  Sunset sky reflections in Acadia One of the final sunsets I took in Acadia. The sky was streaked with color, the air was cool and a breeze blew but the ocean was calm. A fine night to see the water, the sky and the trees of Maine. I miss it and can't wait to return.

  The movement of the waves against the rocky shore The movement of the waves against the rocky shore early in the morning was just mesmerizing.  There were many failed shots, some so-so, but this one, with the sunrise light starting to color the short was just right.