Travel to Augusta Maine
I forgot to set my alarm and coasted past my normal wakeup time. I was awaked by a Jeep with a very loud muffler as they pulled into their site next to me. I had several new neighbors this morning and they all had questions about Bar Harbor and Acadia. I made a strong coffee and had Cinnamon Kashi cereal for breakfast. I was on the road by 10:30 to Augusta, Maine to photograph the capital building tomorrow.
Trip: Bar Harbor, ME to Augusta, ME
Choosing A Route
Originally, when planning this trip, I was going to avoid any interstate highways. As the trip has progressed, I’ve modified my thinking to include interstates when it makes sense. I enjoy the backroads much more but interstates sometimes make sense for the following reasons:
Sites: There’s nothing to see on the backroad.
Quality: The backroads consist of dirt or have other issues that could cause damage to the car.
Time: If there is a significant savings in time, as in a five hour trip becomming a nine hour trip.
Today, there was no time advantage to taking the interstate, the backroads were excellent and the Maine coast is very scenic.
I stopped and took photos along the way which added to the time duration.
Coastal Café and Bakery
I stopped at the Coastal Café and Bakery in Searsport, ME. This is not a destination town and I was happy to find the Café here. There were 10 people in front of me. The place had a good vibe and after placing my order I walked around. They had old black and white photos on all the walls.
My favorite was at the entrance door of a ship dropping its sails. This had its dangers in the day. They had to make sure they didn’t fall or get caught in ropes and sails.
Ruth Montgomery: Bending on a New Mainsail Aboard the Bark CARRIE WINDSLOW, 1902
The photographer was the captain’s daughter and went to sea at fifteen as she was learning photography. The amazing thing about this photo is that it was taken at sea with a large format camera and glass-plate negatives. This was not on land either, so to capture this image at sea is extraordinary. The ship was sailing from Portland, Maine to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I asked the woman at the counter about the photographs. She told me she was an amature photographer and really loved the photographs. She explained the photos came from the Penobscot Marine Museum nearby and were periodically swapped out. The photos were either of events in the area (e.g. ship burnings, the circus, street photos) or they were by photographers in the area. Each photo had a plaque explaining the image. I really wanted to stop at the museum.
There was a small sign on the wall.
Gardiner
After setting up the campground, I headed to Gardiner, ME. I went to Hannaford’s for groceries and on the way back, I noticed a shopping area on water street. The street was lit, and people were walking about. The buildings were mostly brick, probably built 100-150 years ago. There must have been a local renovation project recently.
I found a parking spot in front Gernard’s Pizza. I was chilled and decided to warmup in the restaurant. I ordered a pepperoni pizza which had a very yeasty tasty. It was good but not great.
Costell & Costell
As I was returning to my car, I noticed lights on in a gallery a few doors down. I immediately liked what I saw. The images were of different local scenes with a new perspective and exacting lines. My favorite was a boat wreck on its side. On the opposite wall were much larger abstract paintings. For me reminiscent of a Pablo Picasso period with bright primary colors.
I met the two artists in the back of the studio. They were hard at work painting. They came out and we chatted about their art. They are sisters and have been painting since the were kids. Paloma studied art design and this shows in her art. El has developed a style she calls Abstract Realism. The sisters come from a family of well-known artist which shows in their passion for their art and the studio.
If you have a chance to visit this gallery in Gardiner, Maine (Near Augusta), I highly recommend it. The studio is Costell & Costell.
It was so interesting talking to Paloma and El.
Paloma (left) and El (right) in their gallery Costell & Costell