portland head light

the day we drove to portland head light in late september was the last hot day of 2010. it was 84 and sunny, but a thin fog bank was hovering out over the ocean. we got to hear the slow, mournful wail of the foghorn, which is located right beside the lighthouse. i enjoy a bit of fog, and the low repetitive "hooooo" of the foghorn. to me, standing on the shore, foghorns somehow sound cozy and comforting. mystical. a little spooky. out on the water foghorns are, of course, a dire warning to sailors, signaling the perils of the rocky maine shoreline. but as long as the sound doesn't get too close, a foghorn's muted announcement of the stoney coast's presence will always be a comfort to mariners as well.

the fog began to lift. as we walked on the trails along the shore, we saw all the usual maine sights. there were sailboats and seagulls enjoying the salty sea. bits of white on blue. there were people, young and not-so-young, busy building tall cairns with small loose stones down on the giant rocky outcroppings. chunks of gray on gray. there were two young men technical climbing on a sheer face of cliff. spots of orange and red on gray.

that day was a perfect maine day, just the way we like it. have a nice weekend everyone!