All Fall Down!!!

It's Fall (ing) and what's hitting the ground but LEAVES. That and I'm heading out of town for a few days, so I thought I'd post some images I've made of leaves in my neighborhood and around town last fall.  I'd never shot any before and one day picked one up and before I new it I had a couple of bags full sitting in my upstairs studio.

Misc. # 1 / Food Related Items

Portland may seem like the big city if you come from Mars Hill or East Blueberry, especially when it comes to food, where we are blessed with both variety and high quality in our choices.  That goes equally for the food events, such as this springs Restaurant WeekME and last weekends 20 Mile Meal.  But it's small in  & that you keep running into a lot of the same people.  For instance, during restaurant week I first ran into the Tollef Olsen & Paul Dobbins of Bangs Island Mussel / Ocean Approved (seaweed)

tagging along the next day as they escorted freelance writer Chris Ladd, working on a Boston Globe article on their Kelp beds in Casco Bay.  What was then a test site on a temporary permit is now the first commercial seaweed aquaculture bed in the US.

On the trip out and back we passed their rope growing mussel operation. A process that produces plump juicy mussels because they don't need to grow thick shells an so put more energy into the mussel itself.

Another Restaurant week participant was Maine Mead Works, located in Bayside.

I ran into Eli Cayer again at 20 Mile Meal, where they were again serving his and partner Ben Alexander's delightful nectar. Also serving was Steve Melchisky & Maine Coast Vineyards from Falmouth, which had a horrible year with their grapes and all the rain, but are looking to add to their acreage in the near future.  His Rose hit the store shelves in September.
Check R.S.V.P. or Whole Foods.

Another guy who's been making the rounds this summer trying to alert the public to the great food he's serving is Earl Morse, Executive Chef, at the Portland Harbor Hotel's "Eve's At The Garden" restaurant.  He's been at both Taste Of The Nation and Antiques In The Garden and was on hand serving a chicken sausage with local mushrooms and a tangy sauce.  

One of the real treats at 20 Mile Meal and a seasonal dish was Bob Smith, from Edible Rind, in Scarboro, quest cooking for Aurora Food, in the West end, with fried green tomatoes.

Upcoming food events are

Harvest On The Harbor, Oct 22, 23, 24 check their website for event times &

The 5th Annual Caviar Dinner at the Portland Harbor Hotel, Oct 23 pairing Earl Morse and Rod Mitchell of Browne Trading Company.  You can combine both by taking advantage of the Harbor Hotel's package of the Champagne and Caviar Dinner, two nights at the hotel and two tickets to the thursday Grand Tasting kick off event of  Harvest On The Harbor.

You can find Bangs Island Mussels & Ocean Approved products at Harbor Fish Market, Browne Trading Co, and Whole Foods Market.

Congress Street # 2

Coming off Munjoy Hill  Congress Street intersects with the start of Washington Ave and the northern exit from the peninsula.  Here at the corner of Mountfort and Congress Streets sits the Eastern Cemetery, one of Portland's earliest.

Congress St. at Washington Ave.

& the Eastern Cemetary

From this corner Congress Street has collected in the last 30 years 1st junk shops, then second hand stores, followed by antique shops & bookstores. In the last few years a yarn shop, a weaving studio & several hair salons have opened and now young artists are finding studio and gallery spaces.

KnitWits window reflects the Eastern Cemetary

Eliphants warm interior

Etz Chaim Synagogue

the bus stop at Congress & India

What might just become Portland's next must eat restaurant, "figa"(249) has been busily taking shape behind brown papered windows for the past weeks.  Bookending all this to the north are the Snug at (223) an Irish Pub and the North Star Cafe at (225) featuring an eclectic mix of live music, poetry and tango;  housed in two halves of a former strip joint and to the south, Angela Adams Designs at (273), in the old Tommy's Hardware building across from India Street.

the window at Angela Adams

Draw a circle a quarter mile wide and  you'll find Portland's largest cathedral, a second catholic parish church, two old jewish synagogues, the Abyssinian Meeting House, built in 1828 by Portland's  black community and part of the Underground Railway. This area, formed the heart of the old Italian, Jewish neighborhoods. You'll also find the the old Grand Trunk railway terminal, which connected Maine to Canada, sitting beside Casco Bay, the largest deep water port on the east coast, which connected Maine to the world in the days of clipper ships.  Today you have "The Cat" called by the Discovery Channel one of the world's 10 super ships, connecting Maine to the Canadian Maritimes, docking at the new Ocean Gateway Ferry Terminal and every summer and fall, thousands of cruise ship passengers disembarking at the Maine State Pier.
A great little guide "East End Shops" can be picked in many of the establishments or online at
http://eastendshops.com/

Sweet Marguerites

{ A note: today I was at the press conference for the 2nd annual "Harvest On The Harbor", billed as Maine's Premier Food & Wine Experience and from the line up of chefs and exhibitors this 3 day event has a good chance to live up to its' billing!  It will be held on the water at the new Ocean Gateway from October 22nd -24th.  Opening the festivities on thursday will be The Grand Tasting, featuring nearly 100 different wines, beers and spirits complementing 20 award winning chefs' signature canapes!

tasty morsels from The White Barn Inn

http://www.harvestontheharbor.com/landing-page }
If you can't make this savory event, you'll be able to see it as I'll blog it daily! Provided of course I survive!

Let's Party!!

Well this last week saw a couple of good partying opportunities. First there was the Portland Phoenix 10th Anniversary on wednesday at Port City Music Hall and Portland photographer Richard sandifer's annual open house ( which he uses as a funds for SAFE PASSAGE... ) on friday.
The Phoenix party had a hair and makeup bar for the women, free food and several bands playing thru-out the night.

As I was driving around Back Cove heading to Richard's party the sunset was fairly dramatic and I detoured to the prom trying to get a shot, but without a tripod I was left to pinning my camera against a tree and taking what ever I could...

Richard's party had a heavy salsa beat and a live model posing as a statue.  As I mentioned before he uses this as a fund raiser for... Safe Passage works with the poorest at-risk children of families working in the Guatemala City garbage dump. Within a safe and caring environment, we provide a comprehensive and integrated program that fosters hope, good health, educational achievement, self-sufficiency, self esteem and confidence.  More can be found at their website HERE

See you with Congress Street # 2 later this week &
Richard Sandifer can be found at his website
www.rgsphoto.com

Sounds Like Fun

As often times happens, I went out looking for one thing and came back with another. More specifically I was hoping that the TABOR info meeting at the South Portland Community Center, next to the high school would provide me with a post on my political blog; http://mainepoliticalphotonews.blogspot.com/  BUT,  it was small and not overly photogenic.  Coming back outside I noticed (heard) something going on over at the football field.
Turns out the marching band was practicing for the season opening marching band competition this weekend at Westbrook High School.  Seems that high school marching bands now practice during the summer, hold "Band Camps" during pre-season football and have 6 or 8 competitions thru out the fall at different southern Maine high schools.  As I don't have any kids to clue me in, I had no idea. But it all looked like fun and the kids where all hard at work doing something they enjoyed, so if you've got some free time between now and halloween keep an ear out for your local marching band.

Just a note about the Congress Street series, I'm now editing images for #2 and it should appear next week.  I have TWO parties, one  tonight (the Phoenix 10th birthday, open to the public from 7-11pm wednsday evening) and friday (Richard Sandifer's  9th Open Studio. It's a great time as well as fund raiser: details.  I may make a combined posting of these, or not, do I work or play?

Labor Day Weekend Photos

Labor Day Weekend included Portland's 1st Friday Art Walk which continues to be very lively this summer and with the return of students to colleges in the area quite crowded this month.

Strange Sounds outside of Strange Maine.

Museum goers at the Portland Museum of Art.

Saturday at the Deering Oaks Farmers Market.

Tiny apples for Tiny hands.

Music to stroll by.

Sunday at Engine No #1 Cape Art Show, Fort Williams.

Casco Bay rocks.

And last but not least, Portland Headlight!