Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Visions of The Robinhood Free Meetinghouse

On March 5, 2009, I drove to Georgetown, Maine to take photos of a fabulous restaurant I have had the joy of eating at twice, The Robinhood Free Meetinghouse. I had discussed the restaurant and the shoot with the Chef/Owner/President, Michael Gagne, who was very gracious and told me all about how they renovated this beautiful building, which was once an actual meetinghouse from the 1800s. As you can see from the first photo, in the upstairs diningroom, they have left the beautiful, austere pews intact, along with all of the original light fixtures and oil lanterns.
The upstairs dining room in particular has a very sacred, peaceful feeling to it. I was there near sunset, so I was able to capture the beautiful late afternoon light, slanting across the simple furniture and elegant table settings. So take a walk through the meetinghouse with me.


A place setting with a handmade lantern.

Note the interesting molding above the chandelier on the ceiling.
The original meetinghouse organ is still in one corner. Not sure if it works or not, but it certainly looks the part!
the original antique oil lanterns, afire with late afternoon sunlight:

An antique chalkboard with the story of the building written in chalk and covered in glass:
Although Chef Gagne wasn't there to meet me in person at the restaurant, the Chef de Cuisine, Troy Mains, talked to me about the restaurant, and the vision he and Chef Gagne share in creating a sacred dining experience out in beautiful Georgetown, Maine. I got to share a fabulous meal with he and the staff before the diningroom opened. They seemed to be a tight-knit, friendly group who instantly welcomed me and chatted with me as we all ate together at one table. The food was incredible!
A detail looking up at the chandelier upstairs. . .
The diningroom downstairs in action:
I had such a great time and I felt very lucky to have been able to capture a few brief moments in time at this one of a kind "recycled" building! If you want to make your own "real-time" visit and try out the incredible food they have on offer, here are the contact details:

210 Robinhood Road, Georgetown, ME 04548
Approximately six miles south of Bath, off Route 127

Phone (207) 371-2188 • Fax (207) 371-2424

Their website: http://www.robinhood-meetinghouse.com/index.htm

Thanks for visiting with me! Cindy

Thursday, May 21, 2009

In the forest primeval. . . Or a morning at the Audubon Society

I took this shot out at Gilsland Farms Audubon Society preserve this morning, lying on my back and looking up at the graceful forms of these two birch trees. I like how they act as leading lines to the beautiful blue, blue spring sky. . .
Then I saw this clump of ferns and thought, "Why not really ruin my nice clean shirt and lie on my stomach and look up at the ferns?" I call it "In the forest primeval," because I read once that the first trees were relatives of today's cycads, a type of fern, and they were ENORMOUS. . . This looked like giant fern trees to me from this perspective. A worms' eye view. . .

Happy Spring. . . Cindy

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The last of the great tulip photos. . .

Magic Carpet. . .
Field of Dreams. . .
These shots were both taken in Portland's triangle park, near USM's law library with my FA 50mm f/1.4 lens. The first was taken with extremely shallow depth of field (DOF: or a very wide open lens, which creates the out of focus blur in the background) and the second taken with more depth of field at f/8.0 to show more of the tulips in focus, just for kicks and giggles. But what a beautiful sight they were however in or out of focus they were! My favorite is the first one. It rained the entire day heavily, and when we had a break in the weather, I drove to the park to try and salvage the day to at least get two good photos!

Thanks for looking, as always. Enjoy the day, Cindy

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Spring is Sprung in Maine!

We had a break in the rain yesterday afternoon long enough for me to get a few shots of our beautiful new spring plants in the garden. I've always wanted to get a nice shot of my bleeding heart plant. Jon said the one in sole focus (above) looks sort of like Wendy, the Wendy's fast food chain girl with red hair in braids!
Lady's Mantle with raindrops--one of my favorites in the garden. Very shallow depth of field used here. . .
Catmint--Maya eats this by the handful all season. . .
One of the heirloom tulips Mom gave Maya when she turned one. Maya and I planted them "together," one afternoon--Maya's version of "help" was to get her hands very dirty and scuttle into the street numerous times while I tried to plant the tulips! Cute memories. . .
Wee hostas (above.) I love how tender they look early in the spring, just unfurling. The light was perfect for capturing their delicate green. . .

Thanks for looking! Happy Spring everyone! Cindy

Cindy

Cindy
welcome to my world!

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