Portland Harbor Skies, originally uploaded by Cindy Farr-Weinfeld.Took this shot last night after going out to dinner at Gilbert's Chowderhouse in the Old Port. We took a little walk to one of my favorite areas on the waterfront: the docks behind Harbor Fish Market. The sky was INCREDIBLE! We had had four days of straight rain before this, so I was feeling pretty joyous about actually seeing the sun. Being able to capture this lovely sunset view was the cherry on top of a great day!
Orange Fizz. . .
Nectarine Mint Iced Tea. . .
Tibetan Prayer Flags. . .
Antique Bottles. . .
Maya and a big bubble!
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
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. . .
Magic Carpet. . .
Field of Dreams. . .
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. . . 
Well, how many kinds of cool is that? Admittedly, my February/March seafood paella cover had Patrick's face on it, too, but does this mean that there are now only something like 2 degrees of separation between myself and Patrick Dempsey? Ah, my brief brush with Hollywood. . .
This was an enormously delicious chocolate mousse tartlett served in a dark chocolate "cup." I liked the way the birthday candles looked in it.
Both of these confections were made by the European Bakery on Route One in Falmouth, Maine: http://www.europeanbakeryinc.com/Welcome.html And they were delicious!
Shot with my Pentax K20D and the Pentax SMC-FA 50mm f/1.4 lens that does such a nice job. I shot the one below using my grandmother's delicate green Depression glass set. I like how the color of the kiwis are echoed by the dishes. . . By the way, this is a fruit tartlett with slices of strawberry, kiwi, half-grapes and dark cherries, on a "bed" of sweet cream cheese mousse. Yum. . .
Ah, the simple life. . .
Hope you enjoyed the shots as much as I enjoyed taking them (and eating the subjects later!)
I was pleased with how this shot of lemons in a bowl came out. It got into istockphoto last week, which was cool. New shots keep trickling in to my gallery there. . . 
I like this shot of the eggs. It makes me very happy. It reminds me of something one might see in a Martha Stewart Living Magazine article about organized cooking. I like the soft, natural lighting and the asymmetry of the whole thing that somehow brings it together.
I bought a huge 11x14" picture frame at JoAnn Fabric last weekend on clearance for $4.95 so I could have the large sheet of clear glass at my disposal to create shots like the ones above! I love the reflection look. . .
I got really interested in taking the "perfect" shot of slices of lemon floating in bubbly water recently. I haven't gotten it where I want it yet, but I will continue to work at it. What I need is better lighting, I'm afraid, as I already "have the technology," to create the shot, but not the light needed to backlight the slices enough to make them translucent while also showing a larger part of a glass, indeed maybe even a large chunk of the glass. This is because I am using cheesy contractors' lights, shining them directly on the glass, and if I were to open the shot any wider, you would see my truly amateurish lighting setup!
