Schoodic Peninsula Beauty

My favorite area of Acadia National Park turned out to be the last area we visited, Schoodic Peninsula.  It provided the feeling of solitude that I expected from Acadia and some wonderful scenery and colors to boot!

Buoys

Winter Harbor is a small fishing village at the very beginning (and probably just outside) of the Schoodic Peninsula.  However, the feeling of peace of the peninsula was already here.  I couldn’t help but get entranced by the colorful wall of buoys that that made up the outside of one of the buildings right on the harbor.

Winter Harbor

The water in Winter Harbor and throughout all of the Schoodic Peninsula was crystal clear.  It reminded me of the water one might see in the Caribbean, except, of course, that water is much warmer!

Tide’s Coming In

I always thought the tide came in and went out nice and gentle.  The power of the incoming tide surprised me when I stood directly over it at the Frazier Pt. picnic area on the peninsula.  It almost looks like I’m riding on and looking out over the back of a motorboat!

Along the Coast of the Schoodic Peninsula

This seems like an almost classic view of the coastline along the peninsula, and this sort of rustic beauty, unspoiled by man, is what I looked forward to seeing in Acadia.  

Deep Forest Roadside

There was a little dirt road that led to the highest point on the peninsula, which wasn’t all that much above sea level.  But, the greenery along the side of the road was much more impressive than the view at the end of it!

Crashing at Schoodic Point

You could really get a feel for the power of the ocean as the waves crashed against the rocks at Schoodic Point.  It was very cool to be able to walk out onto the rocks.  Of course, we didn’t go to the far end of the rocks, because they were quite wet from the spray and the actual waves.  Some foolhardy folks did get rather close, but after hearing how a man and his 7-year-old daughter were swept off the rocks (he was rescued, but she drowned), we respected the power of nature.

View from Blueberry Hill

The area around Acadia is known for blueberries.  I’m guessing that perhaps at some point, blueberries were grown around this immediate area, but I didn’t see anything but this lovely view on this day!

Blue Waters on Cobblestone Beach

I love the look of a cobblestone beach.  I had never seen one before seeing this one, to the best of my knowledge, and I found the texture of it wonderful.  What’s not so wonderful is to try to walk on it!

Blue Waters of Wonsqueak Harbor

At the end of the drive around the peninsula, there was tiny Wonsqueak Harbor.  Again, the super clear blue waters were here, along with a charmingly rustic harbor house.

Enjoy!

Pencil Sketches from the Schoodic Peninsula

Jeff and I took a drive down the Schoodic Peninsula portion of Acadia National Park on our last day there.  There were many beautiful sights, and I made some pencil sketches of some of them!

There was a picnic area at a place called Frazier Point.  They had a sort of walking bridge out onto the middle of the channel where the tide would come in and go out.  At the foot of the steps to this bridge were some lovely wildflowers and wild roses that worked into a lovely pencil sketch.  I also decided to crop the piece so that it looks more like a true sketch would look.

Wildflowers at Frazier Point

A little bit after seeing the flowers at Frazier Point, we saw a lighthouse, the Winter Harbor Lighthouse.  Winter Harbor is the name of a small fishing village at the beginning of the Schoodic Peninsula, and this lighthouse was, it seems, named after the village.

Waves Crashing at Winter Harbor Lighthouse

Schoodic Point offered us a chance to walk down on some rather flat rocks to check out the waves crashing along them.  The seagulls also seemed to enjoy soaking in the sun and having such easy access to the water when they felt the need to seek out food!

Seagulls at Schoodic Point

Enjoy!

Door and Windows

Here are some photo images that I took of the doors and windows of the old farmhouse that I used as inspiration for the recent photo collage piece I did.  There is an old saying that a person’s eyes are windows to the soul.  Well, I always feel that the windows of old deserted buildings are a way to see into what may be the soul of the past lives that were inside the building.

One of the things I like is when I can capture the old glass in a deserted building’s windows.  They are warped in a way that creates a sense of mystery to me – as if the house wants to hold close its secrets.

Warped Reflection

Another mystery is the missing pane of glass – when did it break and so cleanly?  It doesn’t look like a rock or something thrown at it broke it – after all, there are no jagged edges.  It would make it easier to catch a glimpse of what’s inside, except for the old curtain that still hangs.  Ah, the stories my imagination can make up about that!

Missing Pane

I love the character that comes through in this image.  The textures are a wonderful mix – smooth glass of the windows, rough finish to the material that once served as perhaps a bit of insulation to the building on the right side, the regularity of the siding that’s still on the left side of this outside wall of the farmhouse, the old, slightly warped wood of the door, and the rusty locks and doorknob that also serve to keep the secrets of the old house safe inside.  They all balance so perfectly, it’s strangely delightful.

Door and Two Windows

Enjoy!

Old Barn Pencil Sketches

Not far from where we camped near Acadia National Park, there was an old deserted farmhouse and barn.  In a previous blog, I shared the photo collage piece I created using the farmhouse for inspiration, and I thought I’d share a few images of the barn and farmhouse window I converted into colored pencil sketches.

I loved the detail that there was in the window from the old barn.  The mismatched wood boards making up the barn, and the old red torn material that was underneath the wood, created some lovely texture.

Old Barn Window

In this piece, you can see the entire barn, with the window in the lower corner of the barn.  Again, I was drawn to the texture of the wood, and the different wood that was used to board up the door.  It looks like there was only that one window in the barn.  It made me wonder why they even bothered with the one window, since it was small and wouldn’t add much overall light inside the barn when the barn door had been closed.  Still, it makes for some interesting character to the structure!

Old Barn

Enjoy!

The Path Home

There was something about this deserted house.  I first saw it as we drove to Acadia National Park, but I didn’t photograph it until a few days later.  It has been deserted for some time, and a no trespassing sign was posted on it.  I didn’t trespass in it.  I just stood out front to photograph it from a number of different angles.  The full-face on view won, and then I decided that I needed to incorporate it into a piece of digital art, what I call photo collage.  The end result reminds me of how often people tend to return to their base, be in where they grew up or where their soul came alive.

The Path Home

Enjoy!

Note:  This piece is available in a variety of print finishes and other items (pillows, tote bags, etc.) via http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/nadine-berg.

Footbridge in Somesville

On Mt. Desert Island, home to Acadia National Park, there is a small village outside the park, called Somesville.  This village has a charming footbridge that runs alongside the road through the village.  It has become one of the most famous landmarks on the island, and is captured here not as one of my photo images, but as a digital watercolor pencil sketch, also created by me.

Footbridge in Somesville

Note:  This piece is available in a number of different sizes and formats (including a variety of print finishes) via http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/nadine-berg.

Digital Watercolor Pencil Sketches from Deer Isle, Maine

Deer Isle, Maine, is a smaller island made up of private homes of working class individuals, many of whom seemed to work on the boats, fishing for lobster, crab and other seafood.  The images that I took seemed to best capture the overall feeling of the area when converted to watercolor pencil sketches.

It’s not uncommon to see lobster traps stacked up on the docks, waiting for the fishermen to take them out and drop them in the sea.  In this piece, you can see the traps on the left side.  Many seem to be yellow, altho I don’t know the reason for that.  

Lobster Fishing Harbor

As we drove along the backroads on this island, there were several scenes like this one – very calm and peaceful.  I could imagine myself deciding to lay in the grasses on the shore, and read or day dream or nap for a few hours! 

Deer Isle Shore

This was a bit of an unusual site – a sailboat leaving from what seemed to primarily be a fishing port.  I loved to watch it seemingly silently glide through the port waters, making its way to the sea from the safe waters close to shore.

Sailing thru Port

This small village seemed to be purely a fishing village.  No lobster traps were in sight.  It also seemed like most of the fisherman were out for the day.  What an idyllic setting.

Deer Isle Fishing Village

Away from the salt water harbors of this island off the shore in Maine, was a small pond.  Near the pond, almost hidden in the tall grasses, was this lovely blue iris – a treasure for anyone having the time to wander the shore and look for it.  Lucky me.

Blue Iris

In a fresh water pond across the village from the harbor, there were some waterlilies that dotted the surface.  They just seemed to invite a person to sit and have some quiet reflection.

Water Lily Pond

Enjoy!

Note:  All of these images are available in a variety of sizes and finishes via http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/nadine-berg.