Portland Aeronautical Expo

Friday afternoon as I was driving around town I saw a large Military plane in the sky for a quick second and then heard the unmistakable blast from a jet engine, then another one.  The Portland Jetport is close by but that services commercial flights. What where these planes doing in the hood?  They flew off toward the East and I went about my business.  A few hours later I was startled by more high pitched jets flying in the sky.  This time I could see them clearly and identified them as A-10 Thunderbolt Jets.  With this second sighting I figured something was going on. A quick search revealed that this past weekend was the Portland International Jetport Aeronautical Exposition. I was now not going to miss this show.  I did a quick scout of the Airport Saturday night and then was one of the first into the show Sunday morning.  Some of the Military aircraft that I saw on display were; A Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, A Sikorsky Blackhawk Helicopter, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon and the A-10 Thunderbolt Jets. Getting up close to these incredible pieces of machinery is always impressive.  Sitting in the cockpit of the Blackhawk Helicopter and the KC-135 tanker was awe inspiring on one hand and scary knowing what mission they serve and what is involved.  For me I was like a grown kid in a gigantic toy store.  Speaking with the friendly crews you quickly get a taste for how delicate life is outside of the Airshow.  Putting a face and speaking with the crew was the best part. These men and women operate these technically amazing flying machines under the most adverse conditions.  It was nice to get close to the machines but sharing space with those who risk life everyday was even more powerful.  Pictured is the cockpit from the KC-135 Stratotanker taken with a Canon 14MM F2.8 Lens and the Jet Engines from an F-15 Fighter Jet.

The skateboard rides on

Ever since my two year old son showed an interest in one of my old skateboards, things have not been the same around here.  I have three old decks that date back to the late 70's and recently I brought them all back to life for us to enjoy.  It has been a blast skating again and it is like time stands still every time I hop aboard.  My neighbors look at me and scratch their heads in disbelief as I pull 360's in the driveway with Felix looking on cheering my efforts.  It is only natural at this point that I would point my camera at somebody with some real skills on the board.  This is John Toohey who I met today, he is Portland High School student and talented skater. There are a lot of great young athletes in this town and like most of them entry to a sport starts at home with a talented parent athlete sharing their passion.  John's dad used to skate and taught John a thing or two and now John rocks the paved world on an old school Dog Town Deck.  It was a pleasure to meet and photograph John on the Maine State Pier with a backdrop of beautiful clouds and blue sky.  Stay tuned as there will be more skate pictures down the road.

Who will be Maine's next Governor?

For the past three weeks I have been documenting Maine's hopeful gubernatorial candidates in the race for the Governor's seat in Augusta.  Andres Verzosa from Aucocisco Gallery in Portland has been hosting a lunch time meet and greet series called "Meet the Governor" at his gallery on Exchange Street in Portland.  As of this post I have photographed nine candidates in the large field running for the opportunity to serve the people of Maine. Over the next few days I will wrap up with two more candidates that have agreed to participate in this Art meets the Governors race platform.  As the people of the state of Maine look toward the future, we have many challenges ahead to stabilize the economy and quality of life.  As a photographer, creative and small business owner it has been really satisfying to see the attention the creative economy has been receiving from all of the candidates hopeful of being the next Governor of Maine.  

Huge Portland Building Fire

I had just left a meeting on Exchange Street, got into my car and as I looked East I saw a HUGE cloud of billowing black smoke.  The former Jordan's Meat packing plant was ablaze.  Big black clouds of smoke filled the air, sirens in all directions and people and traffic were dazed at the scene.  The biggest fire I had even seen around here.  Units from all over responded and luckily there were no injuries at the time of this post.  It was a scene to remember.

Back in the kitchen with Allison

Last week Allison Duffy and I got together to continue our photo series in the kitchen creating food staples. About a month ago I photographed her making and canning marmalade and this session we focused on making a hearty and tasty granola.  Allison once again showed me that creating foods we eat regularly are easier to make then you might think.  If you have small kids at home, cooking is often a great way to keep them entertained by getting them involved in the process. Check back again soon to see what else is cooking with Allison.