Monday, June 27, 2011

Back from Monhegan



We arrived with the island in full sun. It was a welcoming gift for a place that has a reputation of being so gray. The lupins were in full bloom and they sparkled with sunlight as we walked towards our home for the week. Flowering trees were everywhere and the aroma of sweet flower petals filled the air. I was so happy to be back.

It was already mid-afternoon. After settling into our room, it left just enough time for a walk through town before dinner. Cameras in hand, Mike and I slowly made our way down the narrow dirt streets. The slow pace made it feel like we were re-introducing ourselves to the island. Many things had changed so little, others had changed a lot.

During dinner a sudden downpour quickly changed the light filtering in the house. Lightening and thunder clashed and roared. Water poured down the street carving a deep variegated gully. I was glad I had taken a stroll before eating. How quickly things can change. It was a fast moving storm and before the dishes were done, a photographer noticed we had a rainbow.

Not just a rainbow, but a double rainbow!

Our house sits on Fish Beach and we were able to back up just enough to see the entire arc of the rainbow. It ended directly on our house! This had to be a good sign.

This was a very old house built in the 17 hundreds. It was a bit rougher than the usual accommodations I seek. But here as the pot of gold at the tip of the rainbow, I sensed magical things were going to happen. Excitement and inspiration were already pumping through my veins.

The house may have looked a bit dodgy, but our view made up for it.

This was the morning view from our second story bathroom. Yes, I said bathroom... I loved how the sun lit up the boats in the harbor. It made me want to jump out of bed. You may think I saturated the colors, but no. This is how vibrant it looks on a sunny morning.

Our ancient house softened with charm at golden hour. You can see it here at the top of the tiny beach. Not so dodgy looking anymore. Many people came to the beach in the evening. It became the perfect setting for clicking people pictures easily from the comfort of my beach chair. We had musicians in the house and they would gather outside to play and sing. Children would wade at the water's edge picking sea-glass and shells and dragging little sticks in the water. My camera was busy as golden light lit their clothes and captured their merriment. They'll be future paintings from this trip, I promise...

13 comments:

  1. De très belles photos pour illustrer ton retour parmi nous ma chère Susan... Je suppose que cette semaine aura rempli ton âme de couleurs, de lumière et de bonnes choses positives... Alors prête à travailler!!! Gros bisous

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm envious! Can't wait to see what you produce...

    ReplyDelete
  3. interesting anecdote...
    with a beautiful rainbow captured nicely...
    congratulations...

    ReplyDelete
  4. j'attends un tableau avec les lupins ...:))
    bises elfi

    ReplyDelete
  5. What gorgeous photos and a most beautiful place! Depicts exactly my dreams of life in the northeastern portion of the US. So glad you had a great time, Susan! Can't wait to see your art works you created while there!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Susan...What an utterly charming place. Where are the Mohegan Islands? Soooo lovely. Thanks for sharing your little spot of loveliness. Susan

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh my goodness - such beauty and a double rainbow to boot. I know inspiration overtook you. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lucky you! It is a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing all the great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a wonderful place to visit, Susan. You certainly have a lot of reference pictures to paint from. Thank you for sharing them with us.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wonderful! It's like you are in another country! Again, how blessed you are to be able to do this with the others:) Yes, I put aside my women's fiction to do this romance-- I don't think it will take all that time cause I know the story in my head and that helps!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, what a gorgeous place ... One beautiful sight after another!
    Amazing photos ... that last one is an absolute dream!

    ReplyDelete
  12. When we were in New Harbor last year we had a double rainbow over our farmhouse, too! Must be a Maine Thing!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I was there last week! My hubby took tons of photos of Fish Beach and the restaurant there! What fun that you got to stay a week when the lupines were blooming!

    ReplyDelete

Please share your thoughts. Your comments are always appreciated.