Not Your Everyday Sand Castle

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Sand Castles or Sand Sculpting

Abstract sculpture showing 2 enrgies

Don’t come to see sand castles at Revere Beach, Massachusetts. These sand artists traded plastic buckets and toy shovels for coal shovels and palette knives. Each artist gets 12 tons of sand and an 18’ x 18’ exhibit area in which to mount their own sculptures. This year, 15 artists from the United States, Canada, Russia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Italy competed.

14 Years and countingFood Truck Line the street next to the beach

This is the 14th year for this competition. More than a contest, this is a festival with live music, food trucks and carnival rides. A DJ keeps the action pumping as the beat goes on. All around the sculptors beach goers swim and splash. The artists have from Friday at 10 am until Saturday at 2 pm to  create their masterpiece. That’s a great time to get action photos of these sand magicians. This year there are no teams, no duos. It’s all solo sculpting.

The Team EffortRats and Mice on barrels

The centerpiece sculpture is a team effort. All of the competitors worked together to create the main attraction, a twenty-foot-wide recreation of the U.S.S. Constitution. It even has cannons that fire. They are only water cannons but that just adds to the fun. Unsuspecting visitors get a good soaking when they linger in the “splash zone”.

 Sand Sculpting the USS constitution

Making a Statement

Just about all of the sculptors use the venue to make a statement. Some are more clear than others. Some make you think others may make you sad, or angry but like any good art, they all move you.

Mystical Griffin meets human boy

I think my favorite was this one titled “Who are you?”.  A griffin makes the acquaintance of a little human boy. Whimsical and provocative. It made me smile and feel warm all over.

dead mother elephant and dying babiesOne known  simply  as “Save the Elephants” was very powerful. It disturbed me. I admired the workmanship and agree with the message, but I can’t say that I liked it. The image was sad and depressing. I guess it made it’s point.baby elephant

And the winner is…Soul Evolution

David Like scupture representing the evolution of the human soul

The winning sculptor was from Russia. Like all of the sculptures it was thought provoking. I thought it was a beautiful piece of art.  It reminded me of the great Greek sculptures. What a shame they don’t last long. Here today and gone tomorrow, water is a part of each sculpture at the start  as well as part of the end. With a good rain it all dissolves away.

Woods Hole is More than A Pretty Cape Cod Town

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Woods Hole is More than A Pretty Cape Cod Town

Woods Hole, Massachusetts has always loomed large in my mind. As a kid growing up I wanted to be a Marine Biologist. At that time the place to be in that field was Woods Hole.  Cutting edge science discoveries came out of Woods Hole. Besides, they had all of the cool toys like the RV Atlantis.

The RV AtlantisRV Atlantis home to Alvin

We actually got to see it, the RV Atlantis. The RV stands for research vessel. It is one of three ships built to roughly the same specifications. Her main claim to fame is that she is often home to the DSV Alvin. DSV is Deep Submersible Vessel.  Alvin came to the public’s attention as the DSV that explored the Titanic.  Pretty cool, huh. Ok so I’m getting my “geek” on. So sorry . We didn’t see Alvin or even get on the Atlantis but for a science freak like me it was pretty special.

Follow the Fish

Squid gateWe passed a large gate adorned with squid as we wandered in the direction of the Woods Hole Science Aquarium. You really can’t miss it. Just follow the fish signs. Outside the aquarium is a decorative whale sculpture and the seal enclosure. It’s was quite sad to see the empty enclosure. Two long term residents had just died and the aquarium closed the exhibit to investigate the deaths. As far as I know they have not released any conclusions. Painted Whale scupture

Lovely Fish and more

colorful yellow fishThe aquarium is free, donations only. It’s very tiny. It won’t take even an hour to explore but the aquariums are well lit, clean and colorful. There is even a behind the scenes exhibit where you can watch the water get pumped in and filtered. Various fish swim in separate tanks apparently off display or possibly quarantined. They have a touch tank there and they  had a  cute little turtle. Cute little turtle swiming

 

colorful reef fishI’d be boring and out of my league if I started naming all of the fish they had on display so I won’t even try but they do have sea horses! 

If You Go

Woods Hole Science Aquarium is open Tuesday – Saturday, 11-4. Admission is free but donations are appreciated. Parking is very limited especially during the summer. Visitors should use public transportation if possible. There is  no off-street parking available (other than two handicapped spaces). The village has on-street metered parking, but the spots fill up quickly in busy summer months. During the summer, you may want to park in Falmouth and use the capecodtransit.org.

A Cape Cod Birthday Celebration

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A Cape Cod Birthday Celebration

What more could you ask for than spending summer time on Cape Cod. Throw in a birthday to celebrate and you have the ingredients for a perfect day. The question is, can you get there?

First there is the driveBourne Bridge to Cape Cod

 The only way on or off the “Cape” is over one of 2 bridges, the Sagamore and the Bourne. Which one you take depends on where you want to go on  the Cape. The Birthday Girl wanted a”lobsta roll” by the sea.  The Phantom Gourmet suggested Captain Kidd Restaurant in Woods Hole. The Cape Cod Birthday Adventure began at 10:30 am in Brockton, MA. About 3 miles from the Bourne Bridge traffic came to a complete stop. It didn’t matter that we were on a highway with a speed limit of 65 mph. Summer Cape traffic had brought our little excursion to a halt.

Cross Over The Bridge

We had reservations at the restaurant for 1 pm. By 12:00 we had the bridge in sight but we were still just inching along. Finally we squeezed into the 2 lanes of traffic to climb the bridge over the Cape Cod Canal. The views from the bridge are amazing, marred only by the suicide barrier installed to keep the depressed and hopeless alive until they can get help. What a depressing thought!

Captain Kidd RestaurantPicture window

Once over the bridge the traffic began to move and in less that 30 minutes we were entering the little town of Woods Hole. We spotted the restaurant as we waited for a draw bridge to close after letting several small pleasure boats pass from the inner harbor out to the open ocean.

With luck we found parking about a block from the restaurant. In spite of the reservation there was no room on the outdoor deck. The compromise was a table right in front of a large picture window looking out over the inner harbor.

 

Lobster rollsLobster Rolls were the lunch of the day as the birthday girl, her son and daughter all indulged in the seasonal delicacy.

 

I had to be different with a plate of fried sea scallops fresh from the boat. Trust me, you can’t mistake frozen for fresh. The difference is huge. Fried Scallops

 

 

 

 

We were all stuffed after that lunch so a break at the Aquarium before we looked for desert seemed like a great plan.

 

 

Deep Woods Maine Wildlife

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Deep Woods Maine Wildlife

My time in Maine is over, at least for this year. So It’s time to do a head count. What kinds of wildlife did I see or experience  while I vacationed in Rangeley. Notice I said saw or experienced because the most prolific wild thing were the black flies. They are such pests but also an integral part of the Maine experience.

So here’s the list

  1. Black Flies-in the thousands.  For an interesting read about these pests , delivered in a humorous manner check out http://downeast.com/blackfly-survival-guide/  

Black flies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  A Blue Jay – Just one on my front porch

Blue Jay

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Bat,  Just one. Wish there had been more. Maybe they would have made a dent in the Black Fly population.

Flying Bat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Crows or Ravens…Not sure which but these big black birds were everywhere.

black bird

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Wild Turkey…Just one but that counts.

tom turkey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Turkey Vultures…6 or 7 circling a bog. Something must be dead in there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.  Fox Kit..This little cutie gave me hope that I might begin to spot some of the famous Maine wildlife.

 

 

 

8. A Mama duck and 4 little ducklings

Mama Duck and baby ducklings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Bald Eagle..Maybe? I know they are in the area but I didn’t get a good l00k;  just a big raptor and a flash of white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Lots of little birds. I needed the Audubon Society to figure out what they were.

Little bird in a tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. Canada Goose. Not very exciting but still it counts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. A grey squirrel …Just the one. Expected to see more.

 

 

 

 

 

13. Chipmunk ..a little cutie but again, only one. Where are they hiding out?

chipmonk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14. A Moose…Finally my goal species.

Maine Moose by the side of the road

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15. White Tail Deer…I’ve seen them before but they never fail to entertain.

Deer at rest

 

 

 

 

 

A Great Learning Experience

I fancy myself a wildlife photographer (amateur) and I’ve had some success. This week showed me how far I still have to go.  But I had fun and that’s the main thing when you’re on vacation. I’ll definitely plan another trip to Maine. It’s beautiful country. Maybe I’ll hire a guide to help me locate animals.  Some of them use blinds. Yes, That’s going on my list for the next trip.

The Wire Bridge in New Portland Maine

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The Wire Bridge in New Portland MaineThe Wire Bridge

The Wire bridge is worth visiting. This Maine bridge may be the last wire-supported bridge of its type in the world! If not the world at least in the United States. Crossing the Carrabassett River  is a unique experience one car at a time.

A Bit of History for this Bridge

Don’t you just love a mystery? The origins of this bridge go back before the Town of New Portland kept financial records. The only thing we can know for sure is that by 1866 there was a Wire Bridge in New Portland.

It was right around this time that 4 bridges were built  in Maine, with timber-on-granite tower structures at each end, a wooden plank roadbed in the middle, and cables (or “wires” – hence the name) holding everything up.The Scenic Wire Bridge in New Portland

The other three wire bridges have since been torn down and replaced, and bits of this one has been restored and preserved over the years. The planks of the roadbed have been replaced at least once, but it’s still the same wire holding everything together.

Wooden Planks and wire struts

The bridge spans 198 ft.  Between those 198 feet are timbers and towers that have carried 150 years of horses, carriages, Model T’s, pick-ups and minivans through the splendor of deep woods Maine.  And as far as anyone can tell, it’s the only one of its kind left and I drove over it! I watched a car pass over the bridge before I gave it a try. Bouncy, bouncy , bouncy. Oh yeah, had to give it a try. It actually felt much more stable driving over it than walking. You just don’t feel the bounce that you see when you watch a car drive over it.

walking across the wire bridge in New Portland MaineIf You Plan to Go

Follow the signs off Rte 146 in North New Portland, you will eventually come to Wire Bridge Rd.

New Portland is in the Maine woods, about half way between Bangor and the Canadian border. Only about 725 people live there, and every one of them could probably point you to their showpiece – the old Wire Bridge.

 

Credits

Many Thanks to the Atlas Obscura for the history of the Wire Bridge