Field Trip to Vinelhaven

First things first, namely random observations. On the ferry we took there is a painted sign down at the bottom of the boat that reads "Emergency Escape - do not block" (you may need to click on the image to enlarge it to be able to read it) Call me crazy but if there is an emergency that requires me to escape from this boat I am not going to proceed over to jump where it tells me to whether it is blocked or not. I think I would take the advice of the genie in Alladin: "In case of emergency, the exits are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, anywhere! " I also noticed that all the lifesaving equipment is nowhere close to the "Emergency Escape" sign.


The other thing that I find interesting is how any house in Maine passes code. Look at the foundation for this restaurant. What you can't see is the water that runs by here is the tide as it rises and lowers. The opening for the tidal waters are restricted which basically gives the water the current of a large river as it races by these precariously placed supporting stones.

This is Arno Minkkinen. Arno was the instructor for the course I was in, known as "Photography for Dreamers." This was just a random shot I took with my camera sitting on my hip. I kept it just because it makes Arno look paradoxically opposite to how he really is. It looks like the course could be "Photography from your Nightmares'" Arno really is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

This is also Arno reaching to take a picture. This is actually surprisingly safe for Arno. If you look at some of his images you would think he was suicidal by how precarious they look.


One thing very interesting about the ferry ride over is all the buoys that you see floating in Penobscot Bay. Each one of these colorful buoys indicate a lobster trap. For those that don't know Penobscot Bay is one of the largest lobster producing areas in the world, so there are a lot of these buoys floating around. Each one consists of different combinations of colors kind of like a brand for cattle so that the fisherman can keep them straight. This picture won't do it justice but the colored buoys literally dot the seeable horizon.