L. L. Wall's photos

An Eastern North American fragile wildflower found in long-undisturbed deciduous forests. Although the roots are poisonous, up until mid-1930's the sap from the roots was used in home- and quack-remedies. The flowers are atop 4 to 6 inch (10 to 15cm) stems which arise out of a single furled leaf in early Spring. The flowers are short-lived, and then the leaf unfurls to its full width. Usually there are 10 to 12 narrow petals radiating outwards, but these I found, just opening, had 8 broad petals in a solidly geometric pattern.

This is part of the engine on a "rail job" drag racer named Blue Mountain Express II. A V-8 engine with hemispherical combustion chambers, generally called a "hemi".

"The Heartbeat of America", Chevrolet's advertising slogan from 1986 to 1994 ... but a phrase that has lingered in memories and with automobile aficionados (especially Chevrolet enthusiasts) ever since.

... if there is a mechanically-inclined person out there that can add information/specifications, it would be appreciated ... otherwise, I'm calling this a "high-performance carburetor", may be fuel-injection, I don't know ...

A street sign on a recent previous posting mentioned Maine's "Bold Coast" ... here's part of it, and the rest looks very similar to this section. I couldn't find where the name originated. Always thought it came from some organization trying to boost the usually scanty tourism, but that may be incorrect: There is a reference from an 1820 island survey to a "bold shore".

(Suggest: Full Screen) Maine's Bold Coast faces the North Atlantic's Gulf of Maine; after storms and even a mild hurricane, I have gone there looking for a "splash", but nothing of note (maybe the tide wasn't right). But then on a just a casual family visit there, this kind of surf was happening.

This is on the northern flank of Western Head, adjacent to Cutler Harbor; along the rugged coastline guarded by Little River Lighthouse.

This is not benevolent, like having a bird feeder. Hunting bears is legal in Maine and all aspects are closely regulated by state authorities. During part of the limited hunting season, it is legal to put out "bait" to entice bears into firing range. Often the bait is old pastries and grease, rather than commercially purchased products. Despite using hunting to control population levels, the Black Bear numbers in Maine are growing about 3% annually to about 35,000 currently. Guptill's is not a gentile suburban supplier. Really an offshoot of a logging business; big, heavy, tough-guy equipment (and dirty boots and calloused hands). Huge logging trucks with huge loads of logs parked close by. If you have access to a series of television programs called "North Woods Law", it is accurate and informative. Early seasons about Maine; recent seasons about New Hampshire.

This long-time store went out of business, and I thought I should quickly get a shot before their rustic rural sign was taken down. But now closed for a couple years, and the sign is still up.

There is much discussion, and much controversy, on what constitutes "Down East". To New Yorkers and Bostonians, and probably the rest of the US, Maine itself is Down East; but no. Within Maine, in reality, only part of Hancock County and most of Washington County are Down East ... not counting estuary waters, a land mass of about 2500 square miles (6500 sg km) (and bigger than the state of Delaware and twice as big as Rhode Island.) Tourism boards include Mt Desert Island (Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park) as part of Down East, but also no: they are very much too gentrified and pretentious to be included in this blue-collar, hard-scrabble region. The appellation "Down East" comes from sailing ship period in colonial America, when downwind was east along the coast.

... on the midway at the county agricultural fair ... (... you might want to view this "Full Screen", but only if you are sober ...)

... but probably Western Maryland is not really "The West" ...

... maybe the fence is protecting the Joe-Pye Weed behind it from the multicolored marauding flamingoes ...

Tracy Arm (fiord), Southeast Alaska ... (Suggest "Fullscreen") ...

Fiord known as Tracy Arm in the southeastern Alaska panhandle. Ice comes from continuously calving Sawyer Glacier and also the larger South Sawyer Glacier at the head of the fiord.

Tracy Arm (fiord), Southeast Alaska ... (Suggest: "Z Key, Fullscreen") ...