General Store Speak

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My daily stop at the General Store, a Walmart in a thousand square feet, in the sleepy village of Tenants Harbor Maine, during my respite with family friends, September 8th to the 15th, was a delight. I loved the feel of the local hangout - it took me back in time - a simpler time, where we took the time for friendly chat, about whatever, with neighbors.

I slipped out of our Home Away from home, at day break, to capture a little new light on harbor highlights. After a play in the Golden Hour I would visit the General Store for a muffin… and maybe a morning greeting from local folk.

One morning, a few days into my stay in the faltering fishing village, I noticed a man in the General Store that I had seen each of my visits. I said - do you come here every morning? That’s all it took to get him going - louder as he went on. He finally respected, as he was more and more animated - “Am I getting too loud?”

I’ll call him Charlie. Charlie lived his sixty some odd years in the village and kicked off most days at the store, the only store, the General Store, in Tenants Harbor. He said “This is dog’s country”. I said dog’s country? No, dog’s country. I asked again, dog’s country? He said God’s country - dog spelled backwards…G O D! I said Oh, God’s country! He then went on for ten minutes about how the town has been going to the dogs with more and more fishing regulations and higher taxes.

He, no doubt, loves his life in Tenants Harbor, albeit, not all village happenings are in his control. We should all know, all is not in our control. Nature is a wonder, and doesn’t always give us enough time to prepare for every happening….. MICHAEL, for example!

As a mid-western flat-lander, I marvel at the ocean’s routine, in Tenants Harbor, of rising and falling, on it’s shore, nine feet, a couple times each day. And, how the shoreline infrastructure is designed to accommodate the wondrous way of the water. Like nicely fitting cloths allowing for the heave and contraction of unconscious breathing, shorelines and docks allow for the rise and fall of an unbelievable amount of water. I image the locals response to the major move of water is like their unconscious acceptance of breathing.

I love it.

RISING TIDE PhaseOne IQ 180 240mm 1/15 sec f11 ISO 100 2 images stitched

LOW TIDE PhaseOne IQ 180 240mm 1/50 sec f11 ISO 100