Out With the New, In With the Old

Here is a view of the gazebo in the newly renovated Fort Allen Park on Munjoy Hill. The new pathways and landscaping tastefully replicate the layout of the park at the turn of the previous century. The Friends of the Eastern Promenade are still taking donations for a capital campaign to refurbish the cannons that used to be in the park, add additional fencing, and install interpretive exhibits. 

Woodford Time

The old clock tower at the Woodfords Corner intersection:

East End Rocks

A rock formation near the East End Beach:

Looking into the Past: Old Orchard Beach Runway

If you thought my photo from nearby Old Orchard Beach posted last week was interesting (how was the beach ever deserted enough for racing cars?), here's another head-scratcher. The beach used to be used as a runway as well, as show in this photo from the 1920's via the Portland Maine History 1786-Present Facebook page. Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh even landed in town once. 

Pomroy Rock

I recently realized that this mini island off of the East End Beach has a name per Google maps: Pomroy Rock. 

Shakespeare in the Park

A shot of last night's performance of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" in Deering Oaks Park. The Fenix Theater Company is putting on the free show until August 9th. Check out their website for details. 

Looking into the Past: Old Orchard Beach Races

I was able to make a rare trip out of Portland a couple weekends ago and brought along some old-timey photos to play with. The old photo in this one is from 1922 and is from the Maine Historical Society's Maine Memory Network. Apparently the pier used to be the start/finish line for automobile races at the time. 

Pier Vision

Tourist binoculars at the end of the Maine State Pier:

Narrow Gauge & Co.

The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad passing in front of the Portland Company Complex along the Eastern Waterfront:

Peaks Arrival

Arriving at Peaks Island aboard the Machigonne II: 

Under Construction: July 2014

Time again for a new entry in my "Under Construction" segment. Here are six projects under way around the peninsula.

Avesta's 409 Cumberland Avenue housing is making quick progress:

409 Cumberland Avenue peeking out in the skyline from across Back Cove (on a hazy day):

The West End Place apartments are coming along at the corner of Pine and Brackett Streets in the West End. Developed by Redfern Properties:

Maine Medical Center's main campus is expanding by adding a new wing for operating rooms:

Viewed from the Maine Med parking garage, we can see luxury townhomes of Munjoy Heights starting to make an impact on the hillside:

From the Portland Observatory a few weeks ago, here is an aerial of 118 on Munjoy Hill, another impressive luxury housing development:

And lastly, the new building on Maine Wharf is moving right along. I like the curved rooftop:

Fort Side

Still working through my photos from Fort Gorges. Here is one from alongside the fort looking back towards town:

Upper Forest

Looking down Forest Avenue from where begins/ends at Congress Street:

Tri for a Cure

Pictured today is part of the current message on the TIme and Temperature building, which is highlighting the Maine Cancer Foundation's Tri for a Cure event, an all-women's triathlon that raises money for the organization. 

Bill Nemitz's article in the Press Herald today takes a closer look at the messages that get put up on the Time & Temp sign, as well as the Time & Temp Blog which I am happy to contribute to. 

East to West

An zoomed-in aerial looking downtown from the Portland House condominium last month:

Nighttime Skyline from Fort Gorges

A nighttime view looking back to the mainland from Fort Gorges. The streaks of white and red light in the water are boats traveling back from watching the Independence Day fireworks:

 

Making an Entrance

A hanging plant at the entrance of an eclectic looking home in the West End:

Shipyard Summer Festival 2014

The first annual Shipyard Brewing Summer Festival was held this past weekend on the Maine State Pier. Shipyard, whose brewery is located nearby on Newbury Street, is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. As you can see from the photo below, it looks like the music piece of the event on Saturday was a success. 5k and half marathon races were also held as part of the event on Sunday, with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland and Cancer Community Center.  

Moon Over Munjoy

A view of last night's full moon rising over Munjoy Hill. I took some similar shots from this spot back in 2012 and felt motivated to try capturing the scene again.

Under the Moonlight

I ventured out to South Portland to capture the sunset last night and turned around to find the moon making an appearance in the distance. The sunset can be seen in the top half of the trees, and the lower half was in shade at the time and appears darker:

Food at the Flea

The Urban Sugar mobile cafe parked at the Portland Flea-For-All on a recent weekend:

Night at Fort Gorges

I hope I haven't lost anyone with all the Fort Gorges photos lately. Here is yet another, taken shortly before the boat ride home. I was happy to be able to capture some of the stars in the sky since the scene was much darker in person. I can only imagine how brilliant this would have looked if a talented astrophotographer was able to shoot this scene. 

Flowers at the Fort

Flowers in bloom at Fort Gorges:

Fort Gorges

Here are the first batch of fort photos from last weekend's trip to Fort Gorges for the fireworks (transportation provided by the good folk at the Rita B Offshore Fishing boat). As you can see by the sign out front, the fort's construction was started in 1858, and it was completed in 1865. The name of the fort comes from the founder of the Province of Maine,  Ferdinando Gorges. 

Playing with Fire

Before I move onto photos from inside Fort Gorges, here is another fireworks shot from last evening:

Fort Gorges Fireworks

A unique perspective on the fireworks this evening from Fort Gorges. Stay tuned for more photos from around the Fort this week. If anyone is looking for a deep sea fishing adventure or a scenic cruise around Casco Bay, check out  the Rita B., run by a friend of the blog.  

The 4th

Happy 4th of July! Here is a recent shot which happens to have an American flag in it. Stay tuned for some possibly interesting fireworks photos tomorrow night. 

Your Home, Past & Present

Here is one of my submissions to the "Your Home, Past & Present"  exhibit my the Maine Historical Society. Get the details on the exhibit here and submit your own "before and after" shots using historical photos from MaineMemory.net. The historical photo below of the house at the end of Atlantic Street is from the 1924 tax records, in which every structure in Portland was catalogued and photographed. [Note - The house pictured is not my house, I wish!]

Sunset Reflected

The warm light of a summer sunset reflecting off the windows of an apartment building:

Ye Olde Port

A weekend scene from Boothby Square, one of those classic Old Port shots: