the fiddle player
You might be one of the people who think an Irish fiddle group is out of place at a German restaurant. I would probably be with you on that, except that I saw/heard it for myself. And in context, it made perfect sense.
I played the violin in junior high; the only part of it I could do successfully was hold the bow. Playing notes and managing to have my fingers in the right places was completely beyond my capabilities. This fiddle player was so good and it amused me that her grasp of the bow was completely unorthodox, which diminishes my exceedingly modest violin accomplishment all the way down to nothing…
The Biergarten
Skowhegan, Maine
photographed 3.19.2026
equinox, with snow
It was snowing that night when we got back from dinner. My companions, all of whom live in New England, just went to their rooms. They’d seen snow and this was just one more normal night for them.
I stayed outside and watched the snow, took some pictures, and got really cold. (In case you were wondering what sort of dork I am.)
Skowhegan, Maine
photographed 3.20.2026
slide
This place was lovely in its desolation.
I mean, I’m sure it’s lovely in the summer with the lights on and music and people and ice cream and sunburns or whatever.
But to me, it is hard to improve on a foggy day with no one else around and a convenient opening in a fence that allows a photographer to step inside and enjoy the moment.
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
photographed 3.16.2026
rolls out in shades of blue
This was my second visit to Old Orchard Beach; I’d been there in mid-September when it was starting to shut down for the season. I was happy to get to go back again last month: it was foggy and quiet and lonesome.
Context clues help me imagine what July must be like here. And because I know myself pretty well, I know I like it better this way.
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
photographed 3.16.2026
sears is almost gone
At the very end of 2018, the Sears store in Lubbock was closing. I decided to take a series of photographs of its last days, which I thought would be an interesting social experiment. At first I was worried that the store personnel might object to my being there. I think at the beginning of the few weeks I shot there, maybe a couple of employees realized what I was doing, but as the giant Number of Days Left banner counted it down, they cared less and less. Random photographers are not that big a problem, I guess, when your very job is about to evaporate.
The other day, while I was wandering around Maine – the way you do – I pulled into a parking lot to check the map and find out where I actually was compared to where I was more or less heading. At I saw the remains of a Sears store. And because I am easily entertained, I spent some time taking photos before I checked the map and headed on my wandery way.
Brunswick, Maine
photographed 3.18.2026
One Day | One Image 