Columbus Day: Bond Brook Road, Augusta, Maine

Bond Brook Road: A blue apartment building.


Bond Brook Road: A tin-roofed apartment building.


Bond Brook Road: ...


Bond Brook Road: Delivery.


Bond Brook Road: Bigger apartment building.

Augusta Maine Report, 100707

1.Development on Western Avenue in Augusta, Maine (Oct. 7, 2007)


2.Stopped by the old Edwards House Inn before work and talked to Phil. He's one of the first people I met in Augusta, Maine. He works construction up here, originally from Massachusetts.
We were talking about how some producers from L.A. came and blew up the old RR bridge for some action movie. And said they were going to clean up their mess. Never did.


3.Performance Enhancing: Saturday night I discovered, that by drinking only a few Geary's Pale Ales brewed in Portland, Maine, I could eat an entire large anchovy from Al's Pizza in Augusta, Maine.


4.Ron Paul-itics: The only Ron Paul supporters in Augusta, Maine, I remember seeing is this gallery and framer on Western Avenue.



5.Irish PM:Ahern of scot free?

Maine Road Trip: Camden Hills State Park

Foliage: The drive through Maine, from point anywhere to point anywhere is beautiful this time of the year. And dangerous. There are so many people out there, from all over the world driving and taking in this glowing scenery. It burns holes in your eyes. Probably sends some cars off the road.



Route 27 Church: I love these churches up here. A wooden-Gothic style.


Wiscasset Church: A wooden, Gothic spike on a Wiscasset church's steeple. They usually have four, at each corner of their square, wooden steeples.


Camden Hills State Park: It costs three dollars to enter Camden Hills State Park. You can also camp there. But I haven't had two days off in a row for a while, so I make the most of it by running Mount Megunticook.
Passing people, I would excuse myself saying, 'I only have one day off this weekend.'


Mount Megunticook, 100607: Nice.


Maine Views: Two views from Mount Megunticook.


Other Hikers: I met up with the English again at the top of the view. There were other hikers there too. The view.


North Haven & Vinalhaven: You can easily see North Haven and Vinalhaven from Mount Megunticook. And you could take the ferry to Vinalhaven. If you have time.


Passers-bye: 'Only one day off this weekend,' and I'm passing people on the way down.


Apple Harvester: Apples. Everywhere up here right now. I get mine from Lakeside Orchards in Manchester. It's at the western edge of Augusta.


Forest Harvester: Trees. Everywhere up here right now. There are a lot of tree harvesters up here. I haven't seen any barren plots yet.


Barren Plot: Here is a barren plot full of logs.


Instant Camper: Mattress in the van.


Paul's Pick-a-Part: At the edge of Augusta sits this junkyard. Have to keep it in mind for possible future transplants to my lobtstering truck.


Route 17 Church: Here is a church on Maine Route 17. It's across from Paul's Pick-a-Part. If it's Sunday, you might kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Augusta Maine Report, 100507

1.I have the day off Saturday.


2.The Mokey's Pitcher: This is a pitcher of the Mokey brother's: Johnathan, Andrew, Matt. Their parents were giving this pitcher away when they moved a couple years ago. (I own your childhood.)


3.David Shrigley: My advertisement for the new David Shrigley CD and book.

Augusta Maine Report, 100407

1.Development on Western Avenue in Augusta, Maine (Oct. 4, 2007)


2.Photo and text taken from: Augusta Centennial Souvenir issued by the Daily Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine, June, 9, 1897-

The Lithgow library was opened to the public in rooms on Water street, September 23, 1882. It had its beginning in the Augusta Literary and Library Association, chartered 1873, and in the handsome bequest of Llewellyn W. Lithgow upon his death in 1881. He left the city $20,000 for the purpose of founding a public library, and also made the city in part residuary legatee by which about $15,000 was realized and made the basis of a building fund. Hon. J. W. Bradbury has been president of the trustees, since the founding of the library, and for the same length of time Miss Julia M. Clapp has been librarian.
The present elegant library building on Winthrop square, at the corner of State street was erected in 1894-5, the corner stone being laid with elaborate ceremonies, June 14, 1894, and it was dedicated February 3, 1896. It stands upon the site of the old Cushnoc house which was erected in 1803. The building cost $41,000 and the lot about $10,000. Among the contributors the largest was Andrew Carnegie of Pennsylvania who gave $9,000. Five others, Mrs. Henry W. Fuller, Mrs. Emmons Blaine, Horace Williams, Charles Alden and Emory A. Sanborn gave $1,000 each, $12,000 was obtained from the memorial alcoves. The rest came in smaller contributions and from the Lithgow estate under the residuary clause.
The building is 96x40 feet, and is an artistic and elegant structure. The interior finish is of oak, the shelves being of steel with a capacity for 16,000 volumes. The building is absolutely fireproof. The large hall of the second story is used by the Kennebec Antiquarian society. The library now has about 8,000 volumes. The public reading room occupies the eastern end of the building.


3.I'm Proud to Say: I am an official readers card carrier of the Lithgow Public Library & Reading Room. (I really like that '&' in their title; it makes it a little poetic.) The library has expanded since the above text was written over 100 years ago. They are planning another expansion, which I believe the figures were around $20 million (correction: $9 million), if I remember correctly from an article in the Kennebec Journal last month.
Wow. Forty-one thousand dollars for the beautiful original structure!? They just didn't know what a deal they were getting back then. Or were they so forward looking that they did?
I wish I could be that forward thinking. Someday. Someday I'll be adjusting my cheap sunglasses like they're spectacles on a head of wisdom. (Maybe I'll try that today.)


4.Lithgow Library & Reading Room:I love the Lithgow Library so much, and public libraries in general, that I might just be the Lithgow Library & Reading Room for Halloween!
In fact, everyone should be their local public library, or Nixon for Halloween this year.

Augusta Maine Report, 100307

Night Walk: Last night when I got home from work I was still feeling awake. I took a walk (Could also be called 'dodging skunks' at this hour, ex. "Crap! I'm out of cigarettes. Well, I guess I'll just 'dodge skunks' down to the Cumby's [Cumberland Gas Station] and get some.") down to the Kennebec River Rail Trail. While I was taking photos of the old Kennebec Arsenal, I was thinking about it's history, our history. And I was thinking about mans' departures, and returns to the woods.


Is the city the 'concrete jungle?' Are European forests the 'white mans' jungle?' Like the Serengeti is the 'black mans' jungle,' the Saharan the 'Arabic mans' jungle,' the Himalayas the 'Asian mans' jungle,' the Americas ... the 'Native American mans' jungle,' the jungle the 'Indonesian mans' jungle' ... Yeah.


It seems like, at almost every point in our history, we are in the process of destroying our predators either for security or for food. Because of geographic reasons and chance some of us got further along than others. The outcomes: the endangered species, Nintendo, the Internet, the Industrial Revolution, this Iraq war, duct tape, genocide, etc., etc.
The main predator, man, just keeps multiplying the more we kill. Like a sci-fi disease or something.


The act establishing an arsenal at Augusta "for the safe keeping of arms and munitions of the United States for the northern and eastern frontier," passed Congress and became a law March 3, 1827, only 10 days after Governor Lincoln had signed the act making the town the state capital. The lot of 40 acres, a beautiful area on the east shore of the river, was soon secured, and on July 14, 1828, the corner stone of the main building was laid. Soon 15 buildings were erected, 10 of stone, all built in a thorough and permanent manner.
During the Mexican and civil wars it was made the depot of valuable military stores, and large quantities of fixed ammunition were prepared here and forwarded to the seat of war. Among the commanders of the arsenal have been General O. O. Howard and Lieutenant Anderson, the hero of Fort Sumter. The present commander is Major John R. McGuinness. Fifteen officers and men are now stationed here.
As a military post the Kennebec Arsenal would not prove of great value in time of war, as it is without means to resist much of an attack. War however is not a serious probability of the future.
-Daily Kennebec Journal, June 9, 1897

Augusta Maine Report, 100207

1.Development on Western Avenue in Augusta, Maine (Oct. 2, 2007)


2.Weather Report: In Maine, as far as weather, we're having leaves on the sidewalks & High Wisping Northern Clouds to the left ...


... and holy crap! Thats' the highest cloud I've ever seen. It might be in space.


Also: The sea gulls are playing in the rush-hour air drafts above Western Avenue. (Some of these gulls are HUGE.)


3.Equivalents:That's what one of the most well-known-photographers-ever called his photos of clouds, equivalents. Alfred Stieglitz said each one of them represents a different mood. Possibly the mood of the photographer at the time of the taking?
These equivalents of mine are slightly different. They are grounded by earthly objects; trees, houses. Plus, Stieglitz shot in black & white. That's the only reason his photos hold much more value than mine. Really.


4.Neighborhood Watch: A thought came across my mind as I was running along the Kennebec River Rail Trail the other day, 'Do the people in power of less populated areas of the U.S. (like Maine) have an easier time taking advantage of their constituents and the resources?'


From what I hear the politicians are pretty straight forward about the preserving of Maine's natural resources. They even have, get this, get ready for it, here it comes, conservative-environmental activists!

5.Mount Hope Cemetery: I love to walk in the misty cemetery at night. Listening to Celtic music and southern spirituals on my i-Pod. I feel like I'm entertaining the dead with my company; or that they are entertaining me.

Augusta Maine Report, 100107

1.Development on Western Avenue in Augusta, Maine (Oct. 1, 2007)


2.I Live Between good and evil. It appears the devil is my neighbor. And he has a dirt bike.


3.Took a Detour last night walking home from work. I could see mist rising off the Kennebec River and over the city and walked to the Memorial Bridge.


4.Salt Water Air, I could smell it when I was on the bridge. I didn't think salt evaporated? And I thought that the sense of smell came from tiny particles in the air?


5.Augusta Lodges are nearly everywhere here. That's what I like to call these over-sized storybook houses packed with apartments, lodges. I named my own building, which has four apartments, The Weston Street Lodge.
(I sent a message to one of my landlords not thinking about 'The Weston Street Lodge' in my email signature. She liked it.)


6.Could One think that the less people there are, the more beautiful a place might be? Not I?