Crossing Borders

Last Thursday morning, my friend Sadie, daughter Jemesii, and I caught the ferry from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.  We were headed to a little island that is the home of Fairy Fashions, a literal cottage industry that produces medieval-type wedding gowns.  Sadie was there to photograph the dresses and Jemesii was one of two models.  I came along for the ride, but ended up participating in the photo shoot as grip/wind break/best boy, etc…  They both worked really hard:  my part was easy.

Katherine,  the one woman wonder who runs this little wedding dress company, and her husband Marcus, graciously welcomed us into their home.  In addition to “working” (the quotation marks refer only to my role), we got to hang out with them and their three sons, as well as Katherine’s sister Mary, her nieces Zoe (who modeled) and Maeve, as well as family friend Jennie.

What a magical few days it turned out to be.  We were instantly smitten by both the location and our new friends. What might have initially seemed limiting proved to be opportune, as Sadie loved shooting in the fog that rarely lifted. Katherine was open to each of Sadie’s suggestions, and Sadie used the ocean and the rocky shoreline as backdrop.  In the final photo, she posed Jem and Zoe on the shore where the waves washed right over their feet and the hems of their dresses.  They looked like goddesses emerging from the sea:  it was spectacular. When Sadie has some photos ready, I will post some along with a link to Fairy Fashions.

I also got a chance to indulge in a new passion of mine.  It has always been my habit to pay more attention to what is on the ground than to my other surroundings (more looking down).  I suppose in part I am scouting for treasure, but I also find the micro environments at my feet more fascinating than the scenery.  I guess you could say it is easier (and more pleasurable) for me to focus on the little picture rather than the big picture. Anyway, I have started taking photos “looking down” and have found it to be great fun as well as a jump start to my creativity.  I’ve included some samples of my photographs here.

On the day we were to leave, Hurricane Bill was due to come ashore in Nova Scotia, so the ferry was cancelled. Although it would have been grand to be there for the storm, Sadie and Jemesii had professional commitments and we needed to hasten home.  We ended up catching a ferry to St. John’s instead, which meant we had a much longer drive home, but could still leave on Sunday.

The ferry ride was great.  The boat itself was rather dingy and smelled like fish, but unlike the ferry out of Portland, we had access to the deck.  The air was so balmy as we put out, a warm breath ahead of the tropical storm.  Before long we were on the edge of the hurricane and the boat was lashed with rain and wind.  To say it was exhilarating is an understatement.

Three hours later we were in our car and headed south to the border.  We were both exhausted and exhilarated from our little adventure, and already making plans to visit our new friends again.

I, for one, will head north across the border again soon.