A couple days ago Jason Gendron and I decided to go on a cruise in Casco Bay. We quickly sketched out some plans and Jason invited the rest of the Maine Flickr Meetup Group.

This morning the girls and I met Jason for breakfast at the Palace Diner in Biddeford. It was excellent, as usual! After Jason left I met a couple guys my age and enjoyed a conversation about iPhones and education (they both had iPhones and one was a local elementary school principal).

After breakfast we washed the car before driving to the ferry terminal in Portland. The girls always enjoy the automated car wash so I procrastinated until they could be with me. They were not disappointed and giggled the entire time.

We met Jason, David and Bob at the ferry terminal. Because the sky was overcast and the weather colder than forecast we decided to go only as far as Long Island. We bought our tickets and embarked Aucocisco III at Gate 3.

The girls got a table inside and read books while the rest of us braved the frigid windy cold to capture photographs. The ferry made several stops before we disembarked.

At Long Island we found a small store. The shopkeeper was a very nice lady who gave us fresh coffee and allowed us to photograph everything. Bob wanted decaf but there wasn’t any brewed since their only decaf drinker was not on the island. She made a pot especially for Bob. From the store we walked up a hill a short distance until we found an old fire truck parked in the snow. It was weathered and rusty and perfect as a photography subject. We explored and photographed every detail. Before long it was time to head back to the dock so we wouldn’t miss the ferry back to Portland.

It was great to hang out with the guys, smell the salty sea air and take over 300 photographs. On the way to Portland Skye said, “I like Maine better than Kansas. In Kansas you can’t ride a ferry.” I like Maine better, too.