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turning point, originally uploaded by Ed Karjala.

Here is another image of Portland Head Light from a much farther vantage point. This is at dusk, and the light is shining. Simply gorgeous.

Passing Lane, originally uploaded by Ed Karjala.

Another beautiful picture of Portland Head Light.

As I’ve walked our dog over the last week or so I keep telling myself I need to bring the camera and capture some of the lovely foliage we have now. It rained quite hard Friday and some of the beautiful reds and oranges were knocked to the ground, so I knew I needed to bring the camera on a walk soon, or I’d miss what was left. For our evening walk through Evergreen Cemetery on Saturday, the dog had to put up with me snapping pictures of The Sisters of Mercy Mother House, some of the foliage in Evergreen Cemetery, and a few other interesting images as we walked along.

The photoset is posted in Flickr. The building with the bronze dome is the Mother House. All of the other pictures were snapped within the cemetery itself. I only covered about a third of the grounds on the walk, but the dog was getting quite impatient, so I had to cut my photo session short (that, and I started to run out of good light). I especially liked the way the leaves framed the bell at the little chapel in the cemetery, and snapped a couple pictures of that.

There have been some other scenic views as we’ve ridden around in and outside of Portland in the last weeks. I’ll have to start bringing my camera with me when we go out so I don’t miss them all.

She and I had a great time at the Sea Dogs game on Friday evening. The section 202 seats offered a great view of the action from behind the Dogs’ dugout, but we were not behind the netting so She got very nervous every time a ball was fouled off. The Friday game was a good one, with lots of baserunners but not many runs. After answering the Thunder’s run in the third inning, the Sea Dogs gave up two in the fourth.

They threatened several times throughout the game, but couldn’t plate another run until they were down to their last out. They got to within one and had the winning run at bat. The crowd was on its feet and cheering to try to help drive in the tying and/or winning run, but it was not to be. A roar rose from the crowd when the catcher, Otness, drove one to very deep center field, but in the end, it only made it to the warning track for the last out–395 feet when he needed 400. I’ve posted some pics from the game on our Flickr account.

Saturday’s contest (which we did not attend) did not go as well as Friday’s. The Dogs’ Chris Smith gave up two two-run doubles and they could not score a run themselves. After the Sea Dogs ended the Thunder’s season the past two years in the playoffs, the Thunder returned the favor by taking the series 3-1. Overall it was another good season for the Sea Dogs, though the last two weeks certainly could have been better. Now we await opening day 2008 at Hadlock–April 11 vs. New Britain. Until next year…

We had a friend up to visit for Labor Day weekend so, of course, that meant we had to try a few new places to eat. On Saturday evening we had dinner on Peaks Island Saturday night. After taking the ferry over and renting a few bikes to tour the island, we reviewed menus and decided that Peak’s Island House would be a good place to grab a bite. We asked to sit out on the back deck so we could see the sunset over Portland. It got a bit cool as the sun went down, but the view was amazing and we’re so glad we sat outside.

The dinner itself was okay. As has been said by more than a few people, you don’t go out to Peaks Island for the dining. She had their seafood pasta, which She reports was quite good. I had a chicken salad, and our friend had a chicken dish and the French onion soup. My salad and the other chicken were both average. There was nothing specifically bad about the dinners, but given the price, we had slightly higher expectations. Then again, we were on an island, so I guess we should have known better.

The wait staff was very friendly, and even rushed the check for us so we could catch the ferry back into the city. The photo opportunities off the back deck should not be missed, but I’d say you could take or leave the food. If you’re out on Peaks already, then by all means give it a try. But between the cost of the food and the $7.25 for the ride out there, it’s certainly not worth a trip specifically to eat at Peak’s Island House. The Inn on Peaks was slightly better, and had a better selection of beer thanks to Shipyard Brewery. Of course, they were also another dollar or two more expensive…