October 1, 2015

Poetry Friday--What I Did on My Summer Vacation

My vacation last week actually straddled the seasons. I went to Ogunquit, Maine and was there for the last day of summer and the first few days of autumn. Except for Friday, when it was a bit nippy, the weather was gorgeous! I went with all intentions of packing a year's worth of walking into 3 1/2 days by the sea. On Wednesday I walked 26,035 steps! My Fitbit thought it had been worn by someone else! I cut back by about half on Thursday due to a blister on one of my toes. There is a trolley that runs around town and costs $2.00, so I rode the trolley twice that day.

I still spent plenty of time on the beach on Thursday. To add commentary to the following photo would be superfluous. I thank whomever it was who walked the beach before me and somehow expressed my feelings exactly.



I took lots and lots of photos with my little point and shoot camera, and my cell phone. Several I have made into haiga (haiku with illustration). I also took short video clips of Piping Plovers.




Amazing little birds that remind me of mice in the way they scurry. I can't imagine how they get much nourishment pecking the sand at lightning speed!

Haiga inspired by the time spent by the sea (click on the images to enlarge):



A vacation "paradise" highlights the inequality gap as it exists in America today. Private beach vs. public beach. Service demanding tourists vs. immigrants working for minimum wage in the tourism services industry.



Even the weeds on the beach were alive with bees preparing for winter!



I have more photos that will provide me with additional haiga opportunities. Look for them in future Happy Haiga Day! posts (on Sundays).

Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe is hosting today's Poetry Friday Round-Up. Stop by and see what Heidi and her Diamond Miners have for us this week!

By the way, if you're looking to travel to Ogunquit, I recommend staying at The Puffin Inn, a bed and breakfast. If my recommendation isn't enough, take a look at one of the breakfasts I had sitting out on the porch. It's caramelized mango French toast, and tucked underneath is sausage!


All photos, video, and haiga © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
at

22 comments:

  1. Linda BOctober 1, 2015 at 11:47 PM

    I guess that last picture needs no words, right? Love hearing all about your trip. The beach seems far away right now, so thank you for the pictures and your lovely words, including those sweet plovers. I like the "vacation get away".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane MayrOctober 2, 2015 at 8:05 AM

      Thanks, Linda. It was a long overdue vacation, so I really enjoyed it all.

      Delete
  2. Carol VarsalonaOctober 2, 2015 at 8:07 AM

    Diane, you took me back to summer moments. Since I have never traveled to Maine, your photos gave me a glimpse into the beaches there. What beautiful sights. As for bed and breakfast inns, I do enjoy those type of stays. I have never seen such a gorgeous plate of french toast. Yum! Lastly, your poetry - simple and telling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane MayrOctober 3, 2015 at 10:02 PM

      Thanks, Carol! You definitely should travel to Maine some day, although, there are many, many beaches that are practically all rocks, unlike the pretty sand beach at Ogunquit.

      Delete
  3. TabathaOctober 2, 2015 at 9:52 AM

    That breakfast! Dang. Sounds like an excellent vacation. "Merci La Vie" is lovely. I like that the goldenrod is "girded" with bees, and I keep pondering the lack of necessity for truthful answers :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane MayrOctober 3, 2015 at 10:15 PM

      You could send people home with a tale of how they met someone who has a job as an undercover agent, or who raises fruit flies for science labs. Since such occupations don't necessarily lead to questions, you're fairly safe in exercising your imagination.

      Delete
  4. jamaOctober 2, 2015 at 10:23 AM

    Oh, love this post -- and Ogunquit! We were there 2 years ago right around Labor Day and lucked out with good weather too. Will have to keep the Puffin Inn in mind. Those plovers are such fast runners, aren't they?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Andromeda JazmonOctober 2, 2015 at 1:04 PM

    Wow, how beautiful it all is! I have enjoyed every moment you shared. Lovely haiga!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Margaret SimonOctober 2, 2015 at 6:26 PM

    I am ready for a vacation. Love your relaxing beach scenes and poignant poems.

    ReplyDelete
  7. KeriOctober 2, 2015 at 9:04 PM

    Maine is on my list of states yet to visit, and you moved it up with this beautiful post! When you don't need truthful answers, I wonder if you are going incognito on your vacation!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane MayrOctober 3, 2015 at 10:18 PM

      It's a definite plane ride for you, Keri! And, if you fly into Boston, you can get a good dose of history, too!

      Delete
  8. Julie October 2, 2015 at 9:53 PM

    Caramelized mango French toast - oh, yummers (which, I just realized, rhymes with "summers.") Thanks, Diane, for a little leftover sunshine to carry us toward Halloween. I look forward to your haigas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane MayrOctober 3, 2015 at 10:20 PM

      Thanks, Julie! I went out to breakfast this morning and found that pumpkin pancakes are back on the menu. 'Tis the season.

      Delete
  9. Heidi MordhorstOctober 3, 2015 at 12:25 PM

    You have such a good eye, Diane. Merci la vie indeed. My favorite though is "time away"--that marking is like an ancient character for benevolent untruth!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane MayrOctober 3, 2015 at 10:22 PM

      I saw it as a Y, which I equated to the question, "why?"

      Delete
  10. Mary LeeOctober 3, 2015 at 7:20 PM

    Sounds like a fabulous vacation! I am looking forward to fall vacations...after I finally graduate from the school calendar!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane MayrOctober 3, 2015 at 10:24 PM

      Do you have a date for your "graduation," Mary Lee? I'm thinking I have one more good working year left in me before I turn into a total crank. Crank is not a good descriptor for a public servant.

      Delete
  11. Michelle Heidenrich BarnesOctober 4, 2015 at 10:03 AM

    Beach, poetry, and mango french toast... just what the doctor ordered! I love those little skittery birds too, Diane. (It does seem like they probably expend as many calories as they ingest, doesn't it?) And I love the sand messages best of all– both the found poem (MERCI) and "time away". Glad to hear you've stocked up on photos for future haiga. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Author AmokOctober 7, 2015 at 7:33 AM

    Thoughtful observations on so many things, Diane. The sign post and how it tells a story about haves and have nots. The bees and the vees.

    ReplyDelete