Sunday was the last day of the season at Lost Valley. I have skied, taken photos, and contemplated taking part in the pond skimming over the course of the past few years. The below freezing temperatures this year, coupled with flashbacks of people plowing face first into the water, convinced me that it would be a working assignment with no chance of participation, even though it was my day off. Call me crazy.
On the way over I thought about the ways I would use my GoPro. I figured I would ask somebody to wear it, and remembered Tanner Dillingham, no relation, being one of the few, if only, one who managed to get all the way across last year. I arrived just as the first person down was splashing across the man-made pond. I got my gear out of the car and just as I set the equipment down, I heard Jodd Bowles, the effervscent MC, talking about Tanner getting his skis on to head up for a run. Serendipity. I asked him, and he thanked me for asking him. I said, “no, thank you.” Although I did not actually participate in the event, I think I got as wet as many of those who did. It was all fun and I was dressed for it, so all was good. Click here to check out the video!
Coming back to the office from an assignment at Leavitt High School on the first day of spring sports practice, as usual, I took a different route than I came. I attended a seminar a number of years ago where a well-known photojournalist gave a talk and said that he always took a different route back from an assignment to increase his opportunities to find interesting photos. Unless he noticed something on the way there that might turn into something or was worth checking out again, he always took a different route to and from assignments. I have always tried to follow that advice when possible, and quite often, had luck finding a cool “feature” or “enterprise” photo as they are called. Monday was one of those days. Instead of coming back down Route 4 through Auburn, I headed over the Androscoggin River and onto North River Road in Greene where I found this photo and a great story. I thought that if there was not enough room to give it good play in the next day’s paper, I might turn it into a photo column. There was a great story to go along with the photo. As it turned out, it ran big on the front page and I was surprised that every word of my wicked long caption also ran.
Ray Gagne boils down some sap that he collected around his North River Road farmhouse in Greene Monday afternoon. “It went from summer back to winter and they pretty much stopped running. I’m just boiling down what I have left that was frozen before tomorrow’s storm. With the forecast, I hope to be back at it next week.” The retired retails sales representative came back to his roots instead of going the warmer climates like so many people told him to do. “I just love it here in Maine and have so much fun doing things like this. I did this when I was a kid, and now am doing it again just for fun. A couple years ago I drove past somebody doing it, and thought about doing it myself, so I pulled out this old stove we had and bought a stainless steel pan. I figured I’d tap 15-20 trees, but ended up with 40 the first year. I’m up to 125 this year. Last year I got 10 gallons that I share with friends and family.”
------------EXPOSED IMAGES------------The backstory from Maine Photojournalist Russ Dillingham 