Having been established in 1916, this 100+ year old park was one of the older parks that I had visited in my National Parks Journey. Due to its age, I had envisioned a Park that captured rustic New England culture in a region that faced long harsh winters and lush summers. I also knew that, similar to other parks in the North East of the country, the area the Park preserved was not a place to escape away from civilization to nature, but to protect a region where the the two coexisted and even when humanity encroached on nature. And just like those other Parks, Acadia was replete with beautiful parkways that wound their way through the island offering plenty of turnouts to stop and enjoy the scenery. But in addition, Acadia also featured carriage trails preserved from the age of romanticism, along with hiking trails that wound through the forests and around lakes.
I had timed my visit for the autumn, hoping to capture some of the fall color magic that permeates this Park during this season. However, neither the colors nor the weather was cooperative. Nevertheless I still managed to find moments of zen in the crowded season in this small park.
Acadia National Park
ME USA
Fleeting Time
During the dark days of winter, I often sit down introspecting my life that year, and get to question the ephemerality of time. This year has been a little different undoubtedly, and the pandemic has played a major role in it. Time seems to have flown a bit too quickly without much to show far, and yet the time spent in social isolation has gone far more slowly that I would have preferred. As much as I tried not to, my daily rhythm has certainly been disrupted.
This image was taken during a fall road trip two years in New England. And while I clearly remember the time I spent driving around the backroads of Vermont, I can't recollect even an ounce of what I had done during the indoor days at the start of the pandemic restrictions. Thankfully, I preserved some of the most memorable moments in my 2021 calendar created in support of the National Park foundation; you can buy it here: https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/sathish-jothikumar/2021-photography-calendar/paperback/product-gpj74q.html
There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it can't come soon enough.
Woodstock
VT USA
Colored Reflections
Every year, the Pacific Northwest gets blanketed by clouds like clockwork during the winter, leading to an long period of colorless grey skies. These unending gloomy conditions, coupled with the short days, can take a toll on personal happiness. My escape out of this is to reminisce the past by looking at my colorful archives of photography, and enjoying the play of light that I see for my images.
After all, as is often said, “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
Here, I attempted a cinemagraph from an old clip I had shot in Acadia, during the peak of its fall foliage.
Acadia National Park
ME USA
Forgotten Fall
The golden hues of last fall are a distant memory as winter sets in early in the Pacific Northwest. It has been barely a year since I had visited the this amazing region, exploring the rural countryside of New England, driving around rivers ensconced in forests, rolling hillscapes, petite pastoral communities and rustic farmland, in search of splashes of colors in nature.
White Mountains
NH USA
Election Day
Tomorrow is election day in the US. It is a Constitutional right, nay, privilege to be able to shape the future of the nation. While your contribution may be a drop in the ocean, it is an important one.
In the past two years, the elected officials on one side have put party over policy, religion over science, bigotry over decency, war-mongering over diplomacy, fear over hope, and chaos over peace. That is not, and should not be the norm. The country deserves better.
I am not a citizen. I am an immigrant. But I have been fortunate enough to avail many opportunities this country had to offer. I have spent enough time to call this nation home. And yet I worry about the future of the democratic principles that was the basis of this nation-state and seem to be eroding away.
I cannot vote yet, but I wish I could. For after all I have seen in my travels through the continent, I still believe in the power of the people.
Go Vote.
Image is from a country road in Acadia National Park in the midst of fall.
When in New Hampshire
The weather forecast called for partly cloudy skies with pleasant conditions. But where I was, standing in freezing rain and overcast conditions, the sky clearly hadn't gotten that forecast. But all that didn't matter, for what I was seeing was a sublime fall scenery in the heart of New England.
Standing atop Artist's Bluff in Franconia notch that foggy morning, a carpet of gold stretched in all directions, carpeting the Appalachian range. The twin lanes of the Franconia Notch Parkway stretched into the horizon, bordering a still lake reflecting the golden hues.
Immersed in the tranquil scene, I momentarily forgot about the freezing winds and sleet as I rushed the bluff. Until I stopped shooting.
I wanted to stay and soak in the colors, but there was terrain to cover. And I was glad to leave the frozen bluff that beautiful morning.
Franconia Notch State Park
NH USA
Country Roads of Vermont
I was driving along a winding country road in search of that elusive farm, up and over rocky ridges, across green grass valleys, cutting through gurgling brooks and rustling forests. The view changed with each bend: glorious fall foliage replaced by rustic farmhouses replaced by mirror-like ponds replaced by hardy livestock. I had transported to a Jane Austen countryside.
And even though I was kicking myself for not having a more accurate map, I was enjoying every moment being lost in the beautiful Vermont landscape going through the last of its fall colors. I eventually did find the working farm - a plethora of cars and photographers waiting for the perfect spot and the perfect light gave it away.
Here is that famous farmhouse in the heart of Vermont's English countryside donning the colors on the eave of autumn.
Woodstock
VT USA