October 3, 2020 • 79

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #117: A Photo Walk

In every walk in with nature one receives far more than he seeks.~John Muir

Last week, Rich and I set out on a mission–to explore the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, an historic sanctuary in coastal Maine and document what we found for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #117: A Photo Walk, hosted by our talented and creative friend, Amy of Share and Connect.

We set out early one morning and drove an half hour north to the reserve, which is vast.  It spans 2,250 acres of protected land, including grasslands, wetlands, salt marshes, and an undeveloped sand beach. The area, originally settled by the Wabanaki Indians, was home to European settlers beginning in the 1600’s.

Farmhouse at Wells Reserve

We started our hike at the farmhouse, home to generations of dairy and poultry farmers who sold their products to locals and shipped them weekly to Boston.  In this first shot, you can see the morning light highlighting the buttercream yellow facade of the house.

Open Fields, Wells Reserve

From there, we took a path through open fields, turning shades of autumn red and ochre.  My aim in this shot was to emphasize the two farm buildings amidst an expanse of negative space.

Marshland at Wells Reserve

As we continued our walk, the land changed.  We hiked through some woods, which opened up into marshland. In this image, you can see the fall colors just starting to appear in the marsh grasses and along the tree line.  Then, we kept walking until we saw another surprise.

Kite Flying at Wells Beach

The trail continued to a huge, open sandy beach, the largest we’ve seen so far in Maine. People were walking their dogs, flying kites, and playing in the sand. We spent a long time sitting in the sun and enjoying the peaceful almost-summer scene.

Changing Leaves, Wells Reserve

Leaving the beach, we headed back to the trail, which looped through the woods and passed a horse barn and the dairy.  I captured these beautiful red maple leaves in the process of changing colors and another building on the property in remarkably good condition.

After our walk, it was no surprise that we were hungry.  So, we ended our trip with a picnic lunch, picked up at a local clam shack.  Fresh New England clam chowder for me and a lobster roll for Rich.  It was a perfect day for us–complete with beautiful weather, a scenic hike and good food. The diversity and beauty of this sanctuary puts it at the top of our list of parks in the area. The beach, the fields, the marshland, and the woods each had their own unique features and were a visual treat.  We vowed to come back.

A special thanks to Amy for hosting this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #117 and inspiring us with the A Photo Walk theme.  We hope you join the fun this week and share your walks near and far.  In your post, include a link to Amy’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag so that everyone can find your post in the WP Reader.

Looking back, I want to say that I was delighted by your posts for the LAPC #116 Symmetry challenge last week.  You treated us to images of symmetry in architecture, food, nature, living creatures, chess boards, squadrons of fighter planes, kitchen utensils and so much more…from all around the world.  Once again, the variety and creativity of your posts were a visual treat for all of us.   

Looking ahead, we hope you’ll join us next week when our special guest host Biasini, Anne Leueen’s clever horse, hosts our next challenge on her always-interesting blog Horse Addict.

In closing, a special thanks to all of you in our creative community for your continued participation, support, enthusiasm, and creativity.  You always inspire us!   I hope you have a wonderful, creative week and please stay safe.

Categories: LENS-ARTISTS, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Photography

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79 replies »

  2. What a fabulous kick-start to a great challenge. I love a photo walk, and in fact did one on Friday, which I recorded on an app called Relive – it’s great, showing your walk on Google earth and up to 10 shots taken with your phone.. It doesn’t replace great images like yours, but it’s a lovely souvenir.

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    • Hi, Suzanne. It’s lovely to hear from you. I just read your “About” page and I admire your wandering spirit and your sense of adventure. Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed this one.

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    • Oh, it was good, Beth!! We might have a few more opportunities for that walk and the lunch before the cold weather comes. You’re right. A walk on a beach is a good day. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

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  9. I love photo walks. Especially when there’s food at the end 😊 looks like a good walk. The weather forecast isn’t great for this week, but if it clears I will try and get a walk in.

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  10. LOL for Jude’s comment re “food at the end”. Loved your walk Patti – so reminiscent of our many autumn’s in the northeast. This one in particular really gave you a little bit of everything! Loved the beautiful autumn leaves and the beautiful old building at the end.

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  16. Beautiful images Patti and what a glorious and varied walk! It looks like a lovely area to explore and the seafood sounds delicious! 💜

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  19. What a beautiful and enjoyable photo walk, Patti. These photos are magnificent. Love your wide lens shots.
    Fresh New England clam chowder and the lobster roll sound so delicious!

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    • Hi, Amy…Thank you! Oh, it was delicious! We’re hoping to get a few more lobster lunches before the end of October. Fingers crossed! I hope all’s well with you.

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  20. Loved walking with you, Patti! Beautiful captures along the road and the leaves and kite really cheered me up. You also had beautiful weather – and food to go with it. Thank you for a lovely tour.

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  27. Maine is such a beautiful place for walks such as yours. Love the farmhouse shots and kites (and people!) on the beach. It sounds like a lovely day – with a yummy finish!

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  29. Pingback: Lens-Artist-PC-117-A-Photo-Walk – WoollyMuses

    • I’m delighted you like this one, Geri. I appreciate that you shared your thoughts on this one. And yes, the lobster rolls are delicious! We had another one yesterday! Take care and stay well.

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  32. Patti, a photowalk with beautiful main scenery that ends in a clam chowder meal, is my definition of an awesome photowalk. You’ve made me hungry but I have to wait until tomorrow to get my fill of Cousins Maine lobster 🦞 roll and New England clam chowder 🍲. 😋

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