Lupine Love

Eric Storm's photographs on his Instagram page has led me to some beautiful places....one of them was Widgery Wharf along the working waterfront in downtown Portland I wrote about here.

But today Eric's most recent post took Paul and me to the Eastern Promenade of Portland....only about 10 minutes from the condo.  I had been itching to get out and look for lupine...and thanks to a tip from Eric...today was the day.

I have lived in or around Portland for 30+ years....and I never knew this magnificent lupine field was here.  Thanks to Eric Storm......now I do.  It's never too late....for just about anything 

This is the view where Eric caught the beautiful western sky that captured my attention.... (click the link to see his photo)...my daytime version has a whole different vibe. The sweeping views of Portland are magnificent from the hillside.

To the east is the East End Community School where one of my favorite craft shows is held every year.

The city has mowed wide paths along the hillside making the lupine looking easier....and keeps us admirers off the grass.

It was hard for me to figure out which photos to post....so although I didn't choose them all....I chose quite a few.  I was so taken with the whole experience that I couldn't help but share it here hoping you might enjoy it too.

Lupine seems to thrive in this grassy environment and you often see them along the roadside in Maine.  When I get off the highway as I'm driving from Lexington to Portland there is a large patch just to the right of the exit ramp.  I looked for a place to safely pull over when I came up the other day....but no luck.  So that spot stays sacred to enjoy for just those few seconds as I am driving by.  A special little "welcome to Maine" gift.

Off to the north east is a lovely view of Back Bay.

This may be one of my favorite shots.....the silhouette of the grass on the horizon, the  steep slope, the lupine, the wispy clouds against the blue sky, and the tiny glimpse of the city......Pure Joy!

Whenever I have the chance I use the "original size" formatting option....which only works for long skinny photos. Scroll down slowly and really look at the details....what's not to love about lupine!

If you want to read about some personal connections I have to lupine....check out this post:

xhttps://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/06/speaking-of-lupin.html

Based on a recommendation from our church's Facebook page today I read the article "4 Steps 

That I and Other White People Can Take to Fight Racism" by Christina Marie Noel.  It was extremely helpful...and I will refer to it often as it has links and reading recommendations that I will explore.  I admit that I am just beginning my journey of understanding racial injustice including what the term "white privilege" really means....and I'm certain I've used it incorrectly.  But I'm working on it....and this article helped.