Kenton

Like a blast from the past, he came driving into town. Brendan's good friend from school, he hadn't been by in a long time but we were happy to have him for a night.

Miro

Miro moved to Rhode Island 10 years ago, Thanksgiving weekend. As did we (after only a few years away). But he came from a much farther place. Miro and his wife and kids are from Bosnia. Resourceful and friendly, Miro is a jack-of-all trades guy who can repair your shoes, sharpen your knives, and get you into the house you've locked yourself out of.

Linda

This is the last of the series from Room 559. Linda and Bob have seen the inside of a couple hospital rooms themselves over the years so they know how visitors help the time pass. It was good to see them and everyone who came to cheer my mom up.

Bob

Bob is the youngest of the three Connolly brothers. For years, my grandfather lived with them in Portland and we'd visit on a Saturday morning. I'd have a chance to play with my cousin Vickie and get scratched by grampy's ornery cat, Cuppy. I think it was Cuppy. Don't know if that's short for anything. Bob and my dad were talking the other day about the virtues of velcro on shoes. They like it.

Tom

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We're having one of Tom's relatives for dinner today. Not as a guest. Tom lives (still?) at Belwing Farms where he is raised "free-range" I suppose. He was wandering around with about 50 others when I came by to pick up my dinner. Here's to you Tom!

Arnie

Peggy and Arnie were always the exotic aunt and uncle when I was growing up. I wasn't sure at the time why that was, but it's obvious now. They owned their own business at the time - a carpet and wallpaper shop I believe. That was quite something since everyone I knew worked for some big company. They also didn't have children, so my visits to them were rarer than visits to aunts and uncles who had cousins for me to play with. What was so mysterious as a child becomes so simple as an adult.

Peggy

Peggy recalled the story of being sent by train to the The Homestead in Nova Scotia as a young girl (about Grace's age) in the company of her older brother (my dad). He was 11 or 12. While she almost went missing completely, he spent the trip playing cards for cigarette money. Not exactly like the train trip of the kids in the Narnia books.

Tony

I have been lucky enough to get an image of one other authentic native-born Irishman. So this makes two. It makes me think that I need to add an audio interview to this, so you can all hear the brogue. Tony's wife, the estimable Maureen, was not feeling up to making the visit on this day. She should be warned that I will get her picture.

Shauna

I saw Shauna this summer when I visited. Spent a nice evening hanging out at her palatial compound in the South Portland 'burbs. Football in the backyard, swimming, dogs running around. I wasn't doing any of that; just hanging and talking. Grace and Shauna's and Mike's kids were doing all that. It was a great night. Really enjoyed it.

Nick

When you point the camera at a child, they don't require a lot of instructions, and they always give you the most honest expression they have. I'm constantly disarmed by this quality in them. Look at his eyes, frank, unassuming. Maybe this is where next year's project will focus. I'll need a new one.

Greg

Having moved away from Maine when I was 19-ish, and only going back to visit occasionally, I often feel like an outsider looking in at the family gatherings. In my generation, I am the only one who left (not counting the Texas branch who moved away when they were young, but who still lived in Maine in the summers). So when I sit and talk and listen, I'm often just trying to glean information and context. These people are my family. They are strangers. There is then. There is no now.

Kacey

She starts a new job today. I suppose she'll get to it after working out at the gym, or playing basketball, or something healthy and active like that. The sequencing of images here, starting yesterday, and continuing over the next days, is mother, daughter, son, grandson. Three generations.

Barbie

As you may have surmised by now, room 559 is a hospital room. The visitors were mostly all relatives of mine (which is why I got Duska out of the way early in the series). Because I live in Rhode Island, and my parents are in Maine, I have very few portraits of my side of the family. This will rectify that to some extent. Barb is my mom's youngest sister (the other sister was captured in this blog back in the beginning of the year - my technique has been refined quite a bit since then). She's been a steady visitor and a rock for all of us.

Duska

Although this is actually one of the last in the series, it will usefully serve as an introduction to what I have labelled in my head as the Room 559 series. The next week or more will show you the people who came to visit my mother (in that room) this weekend while I was visiting her. She has a large private room with a lovely northwest-facing window which cast a lovely light all day long. The White Mountains were visible through most of my stay. I meant to ask Duska where her name derives from. Perhaps Russian? Maybe she'll send an email to let me know. She was one of the many caring nurses who took care of my mother.

Meagaan

If you follow this link, you'll find out what I had for breakfast this morning. Portland's best breakfast, apparently. I wouldn't call it hash though. It was more like corned beef and eggs. But it was pretty delicious all the same. I'd recommend it highly and I have the corned beef hash everywhere I go. Meagaan was an attentive waitress (though I'm not much trouble as a customer) and when she sat down a couple stools over, I couldn't help but notice the light and asked her for her picture. Glad I did. Thanks Meagaan.

Steve

I was able to spend half-an-hour with Steve yesterday talking about his craft and his business while I was picking up a rental double bass for my son. He's a luthier, one of the few in the area, and a pretty good one. Here's an example of someone who followed his passion into his profession, having worked for years out of his house while working at Electric Boat, and now with a nice commercial space in Peacedale, RI. Check out Beekman Violin if you're in the market.

John

It has been since June that I have posted a portrait of John. He's been keeping a low profile around the house apparently. I was able to get a nice shot of Brendan in August and was looking for a match in terms of lighting and expression for John. This may be it. I was told by John to make sure I say something nice when I post the image. Hmmm. Not sure about something nice, but I'm pretty happy that we have a gigantic double-bass back in the house. The THRUM is a soothing sound.

Michael

Long-time classmate of Grace and neighbor. What I like about Michael is that he always says what's on his mind. And he's got enthusiasm to spare. Nice kid, nice family.

Mary

So this completes the series of girls on the U-10 soccer team. They were incredibly talented and excellent players. They were tough, and worked hard. And most of them will be together through the winter and into the spring as well, so things can only get better!

Andrea

This was a bad day for portraits on the field. Glaring direct sunlight with no diffusion. Serves me right for not having taken her picture on the countless days that were ideal. Feel like I owe her a better one though. Will try to take care of that.

Heather

Herding cats. Trying to get a photograph of a girl after playing soccer. All the same. They are buzzing and flying around and smiling and flashing hand signs and talking and looking at each other and laughing and smiling.

Erin

This may not be Erin. I tried my best to keep it straight but it's possible that it's not her. But I'm going to go with the Erin scenario. Another fierce soccer girl in a (seemingly) long line of them. This fall was a tremendous East Bay girls U10 team. It's going to be fun watching them all grow as players and people through the years.

Diane

I had a hard time getting anything but a teeth-bared wide-eyed hamming-it-up for the camera smile out of Diane. I won't say she's hiding something but it's like a shield between the lens and the soul. This is a little more restrained, but she burst out laughing seconds later. Maybe I'll give it another go. There were a lot of people around and maybe a quieter location.

Austin

Austin is friend and teammate of Brendan. I photographed him after his race, although I don't think running is his special talent. So if you're looking to see whether I've really captured a part of him, I may have missed the mark a little. But I took the opportunity to get him when I had him in front of me.

Dan

Congratulations to Dan, coach of the 2009 EIL champion cross-country team. I can't even begin, in this small space, to enumerate the ways that Dan has helped our son and family. He's a tremendous role model, and has been supportive of Brendan in his academic and athletic life (he's also associate headmaster) at the Abbey. Brendan wasn't even going to run cross-country this year because of a long-term injury. But Dan convinced him that he could train gradually without strain and still be competitive and pain-free. He was right, and Brendan finished 2nd in the EIL championship race, helping the team to it's first EIL title. Thanks Dan!

Quent

Another member of the EIL champion Ravens cross-country team. Quent is a school-record holding swimmer as well. I think it's a distance event, like the 500 or something. Anyway, he's polite, intelligent, and focused. Something that isn't that rare at the Abbey actually.

Madison

Had an opportunity today to get some portraits of some of Portsmouth Abbey's Eastern Independent League championship team. Run in the cold and wind of Franklin Park, in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, it was a total team effort, as they outpaced Concord Academy for the win.

Bryan

Bryan is the long-term substitute teacher in my daughter's class this fall. Her teacher is out on maternity leave and Bryan is ably filling in. This was taken after her parent-teacher conference which went well. I find him to be organized and professional. I think at this point that both Grace and I would agree that he "meets the standard." Perhaps even exceeds it, but I'd have to look at the rubric more closely.

Erik

A second appearance by one of Brendan and John's good friends. The last one was in the middle of winter and this is a nice contrast to that. Perhaps a diptych would work. The big season for Erik is closing in upon us. He is the hockey team's goalie and this is his senior year. Looking for big stuff from him.

Mike

This is the second portrait I did of Mike, for which he dug out a more official uniform than usual. The new sweater, for instance. My uncle Frank was a mail carrier when I was growing up. He rose high in the ranks of the union (back in the early 70s) and that may have been my first knowledge of issues like working conditions, and employee rights and all that stuff.