Nantucket

This past September Chad and I traveled to the quaint and romantic island of Nantucket.  Located 3o miles off the coast of Massachusetts, it has a unique place in our countries history and os the least populated county in Massachusetts.  Indians who once lived there called it "faraway land", English Colonists spotted it  in 1602 and now the island is made up of sailors and summer homes.   Our two day trip obviously had to start with Chad sprinting across the parking lot with our luggage in hand to make the ferry so we could be on our two hour journey.  We walked from the port to find our hotel tucked away in the streets of town.   We stayed at The Roberts Collection and loved the colonial feel to the property.  The historical integrity of Nantucket is amazing. The streets of downtown are still the original cobblestone set as early as 1837.  I have always been smitten by the unsurpassed amount of history New England has to offer which adds a sometimes rare historical element to modern day travel. After settling in we rented a moped and scooted around the island.  We first went down to Brant Point Lighthouse on the beach where Senate John Kerry resides.  We then scooted over to the village of Siasconset to see the rose covered cottages that were all so charmingly named. While getting lost leaving the village, we found Sankaty Head Lighthouse.   The lighthouse was built in 1850 and was moved in 2007 due to the eroding bluffs. It was a beautiful walk and we were filled with wonder learning about how one goes about moving a giant lighthouse.  We also went to Dionas beach where shells mark the path down.  It was very windy and cold so we wrapped up in a sheet and took a nap between two dunes. We had an amazing lunch warming up with a bow of chowder from Something Natural and then strolled up and down Jetties Beach.  We watched the sunset, read and drank wine at Madaket Beach.  We also paid a visit to Cisco Brewing Company to do our favorite thing, drink beer and listen to live music. Traveling in New England is best done in the fall when tourists have retired their Sperries and you can really feel the life and culture pouring out of the old colonial towns.  When you leave Nantucket be sure to follow the old tradition and throw a penny over your shoulder into the harbor to say, "I'll be back."

Handcrafted | ArtPrize 2014

If you haven't made it to The Mitten Brewing Company yet to check out my ArtPrize piece, here are the images.  The environmental portrait series of West Michigan Brewers is called "Handcrafted."  I wanted this portrait series to be about the brewers as individuals.  So much of the growth of Grand Rapids as a city has come from these people pouring their passion into their beer.  They have brought to our community some great places to bond with loved ones, to laugh, to get to know each other, for deep conversation and I'm sure a few awkward first dates. I wanted to do a no bullshit portrait series in the place of their work with the best natural light I could find. For two weeks I traveled around West Michigan pulling my resources together to get this done.  I am so happy with my work and proud of it.  I am so proud of where I come from and the sense of community Grand Rapids embraces. I chose this project because of my love for craft beer.  While working at Perrin Brewing Company I really recognized the role of the brewer and the art of bringing craft beer to our draft lines.  They spent time with us every week teaching us about each beer and the brewing process.  It truly is an art.  Since then I have always felt like our breweries, our city and our beer get a lot of attention but the faces and hands behind it do not.

Cheers to our brewers!

Special thanks to all who participated: Odd Side Ales, Dark Horse Brewing Company, Arcadia Ales, Perrin Brewing Company, White Flame Brewing, Pike 51, Brewery Vivant, The Mitten Brewing Company and Founders Brewing Company.

Hopewell Rocks | Continued

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia met us with a wonderful afternoon at the beach and then rafting the tidal bore in the Shubenacadie River.  We rented an adorable cottage in the small town of Maitland, NS. We set out at 6:30 in the morning to wait for the tide to roll in. As the tide quickly moves in over the sand bars standing waves are created. When we rafted the waves were standing 9ft tall.    We took out rafts with 42hp propellers and drove into the waves head on.  We would then chase the standing waves down the river as they were created over more and more sand bars.  It was one of the most fun things I've ever done.  I've never heard my dad laugh so hard in my life. Rafting the tidal bore in the Bay of Fundy is an absolute must for your traveling adventures.  Being my 5th rafting trip - it was the most fun. Here are some pictures from Maitland and the beach!

Hopewell Rocks | Bay of Fundy | NB

The flight of stairs leading down onto the bare ocean floor reads "must be back at these stairs by 5pm." That day 5pm is when the muddy waters of the Bay of Fundy come rushing back in. By rushing back in, I mean that in a matter of a couple short hours there is 4o ft of water where you were just standing.  The water reaches all the way to the top of the rocks in the picture below where the 600 million year old rock formations start to bow out again.  Hopewell Rocks is located in New Brunswick, Canada situated in the Bay of Fundy, home to the highest tide change in the world.  .  Everyone should experience what it is like to truly walk about the ocean floor.  You are filled with wonder looking at cliffs hundreds of feet above you knowing that soon the waves of the river will be crashing upon them. The Bay of Fundy is a natural phenomenon and is the most surreal and fascinating place I have ever been.

The Thirsty Pig | Portland, ME

Day One - Stop One of my road trip up the coast of Maine into New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. I've always heard such wonderful things about Portland, Maine.  I knew my first time in the state I would have to stop.  Coastal cities are my favorite cities to visit.  I love the mix of laid back salty beach goers with the liveliness a city offers.  Portland is known for its beer and that sits very well with my family and I.  We were only there for a few hours so I knew we just wanted to have a couple great meals and great beer to start the road trip off right.  I did a little research and we happened upon The Thirsty Pig. Located in Old Port right downtown by the water and was an  awesome atmosphere with local Maine beers and hand crafted sausages.   They make all of their specialty sausages in house.  I had not seen my dad or brother since February and this was the perfect place to catch up.  Next we went to In'finiti Fermentation and Distillation.  They served up some great samples of in house brewed beer.  We also really enjoyed the home-made pretzels and beer cheese.  Our view was a harbor full of lobster traps and when in Maine you eat lobster…or lobster mac n cheese.  I highly recommend these two places for a laid back dinner with a vibe you can't beat.

Cheers Portland!