Most days, when I feel the need to wander at Flye
I take the rocky road that goes past the Flying Jib
Down to the Look-out, the 18th century Inn
Through lupine gardens, circular this year
Then across the foxtail meadow where needlegrass grows tall
Down to the "Hub", where two firs stand sentinels.
But today, I take a different trail
One that an old man with crooked legs
Carved out with laconic humor and determination.
A rough path through an evergreen forest has its own
particular enchantment. The light is pale and fog drifts
in from the sea beyond. Almost a ghost forest, I
think as I tread, for among the firs and tall fern fans
Are sagging dead trees, clothed with green and silver
crusts of lichen and old man's beard, sighing, creaking,
and groaning as they converse with their neighbors.
Across the boardwalk that covers a stream, I walk with care
The slippery boards from the rain this spring
make it treacherous going, I silently declare.
Suddenly, the path emerges from the depths of the forest green
and comes to a place where the sound of surf is no longer a whispered dream,
but instead a booming voice, rhythmic and insistent, as the rising tide
strikes the seaweed covered rocks on the shore.
On the edge of this seascape of surf and sky and rocks
I view a dim and vaporous world as sea fog blurs the shore
And silently I bow my head and say a prayer for the man I once knew.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This poem is in memory of my good friend, Herb Brigham, owner of the cottage, "Flying Jib". Despite the polio he contracted as a young man, he lived a full and energetic life. In his later years, just a few years before he died, he decided to build "a walkway to the sea" on his property, no small feat for a crippled man.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the morning of July 4th, a bright and sunny day with wispy clouds floating by, I took the path once more and took these images.
And then I walked back by the shore on the beach grass and rocks around the bend to "The Hub" at Flye Point.
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Comments: 60
What a beautiful photo essay and tribute to your friend.
Thank you Cheryl for stopping by.
I've no doubt Herb would have loved the fact that his pathway deserved a photo essay of its own on Gather.
Now that's a walk to the water! It makes me jealous - most paths to any beach around here go through town.
I think for 40 years Herb thought about building that path...the "Flying Jib" lands went down to the sea but noone had ever carved a path, instead they took the dirt road to the Inn and then on the grass to the sea. I think Herb built his boardwalk two years before he died in 2000.
Thank you for taking us with you and for this touching story. My trails don't lead to the sea, and I never had polio. I mow my trails with a tractor, and manually prune branches threatening to slap walkers in the face. Still, I enjoy the trails all year. Small yellow lady slippers appear on the white pine trail, which also passes a wild apple tree much appreciated by deer. A denser portion passes by Jack in the pulpits earlier. The deer sometimes follow, sometimes cross my trails. The white pine trail takes me to the south end of the old woods trail where I can either take the shorter tamarack trail or the longer bottle gentian trail. The former winds through various sizes of soft-needled tamaracks and leads to a choice of the strawberry trail and the sunset trail. The bottle gentian trail eventually joins the sunset trail but the new woods trail is an option just beyond where the bottle gentians will bloom later. Rejoining the sunset trail, I'm in the process of adding the wild apple trail as an optional way to return to the house. From the back yard, in addition to the white pine trail one can take the old woods trail directly. The asparagus trail was another option from the back yard, but needs to be rerouted as some trees have grown too close together.
So, it looks like you are a trailblazer too, John. I love all your descriptions and would love to see a photo/essay on each.
I guess I got carried away.
Bob,
How you do what you do! This is such a rich vicarious trek. This morning, when I would be out in our deep forest, following the trails my son so artfully blazed, but instead stay content with Ma indoors...you offer this!
John, what a delightful way to be carried away. With e.e,'s permission, (yeah or nay; either are cool), I'd like to email this to Sir Micah, a writer and photographer as well.
He'll be meeting me back home in a few weeks. This will add to his priming for his first visit to the homestead in three years.
No problem from me, Ade.
But of course, Ada...and someday, God-willing I will come and walk Sir Micah's trail...your part of Alaska has always intrigued me. For the most part my stay in Alaska was on the barren tundra where hardly a tree grew.
(i figure if Gather provides this option of emailing a link to articles, it must be ok, with the author's permission...? he'll love it and thank you...we're keeping the path open for you.)
What a breathtaking tribute, absolutely awesome.
Thanks Stacey for stopping by.
A wonderful tribute to him. You have great pictures from your time there
Thanks Priscilla.
Dearest Elizabeth/Bob - I teared up when I read this, beautifully photographed and I literally drank in your words, because it is how I feel about my beloved forest that I remember from my childhood. I wanted to reach out and touch. I so miss walking in the woods. Just recently I discovered a wildlife park closeby which has a little bit of wooded area and I've been going back for walks, but here in this part of Florida it just isn't the same. I do appreciate the beauty, but I long for a different forest.
Wow what a feat to build a walkway when you are impaired.
Beautiful essay, I enjoyed it immensely!
He struggled with it every day the summer he built it...I think it was either 1999 or 2000. He died in December of 2002.
So beautiful, wonderful tribute.
He was a very interesting man, Kathryn. He traveled all over the world as an Engineer for a Rubber Country; was well versed in literature, history and the arts, and very pragmatic in conversations....he had a fine sense of humor.
Featured in the Triple Name Club.
Thanks for the feature.
Walkways to the beach, stream or creek are always exciting for me, it's the mystery of not knowing what awaits me at the other end. You can hear the water calling and the closer you get the more beautiful the scenery. Your friend accomplished a wonderful feat and I'm sure it will bring much joy for many generations. Beautiful photo essay.
Thanks so much for sharing with my group.
Towards the end of my week being there, Evan, Herb's 21 year old grandson, joined us and worked on the trail clearing it even further.
... fantastic pics Elizabeth! would luv to use some of your photo's in my blogs!
what do you think?
That would be more then fine, C.L. Mareydt. Thanks for asking permission.
WOW! thank you so much ...
you are not only a talented photo-journalist but generously kind also.
i'll try & let you know where they will appear ...
That would be kind of you.
Bob, a wonderful tribute and a very special place. Delightful photos and writing.
Thanks Deb for stopping by and visiting my wanderings.
Horray for Herb. What delightful fortitude. Maintaining the trail offers tribute to him and his vision of beauty. I love that one can see aspects of his personality by his course and it's construction.
Keeping our trails maintained is like a working prayer. Then, when we're able to just comfortably amble, the beauty becomes meditation.
Thank you Bob
Each time I walked the trail, I thought of both Herb and his wonderful, eccentric wife, Buff. In 2003, right after I had been up with Buff for the Flye Point Folk Festival (with Odetta, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger's grandson and Arlo), Buff had a stroke. She now lives in a nursing home close to her youngest son, Lonnie. In January, when I sent Lonny an email about renting the Flying Jib, he immediately replied and told me I could choose a week and have it rent-free. Like his parents, Lonny has a heart of gold.
Your photos are beautiful Bob, and they really remind me of where I grew up.
I'm so glad they bring back good memories, JR.
An amazing photo essay and story. It would have been grand to meet Herb. This was a very enjoyable walk to the sea.
He was a character, Lynne...I so enjoyed listening to his thoughts about life.
Wonderful photo essay-your photos are gorgeous & the poem brings it home
Thanks, Mari.
Another delightful hike along the seashore. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for letting us get to know Herb through your photos and words. He sounds like a man I would have enjoying meeting.
My foster dad must have felt something akin to this when he forged his own trails though 120 acres of woodland. We spend many wonderful years walking those trails discovering his favorite views.
Sounds like your foster Dad and Herb had a lot in common.
That should be spent not spend. Unfortunately, the land was sold a few years ago.
I can't think of many more wonderful ways to be remembered then to have cleared a trial for future generations of nature lovers to experience and enjoy.
Herb is one of the special ones and you did him proud with this essay, the care you took with the views and words confirms your respect for him.
I very much enjoyed the time spent here...thanks for another thought provoking and lovely piece.
Thank you Katherine for coming on the trail today.
A lovely tribute, Bob - both the prose-poem and the accompanying images.
Thanks, Mag for reading the poem ahead of me posting it with the images. I think the pictures add to the piece in a positive way.
They do, Bob, they do.
How good it is to travel with you.
Fun and fantasy as we stroll along, Jan.
You took some magnificent perspective photos and pathway photos.
Thank you for posting to Any Photo Art
Some of these would be great for Photo Art Monthly Competitions ~ Water, July Artistic Theme
I didn't want to overwhelm ya'.
Nice, Bob. The planked way still looks sturdy and stands as a fine tribute to Herb's spirit.
What a great tribute to a man who obviously made an impression in your life. Thank you for taking us along!
The photos are astonishing, as usual, Bob.
I love the trail winding through the trees, as I love Herb's "Boardwalk to the Sea".
a beautiful tribute to an old friend.
Thanks Peter for taking the walk.
Bob, why are the trees dead?
I hate to see the bark curling away from a dead trunk as you have captuyred in one of the shots.
It's a very old birch tree...there are several along the trail. Not much sunlight penetrates parts of the trail and so with Maine's foggy/drizzily weather, rot creeps in.
The beautiful photographs show carefull thought and arrangement.