Ogunquit's Lobster Dash 5 miler on Ogunquit Beach

It can't be a bad day if you can run on Ogunquit beach

-Greg Gumbinner

Enjoying a pre-dawn September run. Photo courtesy of Rick Barber

Today was the 12th annual Lobster Dash 5 mile race on Ogunquit beach. This race is one of my favorites. I run this course virtually everyday for from April to October. I find it is a great way to start the day. Life is good here in Ogunquit Maine, especially if you greet the ocean everyday!

 

The hard packed sand is perfect for running. Clean air, ocean waves and beautiful vistas that are hard to beat.  It was a great way to welcome autumn.

This year's race was not my best time. But none the less, I always have a good time!

The race is in memory of Greg Gumbinner with proceeds going to various scholarships and charities.

Greg Gumbinner was a avid runner, and a lover of life. Greg passed away over 12 years ago, but his memory lives on through his countless friends that organize this annual event.

Photos courtesy of Sean McFadden

The race is five miles on the beach at low tide. Finishers receive a medal, lobster roll and a tech shirt which features a lobster. All for $25!

Reach up for the sunrise.....

Reach up for the sunrise
Put your hands into the big sky
You can touch the sunrise
Feel the new day enter your life

Reach up for the sunrise
Put your hands into the big sky
You can touch the sunrise
Feel the new day enter your life

Now the fireball burns
We go round together
As the planet turns into the light
Something more than dreams to
Watch out for each other
Coz we know what it means to be alive

Reach up for the sunrise
Put your hands into the big sky
You can touch the sunrise
Feel the new day enter your life
 

-Duran Duran

One of my favorite things about living on the shore is running while the sun rises. There is nothing like it.

It's a great way to start the new day. Watch how night fades to day......

(all photos by Rick Barber)

Solitude of running in the morning....

I often hear someone say I’m not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner.
                                                               - Bart Yasso

 
It's been a decade since I started running. It's something I do first thing in the morning, and almost every day no matter where I am. But there is something special about running on Ogunquit beach and the Marginal Way in the early morning.

The beach is flat and hard packed sand. The roaring ocean waves crash while seagulls forage for food. There are more birds than people on the beach at sunrise. The beach is long and cathartic. It is almost mesmerizing. People are running, walking, fishing and doing yoga.

On the other hand the Marginal Way is a bit different. The winding path has sharp turns and the scenery changes every few feet. The trees on the Marginal Way are twisted from years of whistling wind of the Atlantic The craggy cliffs make for an interesting view.

There is something special about running early in the morning in this little town of Ogunquit. The fresh salt air wakens the senses and the rising sun warms the soul. The solitude of the beach and endless sea are good for the psyche.

Special thanks to Rick Barber for capturing me on my morning run this week.

All the beach is a stage.....

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts

-William Shakespeare

The stage is the beach. The actors and chorus boys from "South Pacific" are singing, dancing and practicing en plein air.

"South Pacific" starts on June 20th at the Ogunquit Playhouse. This classic also features local actor Kirk Simpson.

Like the world stage, the beach features many characters, scenarios and life events everyday. Like the game of life, you never know what you may see on Ogunquit beach.

Ogunquit Tides

majestic tides sweep the shore 'round the clock every twenty-four
waves so high, they break against the sky,
as birds and marine prey look for daily delights,

the sunrise flows above the waves,
and shines beneath the clouds, cycling yet another day.
slowly, the waves inch on shore, and sift the sand slightly more.

shifting tides into the day, brings a new surprise,
as the northwest wind roars on by,
with beachcombers, fishermen and castaways look for a prize.

Today is My Birthday

It takes a long time to grow young.

                  -Pablo Picasso

June 1961

 June 2011

Today is my birthday. It is bittersweet to say the least. Many of the people that were on this earth, the day I was born are no longer here. My grandparents, parents, favorite aunt and uncle etc. But, I do believe you have to celebrate life, and enjoy the people that are in your life!

As a child, I learned to celebrate my birthday. We celebrated with a party with ice cream and cake; and sometimes an occasional trip to an amusement park or beach.  I really didn't like amusement  rides back then, and don't like rides now. So now I treat my self to the beach and a nice massage.

Like many of my birthdays in the past 50 years, I will spend it on the beach, enjoying a nice meal, and then a small party with loved ones!

Blogger/Innkeeper/swimmer/runner Gorio enjoys his birthday on Ogunquit beach on this June 10th morning

Harp Seals in Ogunquit

We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.
                                              -Jacques Yves Cousteau

        (Photo courtesy of Sharma Damren)

While walking Ogunquit beach, you'll never know what you may see. Beachcombers, seagulls, and other marine life frequents this unique stretch of sand in the north Atlantic.
The weather is fickle in Maine during the winter, but today highs reached 50 degrees (10c), and a harp seal decided to sun herself on Ogunquit beach. Yes, I said "herself". Harp seals are native to the Arctic and Canada. During the latter winter months stretching into spring, some harp seals will migrate to Maine waters and sun themselves. According to Lynda Doughty of Maine Marine Patrol Hotline, this was uncommon 10 years ago.
Harp seals coats are thick with blubber, and are quite adaptable to cold weather. They are more solitary than harbor and gray seals. If you happen to see a seal on the beach, do not be alarmed. These large mammals will play dead, and are not in distress according to Maine Marine Patrol.

Map shows migration patterns of harp seals. Seals are now migrating further into Maine waters.

Ogunquit Dunes, Blizzard of 2010

Winter in Maine is a time of alternating rest and frenzied activity.
                                                                 -Tom Allen

The parabolic dunes of Ogunquit beach, has seen rough weather for thousands of years. The dunes protect the mainland from the mighty north Atlantic waves. The dunes are nature's buffer, protecting the shoreline from flooding and erosion. The year  2010 was a tough year for Ogunquit' s fragile dune's. There were many winter and spring storms carved and shifted these sandbarrier habitats.

This past week, the northeast was hit by a crippling storm, which shut down New York City, and strangled most of  New England. Ogunquit was not immune. Ogunquit received 10 inches of snow (far less than Boston's 19 inches or New York City's 20 inches), but experienced 35 to 50 MPH wind. The whipping wind combined with rising tides wreaked havoc on Ogunquit's fragile beach.

According to wikipeadia: A blizzard is a severe storm condition characterized by low temperatures, strong winds, and can include heavy snow. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of 56 km/h (35 mph).Additionally, blizzards must reduce visibility to 400 metres (1,300 ft) or less and must last for a prolonged period of time — typically three hours or more.

The shiftal change in the dunes is a natural process. Nature moves the sand and creates new spaces. Some say that Ogunquit now has 8 feet more of beach!

Photo Courtesy, Ogunquit's Anthony Defeo. ajdnh@aol.com

October Running.......

the sand sinks as  my feet make the rhythmic daily cycle that is my run.

my lungs breathe the cool air and exhale yesterdays sorrows.

the sun slowly rises and warms my crown.

hypnotic waves are the only sounds that fill my antenna.

wind and  spray awakens the senses from yesterdays toil.

a new day begins, and I arise like the sun with every cresting wave....
                                           -Gorio Testa

Summer's Last Day - Ogunquit Beach

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.
                            - Henry James

Today was the last summer day. Autumn starts in the northern hemisphere at 2309 hours tonight. The weather was incredible with temperature highs in the 80's ( 27 Celsius). Beach is enjoyable with the absence of August revelers and children. Surf is modest due to tropical storms out at sea....

The lifeguard chairs may stand empty; but nature consumes the barrier island that is Ogunquit beach. Birds, plants and marine life takeover, and call Ogunquit beach home. Tropical storms at sea stir the ocean floor and delivers quahog shells on the shore. Aquatic birds feast on the quahog bounty. Sea roses stay in bloom with goldenrod standing tall on the parabolic dunes.....

Locals call September the best month. Warm sunny days, cool nights and adults consume the Maine shore.

The setting sun west of the dunes signals the end of another perfect day in Ogunquit, and the end to the summer of 2010. Autumnal equinox signals the start of fall, and a harvest moon rises as I head home from the beach....

 Just because the calendar reads autumn, the weather in Maine has a mind of its own, and the weather will continue to be pleasant for some time!

Blogger/Runner/Innkeeper Greg enjoys the last summer day on Ogunquit beach....

The Last Phone Booth......

The telephone book is full of facts, but it doesn't contain a single idea.

                                                                                -Mortimer Adler

The 20th century is more than a decade ago, and certain objects from life in the last century are disappearing. There are virtually no phone booths in New York City, there may be two or three left in Manhattan. Before strip-plazas dominated the American landscape,  general stores, filling stations and farm stands were the norm during mid 20th century.  On Route One in Ogunquit about a half a mile north of the village sits a small micro-mall called Brewster's. This tiny filling-station/general store/Western Union,  has the last phone booth in Ogunquit.

When we bought our first house in Ogunquit during the 90's, people used the last four numbers of their telephone number to call each other. Everyone in the state (even today)  has the same area code of 207. The exchange for Ogunquit and Wells is 646.
Today on my morning run, I realized that, the lone phone booth on Route One standing there like a bright beacon of communication is the last phone booth in Ogunquit, complete with a phone book. Will phone books be obsolete in the near future?