2m 17s 700ms
We timed the trip for peak bloom, which is a gamble even when you think you’ve got it right. The lupines at the Ammonoosuc Conservation Area on Sunset Hill Road were just at peak, maybe a day or two past. Very few had gone to seed, which is the thing you’re really watching for. The light when we arrived at 5:30 was harsh and flat, no clouds to break it, and the heat and humidity made the field feel close. I doused myself with tick repellant before stepping in. Ticks, apparently, love lupines.
St. Matthew’s Chapel has stood at the edge of this field long enough that the lupines seem to have grown up around it. Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm Pre-ASPH
The pink ones are less common than the purple. I stopped when I found a cluster with the light coming in from the side.
Purple is the default here. Pink shows up less often, white almost never. Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm Pre-ASPH
We stayed at the Sugar Hill Inn, a short drive from the field. The porch was quiet after dinner.
The inn has been here a long time. It looked better in the dark. Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm Pre-ASPH
The forecast had called for clouds in the morning, a front moving through. We were up at four expecting overcast and dew on everything. Instead we got clear skies and warm light before sunrise. The front had already crossed. No dew. I was not unhappy about the light.
White lupines are rare here. Purple is the default, pink less common, white almost never. I saw it, I shot it, and I didn’t slow down enough to nail the focus. The image keeps the mistake.
I should have taken more time with this one. Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm Pre-ASPH
The same field, six hours later, completely different. Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm Pre-ASPH
The flare was there. I kept it. Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm Pre-ASPH
Sugar Hill in June. Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm Pre-ASPH
Polly’s Pancake Parlor has been open since 1938. The servers cook the pancakes to order at the griddle, which takes a while, which is fine when you have nowhere to be. We’d been up since four. The pancakes were good enough.
Family-owned since 1938. The pancakes are made to order, one batch at a time. Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm Pre-ASPH