About Me

Welcome Fellow Ocean Lover!

An Ocean Lover in Maine pushes me to get out there and explore.  I hope it'll get you out enjoying one of the most amazing places on the planet, with somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 islands (depending on what you call an island), over 3,000 miles of coastline (again, it's all about how you measure it!), sparkling clear skies on some days and "dungeon thick o' fog" on others (some parts of Maine have recorded an average of over 1,600 hours of fog a year), and some of the most spectacular ocean wildlife on the planet (including the second largest fish and second largest mammal in the world; the basking shark and the fin whale, respectively).

Harraseeket River, South Freeport

About Me:

I'm Janet Gannon; just another Ocean Lover.  I didn't grow up near the ocean, I just got here as quick as I could!  When I'm not writing this blog, I'm teaching labs at Bowdoin College (marine biology and evolution), exercising, sailing, and walking my dog Dory.  My highly-tolerant husband Damon is often the subject of my photographs, but luckily he's an Ocean Lover too (also, I bribe him with food and drink).

Whale watching, Passamaquoddy Bay

Damon, being plied with food.  That's a Bahn Mi scallop sandwich.

Dory, checking out the wildlife (an alewife during the spring run).

How Did I Get Myself Into This:

Good question.  A couple of years ago I was hanging out with some friends in New Harbor, taking in YET ANOTHER amazing place in Maine I hadn't previously heard of.  It was amazing -- foggy and filled with lobster boats offloading catch.  And just an hour from my house.  I started to wonder just how many of these places I didn't know about, and decided then and there to start actively researching them.  Blogging seemed like the best way to do it, so here I am.

My Favorite Places in Maine:

Ooo, that's a hard one.  How could I choose?

Well if I have to, here they are:

1.  Quoddy Head State Park (the lighthouse is cool but be sure to hike along the Fundy Channel).
2.  Damariscove Island.  Spectacular.
3.  Pott's Point at low tide.
4.  Dolphin Marina in Harpswell.  Have the fish chowder and a blueberry muffin.  While I'm at it, the Ship Cellar Pub in York and J's Oyster in Portland.  Okay, that's three.  So shoot me.  Crap, I can't forget The Ramp in Cape Porpoise.  Four.
5.  The floating docks in Castine.  You'll see seastars and nudibranchs there!  Plus the waterfront is amazing.
6.  Fifty miles off Bar Harbor on a calm clear day.
7.  Morse Mountain.
8.  Great Wass Island.
9.  The Old Sow.
10.  Perkins Cove.

A pocket marsh at Pott's Point.

Quoddy Head.

The Dolphin Marina, restaurant in the background.

Another lobster roll at the Ramp.

My Least Favorite Places in Maine:

Hmmm.  The Kennebunk Rest Stop has to be right up there.

The Best Lobster Roll?

Impossible.  It should be freshly picked, with very cold lobster, almost no mayo (or none at all), a tiny amount of shredded lettuce, and a hot buttered roll (New England style hot dog buns preferred).

The Best Part of Blogging:

Going new places, reliving them when I get bored at work and surf around my site, taking tons of photos.   Meeting amazing people and eating great food.  Learning.  Writing.

Writing . . . in a bar.

The Worst Part of Blogging:

What the heck to write about in winter . . . which is long!

What I'm Up to Next:

Damon and I are undertaking a huge project:  buying a cruising sailboat.  It's a Pacific Seacraft 37, which is a boat that could take us across oceans if we wanted it to (not that crossing oceans is in my future).  I thought I'd start a second blog that would be devoted to just sailing and the boat.  How does "Hello Ocean" sound for a name?

And oh yeah, I've been toying with the idea of writing a guide to Maine's coast.  Not one like you can already find out there, but one that focuses more on where to go to see cool ocean stuff.  Half field guide and half travel guide.  What do you think?

If You Like the Blog:

Great!  Let me know -- otherwise it's awfully lonely out here in blogland.  Leave me a comment or send me a note via the contact form on the right hand side of the blog.

If You Don't Like the Blog:

Tough luck.  Get your own and do it better.