One of my all-time favorite photos was made courtesy of Ella Beauregard when she and her parents lived in the old Ruth Gardner house, just up from Hendricks Head beach on Southport. I was just down by the beach parking lot looking out over Kitten Rock and south towards Seguin Island lighthouse. Ella was just a little person then, maybe 10 or 11 years old. I had no idea who she was when she came walking down from her house with two chickens tucked happily together, one under each arm. Ella didn’t say a word as she walked by me and flung the two chickens off the seawall gliding pleasantly onto the beach below! I was captivated.

It was one of those instances where you are so fascinated by a scene where you forget about cameras and being a photographer. Then it struck me. What a fun and unique experience. Ella was accompanied by her mom, Pam Pearce. There was no anxious overlooking, no concern, no instructions, just pure fun as the chickens landed on the sand and began, as chickens do, to peck around with cackles and scratching. Ella just watched with little concern as her pets amused themselves strutting along the shore, occasionally calling “Eggs.” Eggs, I wondered. “Eggsmerelda” Beauregard, chicken number one. As Ella called her chicken’s name, Eggsmerelda cocked her head and indicated that she was paying attention.

Later at the end of our visit, as Ella was gathering in her friends, Eggs stopped for an instant on a rock at the shore and posed, I swear. At that moment, camera in hand, I made the photo “Beach Chicken.” There she was, all perfectly quaffed, with rocks and ocean and lighthouse as a backdrop, holding on for an instant. I got one frame exposed before she waddled off and back into the arms of Miss Ella. It was sort of unbelievable and the beginning of a long relationship with a wonderful family.

Ella, as many people know, was/is an extraordinary sailor with legendary accomplishments. Her competitive experiences have taken her literally around the world to sail among some of the most highly skilled athletes in the racing community. She sailed throughout her growing years, in high school and at Maine Maritime Academy. And now, as an employee of a large west coast shipping company, helps guide large vessels from California to Alaska and back. Ella will be sitting for her 300-ton captain’s license soon. Her career has been largely influenced by her proximity to the ocean and her parents. She has learned to respect and navigate both very well!

So when I was asked to photograph Ella’s wedding to fellow sailing person Josh Underdown (noted in accompanying photo) I was thrilled and honored. And what could be more fitting than a photo where we first met with “Eggs.” Even though the wedding took place in Rockport, at the wonderful Children’s Chapel (just across the road from the Belted Galloway farm), I was not surprised by the request for some day-after-wedding photos at Hendricks Head beach. This was no small arrangement as Ella and Josh had just celebrated extensively at their new home in Thomaston, driven to Southport, and changed back into wedding garb. An hour later, they were honored with a great feast including family and friends at Southport Town Hall, featuring Ella’s dad Mike’s world-renowned smoked chicken and freshly cooked lobster! What a weekend!

Josh works on boats, too, but a little closer to home. Ella’s schedule varies a bit with her west coast company as is always the case with those who go to work at sea — a certain amount of steady time away and then some time off. But I’m certain Josh and Ella have figured out how to maneuver their schedules with plenty going on in their busy lives. Ella was only home from her last stretch at work for a week before the wedding. Flexibility and adjustment will be a big part of both their careers, but I believe they have already tested those waters. Congratulations and best wishes, Ella and Josh.

Eggsmerelda would be very pleased for your return to the beach where we first met.