Category: Environment

A chilly but beautiful picnic spot on Pemaquid Harbor.

Perfect Spot for a Picnic, Even in Winter

1/4/2013 - Okay, so the weather is a little different than on those warm summer days, but the view from this picnic table at "the Fort" on Pemaquid Harbor is just as spectacular on a sunny, but frigid, January day. I've been told that the key to happiness during the cold, winter… SEE MORE

The ice breaker TACKLE out of Rockland Harbor enters ice-choked Rockport Harbor.

Ice Breaking in Rockport Harbor

1/4/2013 - The Coast Guard ice breaker Tackle came into a quite solid Rockport Harbor on the morning of January 4. Ice is dangerous, especially to boats still in the harbor. Rather than run through and create a bunch of tennis court-sized chunks, they appeared to take it slowly and work at… SEE MORE

Penobscot Bay Sea Smoke on a January Morning

1/3/2013 - Sea smoke, also known as arctic steam fog, usually arrives when the cold winter air moves across the warmer ocean water. It is quite something to see, but the swirling sight dictates that temperatures will easily be below zero and the wind will sweep across the land. January is here… SEE MORE

Homes

Resting along Moosabec Reach on Beals Island.

Winter on the Maine Coast Is Something to Savor

12/29/2012 - With a recent batch of fresh snow on the ground, winter has finally arrived to the coast of Maine. Temperatures are predicted to drop below zero at night. Contrary to many opinions, I almost prefer the coast in the dead of winter, when the sea smoke hovers above the ocean… SEE MORE

A refuge from winter on Great Wass Island.

The Many Shapes of Home on the Maine Coast

12/21/2012 - "Home for the Holidays" is a phrase that can have many meanings. On the eastern coast of Maine, there are so many forms of dwellings, it's hard to keep track of them all. I have seen enormous and elegant cottages in Northeast Harbor and small oceanside camps made entirely of… SEE MORE

Homes

A late December sunrise creeps over Mosquito Harbor.

My First Maine Winter: Keeping Warm By the Ocean

12/15/2012 - When I moved up to Maine permanently, I was 25 and it was late April. It was that funny time of year when the thought of summer begins to creep into your head but the reality of mud season sits at your feet. I moved into my family's summer house… SEE MORE

Homes

Seeking Solitude on the St. George River

12/13/2012 - The small peninsula that encompasses the towns of Cushing and Friendship is a very quiet place where fishing is a huge part of everyday life. Pleasant Point Gut, down at the southern end of the peninsula where the St. George River empties out into Muscongus Bay, is a small harbor… SEE MORE

Owls Head, where hauling traps is a relentless pursuit.

Exploring West Penobscot Bay’s Working Waterfront

12/11/2012 - In the middle of December, when the sun sets far too early, the nooks and crannies, inlets and coves, of the eastern Maine coast seems as quiet as they will ever be. A diesel engine coming off the ocean rings incredibly clear through the early winter air. Seafood shops and… SEE MORE

Tugs sort the big ships out and gently move them into slips in Port Everglades.

A Mainer’s Take on Busy, Beautiful Fort Lauderdale

12/10/2012 - We flew from our home in Maine down to Fort Lauderdale recently to greet a ship. “Have we ever been to Fort Lauderdale?” we both wondered. Don’t think so. Anytime we’ve sailed down the coast on our boat in the past, we sailed outside between northern and southern Florida, skipping… SEE MORE

Looking down Somes Sound from Valley Peak.

Off-Season Acadia: My Own Private Playground

12/4/2012 - Acadia National Park can be your own outdoor playground in the winter months. Gone are the crowds, which usually peter out after the last few leaves hit the ground in early November. The graceful sailboats of summer have all but sailed away, leaving the popular waters of Somes Sound, Northeast… SEE MORE