In Hancock County, Maine (January 2017)
January on the Down East coast is a month to watch the sun, wind, rain, and snow change our seascapes and landscapes into constantly-new worlds. The sun begins the day by rising above Naskeag Harbor and sometimes has to climb an open staircase of fast-moving clouds, turning the morning light on and off.
That Harbor is a scene of infinite change in January. It can be a place of sound and fury -- where a growling fishing boat charges through choppy water to return home to a raucous white-winged welcome.
That Harbor also can be a place of tingling tranquility -- where that same boat seems to sleep gracefully at home, dreaming of tomorrow’s trip.
We had little snow this January, but we had enough to transform the landscape several times and remind us of the white wonders of winter.
The calming effect of snow is best felt at daybreak, we think, when the low sunlight slowly illuminates familiar sights in a white world.
The mildness of this year’s January has been good for the wildlife that has decided to remain here with us, including the ubiquitous Red Squirrels, Wild Turkeys, and Herring Gulls.
The days are short in January, but the sunsets often more-than compensate for that. The best light of the year is a January sunset in Down East Maine.
For larger versions of the above images, as well as additional images of moments in January that we want to remember, click on the link below. (We recommend that your initial viewing be in full-screen mode, which can be achieved by clicking on the Slideshow [>] icon above the featured image in the gallery to which the link will take you.) Here’s the link to the full memory tour of December in Maine snow:
https://leightons.smugmug.com/US-States/Maine/Out/2017-in-Maine/January-Postcards-From-Maine/
Cheers,
Barbara and Dick