This is the Brooklin General Store during yesterday evening’s rain and fog, which eventually became a howling storm. Most people will not be able to see the odd beauty hidden in this scene. But many residents here have seen and felt it.
When returning to Brooklin down the Blue Hill peninsula at night, we travel mostly dark, winding roads. Suicidal deer live along those roads, as do night-strolling porcupines that look like moving potholes. When you add fog, rain, ice, and/or snow to the mix, it takes concentration, at the least, to get to Brooklin on a winter’s night.
But, as you pass the shadowy Brooklin Cemetery on your left, you can see the welcoming lights of the General Store ahead and think of the friendly neighbors in there. That’s when you can get that sense of warm relief – that “Finally-Back-Home” feeling – and see and feel the beauty. It’s probably part of a quality of life quest. (Brooklin, Maine)