The first month of the new decade was very mild for a January in Down East Maine. There often was a stillness to it., except for the energetic streams carrying snowmelt to the bays.
The low light of the season always had us checking the skies near dusk, when sunsets and their afterglows often made the day’s end dramatic.
January’s nights could be as dramatic as its days. The month’s full moon was the Wolf Moon, according to Native American legend. And, this year we had two lunar bonuses. The moon was a Super Moon, being at its closest point to earth. Also, in the latter half of January, the moon became a brilliant waxing crescent that would race above us on its way to the rest of the country.
Of course, it wouldn’t be January in Maine without snowstorms. But, we had to make due with only two plow-worthy storms.
Weather-wise, there are few things better than a sparkling sunny day after a night of blowing snow — and, we had one.
We also had ponds that froze, thawed, and refroze:
While we had little snow, we had plenty of rain and fog, often working as a pair to produce dream-like scenes.
Our usual wildlife seemed to snigger at the mild weather this January. There appeared to be no stress, even on those that lived by grazing grass, foraging for anything edible, or digging up buried nuts.
Many of our fishing vessels stayed in the water after lobster season and converted to trawlers with booms, masts, and wind-protective shelling huts. They dredge for scallops or urchins in January.
We end with a beginning — the calm of a sunny January dawn after a night of high winds and snow. It’s a good way to remember the first winter month of the decade.
(All images above were taken in Down East Maine in January 2020, except the “Wolf Moon” superimposition, which was created that month from prior images.)