Last Saturday felt like early winter. Naomi and I took a trip to Bailey Island. The air was dry, clear, and cold. Usually, the atmosphere is too humid to allow the sun sitting on the horizon to directly illuminate the land, but not this Saturday—within about a minute of taking this image, the sun sank below the horizon, taking the light with it. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tag Archives: Nature
Fall Rose Hips
Primitive roses can be found all long the coast of Maine. In the fall, only their foliage and hips remain. Click on the image for a larger view.
Season of Change
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And again . . .
It was bad enough to get hit with an unusually early blizzard two weeks ago, but then to wake up Friday morning to find we had another was discouraging. Fortunately, like with most early storms, we did not have to shovel the driveway and most of the snow melted during the day. UPDATE: It is snowing again this morning. Click on the image for a larger view of our forest on Friday morning.
Still Waters
Fort Point State Park is on Cape Jellison in Penobscot Bay. The Penobscot river is part of the largest system of tributaries in Maine. Between the tidal influences of the Gulf of Maine and this river system, the seeming peaceful waters in Penobscot bay are deceiving. The tidal sandbar that protrudes from Fort Point is shaped by these forces—the sign warning of riptides and a prohibition against swimming on the way to the beach is a reminder.
Standing on the sandbar at low tide is strangely peaceful—it feels like being on the shore of a lake. But there is also an uneasiness in this exposure, as if a monster lies below the surface waiting to rise and take you away. Click on the images for a larger view.
Signs of Fall
The Maine coast facing the Gulf of Maine and Atlantic Ocean is dominated by fir/spruce forests. Hardwoods cannot tolerate the harsh saline conditions. But in deep inland bays like Penobscot, the conditions are not so harsh. Click on the image for a larger view.
Sandy Point Beach State Park
At the northern end of Penobscot bay in Stockton Springs is a small small state park. This time of year, it is mostly inhabited by locals coming out for a stroll by themselves or with their dogs. Most people have a smile or greeting for strangers.
While maybe not the most exotic place in Maine, Sandy Point Beach has a long history going back to the paleolithic. The artifacts that most visitors see belong to the 20th century. These pilings are from an abandoned wharf of a fertilizer plant that closed in the 1970s. As you can see from the exposed seaweed clinging to the pilings, this is low tide. Click on the image for a larger view.
Memories of the Wind
The American Beech keep their leaves over winter. With the exception of a few scattered oaks, they are the only trees holding onto their foliage in our woods. Yesterday, the air was warm and still—the angle of these leaves were shaped by past winds. Click on the image for a larger view.
Pleasant Pond, Late Fall
Pleasant Pond is a common name for lakes in New England. This is one of several lakes in Maine that bear that name. It was not long ago that this landscape was green. The brilliant red and yellow foliage passed even faster. It will not be long before the browns are replaced with white. Click on the image for a larger view.
Pause
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