Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Scenes from Winter

While we do not have pictures of feet of snow to share with you (because there is little snow at the moment), we thought you might enjoy seeing some signs of winter here on the Island.

Sometime, usually after Columbus Day but before Thanksgiving, floating docks are removed from the water and stored on dry land.

Sometime between late August and before November 1, non-working boats are pulled from the water and either stored indoors or, as is the case with these boats, shrink-wrapped and stored outside.

Lobster pots are stacked on shore and docks until warmer weather returns.

Another dock stored for winter - this one should be easy to return to the water!

All the fire hydrants have these flags on them, to allow them to be found should the snow become deep. These flags are present year-around. With many people using wood and kerosene and oil to heat their homes, there are almost daily news stories of fires that have destroyed homes.

While some of Acadia National Park is open, some parts are closed. These parts are clearly posted.

Southwest Harbor is largely empty of boats though the bobbing white balls hold the promise of a mooring for a vessel when the weather warms.

Bass Harbor, on the other hand, still has fishing vessels present.

Cedar trees along roadways have burlap on the roadway side, and hay bales. This protection helps to keep the road treatments, piles of snow, snow plows, etc. from damaging the trees during the winter.

Markers like these appear along roadways and driveways. They are used to indicate edges to snow plows.

Norwood Cove, a shallow, still, salt water cove, is frozen - until the water becomes deeper near the point.

Lakes - even large ones (this is Echo Lake) - are frozen. Ice fishing rigs are everywhere. The flags bent over mean that there are no fish on the line. The reels are under the ice, and as a fish begins to run with the line, the flags pop up to alert the fisher people. Some people take SUV's onto lake surfaces. If thin spots in the ice or open water are encountered, people die.

Huts provide protection from wind, and sometimes a stove to help make things warm. These sheds are simple - there are sheds that are much fancier, with cheerful colors and shuttered windows.

The Cat loves it when we raise the blinds in the morning. She will sit on the sill, watch the activity on the cove, and allow the heat from the registers beneath the windows to keep her warm.

I think our favorite part of our winter is the beauty of this place - the infinity of the water in all its forms, volumes, and colors, and the amazing sunsets that close the daylight.