Karen Hammond - Page 6 of 13 -

January on a Maine Island

Snow falls on a Maine island. Nathaniel Hammond photo

Snow. Ice. Freezing rain. Repeat.

That’s pretty much how things have gone here on my small island, starting well before the winter officially began. Today sky and ocean meld into one continuous gray blanket punctuated with white snowflakes.

Life on the island moves slowly at this time of year. Social life consists of breakfast at the local cafe, potluck suppers at the village church, an exercise class at the fire station. On the plus side, it’s a great time of year to tackle a big project without any distractions. And although it’s not always fun to start the day with an hour of shoveling–or worse yet, thawing frozen pipes–the landscape dusted with sparkling snow is incredibly lovely.

Of course life in Maine in the middle of winter is not for everyone. I’m remembering a talk I gave last year to summer visitors, after which someone in the audience had this conversation with me:

Visitor: Do you really live in Maine?

Me: Yes

Visitor: Year ’round?

Me: Um, yes.

Visitor: Why on earth would you do that?

It was one of those times when one has to stifle a laugh. Wasn’t it Louis Armstrong who was once asked “What is Jazz?” He replied something ot the effect of, “If you have to ask, you’ll never know.”

Best wishes to all for the new year.

Musings: Winding Down 2013 in Maine

Snow falls on a tranquil island in Maine.

“Wicked” winter weather in the form of heavy snowfalls, a major ice storm, and power outages have kept me busy and away from my blog over the last couple of weeks, but I hope those readers who celebrate Christmas had a happy one and that a festive Solstice was had by all on December 21. I’m sure there was an intriguing Solstice celebration at Stonehenge in England, as there is each year. If you haven’t visited there, it’s well worth a side trip if you find yourself in England someday.

Now we are in the long days of darkness, with daylight starting to fade shortly after 3PM here on my small island, and darkness shrouding everything by 4PM. I use this week between Christmas and New Year’s to clean out my office and get ready for what the next year may bring. I’ve never been much on looking back, preferring instead to savor the present and plan for the future—which is a little ironic, given that I was born in January, a month named for a two-headed god who looked both forward and backward.

From my office window I watch lobstermen setting out early in the morning and returning by mid-afternoon. With temperatures in the low teens, I admire their grit and determination. The ocean is gray and choppy, although right now we are having a brief hour or so of sunshine.

However you spend these last two days of 2013, I hope you’ll enjoy the remaining moments and make the most of the rest of the holiday season.

Montreal Casino

A frugal New Englander, I am definitely not a gambler, but while in Montreal recently I had a chance to attend the opening night festivities of the newly refurbished casino. It was a gala evening, and the building is amazing. At night, lights sparkle in the huge building and reflect off the water. Inside, all is light and bright.

Those who enjoy testing their wits against Lady Luck will find that the 4 years of construction and $305 million Canadian dollars poured into the casino were well spent. Slot machines now include 3-D animation with well-known film characters, for example. Perhaps most eye-popping are the visual effects projected on a huge multimedia wall. The casino also boasts 6 bars and several casual restaurants where the food–as one might expect in this cuisine-crazy city–is excellent.

Consider a stop if your travels bring you to beautiful Montreal, one of my favorite cities.

Thanksgiving in Maine

Guest of honor at the Thanksgiving feast

Although it feels more like Christmas, complete with blustery winds and snow falling, we’re just a little more than a day away from Thanksgiving. It’s my personal favorite holiday, largely because there is no agenda other than family, friends, and good things to eat.

New Englanders tend to stick to a traditional menu, parts of which–squash, for example–date back to that first Thanksgiving long ago. There was wild turkey as well, although it’s likely that the centerpiece of the feast was venison. With plenty of root vegetables and perhaps an early version of cranberry sauce (did you know that the Pilgrims called the berries “crane-berries” because they thought the flowering plant looked like a crane?) perhaps that first Thanksgiving might have looked quite familiar to us. There were guests, too, as the Pilgrims welcomed the friendly Wampanoag Native Americans who had helped them so much during those first few years.

Here on my small Maine island, we’re bundling up and getting ready to welcome company tomorrow. I hope you, too, have a great day on Thursday with friends and family. Christmas shopping can wait, no matter what the ads say……enjoy the moment!

October’s End

A final look at the leaves of autumn. Nathaniel Hammond photograph.

October is ending and November is just hours away. But first the ghosts and goblins come calling and a brave few will venture down our long driveway. I think they enjoy being a little scared as they wander beneath the trees and head toward the porch light. And they always head home happy with plenty of candy in their bags. It will be a chilly evening here on my small Maine island, and I’m remembering how much I hated having to bundle up in a coat over my costume when I was a kid. However, plenty of candy makes up for a lot of things and at least it’s not snowing as it was two years ago tonight when we all had to shovel out before the trick or treating could begin. Have a safe and happy Halloween…..and then, on to Thanksgiving!

Musings from a Small Maine Island

Despite what the calendar may say, summer officially ended yesterday. Many of our summer people head home at the end of August, especially those with children in school, but others stay through Columbus Day. The last of them rumbled across the swing bridge to the mainland yesterday, leaving a silence that was palpable this morning. Gone are most of the morning joggers and walkers in their designer

A Maine lobster boat at anchor at the end of a day's work. — A Maine lobster boat at anchor at the end of a day’s work.

outfits, leaving only us year-rounders briskly navigating the island in our sweats and sturdy LLBean hiking boots. The weather is unusually mild and the foliage currently is at its peak, so all in all it has been a lovely day and time to get down to the business of late autumn. It’s a good time of year to get some work done, both in the house and yard and in the office.

From my office window, I’m looking out at the water where just a few lobster boats bob on their moorings, along with a few pleasure boats belonging to year-rounders here on the island. The latter will soon be hauled in, but many of the lobster fishermen will set and haul their traps throughout the winter. As the weather and water turns colder, they have to go farther and farther out to sea, so I admire their fortitude. But I also know how much they love their work and that most of them would be unhappy doing anything else for a living.

We’ll begin a quick segue now into the fall and winter holidays….Halloween soon, followed by Thanksgiving. Pumpkins are everywhere, along with witches and goblins decorating lawns, and before long we’ll all be thinking about family celebrations and turkey dinners. And from there it seems like just minutes until Christmas. For now, though, I’ll enjoy these unexpected warm days and the glint of sunlight on orange maple leaves.

Leaf-peeping in New England

Fall colors near Rangeley, Maine. Nathaniel Hammond photography.

Throughout New England, color is just about at its peak now, bringing thousands of leaf-peepers to enjoy the show. In Maine, the best colors tend to be in the northern part of the state. I especially love the Rangeley area where, along with the beautiful trees, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll spot a moose or two.

We’ve just had several days of Indian summer. The leaves are glorious, and once they fall, we’ll all be looking ahead to winter. That’s fine with me. Unlike most New Englanders, autumn has never been my favorite time of year. It’s beautiful to be sure, but there is something about the fading light and shortened days that makes it a very melancholy season. Winter, despite the cold and snow, somehow seems a lighter, brighter, time of year…..perhaps it’s the winter holidays, perhaps it’s the contentment of having time to tackle a new book or other long project, or maybe it’s the thought that spring can’t be far behind. And I do love spring with all its promise, and summer, which has always seemed a time of fulfillment.

See, I told you that fall brings out the melancholy musings!

Autumn in Maine

I’ve just returned from another long boat trip along the Maine coast, watching as the leaves changed color almost daily. Of course here in Maine we have a lot of evergreen trees, but they serve as wonderful backdrop to the colorful maples, their dark green leaves really making those reds, golds, and purples pop.

It’s officially autumn, but at this time of year we always seem to have one foot still in summer, as if hesitant

The road less traveled is often the most rewarding. — The colors of a Maine autumn.

to jump into fall (and perhaps reluctant to think about what lies ahead in terms of winter weather!). Gardens are still filled with late summer flowers, mixed now with mums, flowering kale and other distinctive fall plants. It’s a busy time in the yard, cutting back everything, drying herbs from my herb garden before the first freeze takes them, laying in a supply of wood for the fireplace, and in general gearing up for the long winter days to come.

For now, though, I’ll enjoy the brisk days, the warm Indian Summer bonus due to arrive later this week, and the smell of wood smoke wafting from my neighbors’ chimneys. My little island is closing in on itself as the last of the summer people say goodbye for this year. They don’t know what they’re missing. Late fall on a Maine island has a special magic all its own.

August on a Small Maine Island

It’s been a long time since my last post. July found me on a long cruise along the New England coast while savoring beautiful weather all the way. Here on my small Maine island, summer is at its peak with late flowers in bloom and gorgeous, breeze-filled days to enjoy. Very soon, things will begin to change as summer visitors head back to their permanent homes and our little village reverts back to the 100 or so of us who live here throughout the year. And shortly thereafter, fall will arrive.

But for now it’s time to savor all the best of a Maine summer and the lazy, sun-filled days of August. There are more lobsters to eat, more country fairs to attend, more boat rides to enjoy, and more swims to be swum. To step outside on an August morning like today’s is to understand why so many people vacation in Maine and sometimes decide to move here permanently. Whoever came up with the state slogan: “Maine: The Way Life Should Be” must have been thinking of a day just like this one!

Summer in Maine

Pleasure boats bob on their moorings in the beautiful harbor of Camden, Maine.

At long last, summer is well underway here in Maine and with the Fourth of July right around the corner, visiting families and tourists are arriving daily. It’s been a bit damp and rainy, but predictions are good for the holiday weekend and all its activities. Here on my small Maine island, I now see cars from far-away places, very different from winter when there are only about 100 hardy souls here. Pleasure boats are bobbing on their moorings, the local eateries have opened for the summer season, and life is good ….indeed, as the Maine motto says, it’s “The Way Life Should Be.”

If you’re planning a trip to Maine or elsewhere in New England, you might find my book, Backroads & Byways of New England: Drives, Day Trips and Weekend Excursions helpful. I just had a nice note from a group of six travelers from Australia who are using it to plan their trip to Maine with stops in the other New England states.

However you spend your holiday, be safe and enjoy!