In Hancock County
March came in this year with surprising ferocity. Her winds gusted up to almost 50 miles an hour at times, roiling usually placid waters, and toppling trees.
She also brought our heaviest snows of the year, making our mild February seem like spring.
As you would suspect, then, March was unseasonably cold for the month that brings us spring. The thermometer dipped below zero several times and the snows and rains came. The result?: Sea ice, pond ice, stream ice, and that old favorite, mummifying rain chain ice.
Yet, there were many sunny days when the ice was more of a beautiful artifact than a nuisance. On those days, Bufflehead Ducks would bask and Herring Gulls would glide without a hint of being cold:
As the snow and ice began to melt and the late light stayed with us longer, evening landscapes were imbued with a lush duskiness:
Of course, dusk is a good time to raise a glass to St. Patrick on March 17 when the pub opens; it's also a good time to raise a net for Glass Eels on March 22, when the season opens for these little critters (also called Elvers).
All told though, March is best when viewed from a snow-dusted blueberry field in the early morning, as a pack of fast-moving clouds chases an unseen quarry across the sky.
For larger versions of the above images, as well as additional images of moments in March that we want to remember, click on the link below. (We recommend that your initial viewing be in full-screen mode, which can be achieved by clicking on the Slideshow [>] icon above the featured image in the gallery to which the link will take you.) Here’s the link to the full tour of March in Down East Maine:
https://leightons.smugmug.com/US-States/Maine/Out/2017-in-Maine/March-Postcards-From-Maine/
Cheers,
Barbara and Dick