January brought us an old-fashed Maine winter here on the coast. There were many serously cold days and a few good snow storms, including a significant nor’easter that left a snow blanket of well over a foot in most areas and about two feet or more in some. Let’s take a look.
We’ll start with the four iconic vistas that we monitor every month for these Postcards. They would be the western mountains on Mount Desert Island, as viewed from Amen Ridge in Brooklin; the “harbor house” on Harbor Island in Brooklin’s Naskeag Harbor; the south face of that near mountain called Blue Hill in the town named after it, and the old boathouse in Conary Cove, also in Blue Hill:
The effect of snow falling in our woods was magical:
The quiet sanctity of a cemetery became serenity; ancient equipment and playthings became art and Christmas wreaths turned into frozen fir rings:
The snow added character to many familiar structures — governmental, religious, commercial, educational, utilitarian, residential and even those that were rundown and abandoned:
Public roads were always plowed immediately and “salted” with a melting mix; unpaved private lanes and driveways that led to occupied residences also were cleared quickly; those that led to summer residences usually were the last to be plowed (in case of fire or other emergency):
On the fauna front, our white-tailed deer were protected by their plush winter coats that insulated heat so well snow didn’t melt on their backs; Harry, our resident porcupine, went into the snow-plowing business; wild turkeys had trouble crossing plowed roads; sea ice prevented gulls from swimming, and mallards visited freshwater streams to feed:
On the flora front, winterberry lived up to its name outside, as did our tropical amaryllis (from the Greek “to sparkle”) inside:
The working waterfront at Naskeag Harbor was quiet this January because the State closed that scallop-fishing zone temporarily for conservation:
The working waterfront at Center Harbor was a busier story due to the presence there of the renowned Brooklin Boat Yard and its many gifted boat designers and builders:
Moving from the seaside to the sky above, January’s clear, cold and coastal air provided breathtaking sunsets and afterglows, with everchanging colors that slid and swayed:
Finally, we leave you with the January full moon, which traditionally is called the Wolf Moon. This year it was a supermoon that arose over Mount Desert Island as a distorted, molten orb when viewed though our gritty atmosphere. When it escaped into the stratosphere and silverized, it was time for a certain photograoher’s imagination to take over. Later, it began to reflect less light and become distorted into a gibbous oval.
Having a wonderful time, wish you were here!
(All images in this post were taken in Down East Maine during January 2026, except the image of a canine-faced moon, which was a merger of a Leighton Archive phorograph with my image of this January’s full “Wolf Moon.”)