One Down, One to Go!!

What the hell, just another 8-10 inches of the white stuff falling on our head last night and this morning. Right now it's late afternoon and the sun's managed to stick its nose out for a couple of hours. Just the right weather to get the shoveling done---for now. A second storm is due in late tonight and tomorrow so keep those shovels handy folks as there is more coming.

You, yes you of the Hawaii clan--quit laughing!! Enough already, who or whom did we manage to really tick off this year. Just in December here on Peaks Island, we've received nearly 50 inches of snow versus 5 last year--somebody somewhere is not happy with us. It must be all those individuals hating the Red Sox, Patriots and yes, even the Celtics this year; these are indeed end times for New England sporting fans and I, proudly, am one of them!!

Took a stroll around the neighborhood this afternoon and the new snowfall is absolutely beautiful. Even with the shoveling, it's extremely peaceful right now. Just watching the sun setting with its last rays flowing off the new fallen snow does indeed settle one down.

A happy new year's greeting to all. May this coming year be a good one for all and oh ya, an early Spring would definitely be appreciated---big time!

Exhale Everyone!!

Another season of Christmas hecticity (is that a word?) has been survived. The island has settled down considerably in the last twenty four hours and not a moment too soon. I hope everyone had a wonderful time spent with old friends and as many family members as possible.

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve turkey pot luck dinner with a large number of friends crowded around a single table. Of course, the island lost its electricity that afternoon so panic set in on getting the turkey done but all was restored, the universe survived and the turkey was done just right. Many tales of island days and people gone by were told over wine and egg nog laced with Screech rum freshly imported from Newfoundland--admittedly, the tales got better as the Screech bottle got lower.

With Sean and Monika in Boulder and Josh and Heather in Providence, our Christmas day was a quiet one highlighted by a wonderful roast beef dinner prepared by our wonderfully talented cooking friend Caralen. Today's been spent recovering from the delivery of a tank of oil--good grief, it is getting noticably expensive to stay warm this winter. When is Spring coming????

I did manage to run some errands this afternoon dropping off an audio book and musical CD's at the Library and filling up the car with gas (might as well go totally broke!) before heading around the island. I did manage to get a few shots in as the light was fading. Lots and lots of covered boats in yards all over the island right now. It's definitely the quiet time of the island between now and late March and we badly need it though too many of us seem not to know it. Oh well, deep breaths and good books is my motto for this time of the year. Enjoy the post Christmas quiet and give your significant other a big hug to prepare for the new year.

A Maine Day!!

One of the things we discovered after moving to Maine back in 1972 was how beautiful it is in Maine the day after a bad storm. Well, the Nor'Easter we just went through was a bad storm. Only 8 inches of snow but then that was followed by another 2 inches of sleet which was then followed by some rain which was then followed by temperatures around 5 degrees. Welcome to the island of Hoth!! We were definitely ice bound and shoveling was virtually impossible. Since the supply of grenades was sold out at Hannigan's Market, we were forced to the age old method of picks and shovels and making big hunks of ice into little hunks of ice.

My back and shoulders still aren't recovered but the day after the storm when the sun reappeared was stunningly beautiful. Ice covered everything but it sure reflected well off of the sun's rays. We've always referred to these type of days as "Maine Days". They don't happen that often but when they do, the sky is crystal clear with a much deeper blue tint and the air has a definite snap to it. Special days indeed. Here's a couple of pictures from early in the morning of a definite Maine Day. Of course, Otis just sits and watches life go by; everyone has their own version of watching TV.

Of course we had two decently clear days but last night we went back into the pits of more snow which lasted about 24 hours. Oh well, just another 8-10 inches; what the hell. A white Christmas is a lock right now. There is no way all this snow will be gone over the weekend. Maybe I'll get out tomorrow and take the camera with me for some shots different than out the window or off the back deck. Even I'm getting bored with the same pictures under different conditions.

Yup, It's Snowing!!!

Slowly pulled myself out of a warm bed this morning a little before 9am. Very late for me but I'm certainly not going anywhere today so why not just roll over one more time. Snow started in the early morning and the wind and snowfall just seem to keep increasing by the hour. This is a good old fashioned Nor'Easter.

Temp seems to be sitting at just about 10 degrees and the wind right out of the northeast seems to be a solid 30-40 knot "breeze". This is supposed to be with us until Monday morning so the shoveling should be more than a little interesting. It's pretty cold on the surface for this amount of snow so the upper levels must be warmer. Allegedly, we may have a turn into some freezing rain, sleet and hail so as the day unfolds, we'll see what happens.

At least so far, the electricity has held since with the temps so low, the snow is really fluffy which means nothing comes down, like tree limbs, taking power lines with it. Hopefully, the storm will stay in this fluffy snow. Chaos will reign in southern Maine if the power goes out before the Patriots/Jets game is completed. We've all been really looking forward to this game since the great Spygate hoopla back in September. Rumor has it that a basketball scoreboard has been mounted at the Stadium so more than 100 points can be registered. In this weather I'll take a 7 point win and move on to the next game.

Here's some pictures from a little before noon so to the Hawaii clan, enjoy the pictures of what you're missing and remember fondly those snorkel jackets from your Bangor days. Survive the windchill temps of 82!!!

Saturday's Trip Into Portland

We had a chance last night to have dinner with Josh and Heather before they depart for Christmas in Nashville. It was cold and windy but the company and food were wonderful. A fun time was had by all. Here's a few shots while we were waiting for the boat into town.

It's good to see that the Peaks message board is still very active late in December. The traps are about pulled for the winter and most everyone's boat is now on land. It is time for a winter's respite in spite of the looming storm.

There's a Storm a Comin'

The sun is still shining this Saturday afternoon but clouds are on the southern horizen. Tomorrow is supposed to be a good old fashioned Nor'Easter with strong winds and lots and lots of snow, sleet, ice, hail and anything else that can be thrown at us from the skies.

Winter has definitely arrived early this year. We've been in the world of white for a solid two weeks now. This past week has seen three snow days and three sun days with temps only making it to 30 degrees once. Oh well, it is December but golf has definitely ceased for a winter respite. Time to snooze, read and definitely enjoy watching Celtics and Patriots games; hell of a season for both teams. It's definitely fun to be hated again!! Here's few pictures from the last couple of days; at least our cat Gabby has the right idea on how to pass the winter days by soundly snoozing on top of my chair all the while keeping her outstretched paw on top of my head.

I'll try and capture a few pics of the snow coming down tomorrow so the Hawaiian part of the clan can shiver in their wind chills of 82 degrees!! Enjoy it to the fullest fair clan.

December Greetings

It's hard to believe but December is upon us. The winds are really having at us today. It feels like they started right on the peak of Mt. Washington, flowed across the Bay and slammed into our house; it is indeed a cold, windy day. Temp's just about 20 degrees right now and the white caps are dancing under the sun's rays. The Bayline boats are still running but they're having a real hard time docking at Peaks.

Tonight's the annual Christmas carol sing plus the lighting of our own Peaks Island Christmas Tree; sure hope the wind dies down so the tree and carolers can remain upright.

In spite of the wind today, our weather's not been too bad. Just a week ago I came across the last couple of trees that still had some leaves intact and with the sun hitting them just right, it was definitely a golden aura. Well, as of today, those leaves are long gone and flying somewhere over Casco Bay. The shopping treks have begun and the Islanders catching the 10am boat uptown are pretty well wrapped up waiting for the boat. I do believe winter has arrived. The last golf outing took place this past Wednesday and my clubs are now safely tucked away after a thorough cleaning, resting and restoring their strength awaiting the first round next April---late March if we're really lucky.

Enjoy the change of seasons and let the reading and snoozing begin. Winter greetings to all!!