Newsletter

Our winter seems to have taken a turn for the worse. After a long snowy stretch of real winter. We seem to have gone into a pattern of warmer temperatures with storms that start as snow and change to sleet, then freezing rain and eventually all rain. The ground is still white in most places but I'm sure that won't last long with a couple of these messy storms this week. The groundhog saw his shadow so we have at least six more weeks to look forward to. Of course here that is normal as ice out will not be until mid April.

We are in what is usually the coldest part of our winter and it is just what we expect. This morning the temperature was a little below zero Fahrenheit without a cloud in the sky. Luckily the strong wind that was forecast has not shown up. Yes we have a breeze but not the wind that can make a cold day miserable. The moon was full last night which gives spectacular nights lit by the glow of the moonlight reflected off of the snow. It is nearly as bright as day but the light has a different quality.

December was a very snowy month here and January seems to be following the same theme. Without going through each storm of the last couple of weeks there is nearly three feet of snow on the ground this morning. Most of it is soft and fluffy not able to hold up even my widest snowshoes very well. I snow shoed through our woodlot and sank down at least a foot even with snowshoes on but it was great to be out. Only Woody our golden retriever tagged along but even he tired quickly in the deep snow. He sank up to his chest even in my snowshoe tracks.

I hope that this issue of the newsletter finds you reflecting on another good year and looking forward to celebrations with friends and family. To lighten your mood even further click here to see that not only can old guides dance they look pretty good in a green elf suit. We are at the winter solstice, where you live that fact may not impact your day very much but here in mid coast Maine the daylight hours are just over six and a half hours shorter than the longest day in June, a noticeable difference.

This morning there can be no doubt that winter is here. I woke up at 5 a.m. with only a little snow on the ground but it is snowing steadily now. By the time Argy and I went for a walk there were three or 4 inches on the ground and by late morning there is every bit of 6 inches.

This morning is cold and windy. A strong breeze out of the southeast is blowing a chilly rain sideways and the sky is dark. This is one of the days that makes November seem like such a dark month. A flock of turkeys is feeding along the edge of the field across the street. There are almost 30 of them and they sure do look wet!

This is one of the times of year when change is very noticeable to me. I have guided my last striper fishing party for the season and no longer need to get up and out by 5:15 AM, which makes it possible for Argy and I to walk each morning when I am at home. Our morning walks are now in the near darkness marking the noticeable shortening of the day. I still have fishing parties at the end of the month and into November but the focus changes to mid day to take advantage of slightly warmer water temperatures.

Sunday I had a canoe trip under perfectly clear fall skies. With the foliage changing a little more every day and a pleasant breeze the entire trip was picture perfect. The river is very low due to the dry weather and the beavers have completed the dam right below the Union fair grounds.

I had forgotten what a great experience the fall run of fish can be. The last two mornings in the drizzle with the leaves definitely starting to turn in the background and we had a steady stream of fish in most of the expected places. The best part about these fish is not only are they actively feeding but they are bigger and certainly stronger than they were a few months ago.

When I pulled out of the driveway last week I was surprised to see one of the red maples across the street has started to change color. Then I had to go to Augusta and drove past the marsh near Traveler Pond in Coopers Mills where all of the maples are already bright red. As I look out across the hills today the trees have definitely begun to change their colors. It is for the most part subtle but there for sure if you look carefully.