Snow is a four letter word but the winters in Maine without it are long, dreary and put a sag in the local economy.
Snow piling up means groomed sled trails, down hill skiing as lift ticket sales pick up. The shovel operators that clear the porch and house roof, the guy who angles the snow out of your driveway. Winter snow covers the bare brown landscape with a white fluffy insulating blanket. The glistening snow that hardens up like lemon meringue pie topping with a little melting under a bright sun then freezing action. The crunch of walking along a sidewalk in a small Maine town or out in the countryside on the way to farm barn to do the early morning chores.
Snow covered winter months create a stillness to reflect on life in Maine.
As the calendar year changes and New Year’s resolutions are recited, recycled from previous new beginnings. Ice fishing is a slow sport but huddled around the six inch holes waiting for your five traps to trip. Displaying the orange flags popping up during the signaling of the fresh dinner has been delivered on the end of the line. It’s a Marshmallow World in the winter in Maine. Sugar coated tree limbs and power, communication lines part of the winter painting on the outdoor canvas.
Wood kitchen cook stoves bake the beans, brown bread and have the tea kettle ready for Maine homestead afternoon sessions in rocking chairs.
Weather forecasting has to be accurate if you are a farmer, fisherman or find yourself waging a war and overseas. How does the farmer’s almanac still forecast so well without having daily readings of all the vitals in the weather making? When all the technology guiding and adjusting is left out of the mix when suddenly a warm front hits a cold one and low pressure zones cause a shift in the weather? The farmers almanac claims a batting average of 80% home runs.
The restaurants, the motels, gas stations, taxi services and air ports in Maine during winters blessed with heavy loads of snow.
All the areas on the way to and from the winter resorts benefit when there is a steady flow of snow. Suffer snowless drought conditions too long in the weather forecasts and the economic coffers become way way lighter. When new fresh snow accumulations don’t come down from heaven. When snow is missing in the Maine winter forecast. Here’s a Maine link on winter tourism. Another one for winter vacation in Maine suggestions. The state and town highway snow crews do a super job keeping the roadways open, sanded, salted and safe for travel. We know how to drive in it and no one hibernates or fears snow flakes.
The coldest winters in Maine are the snowless ones.
The snow dampens the sounds and muffles. Be a kid again and dig out a tunnel in a bank. Climb inside and hear nothing, as you kick in a circle to make your snow castle room larger. Eskimo natives can tell you about the fifty kinds of snow. Snow comes in different flavors, requiring different waxes for the various temperatures in cross country ski fun.
Let’s go skiing at the Sugarloaf USA resort. Or stop in for breakfast on the snow sled trail and hear from the locals at the club house. Have you been to Maine in the winter? Visited a lighthouse without the tourist buzz and came away with a whole new sensation from the experience?
Maine, she has four seasons. We don’t stop the show because of a few new flakes of snow. Happy New Year Me In Maine blog post followers.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573 | mailto:info@mooersrealty.com |
MOOERS REALTY 69 North Street Houlton Maine 04730 USA