Soggy Start

The first days of summer came slowly to mid-coast Maine, as a week full of rain, wind, and cool temperatures settled over the region, seemingly refusing to budge. The temperature the past few days barely reached the 60 degree mark. Nights have been downright cold, thank god I still have something left in my furnace. Many a northern New Englander knows that subtle facial cringe that comes when the thermostat is turned up 6 days shy of July. Lately when it hasn't rained, it has misted, and when the mist finally dies down, the clouds continue to hover, always threatening to deposit more precipation on the already soaked green grass of the coast. Finally, there is the fog, that ever persistent pea soup thick fog that blankets roads and fields and wipes away any chance of visibility on the water or off. Stand on the corner of the town dock in Tenants Harbor and you will see nothing but white, swirly mist. Wait a few more minutes, and out of nowhere, lobsterboats and sailboats will drift by, suddenly appearing out of the fog like ghosts from the sea. The beauty of a foggy day in Maine is the reward that follows it, for when the fog lifts and that bright blue sky appears, the sun will shine on your face with an urgency that will will leave you breathless and at ease. The water sparkles around you again, and the cool winds of the ocean will once more lift your spirts and give you an energy that moves you through the rest of the day. The summer may have gotten off to a soggy start, but start it did, and finish it has not. Optimism remains, just like the potential for crappy weather. We take what we can get here in coastal Maine, and we cherish every heavenly minute of it.