|
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND CURRENTS ARCHIVE October 1 - December 31, 2011 Friday, December 30, 2011
Northeast Harbor in late December - amazing! Break out the picnic gear! Our weather continues to be quite volatile and unusually mild for this time of year - snow one day, followed by rain and warmer temperatures the next! The bottom line is that we still do not have any lasting snow cover, and none is predicted over the next week or so. Snow lovers had a bonanza last winter, but they have been effectively shut out this season. Anyway... we wish all of you a very Monday, December 26, 2011
Christmas Eve sunset over Blue Hill Bay at Seal Cove. Saturday, December 24, 2011
Early morning snow yesterday, followed by bitter cold temperatures, means that we will have a white Christmas after all! Wednesday, December 21, 2011
The winter solstice occurs tonight (actually at 12:30 a.m. tomorrow morning). For the next six months, our hours of daylight will
be steadily increasing - slowly at first, but speeding up considerably by March and April. So far our late fall and early winter
weather has been unusually mild. We still have no snow on the ground and only Monday, December 19, 2011
Jordan Pond Gate House on Saturday morning. Friday, December 16, 2011
Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers' presentation of "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas". On this last weekend before Christmas, our weather continues to be very mild with no snow, but a cold front today should cool things down quite a bit for the weekend. With all of your last minute holiday activities, don't forget the open house tomorrow at the Jordan Pond Gate House in
Acadia National Park. This is a very rare event, and it is one you should not miss. See our Happenings page.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Ocean Properties' new West Street Hotel under construction in Bar Harbor. In case you have been away from the island for awhile, you may be interested to see that considerable
progress has been made recently on closing in the new West Street Hotel project against the oncoming the winter. Opening is scheduled for June, 2012.
An artist's rendering of the front facade can be seen on the fence in the lower left of the photo.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Upper Hadlock Pond with Bald Peak in the background on a calm December morning. Friday, December 9, 2011
Early morning reflections at Northeast Harbor. Our weather coutinues to be unseasonably mild for December, although temperatures should fall The clear evenings and early mornings recently have been excellent for star gazing! Several planets are visible at this time of the year -
Venus and Jupiter show up in the hours immediately following sunset, while Saturn and Mars dominate the sky before dawn! Also, the
constellations are spectacular. Make a point to check it out if you live here on MDI, or if you are fortunate enough to have a
dark night sky far away from city lights!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
What? Me worry? Nah! I've got it pretty good around here! Monday, December 5, 2011
Seal Cove in early December with no snow. After a couple of colder days, we are back to very mild weather this morning. The high today should
reach the low 50's! Now where's your bathing suit?
Friday, December 2, 2011
Somesville Library on a mild afternoon, the first of December. Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Pretty Marsh inner harbor at low tide. According to national weather forecasts, Maine is the warmest place in the lower 48 states this morning with a temperature of 63 degrees. By comparison Miami is 59 and states in the southwest are also in the 50's! Go figure! More seasonable temps should arrive here by the weekend - just in time for you to pick up some great Christmas presents at the
Island Arts Association Holiday Fair. Get all the details on our Happenings page.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Amphitheater Bridge shortly before last Wednesday's snowfall. Despite two major snowstorms so far this fall, our temperatures this morning are in the unseasonably mild 50's! As a result,
very little snow remains from last week's 8 inches. The forecast indicates more of the same until
at least mid-week when cooler and more normal weather should arrive!
Monday, November 21, 2011
We have many reasons to be thankful this year, and among them has been our very pleasant fall weather. The forecast indicates that moderate temperatures should continue through most of the upcoming week. If you plan to travel, do so safely as there will be many people on the roads and in the air. Take the time to count your blessings! Congratulations to all those involved in the MDI High School Drama program on a remarkable series of sold-out performances over the past two
weekends. "Cats" was great, and you should be very proud of your significant achievement!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Little Long Pond before the snow flies. Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Yikes! Another beautiful sunset! (In November this time.) This weekend will be your last opportunity to see the MDI High School fall musical production "Cats". It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just over one week away! Immediately after that, you will see lots of
special holiday fairs around the island. Make your plans to shop locally as much as possible this season - it's good for all of us!
Monday, November 14, 2011
This doe is safe, since hunting is not allowed on Mount Desert Island. Drivers, however, are another matter! Friday, November 11, 2011
It's 11-11-11, and our mild weather continues for at least a few more days! We'll take it! More
importantly, however, today is Veterans Day - a time to remember and honor all who serve and have served to keep our
country free. Without a doubt, the best way we can do that is by resolving to fulfill our personal responsibilities as a citizen in a democracy.
That means informing
ourselves on the issues and exercizing our hard won right to vote! There is no valid excuse for the 30%, 40% or 50% voter turnout that has
become all too common around this country - not even in the so-called "off years"! When we don't vote, or when we pursue short term, selfish interests,
we are doing a great disservice to the memory of those who
made the ultimate sacrifice to give each of us that opportunity!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The colorful leaves might be mostly off the trees now, but you can still enjoy them - just look down! Monday, November 7, 2011
A relatively uncommon Stilt Sandpiper looking for a meal in Pretty Marsh Inner Harbor yesterday afternoon. What a beautiful weekend, especially for early November! And the forecast indicates that we should have three more sunny days before some showers arrive on Thursday. The Happenings calendar is much shorter than it has been for the past few months, but there
are things going on. Friday, November 4, 2011
Morning fog over Long Pond on Wednesday. Our snow from last weekend is virtually all gone with sun and milder temperatures almost every day this week - but we are fully settled into fall, however, as the frequent morning fog can attest! Fog can be beautiful though, and we plan to have some more foggy photos coming up soon. Don't forget that Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend, so "fall back" one hour before going to bed on Saturday evening. That
means, of course, that the early morning hours will be a bit brighter, but sunset will happen about 4 in the afternoon! We
have already lost 5 1/2 hours of daylight since June 21! UGH!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
View to the north from Cadillac Mountain on Saturday. In case you did not make it up Cadillac Mountain last week, you might want to file this scene away in your memory, because you
likely will not get another chance to see it until next spring. Sunday's snowstorm closed all of the Acadia Park roads, and while the
lower portion of the Loop Road may reopen for a bit before December, the road to the Cadillac summit probably will remain closed.
The Hulls Cove Visitor Center also closed for the season on Monday, but information can be obtained year-round at Park headquarters on Eagle Lake Road.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Trick or Treat? BOO! The weekend October nor'easter brought record breaking snow to the entire northeast U.S., but we were relatively fortunate
here on MDI. Our snowfall was measured in just a couple of inches instead of a couple of feet - and it did not set any
records for us even though October snow is pretty rare. Our maritime climate saved the day once again! Watch out for all the ghosts and goblins this afternoon and evening. Be safe!
Friday, October 28, 2011
View to the west from Cadillac Mountain in late October. The Happenings calendar has started to slim down considerably, but there still are some
events you don't want to forget. One would be the Beech Hill Farm Family Fun Day tomorrow. Check it out!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Mediterranean Shipping Company's "Poesia" at anchor off Bar Harbor this morning. Today marks the end of our 2011 cruise ship season with final visits from "Caribbean Princess" and "Poesia". As a result, many shops in Bar Harbor will close this evening and not reopen until April or May. The weather forecast actually held out the possibility of - (dare we say it?) - some light snow
late tomorrow night into Friday morning, but recent computer models indicate that now may only happen in the mountains of western and
southern New England.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Not all ships visiting Bar Harbor are cruise ships. The 110' U. S. Coast Guard patrol boat "Sanibel" We enjoyed a beautiful late fall day on Sunday, but the weather doesn't look quite so promising
for the upcoming week. While our fall foliage is now past peak, there is still color to be found in certain protected pockets.
Get out and take a look before the opportunity passes you by!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Our cruise ship season is rapidly approaching an end for this year. After today, we have just four more visits scheduled - two on Monday and two on Wednesday. The unusually decorated ship shown above was here a couple of days ago. It is the "AIDAaura" from Germany and caters to a younger, active crowd with activities such as mountain biking, rock climbing and hiking. Today and tomorrow are also the last days this season for Beech Hill Farm's farmstand, so you might want to pick up some
fresh organic produce before it is too late! Their Family Fun Day and Harvest Festival is scheduled for next Saturday the 29th.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Our autumn leaves peaked a few days ago, but the color did not last as long as usual due to strong winds. With rain
moving in over the next couple of days, our leaf peeping season will probably be over!
Monday, October 17, 2011
The leading female runner, Leah Jabbour of Nova Scotia, in yesterday's MDI Marathon near mile 21 in Somesville. The highlight of this past weekend was the 10th running of the MDI Marathon on Sunday. 1,200 entrants participated in what has become a top destination event attracting runners from all over the United States and Canada. The men's winner was ultra-marathoner and US Olympic gold medalist Michael Wardian of Arlington, VA, while Leah Jabbour of Halifax, NS won the women's race. The weather remains partly sunny and relatively mild for this time of year - at least that will be
the case until Wednesday evening when a strong front is expected to bring tropical rain up from the Gulf of Mexico!
Friday, October 14, 2011
More rain means more mushrooms - but at least many of them are pretty! The rainy weather continues for at least one more day, but we can't complain about what has been a beautiful fall so far! The foliage has just about peaked here on the island - at least a week later than usual. Bar Harbor should be strangely quiet today, as no cruise ships are in port for the frist time in awhile. If you have errands to run, this might be a good day to do it! Ships return on Sunday and continue through the 26th. Don't forget to check out the MDI Marathon on Sunday morning - and take care when driving along the marathon route,
especially through Somesville where the road is quite narrow. Help keep the runners safe!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Moonrise yesterday evening. Our week-long stretch of summer weather appears to be coming to an end. The forecast indicates
that rain will move in tonight and continue well into the weekend! Cooler days will be good for the MDI Marathon which
takes place on Sunday. The course starts in Bar Harbor; passes through Seal Harbor, Northeast Harbor and Somesville; ending
in Southwest Harbor. There will be many good viewing spots along the route, so go out and take a look!
Monday, October 10, 2011
What a gorgeous Columbus Day weekend we are having - bright blue skies with unseasonably warm temperatures! Friday, October 7, 2011
After several days of fog and rain, we saw the passage of a strong cold front that led Our forecast indicates a great holiday weekend ahead with a significant warming trend through
Sunday! Wednesday, October 5, 2011
With all of our rainy days recently, mushrooms are popping up everywhere in the woods. Some of them are quite interesting and even beautiful. Take a close look when you are out and about. Finally, the weather should begin to improve today as plenty of sun is expected for the next few
days along with seasonably cooler temperatures.
Monday, October 3, 2011
The cruise ship "Queen Mary 2" in Bar Harbor on Friday. October is starting off cool and wet, much to the chagrin of those who have been hoping for a bit more nice weather before Columbus Day! The leaves are still in the process of changing though, with peak color at least a week away - plenty of time for the weather to improve! The cruise ship season is certainly at it's peak right now with two or three ships in port every day! That should continue until the
end of this month when it all ends until next spring. This is the time of year when the big ships visit, so check the schedule on
our Happenings page and swing by the Bar Harbor town pier to see some of them when you get a chance.
GO TO OTHER ARCHIVE PAGES: Back to MDI.Net Home Page |