Early December in Maine
Many of you often mention how much you love seeing photos from Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine. I hope you all saw the images I posted yesterday on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.
Every spring and summer, I make several trips to Skylands. Whenever I am there, the days are always filled with lots of great activities - hiking, shopping, touring local gardens, and of course, spending time with my family and good friends. Unfortunately, I am not there as much as I would like, especially during fall and winter. Cheryl DuLong, who helps me care for Skylands, has a gifted eye for photography and I always ask her to send photos from time to time. Here is a new collection of Cheryl's pictures of Skylands and the many splendors of Maine.
Enjoy!
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- This photo was taken Monday at sunset. I also posted it on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. The views from Skylands are so stunning. I wish I was there.
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- Here is another – looking out onto Seal Harbor.
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- This sunset photo was taken from what I call Terrace 1 at Skylands just above my large “iced terrace” – such a sight to behold. Do you know what makes the sunsets so colorful? Because the sun is low on the horizon, sunlight passes through more air at sunset and sunrise than during the day, when the sun is higher in the sky. More atmosphere means more molecules to scatter the violet and blue light away from the eyes, which in turn makes them appear more yellow, orange, and red.
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- Cheryl took this photo of the sunset’s reflection in the windows of my Living Hall – just as pretty as the actual view.
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- And this view was taken from my leaded dining room window looking out toward the ocean.
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- Cheryl loves to hike the many carriage roads and trails around Acadia National Park. She especially likes to visit the many stone bridges. This is a view through one of three arches of the Stanley Brook Bridge. As the last of Rockefeller’s classic carriage-road bridges built, Stanley Brook Bridge is also one of the most magnificent, welcoming visitors into Acadia National Park. Each of its three arches has a purpose: automobile traffic goes under the large middle arch, the Seaside Path hiking trail goes under the smaller west arch, and Stanley Brook flows under the eastern arch.
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- This is a view from the bridge’s overpass looking down at the brook below.
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- This is the Jordan Pond Road Bridge, sometimes called the Jordan Pond Seal Harbor Bridge. It is located just one-tenth of a mile east of the Stanley Brook Bridge, and connects with the hiking trail called the Day Mountain loop.
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- This is Jordan Stream which runs along the Jordan Stream Path. The stream starts at the south end of Jordan Pond and goes all the way to Little Long Pond near Seal Harbor.
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- These steps lead to the the carriage road to Jordan Pond House, a restaurant and shop that sits on a hill overlooking a beautiful lawn along the Jordan Pond. Guests have dined at the site since 1893 when Nellie McIntire, the first proprietor, started baking and serving her famous popovers out of the restaurant.
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- And this is the Jordan Pond Dam Bridge. Built in 1920, the Jordan Pond Dam Bridge leads visitors from the Jordan Pond House out to the surrounding carriage roads. Unfortunately, this bridge is often unnoticed by visitors since Jordan Pond and the “Bubbles” in the distance are the main attractions of the area.
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- These are the famous “Bubbles” of Acadia National Park. The North Bubble, which is the left mountain, has the highest elevation at 872 feet. The South Bubble follows at 766 feet.
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- Cheryl also drove along Bracy Cove across from Little Long Pond. Bracy Cove is located on the southern edge of Mount Desert Island, just outside Seal Harbor. She took this photo during king tide, a non-scientific term often used to describe exceptionally high tides.
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- This is a photo of seagulls as they take off from Seal Harbor Beach.
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- This is Sand Beach off of Ocean Drive. Sand Beach is a gorgeous little 290 yard long beach nestled on the east side of Mount Desert Island. The beach is largely comprised of unique sand and shell fragments created by the pounding surf.
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- Driving along, Cheryl also captured this image of the rock coast off Ocean Drive.
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- On this morning, the waves were very strong, crashing into the rocky landscape with great force.
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- To really see the crashing waves against the rocky shores and to hear their thunderous roars, one must go to Thunder Hole, a small inlet naturally carved out of the rocks. At the end of the inlet, down low, is a small cavern where air and water meet and then get forced out like a clap of distant thunder. Water may spout as high as 40 feet. The walkway is used for calmer, safer visits.
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- Moments later, another wave comes crashing in and the steps almost disappear from sight.
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- And here, it’s even difficult to see the rocks on the right. On a quiet day, this spot also offers panoramic views of Otter Cliff on the south side, Schoodic Peninsula in the far distance, and Sand Beach and Great Head to the north.
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- And finally, a sunset photo from Seal Harbor Beach, a large sand and pebble beach that’s open for swimming and diving during summer. One never tires of views like this one. I cannot wait until my next visit to Maine.
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