Post Ice, Pending Snow...

Well, our neighbor lost a truly lovely tree, but we made it through the Big Ice relatively unscathed. The house, luckily, is wedged between two of Maine's largest hospitals (Mercy and Maine Medical Center)...as a result, we lose power very rarely and when we do, they get it back on in this neighborhood before almost any others...

It was amazing to walk around out back the next day, listening to the ice in the massive maples in the back, as the branches blew (or swung, as the case may be) in the breeze, there was a constant crackling and popping of ice. Amazing.

My folks were on the generator for a while and midcoast was hit pretty hard. We had a guest stay with us while her house was dark and cold. The worst hit here in Maine was in the Alfred area...still without power after many days. This is, of course the local of the famed farm of Don and Sam, proprietors of Rabelais Books, the best foodie bookstore in Maine (and, in my not remotely humble opinion, the most/all landmasses in the western hemisphere...perhaps more). In the midst of their suffering, they hosts a *very* fun holiday cookie exchange (bring 1 type, leave with many). With luck, they are warm again this evening...tomorrow at the latest.

Amazing to see .25 to .5 inch of ice covering things. Amazing and very unpleasant. Snow tonight and for later in the week. Much more fun, that.