My View of Life on the Dock
Spectacular wildy waves after the March 6th storm. And stunning sunrise this am. Photos from around the back shore of Cape Ann, from Gloucester to Rockport, taken Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.
At sunset this evening, the skies cleared for a bit and one could see the snowstorm departing in an easterly direction, while more squalls were beginning to blow ashore from the west. The nearly half-Moon was rising over the marsh through the clouds. Swells along the backshore were larger than average, but nothing nearly as dramatic as the waves during a nor’easter. Perhaps the waves were bigger on the other side of the Island.
Although I didn’t get a snapshot, the small flock of Wild Turkeys was leaping about at the base of a bird feeder, hungrily looking for food. Which was actually pretty funny because grace is decidedly not a characteristic shared with these large-bottom birds. I wished I had a handful to give them.
Tonight’s full (appropriately named) Frost Moon rising between the Twin Lights. The Frost Moon is also known as the Beaver Moon and Mourning Moon. Oh how I wish I had my tripod with me tonight, but this image is fun anyway. I think it would make a better painting.
Photos from 10:00 this morning, about half an hour before high tide.
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Beautiful August Twin Lights sunrise
Does Good Harbor Beach at dawn ever get old? I think not 🙂
Captain Mark Ring and crewman hauling lobster traps in the early morning along Gloucester’s backshore.
It’s never not beautiful at Good Harbor Beach at sunrise.
The longest day of the year for the northern hemisphere is officially here today at 11:54am Eastern. In Gloucester the sun is up for 15 hours and 18 minutes, rising at 5:05am and setting at 8:23pm.
More days like this please!
Good Harbor Beach
Vivid rainbow-hued sunrise this morning
The Twin Lights were slipping in and out of visibility from Good Harbor Beach this afternoon. It was beautiful, and even more so when the sun peeked out for a bit. All three Piping Plovers were seen and unfortunately, so were a bunch of dogs 😦
North Light
Thacher Island North and South Lights
A kitesurfer must have amazing athleticism, with an ability to balance on the kiteboard while also controlling the powerful kite. And withstand Gloucester’s current 36 degree water temperature.
Hoping to capture the Supermoon, in all its huge glory, rising between the Twin Lights last night, but the sky was pink and hazy around the horizon line. Still, I think it’s good to have a record of a rarely occurring full moon on the first day of spring.
Thacher Island Twin Lights, waiting for the Moon to rise, North Light, left; South Light right.
Wild sea and atmospheric light made for some dramatic scenes this morning.
My fingers froze and I had to call it quits yet despite the bitterly cold five degree temperature and biting wind, day break brought blue skies and beautiful sea smoke all along the backshore, from Gloucester’s Ten Pound Island Lighthouse to Rockport’s Twin Lighthouses.
Take heart friends -today is the last day of January- only 48 more days until the spring equinox!
Fresh wild animal tracks crossing Niles Pond
Snapshots from a brief tour around the back shore while out doing errands this afternoon. With temperatures hovering at 5 degrees, Cape Ann was blanketed with a thick layer of impenetrable ice, snow squalls, and sea smoke.
Happy to see the temperatures are heading towards the forties after Tuesday!
A crazy person surfing at GHB 🙂
Friday afternoon, after the nor’easter, the sun came out just barely before the skies again darkened with a brief snow squall. I was driving along Atlantic Road during those fleeting in between moments when way off in the distance I spied a flock of birds, with the distinct shape of swans in flight. Swans fly with their long necks extended, unlike herons and egrets, which fly with their necks tucked in. What is Mr. Swan doing out in this wildly windy weather I thought. But it wasn’t Mr. Swan, it was an entire family of Swans! There were two adults and four cygnets. Stunning to see and very uplifting. They flew over the Twin Lights and then further and further until I could not see them any longer.
The first and third swans are the adults, the second, fourth, fifth and sixth are the cygnets, or first-hatch year juveniles.The young swans will retain their grayish brown feathers until their second summer.
Swans and wave crashing
A few more of the Mute Swan family flying toward and over Thacher Island
Late afternoon after last week’s nor-easter, I drove along the backshore to check out the waves. The breakers were only mildly dramatic but what caught my attention were the ribbons and ribbons of migrating birds flying over Twin Lights, heading toward the backshore. They just kept coming and coming and I think they may have been waiting out the storm before setting out on their night time journey. I followed them along the shore and past Eastern Point Lighthouse before losing sight of the travelers as they were crossing Massachusetts Bay and heading towards Boston.
Channeling Edward Steichen’s moonlit landscape paintings.
Twin Lights October Storm
Good Morning Gloucester 