A March Snowstorm at Skylands
The snow is finally melting at Skylands, my well-loved home in Maine.
Last week, I shared photos from the recent storm which covered my Bedford, New York farm. The same weather system also hit Seal Harbor - dropping a solid foot of snow in the area. As you know, I don't get to visit Skylands as much as I would like during the winter months. Fortunately, Cheryl DuLong, who helps care for my home there, is a wonderful photographer, and always keeps me updated by sending images of the property whenever she can. She sent me these beautiful pictures showing Skylands as a winter wonderland.
Enjoy these images.
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- Snow covered every surface, including the back entrance gate to Skylands. It doesn’t look like it here, but this snow was very wet and heavy.
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- Here is the long back driveway – so much snow has covered the tree branches.
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- Look at these trees – almost unrecognizable beneath the covering of white. These photos were taken early in the morning when everything still appeared very gray.
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- This post holds a hose during warmer months. It is also covered with snow.
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- From this angle, these spruce trees look even bigger and more majestic.
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- Cheryl captured this photo showing the direction the snow was falling and sticking to the bark of the trees.
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- These are white birch trees. Betula papyrifera is a short-lived species of birch native to northern North America. Also known as paper birch, it is named due to the thin white bark which often peels in paper like layers from the trunk.
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- These rocks are right outside my Map Room window. This view looks toward the hill where the “lost pools” are located.
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- Look closely to see the tiny buds of this blueberry bush. These highbush blueberries were already here when I purchased the home. They don’t seem to produce any fruit – they probably don’t get enough natural light in this location.
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- If you follow my blog regularly, you may be able to recognize this spot – it’s the Counsel Circle completely covered in snow. You can make out the fire pit in the center. The void around it is the circular sitting area.
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- Despite all the beauty, it’s a lot of snow to shovel around the house. These steps – yes there are steps here – run from the back to the front.
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- To protect the large urns on the terrace from the winter elements, they are covered with plywood boxes – the urns are three to four hundred pounds each, so it is much easier to cover them during the cold season.
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- This is a view from Bedroom Two looking out onto the terrace, Seal Harbor and Sutton’s Island beyond. If you look at the bottom, you can see a bit of the kiwi vines that grow around Skylands.
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- This is my circular driveway at the front of my home. Snow showers later turned to rain washing a lot of the heavy snow from the tree branches.
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- Cheryl captured this view looking across to Thrumcap Island from one of the bedroom windows. The island is owned by Acadia National Park, but is managed as part of the Coast of Maine Wildlife Management Area and supports the nesting of many birds each year.
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- Here is one of the tall spruce trees that can be seen off the terrace. I love how it towers over the others. Seal harbor is in the distance.
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- And don’t worry – Aristide Maillol’s ‘La Riviere’ is safe and all tucked away for the remainder of winter.
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- Skylands is beautiful in every season, but under winter’s glistening snow, it is even more magical. This view is from the laundry room window looking out to the water pool.
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- I love how the shadows form beneath the trees as the sun comes up. Look further and you can see Rockefeller’s Teeth guarding the edge’s ledge.
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- Here is a closer look at Rockefeller’s Teeth. In the center is a young rhododendron that self seeded in this area.
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- The skies turned a beautiful blue later in the morning, but look at the snow that fell on the branches of this kiwi vine. This view is from the Living Hall door.
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- Off the Skylands property, Cheryl drove to Bracy Cove. The tide is about three-quarters high. The tide line is very clear after a winter storm – at high tide, the water would meet the snow.
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- This is another view of Bracy Cove looking in the opposite direction – the waters look quite calm.
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- And just on the other side of the carriage road is Little Long Pond – covered under a blanket of white. More Rockefeller’s Teeth line the carriage road in between the two.
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- When the ice is completely solid, many visitors skate at Little Long Pond. It is also open for swimming during summer months.
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- Here’s a view looking across Seal Harbor. The house on the left is where local fishermen keep their supplies. Skylands is across the water.
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- And here’s a view from Seal Harbor Beach. The area is pretty desolate now, but in a few months, this will be crowded with beachgoers once again.
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