An April Snowfall at Skylands
Temperatures at Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine, are expected to be in the mid-40s the rest of the week, erasing any signs of the recent April snowfall.
Last week, about four inches of heavy, wet snow covered the area in a blanket of white. As you know, I don't get to visit Skylands as much as I would like during the colder 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 and the surrounding areas whenever she can.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This is the main road to Skylands. It doesn’t look like it here, but this snow was very wet and heavy with large flakes. This kind of snow starts out light and fluffy, but as the flakes fall, temperatures at the surface become warmer causing the snowflakes to partially melt.
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- Just as Cheryl pulled into the driveway, she was greeted by four wild turkeys strutting across the road and into the woods.
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- The four were all males, also known as toms. In this photo, one can see the fanned tail feathers of one of them. The wild turkey is North America’s largest upland game bird. An adult tom can weigh up to 20-pounds.
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- Here are the large wild turkey prints in the snow.
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- This is the long back driveway – the snow has covered many of the tree branches.
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- Here is a young spruce tree with its branches weighed down by the heavy wet snow.
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- These are the steps heading toward the Council Circle. In the distance, one can see Rockefeller’s Teeth guarding the edge’s ledge.
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- Skylands is beautiful in every season, but under the glistening snow, it is even more magical. This is another look into the woodland, with a very small view of the ocean through the trees.
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- If you follow my blog regularly, you may recognize this spot – it’s the Council Circle with the fire pit in the center. The void around it is the circular sitting area. Cheryl captured this photo showing the direction the snow was falling and sticking to the bark of the trees.
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- The trees always look so pretty covered in snow. In this area are lots of hemlock, cedar and spruce trees.
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- This is one of my favorite views – through a leaded window in the dining room to the large “cracked ice” terrace.
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- In between these trees is Seal Harbor and Sutton Island – seen through the window in my living room.
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- Out another living room window is this view showing the terrace ledge and my long stone trough. The planter is carved from a single block of granite. I purchased it from Trade Secrets in 2013.
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- This is the circular driveway just out my front door at Skylands.
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- These branches on the stone wall are almost unrecognizable covered in white.
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- The few inches didn’t need plowing, but some of the tree branches did need some sweeping. Right after this photo was taken the Skylands crew swept the snow off the branches of these little mountain laurel trees.
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- This is Terrace One looking out over Seal Harbor. In the distance, one can see Sutton Island and The Cranberries.
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- The waters don’t look too choppy from this vantage point, but it is quite foggy. During summer, Seal Harbor is filled with boats.
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- Off the Skylands property, Cheryl drove to Little Long Pond and saw the rock wall stones washed away from the recent high tide.
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- Many of the stones were washed across the road to the other side. Eventually, a tractor will come by and push the stones back into the wall.
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- Here is another view of Little Long Pond, which drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The small structure in the center is a boathouse. 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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- The next morning, the skies were a beautiful spring blue. This view is off the Tarn Trail and looks at Dorr Mountain – a narrow north-south formation with steep cliffs sandwiched between Champlain Mountain to the east and Cadillac Mountain to the west. Dorr Mountain is the third tallest mountain on the island with an elevation of 1270 feet. I hope the skies are blue where you are today. At my Bedford, farm, we’re expecting clouds this morning, but lots of sunshine this afternoon.
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