Category: Outdoors (page 1 of 3)

October is the month we wait for all year. The anticipation is long, but when it finally arrives, we couldn’t be happier. And even though neither Laura nor I are true Mainers, we certainly feel like we belong once autumn settles in. October is autumn, and autumn is October – and it’s absolutely wonderful.

September is truly one of Maine’s finest months. It’s always a toss-up between September and October for which feels more pleasant and comfortable – September for the warmth, October for the chill.

The “extreme” red on the U.S. Drought Monitor has been steadily creeping toward our county here in Maine. I’ve never seen it so severe. We’ve had dry spells, but nothing like this.

August is the month that gives us hope. The humidity drops slightly and the light begins to change to include just a few more shadows in comparison to its direct summertime brightness. The nighttime temperatures also begin to fall into the mid to high 50s. It can be a glorious month, but it can also be downright miserable, just like July was. You really never know what you’re going to get with the month of August in Maine.

On our property, we’ve got a stream, a brook, a pond, a shallow well, and another three-season stream that’s much smaller than the first. Since half way through July, the three-season stream has totally dried up, both the other stream and brook are all but a trickle, the pond is about three feet lower than its regular level (which is rather depressing to look at), and the shallow well is probably half its normal level. It’s got to be. I haven’t checked it this year, but if I were to go by what I’ve seen in previous years, that’s about where the water level is at this point in the season.

I never thought I’d hate something so much.

When I was a kid, I spent a good majority of my summer swimming at a lake about a half-mile from my house. I can remember enjoying most of my vacation days there – from June to early September. My friends and I would either ride our bikes down the hill to the lake or sit our butts on our oversized skateboards to do the same. Either way, we’d end up rolling through that six-foot tall chain-link gate that was attached to that six-foot tall chain-link fence. Ours was a private beach and membership was required. Oddly enough, I only remember one season when the powers-that-be actually enforced membership. They bought some elastic bands and plastic tags that members were encouraged to wear around their ankles. A teenager sat at the gate to police who came through. Again, that only lasted one summer, or two at most. And I’m not sure I ever wore the band around my ankle. I’m also fairly certain that only half the people who visited that beach were members. Relaxed environment would be an understatement.

It really depends on what type of person you are and where you plan on finding yourself in July in Maine. Do you enjoy winter activities while having few people around? If so, Maine (especially the coast) definitely wouldn’t be the best location for you (it can be hot and crowded). But if you have an affinity for the warmth and if you like to swim in the ocean, camp, and sail, yes – I’d say Maine during mid-summer would be right up your alley.

Living in Maine is like listening to a tale of two peoples. Half of Maine’s residents despise the cold, yet they continue to live in the state, and the other half deplore the heat, yet they continue to live in the state. Granted, Maine’s “heat” is much less hot than the heat found in other states. I’ll tell you though, it sure feels hot when a guy is trying to sleep while stuck to his bed sheets. Sweat. That’s all I can say. And lots of humidity.

Three things come to mind when I think of May in Maine – black flies, heat, and mowing the lawn. In that order, or pretty much that order.

If a homeowner expects to burn firewood that’s at least semi-dry come winter, that homeowner better start cutting and splitting their wood as early as they’re able to during the spring. And by spring, I mean early to mid-April. That’s for Maine. The more southerly a person lives, the earlier they can begin cutting and splitting.