It doesn't usually get too hot, though some of its residents may complain when the thermometer goes over 80. And it's usually not too humid, at least not for long stretches of time.
When it's warm, humidity is low and there's a lovely breeze trickling through the bright sunshine, there's such a beauty to the day as I have never witnessed elsewhere at any time.
Maine falls are lovely, too, and it used to be my favorite season. There's still much to commend it, however, the transition time towards winter now makes me rather anxious.
Springtime - I won't even talk about that because there's no more spring like I remember as a kid. A transitional season as well, it seems like winter has encroached upon it now much more so than it used to. We haven't had a really nice spring in a long time.
Now it's only a couple weeks in May.
If that.
Winter.
Forty years ago, I loved winter. It was a time for different activities.
Sledding, ice skating, hockey, building snow forts and tunnels. We used to have to bundle up like little Ralphie in A Christmas Story in order to spend time out in the wonderland of cold snow and frosty air. Winter was also a great way to make a few dollars by shoveling out neighbors' walks and driveways after a storm.
When I was older, I took up downhill skiing and had a grand time at that.
Now, in my fifties, my perspective on winter has changed. Winter weather can start as early as late October and not end until sometime in April. The daylight is so short that I leave for work in the dark and return home in the dark. We've had way too many heavy, wet snows that I've had to shovel late at night, so my wife could get up the driveway when she got home from work.
Winter has become more of a burden than a delight.
I will admit that a snow cover is prettier to look at than the dull browns and grays of the landscape in a place that usually has no snow. There's a beauty in winter, but it's like Ginger Grant - cold and untouchable. It even turns dirty along roads and in cities after a short while.
I have become convinced over the last few years that light plays an important role in my particular moods. Of course, there is a plethora of information on Seasonal Affective Disorder which pertains to lower light levels in the winter.
But I don't think it's just about winter and the shorter days.
I believe that the light in the southern part of the United States is different than it is in the northern zone. I have seen lighting effects when traveling through the south that I just don't see here in Maine as often if at all. It seems to me that the light down south is brighter and of a different color temperature.
It appears to be more prevalent the further south one goes. For instance, I've seen it in North Carolina from time to time, and I look for it when I go there. But in Florida, one is likely to see it more frequently.
I don't have instruements with which to measure any of this, and it's really all my perception from what I can tell. There are articles on the internet that talk about how sunlight is brighter these days, and maybe that's part of all this. After all, the south is closer to the equator than the north, so the light refraction and dispersal should be different, I would think.
Here look at these picture comparisons:
The top one is from Boston and the bottom from Florida. It seems that the light in the north has a more golden hint to it and southern light is whiter. I know it's reflecting off what is around it, and that may influence how it looks. Like I said, it may just be my own perception.
It may also very well be the reason why I look forward to moving south one day.
That, and that winter thing, too.
