The storm held us in its grip for more than 24 hours with swirling snow and gusty winds!  The City of Bath saw about 22″ of the white stuff, but the temperatures were low, so it was fluffy and power outages were not a widespread problem.  Drifting was pretty significant, however!

This morning, the clean-up began very early as lots of folks were needed back at work.  It was terrific to see neighbor helping neighbor to get the cars out of the driveways.  The City of Bath makes quick work of the street clean-up, and the trash pick up went on like a normal Wednesday.

The sunshine appeared late morning and as I drove into the Maine Home Realty office, I stopped and snapped a few photos.

Bath has lovely City Parks – This is Library Park with the Patten Free Library in the background and the Gazebo that will be hosting summer band concerts again before we know it.

I swing down Commercial Street, along the Kennebec River, and stop to admire Bath’s Waterfront Park.  The docks have long been pulled and the little waterfall has been silenced.  When the snow flies, people forget and ask, “Why do I live in Maine, again?”  I think it is for the blues – as in the sky and in the water.  Artists will tell you about the amazing light in Maine.

You can see ice flowing down the Kennebec behind the picnic pavilion.  No one is here today, but it wouldn’t be an awful day for a picnic.  Maybe later?  I watched those ice floes more closely and saw that there were more than a few ride-along birds enjoying a free cruise down the river in the sunshine.  Not a bad way to see the coast of Maine, I imagine!

The Sagadahoc Bridge with the Carlton Bridge behind, spans the Kennebec River between Bath and Woolwich, Maine.  I never get tired of looking at those bridges – they speak to the possibilities of what is beyond, and it is all beautiful, because it is Maine, until it isn’t Maine anymore, and then it is Canada!

I arrive at the office  and see that our planter box is covered with snow, a testament to the winds that came with this storm.  You see, that planter sits on our covered veranda and I have never seen it with snow before!  The veranda, itself, is sporting a layer of snow about 15″ deep in front of our neighbor’s office.  At home, the snow came inside the window screens and friends reported drifts INSIDE garages!

Here is what our plow guy, and every other plow guy for miles around, had to figure out this morning – where to put ALL OF THE SNOW!  This mountain is directly outside our office window and the photo doesn’t do justice to the size of this pile!  It is about 8′ tall and 15-20′ long!  The same kind of mountains have risen out of the landscape all over town.  Aren’t they marvelous?

And here is our confused geranium, sitting in the office window and blooming in January.  I’m sure it is wondering about the snow mountain that has appeared within its view and it is hoping for the more bloom-appropriate weather of SUMMER.  But, like most of us, it is safe and warm inside, enjoying the surprises and changes of scenery that each beautiful  season brings to Bath, Maine.