Friday, January 17, 2014

Seaside Saturday ~ January 11, 2014

We've been having a bit of a rough winter here in Biddeford, but finally last Friday (January 10th)  it was dry and not quite so cold (about 30 degrees, compared to the previous week's single digits). I decided I couldn't wait another day to see the ocean. It had been too long!


I stopped by the public beach at Biddeford Pool, where the lifeguard stands wait patiently for summer to come. The parking lot was covered in ice, but I gingerly made my way to the beach.



The nice thing about the off-season is I have the beach all to myself.


Of course, it's a bit too brisk to linger for very long.


But I did manage a short walk and a bit of picture-taking.


It was later in the afternoon, and the sun was low in the sky.




The sun sets early here at this time of year, about 4:30 p.m. or so.


I'm always intrigued by this building, formerly a hotel and now a retreat center. If you've ever read Anita Shreve, you may remember the house that was formerly a convent that appears in several of her books. I imagine it might look something like this building. And since Anita Shreve has summered in Biddeford Pool, who's to say she didn't draw on it for her inspiration?


After my walk on the beach, I drove around the area a bit and stopped to take a few quick shots of a field full of Canadian geese. Actually, that isn't a field; it's a golf course.


The geese took off about the same time I did.


I continued along to a road where I could view the open ocean.




As I said to my Facebook friends, we Mainers see a different sort of beauty in the winter, a beauty that summer visitors will never know.

4 comments:

Silke Powers said...

It's the same here, Beth, minus the snow. I love the winter beach scene when everything is deserted and dormant. It's beautiful, isn't it?! And we are so lucky that we get to see that... Hugs, Silke

Sketchbook Wandering said...

I love the silvers that you show of that winter beach...so soft...I'm glad you still live near the ocean...so invigorating...so peaceful...It IS nice in winter, I haven't been to a Maine beach during the summer in a long time...Does Biddeford Pool remind you of Scarborough Beach?

Pris said...

Hi Beth, The building you said was a hotel had to be in the 40's because that is Marie Joseph Academy. I went to school there in my freshman year in 1960 and I know some girls that went to school there in the early 50's.

Beth said...

Silke, we are very lucky to live near the sea. Rita, I have not spent much time on Scarborough Beach -- maybe just a little bit when I first moved to Maine. I love the beach & the ocean year-round. Pris, as I mentioned on FB, website says that the building was bought in 1948 by The Congregation of the Presentation of Mary. Previously it was the Ocean View Hotel. It has been a spiritual center since 1978. Thanks, everyone, for visiting my blog!