February 25, 2023
Only a week ago, temperatures crested 60 degrees, but that dazzling day is hard to remember now after 48 hours of snow and last night’s -3 degrees. Sea smoke is back, hanging over the warmer water of the cove next to Bucks Harbor.
Michael Hoyt reports that by 9 a.m. temps had risen to zero in Centerville, where he lives off the grid in the 1950s logging camp built by his grandfather Leonard “Hunk” Hurlbert. Hoyt doesn’t consider zero cold, and we know this because two hours earlier, he posted that he was off for his morning walk with his dog, Tiger, because it was only “-8 degrees but not windy.”
Our barn cat, Fern, has worked out a system for letting us know he’s reached his limit with the cold. A large black tom, Fern (short for Fernando), hops onto our remaining windowbox and meows loudly through the glass of the kitchen window. We obediently open the side door, and he saunters in, surveying the entry for dogs before making a casual beeline for “his” bedroom, whose normal occupant is away at college.
The Machias Bulldogs boys varsity and Calais Devils boys varsity basketball teams have made it to the regional finals again, and that means a stream of supporters are making the 100-mile drive to Bangor to see them play this morning (Machias) and this evening (Calais). Jayna Smith, my go-to for all-things-high-school-basketball, has a good feeling that both teams could win.
I have the same feeling.
It's a big day in the Machias area, with outdoor events, a book sale, basketball, farewell receptions, and free live music.
While the Bulldogs are warming up in Bangor, dozens of area children will enjoy cold weather fun at the Downeast Coastal Conservancy’s Winter Family Fun Day, held at Middle River Park. Owned by DCC, Middle River Park is home to my personal favorite sliding hill. Locally known as the Elephant’s Back, from my perspective, it offers the perfect blend of height and length — steep enough to pick up speed, short enough for parents to climb back up without considering our mortality.
In Whitneyville, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. readers will be attending the public library’s winter book sale, books priced by donation only, and then drop raffle tickets for a chance to win a stuffed Easter basket.
Our largest public meeting space, the Lee Pellon Center, will be open from 2 to 4 p.m. today, so those of us who aren’t in Bangor can wish Dr. Cynthia Sammis well on the occasion of her retirement after a lengthy career in Machias. I’ve been delighted to have her as my own doctor for the last 11 years.
At our own University of Maine at Machias tonight, everyone's invited to a live music event, from 6 to 9 p.m. The "Cabin Fever Reliever" is free, and will feature three popular local bands: The Lamplighters, The Drisko Street Barn Band, and Cloud Wagon. Since the closure of Skywalker's Bar and Grille we haven't had an indoor venue to host live bands in Machias. We all flock to hear them at Bad Little Falls Park in the summer, this is our chance to hear them in the winter, too.
Coach and dispatcher Cindy Moore Rossi will be at the Machias game, and if they win, she’ll track the Bulldogs' progress up Route 9 because she’s always the one to line up the motorcades that greet our teams at the Machias town line.
I’m keeping my calendar open to live stream the motorcade for the Machias Valley News Observer, in case the cold will keep you home. Either way, keep a good thought for the Bulldogs and the Devils today. Lots of impressive seniors on those teams, taking their last pass at the coveted gold ball.