The Force Of Nature

The other day it was still looking like a brown Christmas, but it was about to change. Today we have a white Christmas, but it’s not of the pretty quiet variety. Oh no, we got a winter storm blowing snow out of the north-east, causing a high surf on the beach. I took the van and headed down to the beach where the NIKON caught these images. Storms are part of life at the coast. They make us aware that mother nature is still ruling. Of course, everybody likes the days with blue skies and plenty sunshine. But in between we are witnessing the other wild side of nature

The Wind And The Sea

It’s always there for you, the wind and the sea. Not to mention the long beautiful and natural beach of Herring Cove. Come on over and let us show you this beauty.

Campobello in December

I always thought that beaches are for summer visits only, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Beaches are beautiful regardless of what time of the year you are visiting. And the best proof of that we can find along Herring Cove Beach. Here, where the sandy seashore is meeting the fresh-water Lake Glensevern with the forest of the Herring Cove Provincial Park as a backdrop, you will find a great variety of different types of landscape. Eagles are soaring high over rocky coastline, sandy beach, lake and forest. Not far from here one can wander along Eagle Hill Bog where rare plants are getting their nutrients out of the water, instead of the soil. A nd have you ever seen Gibraltar Rock, halfway over to the Roosevelt Natural park area? The trail can be started on either end und once you walked the entire length, you might want to return along the beach. Winter is such a wonderful time here. You will find beautiful clamp shells and the rocks are soooo smooth, - you will fill you pockets in no time. Of course, if you give us a call ahead of your visit we will be happy to guide you along, not only here at Herring Cove, but over the entire island. And remember, you can stay overnight at the Peacock House B+B in lovely Lubec and even get full meals there. Why not try it out? Come right over in the new year and enjoy the island.              Above: View to Herring Cove Golf Course Restaurant On the hill: Herring Cove Golf Course Below: Outlet of Lake Glensevern                             Grand Manan on the horizon

A Little Town South Of The Border

There is no doubt about that the heydays of Lubec,ME are long gone, and there is no better time for that realization than if you walk Water Street on a chilly day in December. This street, once lined with big salt-shacks, smoke houses and fish canneries, is appearing almost empty. A few remnants are still reminding the visitor of the town’s past. Speaking of visitors, there are none today, that is if you don’t think of us coming across the bridge from Campobello, being visitors. But the town has kept its seaside appeal alive. The style of the commercial buildings long Water Street, speaks of the good old days, and Lubecers are genuinely proud of their pretty little town. Below: Frank’s Dockside Restaurant great place to eat, but closed today.                       On Water Street However, once being in town, I am swinging my camera here and there. The row of buildings, some containing souvenir stores, seem to be in a state of hibernation, awaiting the next warm summer with scores of visitors to fill the parlors and stores. However, the Lubec Brewing Company is open though and a few beer enthusiasts might be coming along to quench their thirst. Lubec used to have a lot more residents, but that was while there was still fish to catch and to process. When the salt-shacks, smoke houses and canneries closed, people lost their work and left town in search for a better life in a bigger place. What they left behind was boarded-up buildings and a sense of despair for those who remained in residence, mostly the older population. Prior to the decline, there were 20 smokehouses in Lubec producing 50 to 60 thousand boxes of fish annually, bringing employment and prosperity to the town. In 1797, Daniel Ramsdell cured the first herring by smoke, a process of preserving fish he had learned in Nova Scotia. Lubec would become the national leader in smoked herring production. Smokehouses and the many brush weirs that supplied herring lined the shore. Weir construction also brought a measure of prosperity to area farmers who cut the necessary stakes and brush needed to build and refurbish the herring traps. So great was the demand for the large herring preferred by the smokehouses that Lubec began sending vessels to the Magdelen Islands in the quest for fish. The 1855 Maine Register reported: “During the 1850s it was said that the smoked herring business employed every male resident over the age of 10 in the Washington County town of Lubec.” It’s hard to believe but due to increases in retail activity, fishing and fish processing employment opportunities, shipping and farming, Lubec’s population grew to 3,000 by 1850. The town boasted three post offices, four churches, several fraternal organizations including Freemasons, and a ferry connecting Lubec and Eastport. People migrated to the town in search of work and, with money to spend, shopped at the growing number of stores on Water Street.             Ferry boat in 1936, Below: same place today Following a period of decline during the Depression, World War II revitalized the industry with factories on both the east and west coasts working at capacity to supply the Army and Navy with three million, one-hundred can cases per year. Seven new factories were built in Lubec. With the end of the War demand for canned sardines decreased sharply and the overbuilt industry began to decline. By 1976 there were only two factories operating in Lubec. The last cannery was closed as late as in 2001.                             American Can Company 1935 Tourism can be credited to have kept the town alive. The establishment of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park and the construction of the FDR Memorial Bridge was incidental to bring visitors to the region. B+Bs, souvenir stores, and restaurants have opened since, providing much needed services for summer visitors. As we reach Cohill’s Inn facing a cold wind off the water, we are overlooking the boat launch. The parking area is filled with trucks, belonging to the fishermen who are still out trying to get a good catch before Christmas. They are part of the current remaining population of about 300 fulltime residents, less than a tenth of what it was in 1910, when Lubec’s population reached its peak with 3364 residents. We conclude our cross-border visit with a stop at the local IGA to get a few weekend goodies.        The Tavern, another great place to have a meal