Jan 07 2007
A warm winter’s day in Freeport, Maine
It’s been unusually warm this winter. From a global perspective it’s not out of the ordinary because earthly weather patterns are in an el Niño cycle. It being a nice day, we thought we’d head up to L.L. Bean on Saturday and air ourselves out a bit while enjoying some shopping without huge mobs of pedestrians.
As we suspected, the holiday crush was over and a certain calm lay on Freeport, like a big sigh of relief. Coupled with the warm weather, people moved about without any sense of urgency and were quite amiable. You didn’t have to fight your way through stores. And then there were the post-holiday sales.
Before starting our shopping experience, we took a quick lunch at Morrison’s Chowder House–famous for its clam, lobster and haddock chowders. We enjoyed a cup of lobster stew and a fresh tuna roll. If you’re looking for a quick delicious bite that won’t break the bank in downtown Freeport, this is a great place.
My main mission was to see if L.L. Bean was stocking a particular Stetson-like hat, called the Outdoorsman hat, that had a wider than average brim for spending long hours outdoors. With big landscaping and outdoor recreational plans each spring and summer, I felt it would be most useful and I might even have a chance at looking 19th century chic. I’ve been coveting this hat for over two years since I first saw it, but didn’t purchase it. It hasn’t been available online, and a couple replies from e-mail inquiries to L.L. Bean’s customer service led me to believe the hat was discontinued.
But to my delightful surprise, they had the hat in stock and it wasn’t discontinued. The gamble to make the drive paid off. Oh, happy day! I quickly made the purchase.
Randye had a stellar day too. She came away with a couple pairs of much-needed new pants.
I’d have to say that Freeport is a pleasant day trip when there are no crowds, it’s the off-season and you actually find what you’ve been looking for.
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If I’m not incorrect (which I might be), this weather is being brought to us compliments of la nina, el nino’s Atlantic sister.
Hey, Art. La Nina is also in the Pacific Ocean, but they both affect the tropical waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, which in turn, affect normal American weather patterns. A number of sources are saying that El Nino is still active through 2007.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s site says that La Nina is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures, the opposite of El Nino, which means that temperatures in the Northeast United States are cooler than normal. El Nino, obviously, makes things unusually wam in our neck of the woods.
However, with the cold snap that has just slapped us around these last few days, I suspect that El Nino has run its course.