January 1, 2013 dawned clear and cold. Spot and I headed for Rockland to see the town Christmas tree.
Rockland, Maine is the lobster capital of the world.
And every year they put up a tree in the park, on Main Street,
overlooking the harbor.
This is build of lobster traps,
swagged in greenery,
and decorated with lobster pots.
It is crowned with a lobster holding a star!
This always amuses me!
As the day was so beautiful I decided to go around the corner of the harbor to the break water.
The Rockland breakwater is impressive. It took 20 years to build- from 1881 to 1899. It is constructed of 700,000 tons of granite blocks. And runs 7/8 of a mile out into the harbor. At the end of it is a lighthouse.
The breakwater was built to protect Rockland and Rockland Harbor from storm damage. Without it, there would not be a working waterfront. The lighthouse was built after the breakwater, in 1902 to keep boats from hitting the breakwater.
THE ROCKLAND BREAKWATER and LIGHTHOUSE
I did not really expect to get around the hill to the breakwater.
But, a path had been trampled in the snow
along the fence at the top of the hill.
One step to the right off of the path and
one sank up to one’s knee.
Even Spot went slowly after the first miss step.
The temperature was mild starting out, with little wind.
There were small gentle ripples as the inner harbor water hit the beach.
As we neared the end of the path
Spot ran ahead,
and enjoyed a short run.
At the bottom of the hill, where the breakwater begins,
one can look out to the islands,
or back across the inner harbor to Rockland.
It was here that the full force of the wind hit.
What a change from the protected side of the hill!
Suddenly my eyes were watering from the cold,
and the wind was strong enough to blow Spot’s leash,
which I wear draped around my neck, off.
Spot wanted to go out along the breakwater,
but I called him back.
There was ice on the top of the blocks,
and the space between them is quite wide,
making it difficult to walk at the best of times.
Starting back, one could see the waves washing over the breakwater from the inner harbor,
as the wind rose.
After climbing back up the hill
I turned for one last look,
before heading for the car and home.
