Hello friends and neighbors!

Perhaps we should get T-shirts that read, “We survived the Bombogenesis of 2018!” I had never heard of this phenomenon before, but I understand it means that the barometric pressure fell dramatically in one day. A drop of twenty-four millibars in 24 hours meets the definition, and last week’s winter storm saw a drop of 59 millibars in that time frame. We were pleasantly surprised that we didn’t have to fire up the generator, and I haven’t heard that anyone on Westport Island lost power that day. I understand that the unusually high tides did cause some flooding problems on upper West Shore Road. We blew and shoveled the snow as quickly as possible before the next deep freeze set in. It’s winter in Maine!

Before the storm intensified, however, we wandered over to the Squam Creek Preserve and enjoyed a two mile snowshoe on Jeremy’s Ramble. Archie and Dennis and all of the KELT volunteers have done a great job setting trails on the tidal water property. We were happy to see that skiers had made tracks there too, and that walkers tried to maintain them by negotiating alongside them. We saw signs of wildlife, including some slides that could have been from otters. Thanks to Davies Allen, who is currently plowing out the parking lot so cars can safely park off the road while folks visit.

Dedee passes along heartfelt thanks from the Island families who were the recipients of Christmas toys and gifts donated by some generous Westporters. The families were extremely touched and truly grateful for the offerings that helped both kids and parents enjoy their holiday together. It takes a village!

Don’t forget that everyone is invited to the Town Office’s Welcome to the New Year Potluck Supper on Thursday, January 11 at 4:30 p.m. Bring an appetizer or dish to share if you can, or just bring yourself and join your neighbors in some much needed cheer at this dark time of the year. Hope to see you there!

Contact your newshound pat-dick@midcoast.com or call 231-4049.