The first bit of snow fell during our first night. The dream scenario that Mom, Andy and myself had wished to see for decades had finally come to gorgeous fruition – the town was transformed into a vision of quaint, charming, winter-wonderland magic. For those of us who have only known Ogunquit to be adorned with spring flowers, summer foliage, and autumn gourds, the winter snow scene was a spectacle of elegant majesty, surpassing anything we could have envisioned.
Bundled up with coats and scarves, hats and gloves, we made the walk to the Marginal Way, unsure how far we’d get before the weather and wind turned us back. Even in the winter hour, there was the living smell of ocean – favored scent of youth and vacations – the scent that pricked at the heart and the appetite – the secret of life crashing down in the regular, rhythmic intervals of waves.
Walking the Marginal Way, and the path that would always mean so much to us, there was calm and healing, even in the cold, and we found ourselves unbothered by the bit of wind that occasionally swirled. Entranced by the sea – this might be how sailors were lured to tempting dangers – we traversed the entire Marginal Way, having no issue with the slippery slopes and occasional winter breeze.
In fact, this was one of the calmer and quieter walks along the Marginal Way – usually the wind and the surf and the crowds are all battling to be heard over each other. On this late morning, all was mostly still and silent – a contemplative glimpse of the Beautiful Place By the Sea, and I was grateful.
Seeing our favorite spots bedecked by snow and ice was as magnificent as expected – winter lending its own sort of magic to the environs we’ve only ever experienced in warmer months.
Most of Perkins Cove was closed on this particular weekend, but it didn’t matter – we weren’t there for shopping or dining – we were there for the winter, and it did not disappoint. We walked back into town as snow started to fall again – big, fluffy, beautiful flakes – the stuff of charmed tales that ended with a cup of hot chocolate.
That evening, we had dinner at Walker’s and called an early night – it was so cozy and comfortable at the Scotch Hill Inn that we simply enjoyed the time together. Meanwhile, the snow continued to fall…
