From the assistant editor

Fleeting photos

Wed, 09/04/2019 - 8:45am

    Driving the other night, as close to nightfall as it gets before falling, an epic scenic view surprised me on the left. Fog covered Albee Farm on Route 218 next to Alna Cemetery and, above the fog, all the colors it seemed a sunset could be were also stretched long over the farm.

    Like a great scenic photo, it was a fresh and unexpected sight of a familiar vista beautiful any night. And as a storm on the news was on its way to becoming Category 5 Hurricane Dorian, the local sight was also a reminder some of nature’s surprises are good. 

    But I can only tell you about it. It dawned on me to pull over and take the picture, of course. Two things stopped me: One, I’ve found when I do this, by the time I’m out of the car, the great moment is gone, the sunset is being swallowed up; and two, in this case, the fog and increasing darkness were lowering visibility. So it wasn’t safe to pull off the road.

    So I didn’t, and there it went, an amazing scenic. But there is a silver lining: These never to come again moments happen to all of us now and then, and some of us aren’t driving when we see them. Maybe we’re walking or jogging or gardening or lugging the groceries in, or looking out on the deck. The social media have made everyone a communications outlet, reporting rainbows, family milestones, political and cultural commentary and more. When that post is a scenic, or a nice photo of your family boating, picnicking, or, not that long from now, making a snowman, please consider also emailing the photo to news@wiscassetnewspaper.com

    We’ve published some very nice never to come again moments that way, in our print edition and online galleries. We can’t always publish them. Something smaller than a megabyte can be iffy, and much smaller may be too small to use. And it has to be fairly in focus. When something says gem, and you feel like sharing it beyond Facebook, we would love to have a look and consider publishing it. Happy sending!

    Week’s positive parting thoughts: At press time, Dorian looked to be mostly an ocean traveler, not a mainland hugger. Let’s hope that holds for New England and points south. And come Sunday, go Pats!