One of my favorite times of year is winter, but not for the same reasons as many other New Englanders (like skiing, etc.).  Winter is one of my favorite times of year because of the increased commercial freighter traffic on our waterways…when on certain days I can be driving home for lunch, and spot massive ocean traveling ships by the pair.  In this mid afternoon shot, a freighter is docked at the Granite State Minerals terminal as well as the State terminal a bit further up river. The crystal clear blue skies are a bit of a departure from my usual moody skies and sunsets…hope you enjoy!

I’ll never tire of watching the cranes unload materials from the freighters at Granite State Minerals’ Market Street terminal.  Sunset adds another element to the process, contributing a rich glow to the crane structure and the sand as it falls out of the crane’s claw.

A new freighter has been in port for the last few days.  The empty sand and salt depot is now a distant memory, and it’s chock full of materials ready to head throughout New England.  The HERON from Nassau is a very cool looking ship – you might not know it from this angle, but it has two huge structures on its deck that look like cages – compared to the freighters I’m more used to seeing, which have their own cranes on their decks.  I’ll feature a few more shots later this week so you can have a glimpse of what makes this ship a bit different.  I loved the late day light on the ship’s hull and the closeup of the upper decks.

A large part of the Granite State Minerals operation relies heavily on this piece of earth.  The sand/salt that is delivered and then loaded into trucks and shipped has to be weighed before it can hit the road.  I was struck by the view on my way home this afternoon, with the pastel colored sky and the size of the sand/salt piles as they grew. I didn’t feel like changing the lens I had on my camera so I ended up with this wide angle shot that  captures the view from the Market Street entrance and lens some scale to the scene.

As I was heading home from work, in the late afternoon sunlight, I was itching to find something to shoot.  There weren’t many clouds in the sky, but the colors of the sky were gorgeous.  As I was making my way down the hill on Market Street and approaching the salt piles, I realized how perfectly and subtly the cliff of one of the piles was lit.  I immediately found a parking spot and hopped out of the car so I could capture the light. I love the resemblance ot a mountain top or a sand dune…and the fact that it’s the materials that will be keeping our roads safe in a few short months.

The sunset on this particular evening was quite striking – as you’ve seen a few times this week.  This shot features the incredible bright rays of light reaching over the horizon and the Granite State Minerals terminal to bring some rich color to the stormy day.  The cranes and the Middle Bridge make this industrial waterfront scene memorable – and help to give the shot a painterly feel with their reflections on the Piscataqua River.

Portsmouth’s serene and industrial waterfront enjoys the last few moments of sunlight.  My favorite part is the little cloud hovering over the gypsum plant on the horizon, still illuminated with the rich orange light of the late day sun.  The cranes and sand piles sit calmly, as I imagine they’ll do for a few months until the massive mounds of sand and salt won’t be needed for a couple seasons.