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.
The bucket of the crane is empty. It’s been unloading sand from the freighter Hera for days now….replenishing the nearly depleted supply on the Market Street terminal. I loved being out at night and watching how the lights on the massive cranes illuminate the scene…yet only enough to shed some light where it was needed to unload. I actually saw each of the four bays on the freighter being unloaded at various points throughout the week…with the sand/salt mountain looking pretty ominous all over again.
I thought it was time to mix it up and return to some working waterfront images after all the waterfront beach shots featured recently. With the onslaught of winter we’ve been having since 2011 arrived, I had been amazed that the sand/salt piles at Granite State Minerals shrunk as much as it did. That meant one thing – more freighters would be in town soon…so that local trucks could come to the rescue of Public Works departments across New England. Sure enough, upon getting back from Miami on Tuesday…I was greeted by two freighters in port.
The night shot add a dimension to the working waterfront feel for me, as we’re all used to seeing boats do their thing during the day, but it’s more rare that I stop to appreciate the fact that the cranes move through the night until all the minerals are unloaded. Here is a glimpse of the freighter along with the Heritage (the boat I take most often for some summer weather harbor cruising).
It is sounding like we might be graced with more white fluffy stuff from the skies over the weekend. In honor of that, here’s another take on the salt piles along Market Street….which will play a huge role in keeping our streets drivable. Thanks to Granite State Minerals for keeping New England salted and sanded! I’m hoping to get out for a round of snow shooting if it arrives.
More warmer weather & sunny images to follow over the next few days so stay tuned!
The Sand & Salt Piles that line Portsmouth’s working waterfront are owned and operated by Granite State Minerals. As I’ve written time and time again, I love this time of year…not so much for the colder temperatures (which make for cold fingers out shooting, especially at night), but for the increased river traffic. This past week, the Atlantic Majesty returned to unload some massive amounts of sand. Today’s shots feature the fascinating dump of sand from the crane…I never get sick of seeing the sand fall out so quickly, watching gravity take hold of the materials. Below, the sand pile grows over the wall on Market Street.
In other news – be sure to check out the new header at the top of the site! I decided I needed an image with a little more clarity to welcome visitors the Portsmouth’s waterfront. Here the Bow Street waterfront can be seen from the sidewalk of the Memorial Bridge.
Along with the fall comes cooler weather, falling leaves and a need for sand and salt. Recently the Cynthia Pioneer returned to the Granite State Minerals terminal in downtown Portsmouth to unload some materials for the imminent inclement weather. While I’m not quite ready for snowstorms and ice, I’m enjoying the cool mornings and the increase in river traffic. I’m sure I’m not the only one – time to get the skis ready for the season (or book the plane tickets to Florida if you’re not a winter person…).
Labor Day commemorates the end of the summer season as school starts back up and the weather takes a turn for the cooler. While this past weekend was gorgeous, I’m wondering where summer went? This summer was perfect by nearly all measures…except that the shots from the past week represent my only trip to the beach this year. Fitting that the last post for the summer season is the sun setting over a couple beachfront homes in Rye, NH. Hopefully we’ll have some great warm days before it’s officially autumn and the leaves start to fall…and even though I’m eager for the cooler nights…I’ll miss the long days filled with air conditioning and sandals.
