Nantucket Snow Daze

As a kid growing up in a small Iowa farm community, winter was one of my favorite seasons. There is just nothing like a good Midwest blizzard to modify the day’s plans. My favorite part of any snowstorm was that moment mom would knock softly on my bedroom door in the wee morning hours to announce there was no school. Untroubled by grown-up concerns over slick roads, iced over windshields and hefty heating bills, all my friends and I busied ourselves with on these “snow days” was adding to our snowman community, perfecting our snow angels and whose hilltop house we would congregate at to send our shiny sleds whirring downhill with 2 or 3 of us piled atop each one, squealing with delight the entire way.

Now that I’m all grown-up (at least according to my birth certificate), I find that when it comes to snow I’m still a kid at heart. Nantucket experienced its first major snow storm last week and sadly my husband and I were away for the storm itself. But we were delighted as the ferry rounded Brant Point a few days later to see the snow had not melted. We were mesmerized by how beautiful our little island looked all dressed up in her thick fluffy coating of white. As we made the trip from the Steamship to our Cisco area home, snowmen, shimmering icicles and snow packed cobblestones welcomed us to our island winter wonderland.

We rarely see snow on Nantucket and when it comes it typically melts within a few days. The recent cold snap had us sharing in the single digit temps our New England neighbors were experiencing and the cold allowed the thick layer of snow to remain. There were days when I felt like my eyes were playing tricks on me. My colleague Maya Kearns and I visited several of our rental homes last week. While out in Surfside where the ocean views steal the show, we both commented how bizarre it was to look out over Surfside Beach – a scene customarily replete with rainbow colored umbrellas and beach chairs – and see billowing drifts of snow snuggled into the dunes and beach grass. Same Atlantic Ocean, same stretch of sandy beach – just an entirely different picture reminding us how versatile and beautiful Nantucket is in any season.

We are seeing unprecedented rental activity right now as our summer friends and guests clamor to find the ideal home for their summer vacations. Soon enough the beaches will be bustling with families building castles and sharing picnics. But in the months leading up to summer, why not come take advantage of this beautiful island in the quiet season? Let Nantucket treat you to her shimmering winter beauty, a private walk on the beach and some nourishment for your soul. You may get lucky and be treated to another spectacle of big white flakes while you’re here!

Let it snow.

Photo courtesy of Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce.

Shellie Dunlap