At home on Cape Cod, late November is a time for reflection. That might be because the Pilgrims explored what is now our town center a few months before landing in Plymouth, Massachusetts. As such, Thanksgiving has always carried a significant weight, much more so than many other holidays, save for Easter.

…After Thanksgiving, our Northern New England uplands and the lowlands quiet down for the winter. Leaves from the mountain ash, alders, white birch, maples, and beech have all dropped to the ground allowing the cold wind to whip off of the mountains and down through the valleys. Woodcock season ended weeks ago, but now and then we’ll find a few tardy stragglers in a seep. Skim ice forms in the calmer water of the pools along the shores of the river, and the trout seldom rise any more.