With the coming of 2026, Around Boothbay Harbor will have seen the arrival of 25 new years. That has to be a record!  

Unique to each calendar is a letter from photographer and publisher Robert Mitchell with personal observations; news of his busy, close-knit family; and a photo (this year’s by Kevin Kiley shows them all, bundled up as they take in a New Year’s Eve sunrise from the rocks at Ocean Point).

Mitchell notes that his intent for 2026 is to offer “a more toned down batch of images” of the region as a response to the “situation” elsewhere. Though his photos are as stunning as always, there is no crashing surf, no dramatic sunsets. Each photo contains at least a sliver of a view of tranquil water. The calendar will exert a calming presence in any room it occupies.

Let’s take a turn around the year. The cover – and June image – is a lesson in primary colors. It features a barn-red building that juts out over Boothbay Harbor at low tide. In the foreground on this sparkling day is a glistening lobster boat, Sea Sparrow, captured in the midst of trap hauling.

Now, back to January. Turning the page on the new year, we find a scene few visitors experience: a dense stand of evergreens and adjacent ledge covered in the heavy snow that brings to mind whipped cream or cotton batting. In the far distance of this view across Sheepscot Bay from Southport is a mist-shrouded Seguin Island. 

One of two signs beside Southport Island’s well-known beach in February’s image says, “No Lifeguard Swim at Own Risk.” As if! Falling snow is masking far-off Hendricks Head Light and the little near-beach ledge that’s so inviting in the summer. But wait…don’t intrepid swimmers dash into the icy waters at this very beach during a ritual winter event? Maybe the sign is timely after all.M

March offers a serene image of open water edged by snow-crusted ice on West Harbor Pond. The quiet is tangible. April’s photo also speaks of tranquility. The snowdrifts are gone, and in their place drifts of bright-yellow daffodils cover a hillside that slopes gently towards the water. 

Through Mitchell’s lens, the iconic Boothbay Harbor footbridge and bridge house at its center take on a different perspective for the May photo. The mirror image in the glasslike inner harbor allows us to see the underpinnings of the bridge and building at low tide.  

June takes us back to the cover image, and July is a portrait, but of a boat – Nellie G II, whose upper deck is full of people enjoying the sights of the harbor on a bright, blustery day.

August takes us to the wild side of magical Monhegan Island. The trails that allow hikers to ramble along the clifftops are not visible in this majestic view.  

What’s more peace inducing than a wooden Adirondack chair? A pair of chairs. In September’s photo, they face Capitol Island, an appendage of Southport Island that few see close up.  The water is calm, and the light is golden.  

Mitchell’s aerial photos are captivating. October’s page provides a bird’s-eye look at Ocean Point and nearby islands with the mainland beyond. The broad, detailed view with its tinge of autumn color invites long, quiet moments of study and reflection.

November’s photo is golden. The Murray Hill boat launch takes a back seat to the star of this photo, a grove of maple trees in brilliant fall array. There are so many leaves on the ground, it’s hard to fathom how the trees still look full.   

That brings us to the last month of the year – a familiar image of Boothbay Harbor’s East Side, but with a twist. The waterfront buildings, the white exterior of Our Lady Queen of Peace, and even the golden cross atop the steeple appear to glow in the light cast by the sunset.  

Mitchell sums up his approach to 2026, “Calm is what I aim for in the new year, at least a swing at it.” While we’ll have to wait and see how the year itself unfolds, it’s clear that Around Boothbay Harbor achieves his goal of creating serenity through photos.

Around Boothbay Harbor 2026 provides all the features of a useful calendar. It even has bonus page for January 2027, an evocative black-and-white view out to sea from the edge of Pratt’s Island. The calendar is available throughout the Boothbay region and at mitchellphoto.com and 207-633-3136. As always, a portion of sales goes toward Teens to Trails, enabling young people to enjoy Maine. Imagine…that’s 25 years of life-changing experiences Robert Mitchell has helped provide. That calls for a vote of thanks.