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<\/a>I\u2019m driving behind a New Mexico license plate\u2013yellow with red letters in celebration of how much sunshine they enjoy in the great American Southwest. \u201cIf you love your \u2018Land of Enchantment\u2019 so much,\u201d I laugh, \u201cwhat brings you to Vacationland?\u201d<\/p>\nBecause we\u2019re \u2018cool,\u2019 for one thing\u2013\u2018the nation\u2019s air-conditioner.\u2019<\/p>\n
Then, too, New Mexico sunshine comes cheap, the way views of the Atlantic come cheap here. Can you believe the shimmering slice of Rockland Harbor the Rockland Dunkin\u2019 Donuts indifferently sits on? Don\u2019t you love the Hannafords in South Portland with the luxury to turn its back on sparkling views of the Portland skyline?<\/p>\n
Maine\u2019s rare and ethereal sunshine is more exotic for its fragility, for the way our blue dungeon fog swallows our coastline in the morning before lifting its veil to expose the sun\u2019s icy, extraordinary rays.<\/p>\n
I love Emily Dickinson\u2019s line, \u201cI\u2019ll tell you how the Sun rose\u2013A Ribbon at a time.\u201d Did you know that no fewer than three places in Maine claim to catch the first precious rays of sunshine to greet the United States each morning? (See our related story \u201cWho\u2019s On First Sunrise?\u201d on page 58). This summer, it\u2019s time to meet our sunshine personally.<\/p>\n
Consider the romance (or lack thereof) implied by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s (NOAA) list of the sunniest cities in America. To Portland\u2019s 57 percent, Yuma, Arizona, pants with a crispy-fried 90 percent. Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tucson have\u00a0 85 percent, followed by Key West at 76 and Miami at 70 percent.<\/p>\n