My Summer in Maine 2019, Part Two
I just love my summers in Maine.
Every year, I try to spend a wonderful week or two - give or take - at my beautiful refuge in Seal Harbor, Maine. This year, the weather was fantastic, and I enjoyed many boat rides with friends, hikes through Acadia National Park, and a special birthday celebration at Skylands with my family.
Here are more photos from my time in Maine - enjoy.
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- During my first full week at Skylands, we took several rides aboard my Hinckley picnic boat, Skylands II.
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- I love going out on my boat – it offers the best way to see the beautiful sights and wildlife of Maine.
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- This sunset view is so breathtaking.
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- I also hosted the COA President’s Circle Dinner – a paella party for patrons of the College of the Atlantic. I love playing Scrabble® and this is my Scrabble® board, which is always set-up in my Living Hall. On the day of the party, I spelled out a nice message to COA President, Darron Collins and all the guests.
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- We set up up several tables of seven and eight to accommodate the group – about 60 in all. Each table was draped with a gray table cloth and then a chartreuse faux bois table cloth on top.
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- We used my drabware plates and adorned each table with faux bois planters filled with hostas from Surry Gardens. Flameless candles in Bedford gray from my collection at QVC surrounded each centerpiece planting. After the event, all the hostas are planted in the gardens.
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- More lilies decorated the inside of my home.
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- And all the potted tropicals looked their best outside.
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- My friend, Chef Pierre Schaedelin of PS Tailored Events, cooked paella. Paella requires attentive care. Here he is adding more ingredients before stirring. This 36-inch pan is perfect for feeding this large group, and the round grill ensures even heating during the cooking process.
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- Here is the delicious paella all done. Everyone loved it and came back for seconds – some even thirds. We always use a version of my paella recipe which was printed in our magazine “Living” in April 1999. https://www.marthastewart.com/1050096/seafood-paella
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- My terrace overlooking Seal Harbor is such a nice venue for these gatherings. During the reception, I stopped to personally welcome everyone to my home and to thank our guests for supporting the College of the Atlantic.
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- The next day, we drove past this beautiful view looking towards Schooner Head Sand Beach on the left.
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- We also visited the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden. The garden was designed by the legendary landscape architect, Beatrix Farrand, for John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller in the 1920s. https://www.rockgardenmaine.com
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- The garden is enclosed by this high pink stucco wall. The wall is capped with orange tiles that were imported from China.
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- The Garden was designed as a classic English garden bed – it is so well-maintained. I gave the gardening team a dozen of my extra-large garden totes from my collection at QVC – they love them.
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- I call this the “slit” – I just love how the moss covers the area.
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- The Garden contains many Asian structures and statuary. These are called the Garden Spirits.
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- Set within acres of beautiful moss-carpeted woods, the Garden is designed to be at its peak this time of year.
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- I just love seeing all the different statues.
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- And all the different rock formations. I try to visit the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden whenever I am in Maine.
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- Later in the afternoon, a group of us stopped at Havana in Bar Harbor. Here I am with Kevin, Clinton, Joe, Terre, and Heather.
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- Remember Chef Sarah Glover from Tasmania? She stopped for a visit during her Northeast Tour. We enjoyed a walking tour around Skylands with the dogs and then had a delicious dinner of fresh mussels, sorrel soup, and raspberry sorbet – all from Maine, including my garden.
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- Here I am with Sarah in front of her motor coach. She did the trip with THOR Industries and used their THOR Motor Coach Four Winds 28Z RV – she had a wonderful time in the United States.
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- On my birthday, August 3rd, I enjoyed a celebratory breakfast with scrambled egg in an eggshell, prepared by PIerre.
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- Here is a closeup of my birthday egg breakfast beautifully presented on a bed of fragrant lilies.
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- That morning, we also went on a hike to Hunter’s Beach – a secluded cobblestone beach nestled in a small cove a short distance from Bar Harbor. The beach is only 100-yards long, but great for playing on the rocks.
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- The children love coming to this small area – it is so private and so peaceful.
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- Little Hunter’s Beach is on the southeast side of Mount Desert Island in Acadia National Park – southeast of Otter Cliff and Otter Cove. The shore is covered with unique rounded rocks that make interesting sounds when the surf comes in and then pulls the rocks over each other like a huge pile of granite marbles.
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- Here’s a view from Hunter’s Beach looking out.
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- We saw some beautiful sailboat racing in the Harbor. Many boats are International One Design, also know as IOD, sloops.
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- There were many boats – my grandchildren, who are taking sailing lessons and love to sail. enjoyed watching the boats race.
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- Every year for my birthday, the children make me a fun handmade birthday card. Here is the front of the card.
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- And here is the back – everyone’s names and well wishes were handwritten in blue and purple.
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- And here is my gorgeous birthday cake made by my talented daughter, Alexis. It is an ice cream cake covered with freshly whipped cream. The flavors inside are dark cherry ice cream, pistachio ice cream and dark chocolate ice cream with chocolate chunks, and a layer of meringue. It was divine. It was a glorious birthday dinner with my family. Stay tuned for more photos from Maine in tomorrow’s blog!
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