My Summer at Skylands 2020
My favorite vacations are always those spent with family and close friends.
With all that has been happening around the world this year, I am so thankful I was able to get away and enjoy some time at Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine. I was joined by my daughter, Alexis, her beautiful children Jude and Truman, and small groups of very dear friends. It was especially nice to be there to celebrate my early August birthday. Kevin Sharkey made several gorgeous arrangements for us to enjoy, and for a portion of my stay, Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events, and I, worked together to plan all our delicious meals.
Here are some of my photos, enjoy.
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- I arrived at Skylands on a beautiful summer evening. Here is a view of the back of my home around 11pm that first night from the large terrace. The house is so pretty in the moonlight. The original kiwi vines grow all over this side of the house – and they’re still thriving after all these years.
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- The sphynx is out “guarding” the terrace for the season. She is one of two glazed terra-cotta sphinxes I have designed by Emile Muller.
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- Inside, Kevin made beautiful arrangements such as this one in my living room with snapdragons and ferns. On the wall behind it are bird prints by artist and avid ornithologist, Carrol Sargent Tyson, Jr. Tyson was best known for his coastal landscapes, portraits and natural history paintings of birds. He summered on Mount Desert Island in Maine and was an expert on the island’s bird species. I have a complete set of his famous bird lithographs.
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- In the Living Hall – a beautiful summer lily arrangement. Kevin makes gorgeous plant and flower arrangements for Skylands every summer. See more of his photos on his Instagram page @seenbysharkey.
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- This is a larch tree. It was planted in this container this year, but will be moved outdoors to the blueberry terrace soon.
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- Here one of two Jens Jensen–designed lost pools with its natural stone formation.
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- And here is the dining room table just before it was set on our first full day. Kevin is placing snapdragon arrangements along the center of the table. All the flowers were grown in my cutting garden at Skylands.
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- It all looks so pretty once finished. The table is also set with gorgeous brass figures, candles, and Baccarat glasses.
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- We enjoyed these stuffed artichokes.
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- And some delicious stuffed clams.
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- This photo was taken by our friend, photographer Douglas Friedman, on the terrace of my bedroom. He always takes such wonderful photos of me.
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- The weather on this night was comfortable, so we dined al fresco under the shade of Skyland’s tall trees on the back driveway. It’s a great place for outdoor dining, especially when eating messy lobsters and corn.
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- The table is covered in old fashioned butcher’s paper to catch all the drippings form our lobster meal.
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- I enjoyed delicious blueberry waffles for breakfast on my birthday. This recipe by Donn Chappellet is one of my favorites – you can find it on my web site or by clicking on the highlighted link. You will love these waffles.
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- For lunch – large platters of tuna salad nicoise prepared by Chef Pierre. We used vegetables from my garden, and eggs from my chickens. It was superb.
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- And for my birthday dinner, we enjoyed caviar from Russ & Daughters in New York City, along with homemade blinis, and salmon.
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- I love blinis topped with caviar and creme fraiche.
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- We also had Oysters Rockefeller, another of my favorites. Oysters Rockefeller consists of oysters on the half-shell that have been topped with a rich sauce of butter, parsley and other green herbs, and bread crumbs, then baked or broiled.
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- My daughter, Alexis, makes my birthday cake every year. This year it was a most delectable orange creamsicle cake – yes, just like the creamsicle pops you remember having as a child. This cake was made using homemade tangerine ice cream sorbet and sour cream sorbet. It was a very special birthday. See the terrific photo from my after-party completely planned and decorated by my granddaughter, Jude, on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.
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- A trip to Maine is never complete without a visit to Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. At Trenton Bridge, only one way of cooking lobster will do – boiled in fresh, clean seawater over a wood fire. Here I am with Carlos and Douglas. Kevin is taking the photo. We were very careful to wear our masks whenever we were out.
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- We had these delicious oysters.
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- And I devoured this lobster sandwich on sliced white bread.
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- On another day back at Skylands, we had this tomato and bean salad – everything fresh from my gardens at Skylands and at Bedford.
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- Our green salad was simple yet so flavorful.
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- Chef Pierre also prepared these tomato tarts – such a beautiful way to use up our bounty of sweet, fresh tomatoes.
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- Here is one of the lunch plates – there were no leftovers.
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- These delicate French cookies are known for their distinctive shape. They’re called Madeleines and these were made by our young friend and one of the week’s sous chefs, Federico. These cookies were the perfect accompaniment to our meal.
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- Do you know what these ingredients are for? Lobster, scallops, mussels, clams, peas, beans, peppers, onions, garlic, and rice – the “mis en place” for a delicious seafood paella.
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- Here is Chef Pierre cooking up a large pan of paella. For even cooking, it’s important to use a traditional paella pan, which is round and flat with shallow sides. Paella is one of my favorite summer meals to cook for guests.
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- Here is a closer look at the cooking paella. Paella means “frying pan” in Valencian, Valencia’s regional language. The paella is mixed until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente.
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- Our table was set indoors in the dining room.
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- Then the paella was brought in and placed on a nearby table. We always use my paella recipe – in this one, we just omitted the meat.
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- It was a delicious meal – everyone loved it.
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- Kevin also made this snapdragon arrangement for my antique faux bois table in the dining room. It looks great lit by the moon through the leaded windows.
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- This photo was taken by Cheryl Dulong, who helps me care for Skylands. It was taken from my large terrace looking out onto Seal Harbor as the sun went down. It was a beautiful evening. I will share more photos from my time in Main on my next blog.
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