My Summer in Maine 2019, Part Three
Thank you for all the wonderful comments you’ve shared - I’m glad you’re enjoying these photos from my annual trip to Maine.
I always enjoy the time I spend at my Skylands home. My daughter, Alexis, and my two grandchildren stay there for the entire month of August. We love nature - the hikes, the lakes, and the many picturesque views. And of course, all the great food from the local fisheries and restaurants, the farmers’ markets, and my garden. During my visit, I also hosted a lovely brunch for the Garden Club of America, took a seaplane ride over Mount Desert Island, and attended the Blue Hill Fair with my grandchildren.
Enjoy these last photos of my 2019 summer trip to Maine.
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- On the morning after my birthday, we started off with a walk around Little Long Pond. Here I am by a giant birch tree.
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- Here you can see its massive size – such a beautiful specimen.
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- Little Long Pond is located between Northeast Harbor and Seal Harbor. The land was privately owned until 2015 when, in celebration of David Rockefeller’s 100th birthday, he donated it to the Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve. The gift included Little Long Pond and the surrounding meadows, woods, trails, and carriage roads on more than a thousand acres. I was so honored to attend the special event announcing this gift.
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- Here’s another view across Little Long Pond looking out opposite the trees.
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- On another day, I hiked with my guests Christopher Spitzmiller, his boyfriend, Anthony Bellomo, Debra Katz and her son, Ari. This group brought a wonderful “joie de vivre” – a French phrase meaning “joy of living.”
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- Some of our delicious homemade breakfasts included French toast and fresh raspberries picked from my garden. If you follow this blog regularly, you probably know I have many, many berry bushes at my Bedford, New York farm. We pick trays and trays of fresh berries every summer.
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- There’s also fresh citrus, granola and yogurt.
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- And on this day, salmon and cucumber toast.
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- After breakfast, I took a seaplane ride over Mount Desert Island with businessman, Gary Lickle. He loves to fly and often commutes from Maine to Florida in one of his small planes.
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- We saw nearly half of the island – it was a beautiful and clear day.
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- Here are some of the cliffs outside Seal Harbor. The views were spectacular from above.
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- Here is another photo I took from the small, back seat of the two-seater plane.
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- And here is a photo of us coming back down smoothly.
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- It was a fun flight. Gary is a very experienced pilot. In 2017, I took an aerial tour of the Florida Everglades with Gary. Gary is on the Board of the Everglades Foundation and is very passionate about its preservation.
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- My daughter, Alexis, loves jigsaw puzzles, and we all work on them when we’re home at Skylands. This one is almost three-thousand pieces.
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- For another meal, we enjoyed this delicious kale salad, using kale I grew in my garden.
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- And lots of fresh tomatoes and lettuces also grown in my gardens.
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- On this day, I hosted a garden tour and brunch for the Garden Club of America – about 40-guests were in attendance. The tour was part of a week-long series called “Gardens by the Sea” Here is my long dining room table getting set up for brunch.
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- I guided the walk through the wooded paths, sunny terraces and gardens – everyone was so excited to take photos to share on their social media platforms.
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- These pathways lead to my guesthouse, playhouse, and main house. Each season, the outdoor grounds crew covers the meandering footpaths with pine needles – they add such charm to the woodland.
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- For lunch, we cooked a tomato tart using more fresh tomatoes grown at my farm. We had an excellent tomato season this year.
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- This is a mushroom quiche – all the eggs are from my wonderful chickens.
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- I made brioche – see my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 for the recipe. I use my favorite recipe from “Baking at Republique” by Margarita Manzke.
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- Here is our buffet. We sliced the quiche and tarts and also served popovers with spinach and poached eggs. And for dessert – blueberry cake.
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- Here is a photo of my four precious dogs. They love traveling with me to Maine – Creme Brule, Emperor Han, Bete Noire, and Champion Empress Qin.
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- That night for dinner, we all went to the Islesford Dock Restaurant – one of my favorite local dining spots. We started with a cup of their famous New England Clam Chowder.
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- And then enjoyed local steamed lobster.
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- And for dessert – blueberry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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- Over Labor Day weekend, I took my grandchildren to the Blue Hill Fair – a true country fair in the small coastal town of Blue Hill, Maine.
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- We saw some gorgeous cows including this Holstein. Holstein Friesians are a breed of dairy cattle originating from the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany and Jutland. They are known as the world’s highest-production dairy animals. Adult females can weigh up to 1300-pounds.
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- There were many exhibits and competitions at the fair. Here are some of the flowers on display.
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- There was also a section dedicated to arts and crafts.
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- Handmade blankets were proudly exhibited – look closely at some of the prize winners.
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- And here is a blue ribbon hand-knitted stuffed animal. Country fairs always have a long list of competition categories. It is fun to see all the submissions – all handmade with care.
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- And afterward, we enjoyed lobster rolls, onion rings and french fries. What a fun day at the fair, and a fun time in Maine.
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