Autumn in Maine

Snug Harbor Farm

Here in the city we can pretend it's summer for a few more weeks.   But on Saturday, Carol from Sofas and Sage and I headed up to Maine where fall was definitely in the air.  Carol and I had such fun on our last outing to Cambridge Antiques Market, we made another play date.  I wanted to show her my favorite Maine haunts so we headed up north.

We started at York Antiques where we were gabbing so much we forgot to take any photos.  I think we were anticipating the requisite lobster roll.

We stopped at Withingtons.  That place has some of the most magnificent antiques.

They also have really beautiful lamps which I assume they've made out of old architectural pieces.

Nita, this one's for you!

At Smith-Zukas Antiques, I was enamored with this hardware.

And check out this wooden hat form.  I've never seen one like this before.

We buzzed up to Antiques USA in Arundel, Maine which had so many glass cases my eyes glazed over.    While were there, I saw this guy that looked familiar.  I thought, that looks like that guy that I've seen on TV.  But it seemed so unlikely he'd be at an Antique Market in Maine, I totally discounted it.

As we were leaving, he was right in front of us.  I looked at Carol and the look in her eyes said, isn't that that guy I've seen on TV?  And my eyes said, "Oh, my god, do you think he's that guy too."

Now, I would have left it alone because the last time I saw a celebrity I made a fool of myself.  I was in a  hardware store in Cambridge when I heard an unmistakable voice ask "Can you tell me how to get to Walnut Street?"  It was Julia Child!

I don't think I've ever my mentioned my love for Julia Child but it runs long and deep.  I always dreamed of running in to her so I could debate the best method of making the perfect hollandaise and tell about time I made her cassoulet for Christmas and everyone thought it was "pork and beans."  Oh, we would giggle about that.  And here was my chance.   I ran to the end of the aisle and met her face to face, eye to eye.  We were the same height.

M-m-m-m-m-mrs.  Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ild, I l-l-l-l-l-l-love you.  She smiled, said thank you and out of my life she walked.  No hollandaise.  No cassoulet.  I had ruined what would be my only chance of being Julia's best friend.

photo:  Sandy Poirier and Shag Boston

Carol handled it much better. 

It WAS that guy we had seen on TV.  Steve Santagati, relationship expert, author of The MANual.  He seemed pleasantly surprised that we recognized and graciously stood and talked to us for a bit.  He was looking for a glass doorknob so I gave him directions to Old House Parts.  He asked our names, he shook our hands and off we went.

Let me just say, the dude is REALLY good looking.  No one should be allowed to be that handsome.

On our way over to Snug Harbor Farm we drove past the Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk.

The autumn colors were in full bloom at Snug Harbor Farm.

And finally we stopped at Corey Daniels Gallery where I picked up a big stack of really old Chinese bowls.

They're all a little different and quite primitive.  Each one has a ring of the glaze scraped out of the bottom leaving the the brown clay exposed.  Does anyone know why?  It's not a test; I don't know.  I loved these because they feel like something you would dig up out of a shipwreck.

Anyone craving dumplings?

But this is a test.  I also picked up a pair of these legs.  Not the cat legs; the wooden ones.  Is he a ham or what?

The inner set of legs rotate to make a stand.  The upper part that's a different color has been added.  I'll show next time some of my ideas for these.

Carol was a great partner in crime.  She was much better behaved than me.  She bought a vintage wallpaper seam roller for $1.  I have a feeling we'll be up there again sometime. 

Extreme Antiquing

Ever since I saw Artie's post on daybeds, it got me thinking.  My middle bedroom has always been one of those rooms you leave off the home tour.   I'll bet a lot of you have one too.  I've been thinking I should change that.  I've always called the room my "studio" but I haven't done any painting or used the large desk I set up since I moved into the house.  It's really a wasted room.  

When my mom and sister-in-law visited, I slept on the floor in the dining room.  

Of course, the cats thought the bed was for them.

If I had a daybed in this middle bedroom, the room could be another dual-duty room.  It could be a second guest room or a private den for a guest since it's attached to the other bedrooms.  A guest den.  Since the upstairs is always warmer than downstairs, this also might be a place I hang out in the winter.  A winter lounge.

It might seem odd that these three bedrooms are all connected but if you've been following for a while, you'll remember that my house was a two-family about the turn of the century.  (1900, not 2000)  The front door to the upstairs apartment was the door to the guest room (seen in the distance).  The master bedroom we're standing in was the kitchen.  Eventually I'll add a door to the middle bedroom from a hallway (where the rag rug runner is) but I'm having a hard time with the idea of closing up all the rooms.  I really enjoy the openness of the space.

On Thursday I thought I'd escape the heat of the city and head up to Maine to see if I could find a daybed for my new den.  I pulled over on Memorial Drive in Cambridge so you could see the hazy view of Boston across the Charles River.  During the 1600s, the marshes along the banks of the Charles were plentiful oyster beds.  During the Revolutionary War, George Washington's fort not far from this spot provided protection from the British.

Today, these banks provide spectacular views of the Boston skyline.  The gold-domed State House sits at the top of Beacon Hill.  I wonder if it's cooler in those sailboats?

I've driven by this spot hundreds, perhaps, thousands of times and I'd never noticed this intricate wrought iron work on the MIT Sailing Pavilion.  How cool is that?

But let's hit the road.

It was 97 degrees outside Withington Antiques in York.  Withington's antiques are usually a little too fancy for my humble house but it's always nice to poke around.  I was expecting the store to be a respite from the heat but I was wrong.  The heat slapped me across the face when I walked in the door.  The place was like an oven, at least 120 degrees inside.  No joke.

This isn't going to be a leisurely shopping day.  This is EXTREME ANTIQUING. 

I love these old signs but they've all gotten so expensive. 

I nice collection of mercury glass.  I'm not sure if I like it or not but it's pretty to look at.

You could cook an egg on this table.

I buzzed up to Snug Harbor Farm...

...to pick up a perfectly aged terracotta pot for one of my topiaries.

I want some hydrangea for the front and along the side of the house.  I like these.

And, as always, I had to check out the topiaries.  Notice the yellow-green ones in front and big red ones in back are coleus.  Did you know you can make a topiary out of coleus?

I also stopped by Corey Daniels Gallery to see Tim Wilson's show. 

I really like his work.  And it's perfectly framed in vintage chippy molding.

Don't they feel like the have a history?

But on to the next steamy place to find something for my new guest den.

Check out these turquioise Chinese pots.  They remind of the ones in Joan's bedroom.  Sorry.  Not telling where they are.  I might have to go back and get them.  I like the blue and white ones in the back too.

I've found a few good anchor pieces for my new guest room/lounge so I'm going to whimp out and head back to Boston in the comfort of my car.

Being a Tour Guide

My tour guide duties are finally over.  It's always fun to have old friends visit.  This particular friend is an abstract photographer and after seeing my shots from Parsons Beach a few weeks ago, he wanted to go back.

Here are a few of my photos from that gray, chilly (48 degrees) day in Maine.

I've never seen yellow lichen before.

This is a D'Anjou pear espalier in bud.  Want one.

...and another in full bloom at Snug Harbor Farm.

I love the Corey Daniels Gallery in Wells and will do a post on it sometime soon.

On the home front, I'm sort of relieved to have further renovations on hold.  It will give me the opportunity to find a few special or unique fixtures for the kitchen and bathrooms without the pressure of NEEDING to find something under the pressure of a deadline.

I do love this old sink and I would SO love to put this in my kitchen.  I see a bank of four windows side by side above it.  At eight feet long, though, I'd have to give up a lot of countertop AND the dishwasher.  But with four faucets, do I really need a dishwasher?  Each dinner guest could wash their own dishes!  It would be part of the experience of dinner at the Urban Cottage.   

Whatta ya think?

Land and Sea -Snug Harbor Farm and Parsons Beach, Maine

Did I tell you I almost killed my toparies?  I was underwatering them and they didn't let me know until it was too late.  I cut them back and they're recovering but I'm not sure they'll ever be the same.  I had to run up to Maine today so I thought I'd stop and see my friends at Snug Harbor Farm.  They're just gearing up for the spring season so I thought I focus on the succulents in the greenhouses.

Blue and orange

Large

Medium

Small

Blue

Gray and green

Red

Snug Harbor garbage can

On the way back toward Wells, Maine, a thick bank of fog was rolling in off the ocean.  I thought I would turn off and look for the beach.

Down this road which reminds me of France...

...were these beautiful salt marshes.

Over the dunes...

...was the roaring ocean...

I love going to the beach off season when no one is there.  You can pretend, if only for just a few minutes, you're the only person in the world.

Mussel Beach

Dinosaur bones.

I hope you enjoyed this quick little look at Land and Sea in Maine.