Made in Maine

Maine has long attracted creative people, including many who make beautiful items for the home. I was so excited recently to discover the gorgeous table runners and pillows made by Leslie Evans that I wanted to share a photo.  This table runner looks lovely on a bare wood table or over a solid color  tablecloth, but when I first laid it out over the Provencal tablecloth already on my dining room table, I was struck by how pretty it looked — just right for late summer. If you’re a foodie like me and collect dishes and linens, you really should check out Leslie’s work. Her website is leslieevansdesigns.com. You

Lobster table runner by Maine’s Leslie Evans

too can bring a lobster home for dinner!

A Maine Sailing Legend: The Windjammer Mary Day

A lobster bake in a deserted Maine cove is a highlight of every trip aboard the Mary Day.

Imagine having no set itinerary and simply sailing where the tides take you. Imagine relaxing day in and day out in your favorite comfortable clothes without a pair of high heels or a necktie in sight. Imagine bountiful meals of Maine comfort food and toothsome breads, rolls, and desserts all prepared in a wood-fired stove and oven. Imagine…well, you get the picture.

I’m just back from several days aboard the schooner Mary Day, currently celebrating 50 years of taking passengers sailing along the scenic coast of Maine. While on board, passengers can help hoist the sails, lend a hand in the kitchen, or — the favorite pastime of most — do nothing at all and simply watch the scenery go by (referred to by the crew as “upper-level management”).

Capt. Barry King sails in and out of small coves, stopping occasionally to allow the crew to row passengers into tiny villages to stretch their legs.  Hardy souls swim off the boat while it’s at anchor, and in the evening there’s usually story-telling or a sing-along with Capt. King playing guitar and talented passengers trotting out their own musical instruments to join in.

Whether you choose a 3-night getaway or a week-long cruise, there’s always an authentic Maine lobster bake in a deserted cove — the highlight of every trip.  Fall cruises can be spectacular and there’s still plenty of time to sign up — or consider an unforgettable summer vacation for 2013. Check out the Mary Day website at schoonermaryday.com.

Life on a Small Maine Island

Harbor view

August on my little island in Maine means:

–Sultry days

–Star-filled nights

–Lots of friends and relatives eager to squeeze in a visit before their vacation ends

It’s always interesting to welcome visitors here for the first time because their comments range from “Breathtaking” and “Charming” and “How can I move here, too?” to “What on earth do you do here all winter” and “How can you stand living so far from the shopping mall?” (yes, someone really asked that). Of course it’s not for everyone, but life on a Maine island exemplifies the state motto, “The Way Life Should Be.”  At least for some of us!

About 100 of us live in this tiny fishing village all year ’round; in summer the population swells to perhaps four or five times that number as visitors open up their seasonal homes to stay for a week or two or, sometimes, the entire summer. The ebb and flow of the seasons and the population is a fact of life here, much like the ebb and flow of the tides that surround us. Right now as I gaze out my office window the late afternoon sun is sparkling on the water, sailboats are drifting by, and lobstermen are unloading their catch at the co-op across the way. There may be better places for a writer to live, but I can’t imagine where that might be.