East of Common: September 2011

Around the beginning of May every year, my mom starts wearing Coppertone suntan lotion as perfume. She calls the scent "ode to summer" and it kicks off the summer season for her and for all of us who know and love her.

On the other end of the summer spectrum, I travel each August with the Bartletts to the family house in Deer Isle, Maine on Penobscot Bay - a little south of Bar Harbor. As my mom's Coppertone scent marks the beginning of summer, this annual retreat always marks its end. I cannot imagine a better farewell to the sumertime months than time spent in Maine - where days are lazy, scenery pristine, and nightime blanketed with down comforters and stars as far as the eye can see.

Never have a been to a place that inspires my creative juices to flow so feverently. A large reason for that is the artists havens that define life in Maine - be it arts and crafts, painting, cooking, or beermaking, Mainers love to be creative. And those who visit learn to, too.

The Bartlett home in Maine is an artists' escape. The town is known for the renowned Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Grant's grandmother, Anita, was an artist herself - so our house at home and the house in Deer Isle are draped in her beautiful art. Though I never met Anita Bartlett, I can completely understand how the Maine setting inspired her.

These Maine sea urchins are in our bathroom

I have found my best home pieces on these journeys north - and not just pieces that cost money (although most do). On kayaking excursions to the little islands that dot Penobscot Bay, you can find the most interesting finds. Driftwood is in abundance, though hard to bring back on a kayak. But, my favorite finds are dried sea urchin shells, with and without the pricklies, which made for amazing decorations in class jars - or stacked in pots.

A couple of years ago, I came upon an original oxen yoke (still in a distressed blue color) that I had absolutley no use for, but knew that I had to have it. The man in the antique store offered it to me for $60. As usual, I did not have cash on me, but before I could offer to write a check he calmly said, "just take it and mail me the money when you get home." huh? what? I couldn't believe it. Maine.

Grant and I have purchased two beautiful watercolors from local artist Jill Hoy (and we are grateful to have been given two more by our parents as Christmas gifts), who has also done work for LL Bean. Her shop sits on a steep hill over looking the harbor in Stonington, Maine surrounded by the most amazing pots overstuffed with flowers. We cannot afford her beautiful oil paintings just yet (which literally make you want to jump into the picture and never jump out), but we are hardly settling by having her watercolors.

This may be my favorite sign of all time

Many artists move to Maine in the summer to set up shop and sell their art. Wouldn't that be the perfect life? One such shop is a lady from California who sells friends' art and her own jewelry out of a little store on Maine Street in Deer Isle. Last year, I purchased three of my favorite "bathing beauties," made with gold leaf on small wooden board. Another, is a charming British couple who spends summers in Maine and winters in the Virgin Islands. She is an artist and runs her studio out of their newly renovated home. By day, they have large screens which divide the living room from the showroom. By night, it looks like one house - and often times the two are blended together. The picture is of the sign on their door. Maine.

We recently returned from our end of summer vacation and I always come home with more ideas than before I left. Those are good vacations - the type that inspire while recharging the soul.