Fairfield Porter

Fairfield Porter "July" 1971

I know I've posted about Fairfield Porter (1907-1975) before, but at that time I didn't know that Maine was such a big influence on his work (or more so, I had no reason to find it interesting!). His family had a summer home on Great Spruce Head Island, a privately owned island by the family which looks out over Penobscot Bay.  The Adirondack chairs, the evergreens, the northern summer light... all reflect summer life in Maine.

Fairfield Porter "Island Farmhouse" 1969

His painting "Island Farmhouse" shows the home his father, an architect, designed and built for the family and a view of a fishing boat in Penobscot Bay is in the background. The family dog rests in the shade of the house.  Fairfield used the home when he had his own family too. The East Coast is full of generational summer homes, most of them comfortably simple and full of history.

Fairfield Porter "Great Spruce Head" 1974

presents from the earth

Our little 4-square garden has been overflowing with tomato plants this year. We also planted herbs, cucumbers and peppers in the same plot but they were overtaken by the tomatoes. I can't complain... walking out to the garden and coming back with overflowing arms of tomatoes is like a gift each time. There were a few jalapeno peppers in there too. I made some homemade salsa with them which is not only good with tortilla chips but also on top of chicken or even scrambled eggs, or mixed in with rice or quinoa. In another 4-square next to the vegetable plot is a garden of zinnias (though the tomatoes encroached on them too!) and I've had vases of bright fresh flowers in the house this summer.

I haven't written about it, but our CSA has been so wonderful this year! (Buckhill Farms CSA) I love having a constant harvest of vegetables to bring home every week and suppers have been simple but delicious. I've noticed more "farm to table" restaurants popping up here and in places we've traveled. If you hear of one, definitely try it! It just means that the restaurant is going for fresh local produce and serving it. And usually those farms are the organic or sustainable agricultural farms that grow good food. I tend to be a locavore whenever I can. I think the food is fresher and tastes better, and that means we're eating seasonally which I feel is healthier. It also pushes me to try new things and introduce more variety to my cooking. I've also been experimenting more... thinking about which flavors might be good together or what I'm in the mood to eat... and then coming up with my own combinations. If you have fresh herbs on hand, it's easy to add good flavor to anything.

I'm excited for next week because my sister and my nieces will be here visiting from Orlando for a few days and we always love spending time with them! And that means my house will get a good cleaning too! ;) Hope you've had a good week!

Cadillac Mountain and Bar Harbor

We drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain which overlooks Bar Harbor and the Porcupine Islands. The elevation is 1,532 feet which is the highest point on the North Atlantic coast. Almost exactly a year ago, President Obama and the First Family stood where we did and were probably just as much in awe of the view...

Nathaniel looking out over the rocks...

I could sit by the water all day...

All of us loved walking along the coast line on the rocks, seeing the waves crash up against them. Being outdoors like this makes television and video games boring. The kids were different when we were there.

The town of Bar Harbor is full of restaurants and gift shops. I saw this Route 66 Restaurant and had to laugh as I just had posted that I'd love to follow that highway someday!

Gotta love the Camper Van! What a perfect way to see Maine...

We spent a whole afternoon hiking the Great Head Trail that started at Sand Beach and was not just a walk, but an actual climb on the pink granite rocks up the mountain to the top of Great Head. None of us had ever done such a treacherous hike before but by the end we were loving it, even with a skinned knee when Caroline tripped and we had forgotten to bring a band-aid. (A nice hiker gave us one.) I was surprised how many older people were out doing that trail and I decided that I want to be one of them someday! We'd be walking on narrow bands of rocks and then come out into a field of wild rose bushes that smelled wonderful, then through the pines, past beautiful white birch trees and vistas of the ocean below that were breath-taking. Hiking is now something we all want to continue to do!

There was so much more we didn't have time to do-- the Trolley through the Park, Moosehead Lake (we were trying to find moose the whole time but never saw any!), more hiking trails (Acadia has 125 miles of hiking trails!) and kayaking. A week wasn't long enough. On the way home we discussed how beautiful the drive up there would be during the fall. We stopped in Freeport to see the L.L. Bean Flagship store(s) (it's a must see... a huge complex and a vacation spot in itself) and they have Outdoor Discovery classes that they do there. Now we're thinking about going back to learn how to kayak when the leaves are all colorful. When you're in Maine, you just want to be outside doing things like biking, hiking and kayaking or canoeing. We picked up some real estate info too, thinking maybe in the future we could see ourselves there. At the very least, I think we've found our favorite vacation spot!

whale and puffin watching

If you go to Bar Harbor, you have to go out whale watching! We took a 3 1/2 hour whale and puffin watching tour out into the ocean and we were surprised at how many whales we saw-- 12 to be exact! Fin and Humpback whales. We also saw seals and other native birds. The Puffins are actually endangered so it was really special to see so many of them nesting around a little island. There were scientists out studying them as we passed. Even though it was around 80 degrees on shore, it gets down to 40 degrees on the boat... very chilly! We were in shorts and fleece jackets and were freezing. We also saw lots of lobster fisherman and traps. There are millions of traps out there but the fisherman are very responsible in how they catch them and female lobsters are marked and put back to lay their eggs and keep the population growing. We had lobster every day we were there. Supposedly the best way to boil them is in actual sea water that has all that sea salt in it. We loved it any way they did it! I miss eating fresh seafood already. There's a saying that says "only eat sea food if you can see the ocean". I have to agree that it's the best!

please let me teleport back!

Acadia National Park

Last Saturday we drove 13 hours to get to Ellsworth, Maine which is right next to Bar Harbor on the coast. In the morning we drove to Acadia National Park which has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth! The water was so blue... a deep navy blue. And the rocks and greenery and wild rose bushes were also intensely colored and beautiful. The most amazing thing is the air-- it's so clean. They were having a heat wave but that only meant mid 80's which was so comfortable with the ocean breezes blowing. We walked down by the water on the giant boulders and took it all in!

I have a lot more to tell you about too!

Maine

We just got home last evening from spending this week in Bar Harbor, Maine. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth!  I haven't uploaded all my pics from my good camera yet but here's one from my phone camera. I didn't notice this when I took it but look at the name of the little boat... "DREAM"! Next to that multi-million dollar yacht... classic. My dream now is to be in Maine most of the year... or at the very least, visit there as often as possible. I will post much more about it. Right now I have to pick up Elle and Chloe from the pet resort! See you back here soon!

happy weekend

"Summer Loungers" by Leah Giberson

I love the work of Leah Giberson... her campers, mid-century homes, and folding chairs. It makes me want to find a vintage camper and hit the road, traveling through the U.S., to see the sights. Route 66 always sounded like a fun drive in a camper and being that I was born that year, I feel destined to do it someday.  If you're lucky enough to live in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Leah has a solo show at Nahcotta until July 31.

I do have big plans for this next week. I'll share them later, but for now, I hope you have a great weekend! (Can you believe we're already halfway through July?!)

"Willerby" by Leah Giberson

another flash mob

Only in America! This one was in Cape Cod at a grocery store. I love this... I would love to be a part of one some day. :)
(Thanks Dad for sending the link!)
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Actually I shouldn't say only in America (except for the symphonic piece),.... this one in Belgium is great too! (I am a huge Sound of Music fan!!!)

beautiful day

The sky is so blue and the clouds just float like cotton today. I took Elle for a walk this afternoon and it was the prettiest day we've had in awhile, especially for July. I was thinking how happy I am right now... just a contentness I guess. Compared to a few years ago when it seemed like what I was writing was all exclamation points and high emotion, right now I just feel happily quiet. It's not just in my writing, it also is in keeping life more simple. I'm not buying things all the time or wishing for more. I would actually like life to become more simple. Life is really about love and relationships, not things and prestige. It's about being happy inside yourself-- just walking down a little path and loving every second of it because the sun is shining, the shadows are cool and the air is fresh. That is happiness.

Natural medicine works

etsy print

Yesterday I went for a follow-up visit to my doctor in Philadelphia and I wanted to share with you what my experience has been like with an "Anti-aging" doctor or one who practices preventative healthcare. It is easy to be skeptical of doctors who prescribe natural herbal supplements or plant-based creams like progesterone. Let me say that I wouldn't trust any doctor or any supplement until I knew their practice or their product was legitimate. My doctor was a family practitioner and was tired of writing drug prescriptions for symptoms but never really finding cures and keeping patients healthy. That is how he ended up studying natural healthcare. The big difference between him and doctors I've seen in the past is that he does actual blood and saliva tests (and stool tests if needed), to see what the actual numbers are of what is going on inside my body. On this follow-up visit, I saw that the natural progesterone cream that I rub on my arm or thigh actually drastically increased my progesterone and estrogen numbers-- it does work!!! He is actually cutting back my amount because it worked too good. I found out even after taking daily vitamin D that my levels still weren't high enough... something no regular doctor would have ever known or cared to look for. My cortisol levels were almost normal so that Adrenavive herbal supplement which strengthens my adrenal glands definitely worked. I am really amazed. I knew I was feeling better and had more energy but I was hoping it wasn't just in my head.  I had hope that this was going to be different and I was right-- the numbers were the proof. Even when my regular gynecologist shook her head and said she didn't believe any of this was a legitimate way to solve some of my health issues... she was wrong! And you know-- I never would have found out about my gluten intolerance and had my system cured of that parasite (yes, I'm feeling much, much better) if I hadn't gone to Dr. Varano. What makes me so sad is that most people do not get the medical care they need because doctors do not practice medicine like this. I truly believe that this is why we've seen a dramatic increase in cancer. Cancer comes at the advanced stages of most disease... things that can easily be cured without drugs or expensive treatments. The best thing you can do is to recognize that the food and drinks you put in your body and the lotions you rub on your skin all have an effect on your health... so only eat and use the best you can get. I watch people hurt themselves all the time by the junk they think is food. Unfortunately most insurance companies don't pay for preventative healthcare. That is so ridiculous when it is so much cheaper than paying for the surgeries and drug treatments that come from neglect. I found my doctor through this website but there are lots of other doctors out there who recognize that this is the way medicine should go. It is encouraging to me that my own children will  know of this option and are healthy eaters right now. So, I am hoping by sharing a little of my own experience that you will be encouraged to seek the right medical attention for yourself. If something doesn't seem right, it might not be... and testing is sometimes the only way to find out. I wish you good health and luck in finding a doctor who believes in healing like mine does. xo

a little mention

You might remember this chair sketch that I did for a class a few months ago? Well, I was googling my name just to see what recently pops up and I found my drawing on this post. It is an honor to be grouped with such great work. I'm not sure why she included me but she did provide a link which I appreciate. You just never know where your stuff is going to show up out there!

growing up

Lego a from etsy

Last week we decided to tackle a job that has been neglected since we moved to this house four years ago. Nathaniel's closet!  He could barely close his closet doors with all the toys stuffed inside. It was a trip down memory lane, pulling out legos and stuffed animals, dart boards, plastic animals... lots and lots of stuff!  As we went through it, I think both of us became a little more nostalgic and sad at the time that has passed. He will be in Eighth grade in the fall and that's only one year away from High School. He's catching up with me in height and is growing out of his childhood interests at the same time. We filled nine bags and seven boxes full of toys and drove to the Salvation Army to donate them. He gave away all of his Legos (even his father's from when he was a boy, which now I regret). He gave away his huge collection of animals that he and Caroline used to play with all the time, his Woody and Bullseye from Toy Story, so many plush toys. He did keep his bionicle collection and a yo-yo he forgot that he had, and a few stuffed animals like his first teddy bear and a big stuffed duck that he couldn't bear to part with. We loaded all the things into the bin at the drop off and as we walked away, I could see tears in his eyes. I asked him if he was okay with it, and he said yes. We both cried all the way home-- not for the donation because we both know other kids will love playing with his toys, but because this was ending a very, very special time in both of our lives. His childhood was one that is one of the most special times in my own life and always will be. Now I have three boxes of books to take to the library to donate because he cleaned out his bookshelf. We both decided to keep all the children's books that we both loved to read because I have a collection of them anyways. He's just giving all the books from elementary school that others will like and it will help the library buy more new books. I might keep a couple that he thinks he wants to give away, just because he might change his mind.

Why do kids have to grow up? I know I look forward to them going to college and starting their careers but that also means the adorable little kids that they once were are gone and right now that just makes me so sad. I can't stop crying about that. In a way I suppose when you have children, you can relive the best parts of your own childhood and you know I live in my own childhood when I do my art. So now I hug them a little longer and spend as much time as I can with them. And maybe if I'm lucky, someday I'll have some grandchildren to spend a little time reading books with and playing legos again.

Nathaniel's 5th Birthday

wordless

I've been having one of those weeks that seems too mundane to talk about... just busyness. I am finding the book "Women and Money" by Suze Orman fascinating (I highly recommend it if you don't feel you know everything about controlling your finances or you think women shouldn't be dealing with these things.) Hopefully I will have something more interesting to post about... just wanted you to know I'm still here!