Whenever I go to Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine, I like to fill the days with as much as possible.
During the second week of my stay, I enjoyed many boat rides with friends, and more hikes through Acadia National Park. I spoke at the exclusive Pot & Kettle Club in Hulls Cove, and celebrated my birthday at Skylands with my wonderful family. We all ate very well, feasting on foods from the local fisheries, the farmers’ markets and my own garden. My time in Maine is always fun and packed with great activities and gatherings.
Here are some more photos - enjoy.
On my birthday, we took a hike to the top of Beehive, a rather vertical hike and climb on a beehive shaped mountain overlooking Sand Beach in Acadia. I am always so energized when I am in Maine.
I had a lovely birthday celebration that evening at Skylands. Jude and Truman served the two birthday cakes – oeuf a la neige cakes. One was caramel and the other, raspberry coulis. Both were so delicious.
The next day, we went out for a boat ride on Skylands II, my Hinkley picnic boat. Here are Jude, Truman, and two friends, Ariadne and Leo.
All the children love going out on the boat – always with their life vests, of course.
I also had the wonderful opportunity of speaking to an audience at the Pot & Kettle Club founded in 1899 in Hulls Cove, Maine.
The Pot & Kettle Club is an exclusive gentlemen’s club with about 120-members. During the summer, this longtime institution inspires its members and their guests by inviting prominent figures to speak on a variety of topics.
There were about 50 or more members and their guests expected at the event.
It is a tradition for members to wear hats and aprons.
My friend, television producer, Dick Wolf, was my “caterer”. He had the responsibility of sitting next to me during the luncheon and then interviewing me in front of the audience. I spoke about my love for Maine and Skylands.
Back at Skylands, Jude and Truman were intrigued by their shadows, and how tall they could make them. My shadow is in the middle.
On another day, I took a ride on Dick Wolf’s new Italian made Wally speedboat, “Illegal”.
The boat can go very fast – it can easily go up to nearly 50-knots in choppy waters.
It was such a beautiful day for a boat ride. We rode out to Black Island in 10-minutes.
One evening, I met up with my friends – Jean and Ed Lipkin, and their son, Jeremy.
We all went out for another boat ride to Islesford Dock Restaurant – here is Jean at the helm.
We were celebrating Ed’s birthday – he is also a Leo. In fact, many of my friends are Leos.
This is their other son, Andrew Lipkin. Andrew is an excellent tennis player.
I love sunsets like this – there is no better way to see one than on a boat.
This photo I took looks like a painting – I just love this image. Perhaps I will blow it up and hang it somewhere.
And on this day, we took the children for a walk to the rocky shore of Ship Harbor at Acadia National Park.
The Ship Harbor Nature Trail provides a nice walk from the roadside to the ocean through a forested setting,
Truman was covered in mud from the mud flats, also known as tidal flats. They’re coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers.
Next was to find a tidal pool, so the children could wash their muddy feet. Here are Jude, Truman and a friend, Emilio. They had a wonderful time exploring.
During the summer, I love entertaining at Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine.
Earlier this month, I hosted a wonderful cocktail reception and dinner for Friends of Acadia and some of the organization's biggest supporters. The mission of Friends of Acadia is to preserve and to protect Acadia National Park and its surrounding communities. As many of you know, Acadia National Park is very important to me and to my family. Acadia is a beautiful 47-thousand acre Atlantic coast recreation area primarily on Mount Desert Island. It is filled with pristine woodlands, rocky beaches, clear ponds and so much more. I love hiking its many trails and always enjoy the stunning views and tranquility - especially now that my grandchildren, Jude and Truman, can join me.
You may recall, last year was an incredibly important year for both Acadia National Park and Friends of Acadia - the park and the National Park Service celebrated their centennials. As part of the celebration, Friends of Acadia announced its most ambitious fundraising campaign, the Second Century Campaign, which raised more than 26-million dollars for several key priorities including youth engagement, visitor experience, and protecting Acadia’s fragile resources. Here's to another 100-years at Acadia - a truly magical place. Enjoy these photos from the party.
This is my circular driveway at the front entrance of Skylands. The driveways and all the carriage roads at Skylands are covered with crushed pink granite stone. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
Kevin Sharkey always creates such beautiful arrangements. This one is all white, and looks spectacular on my Living Hall table. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
I love how the smoke bush flowers, Cotinus, look in this arrangement – like a puffy cloud of “smoke”.
I love this view of my terrace through the leaded window panes. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
Blue agave always looks so stunning in these Gertrude Jekyll style pots. Gertrude was an influential British garden designer, horticulturist, artist and writer. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
All my chaises longues are perfectly lined up under umbrella shades on my terrace. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
Here are my glazed terra-cotta sphinxes watching over the terrace. These sphinxes were designed by Emile Muller. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
Here’s a tranquil view through the woodland. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
I love to plant uniquely shaped succulents in this ancient English stone trough. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
Heather Kirkland and I add some finishing touches to the table. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
FOA President, David MacDonald, and I take a last look at all the party preparations. Kristin Clements, our server, prepares the bar in the background. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
We served wines from Martha Stewart Wine Co. For the evening, I chose a delicious Villa Ruby and Marquis de Bacalan. Bacalan is a sauvignon blanc. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas) http://marthastewartwine.com
For cocktails, we made caipirinhas, martinis, and served tequila. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
David presented me with a hostess gift – a lovely vintage carriage road sign of Seal Harbor. The wrapping paper is the iconic image taken by Howie Motenko. It was used as the campaign image in many publications. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
Here I am greeting guests in my Living Hall as they arrived – Henry Schultz, Bob Kogod, David Rockefeller, Susan Rockefeller and David. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
On my large faux bois table in the Living Hall, I always have a guest book opened for everyone to sign. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
Here I am with Henry sharing a funny moment on the terrace. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
Sorrel soup, gougeres, cheese straws, and deviled eggs were passed around to guests. A gougère, in French cuisine, is a baked savory choux pastry made of choux dough mixed with cheese – everyone loved our hors d’oeuvres. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
Here I am joined by Henry Schultz, Susan Rockefeller, and Bob Kogod. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
This is Lisa Horsch Clark from FOA – she worked with me to plan the evening’s festivities. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
Everyone had such an enjoyable evening. About 40-guests attended the party. The event was to thank those for their contributions to the Second Century Campaign. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
During dinner, I shared some of my deep ties and love for Acadia. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
FOA President, David MacDonald, welcomed our guests, thanked campaign donors, and shared updates on recent work in Acadia made possible by the guests’ support. (Photo by FOA/Julia Walker Thomas)
Dinner was prepared by my friend, Chef Pierre Schaedelin, of PS Tailored Events and his great team. The first course was a flavorful Risotto with chanterelles. http://pstailoredevents.com
Here is Pierre plating the entree – Soupe de Poission, with Lobster, mussels, clams, potato, and fennel.
Warm pieces of toast with rouille were also served.
For those who do not like seafood, we served lamb chops.
During dinner, Jude and Truman presented their lists of what they loved about Acadia – this was so special to me. You can see a closer look of the list on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. What a wonderful evening.
Every year around this time, I try to spend a wonderful week, or two - give or take - at my beautiful refuge in Seal Harbor, Maine. This year, the weather has been fantastic, and it has been so much fun spending time with my daughter, Alexis, my grandchildren, Jude and Truman, and all my dear friends who visit.
This is the first of several blogs I will share featuring some of the highlights of my stay. My first week included a visit to the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden, a delicious lunch at the Islesford Dock Restaurant, hikes at Acadia National Park and spectacular views of Seal Harbor and the surrounding areas. Enjoy these photos.
Here I am leaving for my trip to Skylands. I am very fortunate to be able to fly privately. The trip is under a couple of hours to Bar Harbor, Maine.
My dogs came along for the ride. Here is Creme Brûlée in the cockpit just before lift off.
It was a gorgeous clear morning, and look at these views – so majestic.
This is an aerial view of Seal Harbor, Islesford, and Sutton Island.
On one day, we enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Islesford Dock Restaurant on Little Cranberry Island in Islesford, Maine.
Here I am with my friends, Memrie Lewis and Jean Lipkin at Islesford Dock.
And here I am in the restaurant, with a view of the docked boats behind me.
This is a sunset view of Mt. Desert Island from Islesford – so breathtaking.
We also visited the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden. Memrie and I stopped for this quick photo.
The garden was designed by the legendary landscape architect, Beatrix Farrand, for John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller in the 1920s. It is open for private tours once a week from late July to mid September. Check their web site to make an appointment to visit. https://www.rockgardenmaine.com
The garden is enclosed by this high pink stucco wall. The wall is capped with orange tiles that were imported from China.
The Garden was designed as a classic English garden bed, with a rectangular shape, and surrounded by pink granite pebble paths.
For the Rockefeller Garden, peak bloom time is generally mid to late August – everything looks so beautiful.
The gardens are perfectly manicured with immaculately kept flower beds filled with dahlias, lisianthus, sunflowers, verbena, salvia, gladioli and so much more.
Here is some gorgeous pink phlox.
This is a reproduction of the Moon Gate created by Beatrix Farrand in 1926.
The Garden contains many Asian structures and statuary. These are called the Garden Spirits.
The Rockefeller Garden is a wonderful place to visit. If you’re even in this part of Maine, I encourage you to stop by.
I love hiking whenever I am in Maine. Here I am with my dear Chow Chow, GK, during one of our walks around Jordan Pond.
A visit to Jordan Pond must include this view of the North and South Bubbles. The North Bubble has an elevation of 872-feet. The South Bubble follows closely at 766-feet.
Here are Kevin and GK posing for a quick snapshot.
Jordan Pond serves as a wildlife habitat and provides water for nearby communities as well as Jordan Pond House. At its deepest point, it is 150-feet. The water is spectacularly clear.
This work is done by beavers. When a beaver cuts down a tree it wants to eat the inner, growing cambium layer of the tree bark.
Once the bark is all eaten, they reuse the stick to build their lodges and dams.
Here are mergansers. The elegant gray-bodied females have rich, cinnamon heads with a short crest. In summer, they can often be seen leading their ducklings through freshwater rivers, lakes and streams.
Beautiful ferns – I love this all natural environment.
Here is another photo of me and GK on the walking bridge.
And another gorgeous photo of the Pond with the Bubbles in the distance.
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