The Season's First Snow at Skylands
A wintry mix of snow and rain is expected to fall over Skylands today, my well-loved home in Maine.
Last week’s snowstorm, which covered my Bedford, New York farm, also hit Seal Harbor and the surrounding areas. As you know, I don't get to visit my home in Maine as much as I would like during these colder months. Fortunately, Cheryl DuLong, who works at Skylands, always keeps me updated with images of the property. She and my gardener, Mike Harding, sent these photos the morning after Thursday's storm - enjoy.
And be sure to tune in to QVC today at 5pm, 7pm and 10pm - all eastern times. I'll be on LIVE with more items from my Apparel Collection. Don't miss it.
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- At least five or six-inches fell on Skylands during this first storm of the season. The pink granite ledge of the western terrace is covered with untouched snow. The leaning maple tree on the right is alive, but has dropped all its leaves.
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- Here is another view of the western terrace. The glass table that’s usually here in warmer weather is safely stored away.
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- This is just out my front door at Skylands – the circular driveway around the Skylands spruce trees is underneath the snow covered ground.
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- Just left of the circle is the front drive. These few inches don’t need plowing, but we always keep a snow cover on the roads – to plow down to the gravel drive often causes icing and erosion.
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- This is a view of terrace-one off of bedroom-one, which on a sunny day, overlooks my big terrace, the sea and Seal Harbor.
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- And here is the little balcony off of my bedroom – it’s one of two off this room. It’s hard to beat the views seen from this vantage point.
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- Beyond the terrace and through the trees, you can see Sutton’s Island. On this day, the ocean is not too choppy but quite foggy. It looks very different in summer when it’s filled with boats. These spruce trees are among my favorite at Skylands – so tall and majestic.
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- If you look closely, you can see beautiful reflections in these dining room storm windows.
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- On top of the western terrace, you can see the kiwi vines on the lattice pergola. These are original to the property and continue to thrive here at Skylands.
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- Many of the tree branches are weighed down with wet snow.
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- These steps go from the back porch up to the flower room door. It is a big job clearing pathways and stairwells, but the crew gets it done.
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- Here is the Jens Jensen designed council circle and fire pit, where in the summer, we roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories. The fire pit is already well covered for the season.
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- This is the back porch of Skylands – a very busy part of the house during summer.
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- And here is the lattice-fenced flower cutting garden – it’s really buried, but you can still make out the formed garden beds in the snow.
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- This is the small glass greenhouse. There is not enough room in this structure to store all the tropicals that decorate my terrace in summer, so those are all transported back to Bedford and kept in large temperature-controlled hoop houses.
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- The sun started to peek through the cloudy skies by afternoon, but it was still quite cold – only topping in the 30s the day after the storm. Skylands is beautiful in every season, but under winter’s glistening snow, it is even more magical.
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- From the back porch, you can see the ocean. Thrumcap Island can be seen through the branches.
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- I love this back entrance gate.
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- The giant copper urn in the woods is also capped with snow.
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- Cheryl captured this photo of a handsome cardinal. Also known colloquially as the redbird, common cardinal or just cardinal, it can be found in southern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and south through Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.
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- And don’t worry – Aristide Maillol’s ‘La Riviere’ is already all tucked away for the winter in her glass and copper house. How is the weather where you live? Share your comments with me below – I read them all and love hearing from you.
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