Homes
Rhubarb Musings
Rhubarb had a place in the China trade and the tart treat was served aboard vessels in the mid-1800s and featured in a letter to Queen Victoria.
Maine’s First Summer Home
Built for a Louisiana hotelier and his wife, the jaw-dropping rooms of Portland’s Victoria Mansion constitute the first and only extant interior by 19th-century design star Gustave Herter. Today, more than 150 years after it was built, the mansion retains 90 percent of its original furnishings and grants a rare look at 19th-century design.
Modern Rustic
An architect designs an efficient yet elegant one-story home where his parents can enjoy their retirement.
Architectural Sparkle: Lowe Hardware
Founded by Bill Lowe of Owls Head, Maine, who started out making special metal fittings for yachts, Lowe Hardware has expanded into the high-end custom hardware home market. The company makes doorknobs, pulls, hinges, cabinet handles, and even fittings for furniture, in finishes that range from shiny or rough bronze to gold-plated brass or nickel.
Stellar Art
She may be 99, but Stell Shevis, master enamellist and life-long artist, continues to look for new experiences and creative outlets.
Marine Art from the New York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society has sent an impressive array of its marine and maritime art holdings, mostly 19th century, to the Portland Museum Art for the 2014-2015 winter season. “The Coast & the Sea: Marine and Maritime Art in America” offers an excellent opportunity to take in a clutch of sea-going artifacts, plus ships, seascapes, and portraits by a top-notch lineup of painters.
Two Maine Rock Gardens
Two Maine gardeners, Vickie Cunningham in South Bristol, and Douglas Cole in Rockport, have worked magic with rocks and stones and a ledge or two.
The Art of Richard Estes
Known for his paintings of the city, this realist long ago added Maine to his repertoire.
A Ticket to Ride, the Boston Whaler
Why does every teenager want a Boston Whaler? Freedom, adventure, and fun play a big part.
Thoreau in the Maine Woods
Although Henry David Thoreau published his book about the Maine woods 150 years ago, his vision and words still resonate today. Thoreau’s experience of the Maine woods was a confrontation with himself, with humans’ place on the planet, and with the meaning of civilization.
