Such a festive time of year!

Do you have your jingle on yet?  I have all sorts of ideas for holiday entertainment and gift ideas.  Follow my advice and you will be very merry indeed!

The Bagaduce Chorale's winter concert is this very weekend.  You can hear them Friday night or Saturday afternoon.

Friends of the Blue Hill Public Library host a holiday party on Sat., Dec. 20. This year’s event will offer something for everyone. The entertainment will kick off at 2:45pm with songs and stories from Noel Paul Stookey, who has delighted audiences as a member of Peter, Paul and Mary for a generation. Noel will be followed by live jazz, a dramatic reading of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol,  magician Peter Boie, carols with Holly Weinberg, and an ornament making activity. An impressive array of refreshments will be available throughout the party.

A Downeast Messiah with Blue Hill Bach also takes place on Dec. 20, starting at 7:30pm.  Our very own Lorna Stephens, waitstaff and assistant innkeeper extraordinaire, will be one of the vocalists featured with a solo.

You have amazing gift options right here in Blue Hill.  We've been giving gift certificates to restaurants lately--they always fit.  The Harbor House is a brand new option for breakfast or lunch--just opened last month but it's already getting raves, from me and everyone else.  I already have a favorite lunch--it's their fancy grilled cheese, served with a great tomato soup.  The DeepWater Brew Pub, on Tenney Hill, has reopened for December and a gift certificate there works for beer, dinner, or swag!

Wendy, at her shop Mae, on Main Street

Have you been in Mae yet?  Shopkeeper Wendy has collected the most beautiful treasures--sumptuous leather goods, the softest robes and socks, beautiful housewares and great lighting. 

We joke that Blue Hill now has a lower east side--Paradise Tattoo, Greenspeed Juice Bar, Three Wishes, and the Barnacle are all conveniently clustered together for easy shopping.

The Meadow might win the most festive shop in town.  Karen always makes her world beautiful.  Plus, you can shop until you drop and then scoot right next door for an espresso while you pick out fun bottles at the Blue Hill Wine Shop (they haven't changed their name to "and Gourmet Cheese and Provisions Shop" but they could!  It's a great stop on the way to a party).

I received an early present of sparkly earrings from Handworks Gallery.  Did you know the gallery has been in Blue Hill almost 40 years?!  You can tell by the quality of their offerings, such a beautiful collection.  The tree book pictured here was created by Marcia Stremlau.  You can see an exhibit of more of her books at Blue Hill Public Library (maybe when you're there at the holiday party on Dec. 20!).

I, like so many, am trying to downsize so this is the year where a donation to one of my favorite charities is perfect.  We have so many worthy causes right here.  Near and dear to my heart are the Tree of Life (our food pantry) and the Dolly Fisher Fund, which helps people with fuel assistance.  The nonprofits in the area do major fundraising this time of year and a donation in a loved one's name makes a great gift.

I try to hide my sappiness most of the time but I did love the modified to do list making its way around Facebook.  "Wrap someone in a hug".

Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer--Why do we resist when each has its beauty?

That was me, just a few weeks ago, kicking and screaming that leaves were changing and the deep green of August was mellowing into a colorful fall too soon.  Today, I am marveling at the great color, the crisp 59 degrees on a sunny day, and enjoying pumpkins and squash and all things autumnal.

Assistant Innkeeper Duncan's 2013 masterpiece

Why do we resist?!  From apple blossoms in our orchard, lilacs along the driveway, lillies in the garden, geraniums and begonias in the pots, all giving way to sedums and mums, color and blooms show up and delight us again and again.  We had pretty, edible flowers and pea shoots for our breakfast plates and chives and mint and thyme from our herb garden all season long.  We bought greens and tomatoes and peppers and herbs at the farmers market along with our bacon and summer sausages and local cheeses.  We have such bounty in the Blue Hill Peninsula.

So many guests entered our doors--more than ever, in fact (which is a reminder that if you have a favorite room and you know when your vacation will be next year, call right now and make your reservation.  You will be assured to get the room you want for the nights you want, at this year's prices.  I just hate it when we can't accommodate you). And so many marveled at the charms of Blue Hill and Castine and Stonington, appreciating Acadia National Park, even traveling as far as Campobello, Camden, and Baxter State Park for interesting side trips.

Our chickens laid beautiful eggs all winter long,
and all summer long, delighting us and guests

We had Jake and Duncan in the kitchen this year, to very delicious results.  Duncan's blueberry muffins are the very best ever and Jake made croissants that, I swear, were actually from France!  An afternoon treat we've like for a few years now is Coffee Squares--made from ingredients you are likely to have in your cupboard right now.

Coffee Squares
Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup hot coffee

Frosting
1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter
Cold coffee

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.  Into a separate bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder. Alternately add the flour mixture and the hot coffee to the creamed mixture.  Mix well and pour the batter into a 9-inch square pan.  Bake in a 350 degree over for 30 minutes.

Into a small bowl sift together the confectioners sugar, cocoa, and salt.  Pour in the melted butter and add the cold coffee one tablespoon at a time, mixing well, to make a spreadable frosting.  When the cake is completely cool, frost.

Serves 9.

Chef La Mason took beautiful ingredients and made amazing dinners.
We'll have her back next summer, don't worry!

We like to share the good stuff with you.  This summer that included dinners crafted by La Mason with wines paired by our favorite wine distributor.  This was La's last dinner menu this year:  Yellow Birch Farm beet and whipped feta salad with anchovies, lemon, parsley and Tinder Hearth bread crumbs; Palmer Hill potato gnocchi and a romesco sauce with Blue Zee Farm red peppers and sauteed squash; Five Star Nursery peach soup, with mascarpone panna cotta; breaded haddock with a Morgan Bay Farm radish, celery, and herb salad; chocolate layer cake with a chocolate almond salted caramel sauce and coffee ice cream...  If you want to be emailed with her schedule for next year, send me a note, sarah@bluehillinn.com.

Stonington, late afternoon, late fall

I use TripAdvisor frequently when I travel--I've discovered tiny hole in the wall restaurants, fabulous hotels, and interesting outings.  The inn has received some truly blush-worthy reviews.  I'm always so happy to read that we are creating an experience people really enjoy.  The historic inn, the charming seaside town, Duncan and Jake's great breakfasts, Diana and India's careful housekeeping, Lorna, Brenna, and Jessica's super service--everything comes together and creates "a wonderful get away."

One of my favorite blueberry barrens, Rte. 15, Penobscot, late spring

Have you liked us on Facebook yet?  Check out our page--we try to link to great Blue Hill photos and happenings.

And now we've come to the quieter season, when we close the red doors of the main building and welcome guests to the Cape House.  The Suite continues to inspires "Wow!"s with its cathedral ceilings, wood-burning fireplace, and private deck under the willow tree.  The Studio is stocked with art supplies and books and features a large sunny bedroom and a cozy kitchen.  We leave them both stocked full of goodies for your breakfast and snacking and are available to help you make the most of your visit, whatever the season.  We have a great selection of maps, guidebooks, restaurant menus--everything you need to make good decisions during your time here.  This time of year we are making suggestions for where to see the best color, get the biggest or smallest pumpkins, and where to find a lobster dinner. Now that I've finally accepted it's fall, it seems to be the prettiest fall ever with a lot of color coming early but staying gorgeous.  Or is it just the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that make this time of year so delicious?!

If you've been planning to come to Blue Hill, don't put it off.  Call us, book your room, come see what everyone loves.

At last, lilacs!

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Hors d'oeuvres at the inn

The blooms are behind—I’ve never thrown open the red doors of the inn without armfuls of lilacs taken from right outside.  Never have the purple chive heads been so stubborn to open.  And yet, the tulips, tossed in at the last minute in the fall, cheerfully greet guests and we do have chives to snip onto the gorgeous eggs my chickens are laying (and they are laying!).

Our favorite restaurants are opening:  We got to Stonington last week and discovered that Devin Finigan at Aragosta has started curing meats.  She even has a lobster sausage!  I can tell you from first hand experience that the lobster ravioli is better than ever. Guests who went there last night raved about the lobster po'boy and the view.

Wines and meats at Aragosta

I haven’t gotten to Whale’s Rib yet—I’m holding out until I have time to play some petanque on the court there before dinner.  In Castine, the Pentagoet Inn’s dining room is open to rave reviews from guests as is Jack’s Passport Pub, certainly the coolest in the area.  Although, the Deepwater Brew Pub has undergone a bit of a transformation and the brewery barn in back is amazing!  They open tomorrow night.  We had a guest at breakfast this morning say that her dinner at Arborvine last night was one of the best meals of her life!

A new shop just up the road from the brew pub, Mae’s, opened last week with lots of home furnishings to drool over.  Handworks Gallery, another quick walk from the inn, is under new management but with lots of the favorite artists returning.

Here at the inn we’ve been undergoing beautification projects.  What started as a wallpaper tear down in room 1 ended with the whole inn getting insulation blown in which lead to the repainting of the whole outside (or that’s the plan anyway.  The coastal weather sometimes wreaks havoc with outdoor projects).  We're lucky to have a great crew of painters and carpenters--they've turned into consultants for guests with questions about their own DIY projects!

Wendy, the talented owner of Mae's

We’ve had great talented folks stay with us.  Penny Conti at Tunkables absolutely delighted me when she sent me a present after a recent stay.  Just a few short days after she and her husband checked out, I received a wee package in the mail.  She had inscribed vintage, charming hors d'oeuvres utensils with "Blue Hill Inn"!  They are impossible to photograph; you just have to come see them.

And we have just hosted Andrew Phalen and his lovely wife.  Andrew is the son of the first potter at Rowantrees Pottery, and he wrote a book about the pottery, Following the Brick Path.   He recently wrote a book about his father and published another, Doors and Passageways in Eisenstadt, with his photographs and text.

 Susan Bryant Caron, an amazing jeweler, stayed with us and had me coveting her bangles.  You can see them here. 

Between Blue Hill Books, the Meadow of Blue Hill, the Barnacle, Three Wishes, the wine shop, Cynthia Winnings Gallery, Blue Hill Bay Gallery, and others, plan on shopping when you visit us!

Fall, that bittersweet time...

We adore Blue Hill in the autumn--the Foliage Festival, the crisp days, the apples--but Dan the Flower Man brings his final bouquet and we know that the end is in sight and we feel sad.  A highlight of our week is seeing Dan or his wife Leslie come through the door with a big bouquet for the inn. 

Do you know we have free guest passes to the local YMCA?  It's just big enough, staffed with knowledgeable helpful folks, and very convenient.  A gentleman asked if he could walk there from the inn.  "Well, that would be a great start to the cardiovascular portion of your workout."

The beet salad from Aragosta in Stonington

Fall always means more time to read (and time to get back to the YMCA myself).  A delightful guest, Welles Brandriff, gave me a copy of his books, A Secret in the Shadows, and Born to Soar.  I thoroughly enjoyed A Secret and now it's back on the shelf at the inn.  Born to Soar is still on the bedside table but I'll let you know when you can borrow that one, too.  Mr. Brandriff uses his own experience as an Air Force captain stationed in Okinawa to guide his writing.  Sandra Paretti's The Magic Ship is a fun historical romance set in Bar Harbor in 1914.  Candlemas Bay by Ruth Moore delighted me as well.  This is a story of generations of a Maine fishing family, told from varying viewpoints with details that feel spot on for this area.  Have you read anything good lately?  I do have to tell you a story about a guest who visits with his wife almost every year.  He mentioned over breakfast that he was halfway through a book when he checked out last year--it had an orange cover, it was about dogs and fighting...   Did I know which one it was, as he was looking forward to finishing it. After a few questions, I was able to go right to the shelf and find it for him.  His page was still marked!

So many things I cannot resist at the farmer's market--River Wind Woolies is one.  Robin makes the most useful, colorful woolen things.  Today's splurge--angora fingerless gloves.  Sticky buns from Millbrook Bakery is another irresistible item but you don't have to wait for farmers market day--there's now an actual cafe in Sedgwick where you can get breakfast, lunch, or dinner depending on the day, or just a sticky bun.  Smith's Smokehouse, where our bacon comes from, has summer sausage and smoked cheeses and great jerky.  Luckily you can order online from them.  I often see Chris Leith at the market--I was wearing one of her gorgeous scarves the other day.  You can visit her website anytime and she has a beautiful studio as well. 

We've been delighted to welcome Cynthia Winings and her gallery to Blue Hill. She's closed the door for the season but bRoz Somer, Buzz Masters, Tom Curry...
e sure to look for her opening in the spring.  She's working with a great bunch of artists, including

Cynthia Winings

Grid Modulation  Book with box: birch, found metal, turpentine
transfers, colored pencil. Anne-Claude Cotty

We went to a great Pecha Kucha at the Opera House.  If you haven't heard about this yet, you must look into it!  The format of 20 images with 20 seconds on each lends itself to a kaleidoscope of inspiration.  Among other presenters in Stonington were Ellen Booraem, on the process of creating her latest novel, Maureen Farr on her latest artistic endeavors and her new gallery space, Deer Isle Hostel on growing and preserving food of all sort, and Anne-Claude Cotty on her latest artist work and book making.  Anne-Clause and I are planning a book making workshop this fall.  Let me know if you would like more details.

If you haven't planned some fun fall reading and creative activities, do it now!

Bittersweet, fabulous August on the coast

The magic of August comes in packages big and small.  Once I took an evening kayak ride in East Blue Hill where a whitetail buck welcomed us in and then shooting stars filled the skies and bioluminescence filled the seas.  If you haven't experienced the delight of paddling among the sea fireflies, make plans now!  Both Castine Kayak and Old Quarry Ocean Adventures can set up trips for you.

Leslie's 2014 calendar

We adore the sunflowers we get from Dan's Flower Farm but they are friendlier with autumn than with summer so are bittersweet in their beauty.  Dan and his artist wife Leslie Anderson are both so talented. I picked up her 2014 calendar at the farmers market the other day.  You could order a copy online. 

The Blue Hill Fair is a late August favorite, of course.  Antique tractors vying for record pulls, sheep dog trials, live music, pig racing, a lumberjack show, harness racing, even our own Idol show.  I take my responsibility as innkeeper and guide to the area very serious--I sampled funnel cake, Bianco's Italian sausage, a bloomin' onion--all so I could report to you that, really, it's all good fun fair food!  I also recommend the lobster rolls and crab rolls, the shortcake, the caramel apples...  The Northeast Historic Film organization goes to the fair, too!  We watched some old footage and then bought a movie about Maine lumberjacks for the inn.

View from the Ferris wheel

Have you heard about the Retreat at Betsy's Cove? The amazing Isla Miller has created a beautiful space for all sorts of retreats, corporate to personal.  When you gather people together in a magical place, miracles do happen.

The Retreat at Betsy's Cove

We are looking forward to the Maine Open Lighthouse Day, and the Foliage, Food, and Wine Festival.  If you are, too, make sure you have your reservations in place.  With the lovely foliage, and a busy fall, we often book up.  If you reserve now, you're sure to get the room you want--the Suite with its fireplace and cathedral ceilings, room 3 with all that sunshine, room 9 with the slanted ceilings and the skylights...

Lodging since 1840...

Each spring the lilacs and the chives welcome us back to the inn.  We have a plump purple bush shading the kitchen window that always blooms earlier than the French lilacs along the driveway--with a heavenly scent, of course.  Our kitchen herb garden brings on the chives all by itself so even if planting slides low on the to do list, we still have a bright green sprinkle for the scrambled eggs and soon the peppery purple flowers will find their way onto plates as well.

The farmers market opened at the fairgrounds this weekend, and all our favorite folks were there.  We got bread from Millbrook Bakery (and, full confession, a sticky bun, too), Indian food from Christian, lovely kale from Blue Zee Farm; chorizo, summer sausage, and bacon from Smith's Smokehouse, and burritos from El El Frijoles (and sampled their mango salsa).  Take advice from me:  go hungry!  You can even go before you've had coffee because Janet at Millbrook Bakery has big tasty carafes of java. 

Newcomers included Sarahndipity Bakery (a Nutella pecan tart ought to be illegal--illegal!  So delicious) and Fire Brick Pizza, who drive with the brick oven right behind their car.  They can make you a pizza to order super quick and mine was perfect.  And it's not just food--wooden animals, jewelry, scarves, wooden bowls, and cutting boards.


Speaking of wine, I had a very nice paella at Cleonice the other night.  I tried a Pares Balta Blanc de Pacs.  Springtime is a traditional time to fall in love and I have.  I'm hoping to add this wine to the inn's cellar and could then share it with you over hors d'oeuvres.  It would pair nicely with the focaccia and chevre we're enjoying tonight, or the bacon wrapped dates from the other evening.

PomPom, before she was a rooster!

The baby chicks we fell in love with, and suddenly had to keep all 27

"Your chickens do good work!" a guest commented at breakfast the other day. He wasn't referring to the new chicks because they are still awkward teens and not yet laying but I really want you to meet them, if you haven't already on Facebook.  Did I mention that PomPom is a rooster?!  I ordered 25 Araucana chicks to be delivered this winter, so we'd be getting eggs by June.  We received 27--25 Araucanas, 1 white crested black polish, and 1 white chicken.  About three weeks ago, PomPom, the black polish, started to get screechy and now!  Full on cockadoodledoos!  Luckily the chicks live about a mile from the inn so, rest assured, the comfy beds and great night's sleep are unaffected.  Breakfast, however, will soon include beautiful green and blue eggs from PomPom's flock.

I get such a kick out of the history of the inn and trying to put the pieces together.  One local historian, William Hinckley, reported that, "This was the scene on Aug. 3, 1861 of the 95th birthday party for Edith (Wood) Hinckley, the third white child born in Blue Hill, which was attended by 111 of her descendents."  Another Hinckley, Mrs. Fannie, an innkeeper/owner for many years in the late 1800s, was said to have remarked "that she lived in a town where there is plenty of good spring water, and there is no need of anything stronger."  Well, our spring water is still plentiful and good but we are happy to serve wine and spirits and even a local beer or two, in addition to good, old water.

PomPom and his flock

Lots of restaurants are opening for the season--Buck's, the Lookout, the Whale's Rib, Deep Water Brewing, the Pentagoet but of course the one we are anticipating most is Chef Devin Finigan's new venture, Aragosta.  Yes, Chef Devin has her own place now so won't be cooking at the inn.  While we will continue to offer breakfast to our guests and the public, we won't be offering dinners this year except for a few special events, like El El Frijoles returning during the Foliage, Food, and Wine Festival in October (no, it isn't too early to reserve a seat for that).

Black Dinah truffles delight us all, I have to admit.  Have you tried them? Did you hear the news? Truffles are the new pillow chocolate here at the inn.  When we say we want to pamper you, we aren't kidding.  If you're planning to come visit, check our availability calendar and make a date.  It's going to be a very busy summer and we want to be sure you get your favorite room.

The chicken or the eggs?

I've turned into that person who you dare not ask, "What's new?" or "How's your spring going?" because I will tell you all about our new baby chicks and I will show show you the videos, as many as you can bear.

We've been committed to local eggs from the get go but getting enough can be a challenge.  We had a neighbor with a small flock who, mid-summer 2012, wanted to give them away.  "Pick me, pick me!" I begged. And she did. And suddenly we needed a coop and a run and a primer on chickens.  

Thanks to Derek at Camden National Bank, I was armed with a great chicken book.  And with the iPhone and Facebook page, I was ready to keep everyone uber informed.  They grow so fast!  I think by early June I'll be showing off the gorgeous eggs in the dining room.  The new chicks are Araucanas and will lay blue and green eggs! 

One of the new chicks is a white crested black polish chicken.  We named her Pom Pom.  I'm fairly certain our eggs will be beyond delicious this year!

The Four Season Farm Gardener's Cookbook, by Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman, is out!  They take you "from the garden to the table in 120 recipes" and scads of lovely photographs.  You can get it from Blue Hill Books or from  Barbara and Eliot's website.

This time of year you can see what Four Season Farm has to offer at the Saturday farmers market held at Mainescape in their big greenhouse.  Vendors change week to week but Mia is almost always there with soup and noodles, Nostrano smokes ribs and has delectable rosemary salmon, Tinder Hearth has bread and croissants, Smith's Smokehouse has sausages, Bucklyn Coffee has, well, coffee, and on and on.  Pork, raw foods, candy samples, vinegar, wreathes, baskets, sea salt...  Sometimes the knife sharpener is there.  I mostly go to see if there are any puppies...

I've been dining out on your behalf again--I know how important it is to know what's happening in the area, even during this quiet season.  The Factory Tavern, in Stonington, has opened! Friends and I had a delicious pre-theater dinner recently and loved the elegant yet comfortable space, the Stonington harbor view, the service, the food--even the fancy specials card that one of the owners makes (and you can shop for something similar at their wine and fun things shop, the Clown, right down the street from the Tavern).

by Katy Allgeyer. You can see more at her website.

Rumor has it the new chef at the Brooklin Inn is great but we had to go to El El Frijoles' supper club instead.  If you aren't on their mailing list or friends with them on Facebook, you must sign up now or you'll never find out about supper clubs in time to actually get a spot.  And chef Michele just gets better and better.

We wished the Bagaduce Music Lending Library a happy 30th birthday recently.  Have you ever been? What a treasure!

Wanting to plan your Maine vacation around seeing great art?  Here's a super list of galleries and museums put together by the Maine magazine.  It's not complete--no Courthouse Gallery or Jill Hoy--but has a lot of my faves, like the Barter Family and the Turtle Gallery.

If you're planning to come to Maine this summer, make your reservations now! We are busier than ever and looking forward to a great 2013.