The Snowy Winter Reading Pile!

Welcome to the snowiest winter yet! Blue Hill is gorgeous in white, just gorgeous.

I have the most luscious stack of books to delve into. I just picked up Ellen Booraem's latest at Blue Hill Books (they often have autographed copies of books by local authors). I loved the Unnamables. I also picked up Gonville, a memoir by Peter Birkenhead, I am giving to a friend. Next on the list to read, though, is Obsessive Genius, the Inner World of Marie Curie, so I'm ready for the Brooksville reading group.

I've been taking a Colloquy, Maine Painters, with William Irvine, but it was a January happening and now it's February so I have a pocket of time. (This painting is one of his, Dancing Sea.) Well, I had a pocket of time--now I have these books and plans to see films and the latest play at the Opera House, Dying City. The class about painters who loved Maine was great--Marsden Hartley, Winslow Homer, and William Thon, to name just a few of my favorites. So many artists catch the incredible beauty and light of the coast.

I did find time to take a cooking class--in potstickers!
I thought they would make a fun offering during the hors d'oeuvres hour. All winter long I'm collecting recipes and ideas. Come May I'm bursting for the main inn building to open up again so we can start serving guests pancakes and cookies and savory nibbles. This time of year we deliver muffins and sweet breads and cookies and chocolates but it's not quite the same as the cookie tray in the parlor and then the table of hors d'oeuvres before dinner.

I'm starting to wonder if Blue Hill is the greeting card capitol of the world--the Barnacle has a great line of handmade cards as well as Maine-based cut out cards (the lobster trap is perfect!), and New Cargoes has lots of cards by Maine artists, and Fairwinds Florist has a very sophisticated line of cards that are perfect for my friends as well as Maine art gift cards and Blue Hill Books carries perfect cards to add to the book which they will giftwrap for you. The Blue Hill Inn has always offered to stamp and mail correspondence for guests, whether our postcards or others. I only just realized how perfectly this amenity fits into Blue Hill as a whole!

And if all of that weren't excitement enough, the Packers won! I am from Wisconsin, after all.

I hope your February has just the right the ratio of snow to hot chocolate, delicious reading and scrumptious outings. If not, come see us and we will adjust as necessary!

The Holidays in Blue Hill

Although a part of me keeps wondering, "Where did August go?!" we are firmly into our quiet season. This time of year, November to mid-May, we offer lodging in our Cape House, in the Suite and the Studio. We leave snacks in the rooms, some savory, some sweet, and some healthy. The baking elves leave scones or muffins or coffee cake. And of course the rooms are supplied with our organic, free trade coffee. Although we are in the middle of town, deer short cut through the yard, the pileated woodpeckers visit the trees, and other birds feast on the berries. The sun rises this time of year at a reasonable hour. The sunsets, though very early, often bathe the whole town in pinks and purples. And the full moon, well, it's practically a Blue Hill citizen.

Halloween at the inn has adults enjoying adult beverages (we don't make the grown ups say "trick or treat" on their way to the bar) and kids selecting treats from the big silver bowl. This year's silly non-candy option--toothbrushes! (These went over well, to the amusement of a dentist-guest attending the festivities.) I dare you to try it at your house!
Thanksgiving always includes some dining out--Cleonice, the Arborvine, and Table all remain favorites, but we've added the Lookout, at their winter digs. Seems like such a Maine thing--a restaurant moves up the hill to a cozy house with a central woodstove and continues to offer incredible options. We are still dreaming about corn chowder with Maine shrimp (just coming into season--so fresh!), the seared scallops with creamy risotto, the steak au poivre (with wee shoestring potatoes), and the crème brûlée and chocolate mousse. Call them now!

My favorite Christmas event, the Bagaduce Chorale concert, was better than ever this year, with a Fred Waring toast. Nothing gets holiday spirits up higher!

I've told you each year that you must come for New Year's Eve in Blue Hill. The line up of music and entertainment--all completely free--delights even the sophisticate. We have loved Scott Howell because he's a great carpenter and has helped us at the inn with many projects, and because his daughter Ellie has worked at the inn for the last few summers, but now we love him because we love his Loose Cannon Jug Band! The evening hosts over a dozen performers at locations all around Blue Hill (and within easy walking distance of the inn). We caught some steel drum music, our local pastor and his wife singing together, and our own Mesa Schubeck. We didn't make it to the New Trad Trio or Black Tie Fiasco--next year I hope.

You might be thinking, "Ah, but now it's after the holidays, and Blue Hill gets dull," but no! Now it's time for the first El El Frijoles Salsa Night! And by salsa they mean a three-course dinner and a salsa dance lesson followed by music, dancing, and carrying on. And the Blue Hill Concert Association starts their winter program this weekend with the Lefthand Canyon Trio.

I hope you had magical holidays, filled with laughter and wonder, and that January has you marveling at the cold crisp clarity of the winter world and snuggling under the covers! (Photo credits go to Lisa Peschel, a pal of mine since 7th grade, who was here for New Year's, and Julie Jo Fehrle, who manages to be in Blue Hill for epic full moons and festive pumpkin carving. Thanks!)

The End of a Wonderful Season!

And so we come to the end of October... Did your summer fly by as fast?

The Foliage, Food, and Wine Festival is so much fun! You must put it right on your calendar for next year. Always held the third weekend in October, it's all about food and wine and, well, foliage! The Blue Hill Inn continues to collaborate with El El Frijoles to create a delightful evening for guests. The five-course dinner sold out so quickly that we added a second night. And no wonder, with Huevos en el Pugatorio, Carnitas Tostadas, Bogavante Asado Cola (Michele is pictured here brushing the lobster with chili butter)--with so many local foods, like vegetables from Horsepower Farm and eggs from Quill's End Farm and lots that is grown right at the El El Taqueria! And, El El Frijoles went on to win Best of the Fest for the second year in a row at the Taste of the Peninsula on Sunday!

The Artisan Chocolate Making Class was a tremendous success as well. Kate, from Black Dinah Chocolatiers, is amazing behind a vat of chocolate. She masterfully led 12 students, with bonbons dancing before their eyes, to creating wee bits of delicious art. Kate's blog is filled with yummy recipes and a nice dash of romance. Kate is shown here on the left, watching Kim work on truffles in the Blue Hill Inn kitchen. Guests at the inn that night were treated to lovely chocolate leaves for their pillow chocolates, which have left me wanting fancy chocolates for all occasions. Aren't they so pretty? Kate and Steve will make you lovely things in their Isle au Haut kitchen!

Did you catch the article in the New York Times about Ingrid Bengis and her Deer Isle seafood? It's hard to read it and not get craving the local lobster or crab or scallops--so delicious! All year long I have guests marvel at the wonderful dining options we have in this very rural area. And then, in the guest book this morning, "Thank you for an absolutely wonderful night in Blue Hill. Guests must try the blueberry pancakes!"

We are gathering pumpkins and costume ideas and recipes for our Halloween party. If you're in the area, come by for a treat!

Woe be he
And all his kin
Who steals this book
From the Blue Hill Inn!
so inscribed is the copy of The Girl with the Phony Name, written and presented to the inn by Charles Mathes. He and his lovely wife, Arlene Graston, an amazing poet and artist herself, stayed at the inn this fall and sent me the book and one of Arlene's card to say thank you. I love this illustration of hers from Aesop's fables. You know I have the sweetest guests ever! And so talented!

Two other delightful guests sent me a vacation in St. Croix! Well, they sent me a book, Don't Stop the Carnival, by Herman Wouk, with explicit reading instructions: "The appropriate time to read this book is in front of a fire on a cold, rainy and windy day after you have closed the Inn for the winter when you can let your mind wander to imagine life in the Virgin Islands in virtually perpetual sunshine during the day, gentle winds and water you can actually swim in without fear of turning into an ice cube." I'll put my feet up. I might drink a piña colada while I'm at it!

Have you seen October's DownEast magazine?! Blue Hill is the special supplement star this month! The autumn photographs capture the feel and look of October in Blue Hill perfectly. (And Jeff the chef's apple walnut bars capture the taste!)

Sour Cream Apple Squares
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup chopped nuts
1-2 tsps. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 cups finely chopped, peeled apples

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and butter; beat at low speed until crumbly. Stir in nuts. Press 2 3/4 cups of crumb mixture in bottom of ungreased 13x9 inch pan. To remaining mixture, add cinnamon, baking soda, salt, sour cream, vanilla, and egg; mix well. Stir in apples. Spoon evenly over base.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cut into squares.

If you haven't made your reservations for the Foliage, Food and WIne Festival, you must do so immediately! More events, more music, more people! We have a few spots left in the artisanal chocolate making course with Kate from Black Dinah Chocolates; we have a few rooms left for the weekend; and we can put you on the waiting list for our wine dinner with El El Frijoles. Tickets for the festival Sunday are available the day of so you can procrastinate at that, if you want.

Is your October this yummy? If not, come see us!

Hints of Autumn

Guests have been hiking and biking and eating lobster and scallops and duck and blueberry pancakes ("best ever"). Folks from England and France and Maine and all over the south have been loving the weather and the pretty New England scapes. All sorts of folks celebrated Maine Lighthouse Weekend with boatrides and flights and hikes. We are lucky to have so many both in Maine and close by. If you'd like a copy of "Lighthouses and Lobsters in DownEast and Acadia Region" full of information about them both, just call the inn.

I received a very fun email from a previous guest: "I married my high school sweetheart on April 30, 1983. We are both Vermonters of many generations, and we traveled to Maine with a stop or two in New Hampshire. I had been to the Bar Harbor area before and loved it. We stayed in many little inns, but yours stands out in my memory as something special. We were there sometime during the first week of May 1983. It would be kind of neat if you actually did have a book with an entry, because I am sure if there was a guest book, and you still have it, we would have written in it.

It was a very special night, having the whole place to ourselves. We were given the key, and told to enjoy the place as we wished. I remember the huge and wonderful kitchen. My wife and I both love to cook. Here we are almost 30 years later, with two of our children who are professional chefs. I am still in love with my wife, more today than ever. It does happen, even in this crazy world of today. You could say I met my soulmate, and we are joined forever.

If we ever get back up that way, you can count on a visit.

And you are right, you may own the place, but really it owns you for a short time. That is why we stayed in as many places like that as we could. I would not be writing to the Holiday Inn today."

You can see why I love my job! Although we have guest registers and menus books going back many years, I couldn't tell them much about their stay. Did I tell you about the waitress from 1967?! She and her husband stayed for a few nights recently and told me all sorts of tidbits from her summer here. I wonder what one of the first guests or waitstaff, from 1840, would have to say!

I'm noticing I like a symbol. Here at the inn one of our symbols has to be the Rackliffe coffee mug. I adore the blue and white mugs (they come in yellow as well) and love knowing that the clay is from East Blue Hill, just down the road. They are making us napkin rings as well as syrup pitchers and saucers--these aren't on their website but if you call them up and mention the Blue Hill Inn, they will know just what you mean!

We often talk about how to help guests extend the vacation feeling. I had a friend who would "point" the ends of the toilet paper from time to time at home! I will sometimes send guests away with a handful of pillow chocolates and suggest they do a turndown service for themselves (I tend to do this especially with guests who leave us to go camping--having your sleeping bag turned down at the end of the day and an organic chocolate on your pillow helps make that transition!). Serving warmed maple syrup in a Rackliffe pitcher is a certain method for continuing the vacation feeling!

Come try the maze! Could there be a better fall activity? The Homewood Farm is my favorite for strawberries and pumpkins, in part because they have springer spaniels!

From the guest book:
"What a wonderful place. Your gracious hospitality combined with the charm of the Inn and friendliness of guests made for a beautiful visit." Miami, FL
"We feel so lucky to have discovered Blue Hill and the Blue Hill Inn, both of which are idyllic. Thank you for a wonderful stay--it was perfect in every way." United Kingdom

If you aren't having a perfect time where you are, come see us!

The recipe is... Coffee Squares!

You might think I am describing nerds who talk about coffee way too much, but I'm not. Instead, coffee squares, or mocha bars, as we sometimes call them, are the latest "oh, this is so good, I have to share the recipe" treat at the Blue Hill Inn.

Coffee Squares
As suggested by the Summer Inn Bed and Breakfast in Haines, Alaska

Cake
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup hot coffee

Frosting
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup melted butter
Cold coffee

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

Into a small bowl sift together confectioner’ sugar, cocoa, and salt. Pour in melted butter, and add the cold coffee one tablespoon at a time, mixing well, to make a spreadable icing. Frost the cake when completely cooled. Serves 9.
We of course use our Carrabassett Coffee Company organic coffee, which makes the squares especially delicious.

Guests have been hiking to Barred Island, climbing Blue Hill Mountain, jogging past the country club, kayaking in the bay and in Stonington and in Castine, biking all over, swimming in Walker's Pond, and wondering about town. All of which is to say, you can indulge in coffee squares and pancakes at breakfast (with an extra slice of bacon!) and pillow chocolates and still fit into your work clothes when you head home from vacation.

I've started a little collection of silly Maine art. A bright red lobster on a bright blue car is my idea of a color scheme!

If you aren't having a colorful season, come visit us! The blueberries are mighty blue, and so is the sky, and so is the water...

O the eating!

I blush to tell you all the places I've visited in the last few weeks: the Brooklin Inn, Table, Dennett's Wharf, Guildive sailboat, the Blue Hill Wine Shop, Arborvine, Fish Net...

Friends and I happened to be in Brooklin around dinner time and lucked out with a table at the Brooklin Inn. Proprietor Chip Angell helped us select a yummy wine from the very nice list. A few in our group opted for the prix fixe off the menu and enjoyed a fresh fresh salad, delightful three-fish bouillabiase, and choice of dessert for $25 (especially nice, I thought, was the freedom to choose any of a good list of sweet things). I opted for a broiled rib eye with chantrelles and was certainly in heaven.

For the sake of the guests only and only for the purest altruistic motives, I went for a sail on Guildive. Capts. Zander and Kate were delightful and took great care of us. We went for a sunset cruise, leaving off the dock in Castine. Dennett's Wharf is conveniently located right there (think--really fun bar and on-land bathrooms!). We were able to board a bit early and slid out into the harbor, past the Maine Maritime Academy's training ship, the State of Maine. We didn't have much wind but we had the best time! The views, the hors d'oeuvres, the chatting with Kate and Zander, the wildlife... So much fun!

Twice now I've had occasion to lunch at Table. Mmmmm. Cevishe of the day, their hamburger, the beet salad. Mmmmmm.

And, I know you are really pitying me now, I had to go to Arborvine this past week, too! Crispy roast duckling... tournedos pommery... Bagaduce River Oysters--on the half shell with a frozen sake mignonette--mmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm. And I don't even like oysters. Order twice as many as you think you could possibly eat. Trust me on this. And then, hope that the crab and avocado tower is on the menu.
And if the person you're dining with says, "Oh, we can share," make that person order his or her own. Just trust me, you'll thank me. And then, dessert... Save room. I have no idea how but there's a lemon mousse napolean... A fruit crisp perhaps... Luckily, the restaurant is a short walk from the inn and the stroll home is down hill.

How lucky are we in Blue Hill to have so much great eating?!

We had two live music special treats, too! Mesa Schubeck, who you might have met on a recent stay as she is an assistant innkeeper here this summer or who you might have met at one of the contra dances as she plays with the Oakum Bay String Band, entertained at hors d'oeuvres hour Friday night and assured us it won't be the last time. She's a delightful pianist and vocalist.

Down the street at the new and improved wine shop, Bill McHenry did a couple of impromptu concerts among the bottles.

And then a bottle of bubbly on the deck at the Cockatoo in Sunset--because there is always something to celebrate! Among other things this week, it was my third anniversary as Sarah Pebworth, innkeeper at the Blue Hill Inn!

If your summer isn't delighting you, come see us. We can surely help.