Wishful Weekends- Maine

Summer is unofficially over as we are now past Labor Day but I wanted to share one last wishful weekend in the northeast.  As I’ve said before, I’m not a huge fan of winter, but it’s funny that many of us have this great buildup of anticipation for summer, but then once it gets here the reality is that the weather is quite uncomfortable, at least here in Texas.  Well, this weekend I’m daydream vacationing in Maine, where the average temperature in August is 20 degrees cooler than Houston!  I’ve got three days to play, so I know I won’t be able to get everything in that I would like to, but I’ve been able to get in touch with some amazing designers who were gracious enough to take time to meet up with me and talk about their designs and life in Maine.

I was able to grab a last-minute flight at a great price so I arrived mid-afternoon yesterday and right away I sunk my teeth into some local food.  I knew today I had a lot of driving to do so I picked up some whoopie pies from Two Fat Cats Bakery and I cannot wait to try them.  I didn’t realize until planning this trip that the food culture in Maine was so established!  I found recommendations on quite a few blogs but I ended up with a lobster roll from High Roller Lobster company that was portable enough for me to eat it while exploring and not make too much of a mess.  Maine is home to the Maine College or Art, formerly the Portland School of Design, and many jewelry designers studied there and honed their artistic vision before starting their jewelry careers.  There is definitely a deep connection here between Mainers and the inspiring landscape of mountains, sea and forest that has created this thriving artistic energy that so many want to tap into.   

I’m having coffee this morning with Jennifer Nielsen who designs jewelry featuring beachstones that she pairs with diamonds and 18k gold.  It’s a truly unique look and I smile as I admire the jewelry she’s wearing, knowing that she’s hand selected each of the stones and, as a metalsmith, crafted the jewelry herself.  We’re at Tandem Coffee Roasters and Jennifer admires my nails which gives me the chance tell her about Allyssa Power at Get Nailed Beauty Salon.  “She’s amazing,” I say “When I was checking in yesterday, I complimented the clerk’s nails at the front desk and she told me about Allyssa.  I called and she miraculously had an opening and I walked right over.”  We have a great time talking about why she chooses to call Maine home and what’s so special about living here.  I’m having such a fun time hearing about her work, but I have to get on because there’s a lot for me to see and do today!  After we say goodbye and I walk over to Cross Jewelers.  I took the bus from my hotel, the Portland Regency, to get here this morning and I plan to walk back, making jewelry stops along the way.  It was so easy taking the bus here.  Just a short walk from the hotel to City Hall, grab the 9A and a few minutes later it dropped me off, almost in front of the coffee shop.

Cross Jewelers is a family owned jewelry store that has been in business since 1908.  They started off designing and manufacturing jewelry for the wholesale market, but during WWII the business transitioned to retail.  They focus on diamonds, sapphires, Maine tourmaline, and jewelry inspired by the coast.  I’m delighted by what I see in the cases, a mixture of classic styles and one-of-a-kind pieces.  I stop one of the sales people to ask them about Gary Roe who has created some special pieces for their store.  I follow Gary on social media and he appears to be not only an amazing jeweler, the detail on his hand fabricated pieces is impressive, but also a jewelry restorer.  The salesman, John, shows me a one-of-a-kind Birch Leaf ring designed by Gary Roe and offered exclusively to special clients of Cross Jewelers.  The ring features a stunning aquamarine set atop 30 hand fabricated, hand engraved, individual birch leaves.  I tell John that when I was about 8 years old, we lived for a time in a house out in the country in Michigan that sat on a heavily wooded piece of land.  I remember the birch trees surrounding that house, and how weird I thought they looked, with their peeling white bark and almost silvery pink skin underneath.  That was the first time I had lived among so many trees, and in the winter, I loved walking around, pretending to get lost and mounting solo expeditions to find my way home again.  In the summer I was much too scared to go into the woods, too many bugs!

After leaving the shop, I continue my walk back towards the hotel, taking my time to stop and peek into shop windows and people watch.  I’m heading towards Holly Hamilton jewelry for a quick chat before I head out of town.  Holly is a graduate of the Maine College of Art and she has spent many years honing her skills as a jeweler and goldsmith before setting up her studio and retail space in Exchange St.  As I look around, I can see why an artist would want to work here.  Each of the major streets in the OId Port District has its own character, but there’s something inviting about the wide brick sidewalks set against the brick and stone facades of the buildings on Exchange St.  You feel sort of lost in the moment, your pace starts to slow and you take the time to daydream.  I pass by another shop that looks interesting and I decided to pop in and take a look.  Attos Estate Jewelry is helmed by Attos Santana who has been in the business for over 30 years.  They specialize in estate jewelry and I am afraid of getting whiplash because there are so many amazing pieces all over this store!  For customers who are outside of the Portland area, they do offer a selection of their inventory for sale on Ruby Lane and Etsy.  I love looking at estate jewelry and trying to guess the time period that the piece is from based on the styles that were prevent during that time.  I purchased Understanding Jewelry by David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti many years ago and I have used it as a reference countless times, but seeing vintage jewelry in person helps to reinforce what I’ve read. 

After checking the time, I realize that I’ve got to get going.  I want to stop by the Maine Narrow Gauge Railway Museum to pick up some souvenirs for my kids.  They all love Thomas the Tank Engine and one of their favorite movies is Blue Mountain Mystery where Thomas helps out the narrow-gauge engines at the Blue Mountain Quarry.  If you have kids that are into trains you know what I’m talking about.  The railway served the more rural parts of Maine from the 1870’s until the 1930’s and was the smallest common carrier in the United States.  I wish my kids were here to see the most adorable train engine you’ve ever seen and go for a ride.  The tracks are only two feet apart!  Unfortunately, they will have to settle for t-shirts and hats this time, and I throw these in the car and head over to Brunswick to meet with Keith Field and his daughter Hannah at his namesake storefront.  I love the representation of flora and fauna in his handmade signature collection, as well as the use of Maine Tourmaline in his fine jewelry.  Tourmaline was discovered in Maine completely by accident in 1820, but that discovery led to the first commercial gemstone mine in the United States.  The quality of tourmaline found in Maine rivals the best in the world, and it’s exciting to be able to see jewelry made from traceable and responsible sourced material. 

I feel like today has been so busy!  This is supposed to be a vacation!  I had no idea when I started planning my trip to Maine that there was so much to see and do!  I know I am focused on jewelry like always, but I heard about the Center for Maine Craft when I was doing my research, and it seemed like a good place to be able to check out a lot of local artists in one place.    The Center serves as a hub for the Maine Craft Association and provides a venue for education events, exhibitions and a retail space for over 300 Maine artists.  I have a great time browsing all of the works on display and reading some of the artists bios.  A necklace from Christine Peters catches my eye and I decide that I can’t leave it behind.  It features handmade sterling silver hydrangeas and a rose cut ruby.  My wedding bouquet was comprised of solely blue hydrangeas and my second daughter was born in July, enough coincidences to tell me it was meant to be. 

I decide to spend the night in Augusta, the capitol of Maine, and in the morning, I enjoy some leisure time walking around.  I see lots of locals out biking and jogging along the Kennebec River Trail.  The water is peaceful here, but I’ve heard that the Kennebec River is great for white water rafting further up north.  My husband and I did that once on the Gunnison River in Colorado and let me tell you, it was terrifying, I will never do it again and I do not recommend it!  I do highly recommend coming to Maine though as this trip has really surprised me.  I had never met anyone from Maine, so it existed as this place that seemed so very far away from my life that I assumed it must not be that interesting.  How totally wrong I was!  I’ll get the chance to see more of the state as I’m making my way back west to go and visit the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel. 

I want to take my time on the drive and just enjoy the countryside.  I found a website, Mainelakesandmountains.com, that gives some pretty detailed scenic driving routes for the area.  So, between my map, I don’t trust just using Google Maps in more rural places, and the directions from the website I feel pretty confident.  I’m meeting up with designer Natalie Reed in Norway, Maine and it will take me a little over an hour to get there.  Part of the drive is along Interstate 95, which I traveled many times when I lived outside of Philadelphia when I was just out of college.  That’s one of the things that I like about Interstates.  For me at least, I always feel linked to memories across space and time of when I traveled this same road a thousand miles away.  It’s fun to think that I could travel in one straight line all the way to Miami if I wanted.  That’s something that’s amazing and unique to the United States.  The ability to freely travel thousands of miles uninhibited, as long as you have the drive to do it, and the gas to do it.

Along the way I stop off in Poland, Maine at Hilltop Spoonworks.  Beau Taylor skillfully hand carves wooden sculptures that just happen to be very useful as everyday objects.  I have long admired his patented hanging measuring spoon sets and kuksa’s on Instagram so it was a treat to get to see them in person.  I love that he’s able to source his wood sustainably, something that resonates with the culture among artists in this state, and even uses locally sourced beeswax to seal his finished works.  From there I arrive in Norway at the Norway Brewing Company for lunch with Natalie.  Norway Brewing Company is family owned and family friendly, and I can’t wait to give them a try.  Back home in Houston, I’m not really a beer drinker, but when I travel, I try to go all-in and I’m starting to see that when you have craft beer brewed from local ingredients, there is a definite difference in quality, and the flavor profile appeals to me.  I decide to order the loaded mac and cheese topped with brisket.  Brisket…….in Maine! 

I arrive back in Portland after another great day of jewelry and gem exploration.  On the drive down from Bethel, I listened to a couple of the Jewelry Navigator podcasts I have saved on my phone.  Brenna is a fellow Graduate Gemologist who also loves to support independent jewelers and designers and I like listening to her interviews and recommendations as they help me in planning future wishful weekends.  I have really loved my time here in Maine, and I think I would like to come back here and bring the family along.  I didn’t realize it until I did a quick search, but the three years I lived in Seattle I was actually further north than I would be in Maine!  So, perhaps a visit in the colder months wouldn’t be so bad.  As I prepare to return home, I take one more look around at the cobblestone streets of the Old Port district, the boats bobbing on the water and the unhurried steps of the tourists walking by and I want to savor this moment and remember it when things get hectic at home.  It may be some time before I’m able to travel to Maine in reality, but I can come here anytime, in my daydreams.