Comments on Sarah Laurence Blog: Art and Lunch on Bailey Island

Anil, the cribstone bridge works well with the str...

2008-08-19T12:27:31.278-04:00

Anil, the cribstone bridge works well with the strong tides, reducing the current for boats passing below. Maine seems to have its own way of doing things that work well with the environment.

A photograph will not interpret for you, but an ey...

2008-08-19T11:17:39.161-04:00

A photograph will not interpret for you, but an eye will.

The views are delightful. I've never seen a cribstone bridge before. It looks more like a novelty than a bridge but I'm sure it has its uses.

Thanks Kate, lobsters and art do feed the body and...

2008-08-17T15:18:48.810-04:00

Thanks Kate, lobsters and art do feed the body and the soul.

Bailey Island looks picturesque and charming. Your...

2008-08-16T19:21:56.320-04:00

Bailey Island looks picturesque and charming. Your photographs are lovely!

I enjoyed reading of how you are painting ... it is such good food for the soul.

Oh, and the lobsters must be divine!

Curmudgeon, interesting that you kept that lobster...

2008-08-14T21:30:48.293-04:00

Curmudgeon, interesting that you kept that lobster craving after birth. I ate a lot of spicy Mexican food when I passed my due date. I heard that it could induce labor. It didn’t work, but my son has always loved spicy Mexican food!

How lovely to find you at the beach. We too had a ...

2008-08-11T16:02:28.180-04:00

How lovely to find you at the beach. We too had a day at the beach this past weekend. What wonderful images of Maine and I especially like the one of you taken from behind. I agree with you on the bit about fresh lobster not needing anything. I adore lobsters--but not drowned in butter or mayo. According to my mom, her one and only food craving while she was pregnant with me was lobster.
--Curmudgeon

Cosmo, you’ll be happy to know all of the photos o...

2008-08-10T18:03:54.875-04:00

Cosmo, you’ll be happy to know all of the photos on this post were taken with my point-and-shoot Canon Elph. I didn’t want to take my new DSLR to the beach. As you can see, the Elph does well enough for a blog. Cambridge is lovely – lucky you. Thanks, I can’t wait for you to read my novels too! I’ll post on my blog when the first one is published.

Sarah--Thanks for the response about the camera (i...

2008-08-10T16:36:07.749-04:00

Sarah--Thanks for the response about the camera (in the comments on your last post)--I'm staying with point and shoot for now, but your photos giv me something to aspire to. Bailey's Island looks like a lovely place--I haven't been to Maine in years, but I do love the lobster, and the climate, and the scenery--I have to get back soon. I've been enjoying your Oxford postings, too--i've spent a couple of summers in Cambridge, and I loved it--I can't wait to read your novels.

Elizabeth, thank you. The first image is a croppe...

2008-08-09T06:58:39.303-04:00

Elizabeth, thank you. The first image is a cropped photo where the digital zoom on the Canon Elph lends a texture reminiscent of an oil painting. I discovered that technique by accident in England and enjoy using it.

Compare that photo to my header painting. The camera flattens out the landscape and erases detail whereas my paintbrush captures everything I see (except for the house I removed.) Islands remain islands without being squashed into the horizon.

I still love both images, and if I had to paint from any of these photos, I agree that the first one could work especially as a large oil painting.

As for my son’s shot, that’s the view that I was painting. Winslow Homer did paint in Maine, and you can see why. There are many artists who work summers in Maine.

Pamela, the summer is going too fast. If only I had more days requiring sunscreen, but I guess it’s better than the intense, dry heat this year in the south.

The summer is going by fast! But it looks as thou...

2008-08-08T23:54:08.305-04:00

The summer is going by fast! But it looks as though you are spending the days well! And congratulations on winning the sunscreen contest!

Wonderful pictures of Maine.I think the first one ...

2008-08-08T14:25:11.874-04:00

Wonderful pictures of Maine.
I think the first one would make an excellent painting.
You are very noble trying to work with your children around.Yours sound talented and helpful. Mine were too, but I did need some uninterrupted time alone too. Your son's picture could be a painting too - a la Winslow Homer perhaps?

Katarina@roses and stuff, I love my work, but I’m ...

2008-08-08T12:44:59.013-04:00

Katarina@roses and stuff, I love my work, but I’m not earning a real living at it yet. Only a few artists and writers do, sadly.

Rose (it is my day of roses), your relatives picked a great time to see Maine. Yes, I did recommend Smiley’s A Thousand Acres. I’ll be curious to hear what you think when you finish it. That book does feel like sitting down with family. It’s interesting that with your farming background, it rings true.

As for my novels, I’d recommend reading the first one that is published. When (if?) that happens, I’ll announce the good news on my blog and website. MOOSE CROSSING is out looking for a publisher, and S.A.D. is with my agent. I’ll be writing NOT CRICKET this fall. If you’re curious about the long process in which a manuscript becomes a published book, read this post: Shaping a Novel, S.A.D. Thanks, it cheers me to know I’ll have readers.

What a beautiful place to work! While there may b...

2008-08-08T12:00:18.012-04:00

What a beautiful place to work! While there may be distractions on the beach, I would think the environment would be very inspirational for writing as well as painting.
My brother and sister-in-law left a few days ago for a couple weeks in New England, including Maine. I'm very jealous:)

You asked me what I was reading: I picked up Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres after you had mentioned it or one of her books in one of your posts. I'm not very far--too many distractions--but I feel as if I know these people! Their conversations could have been held around our dinner table many times. My curiosity was piqued by the reference to a modern-day retelling of King Lear. It didn't take too many pages into the book to see that theme, though I'm wondering how Ginny and Rose could possibly turn into evil sisters like Goneril and Regan.

One of these days I'll have to read one of your novels--which one would you recommend to read first?

What a delightful way of earning a living! I can j...

2008-08-07T14:14:58.976-04:00

What a delightful way of earning a living! I can just see how absorbed you are in your water colours...no stress there, I suppose!
Enjoy the rest of the summer!
/Katarina

Bee, if the trolley tour guide said it was true, i...

2008-08-06T18:24:49.208-04:00

Bee, if the trolley tour guide said it was true, it must be! Interesting stat on vacation homes.

I’d love to see a stat on Maine books. It feels like most novels about Maine take place in the summer. There was one out last year that was even called Summer People. My Maine novels take place in fall through June, probably because that’s when I write but also because the long winter really shapes life here for residents.

I have picked 2 careers that revolve around solitude, but I enjoy having friends and family around when I’m not working. It’s more of a juggling act during the summer.

I like light mayo on lobster rolls since I’m lactose intolerant. Lobster is actually low in cholesterol but got a bad rap because people dunk it in butter. Fresh lobster doesn’t need anything.

Sarah, I took a trolley tour of Kennebunkport when...

2008-08-06T17:29:37.806-04:00

Sarah, I took a trolley tour of Kennebunkport when I was there and our guide claimed that Maine has more miles of coastline than any other state (which must include California!) He has also told us that Maine has more vacation homes than any other state . . . which is also easy to believe.

I'm sure that you long for some solitude at times . . . but it is lovely that your children absorb the artistic, intellectual atmosphere that you and Henry create together.

One food-related question: Do you like your lobster rolls with drawn butter or mayo?

JAPRA, what an interesting observation about color...

2008-08-06T15:14:04.802-04:00

JAPRA, what an interesting observation about color. You are definitely an artist. Inland Maine is quite green, but nothing beats the UK. My English husband’s favorite color is green, but I’ve always loved the blues.

Cindy, I do mesh my 3 jobs together, but I’m not sure how successfully!

Tina, we had a really good waitress at Cook’s, but I didn’t catch her name. I do love Maine in summer, but it’s been unusually wet since we got back. It poured today with no more sunny days on the forecast. I feel bad for the tourists.

Alyson, everything is smaller scale in Maine except for the landscape.

I love that you have different seasons for your ca...

2008-08-06T12:53:23.769-04:00

I love that you have different seasons for your careers. Great idea! No burn-out that way. Beautiful pictures. It makes me want to rush up to Maine this instant!

BTW, I knew Portland was the biggest city, but I didn't realize it was that small! I grew up in a town of 175,000, and it wasn't a big town by California standards. Too crowded over there.

I was looking for my niece in your Cooks Lobster p...

2008-08-06T12:13:28.357-04:00

I was looking for my niece in your Cooks Lobster picture, she is a waitress there. She told us we should come eat there on our visit, we said-no thanks! As you said, it is a special treat. Your kids did a good job of photographing you painting. How great a summer is this?

Your children take after you in their artistic abi...

2008-08-06T11:52:43.778-04:00

Your children take after you in their artistic abilities. I love hearing about your many careers (mother, writer, painter) and how you are able to successfully mesh them all together.

What a dreamy day! I love all the blue in your pho...

2008-08-06T11:20:13.313-04:00

What a dreamy day! I love all the blue in your photos. Very different from all the green here in England :-)