On a little island called Nash, off the Maine coast, a flock of sheep lives undisturbed, except in June when weavers from Swans Island Blankets come by lobster boat to gather some wool. This year's shearing produced 420 pounds of wool, enough for a year's worth of weaving.
Swans Island started in the early '90s when a pair of lawyers, John and Carolyn Grace, decided to move to Maine, meet some sheep farmers and get weaving. What developed was a company that has produced hand-woven blankets significant enough to warrant a Smithsonian Blue Ribbon for Craft in 1996. Weavers work in an 18th century farmhouse making blankets for summer and winter. Recently, the group started weaving scarves, wraps, throws and pillows, too.
I'm a complete sucker for age-old craftmanship. Add the free-roaming sheep, rustic farmhouse and beyond-cozy blankets, and this company is every New Englander's dream.
The king-sized version of the winter blanket at right retails for $1,125. Everything Swans Island makes can be custom ordered and monogrammed in a hand-done cross stitch.
The Olympia Group has revealed their plans for the Oxford Highlands Resort- Spa-Casino in Oxford County, Maine. The project will have two phases costing $150 million total and ending up with a 300 room hotel, a large conference center, a casino featuring up to 1,500 slot machines, a wide variety of table games, fine and casual dining options, a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, parking for guests and accommodations for snowmobiles, cross country skiing and numerous other year round amenities. The resort is designed to be a resort destination for Maine and one that is hoped to create jobs for up to 800 people and add revenue to Maine's economy. The specific location hasn't been chosen yet but it will take up around 25 acres. If the casino is approved by Maine voters in November then construction would begin as soon as possible.
This summer, Dean & Deluca is sending its customers Maine-caught lobster in one of two rolls: light mayo, lemon and celery or mayo and tarragon. This lobster is prime to eat right now, weeks before shedder season when lobsters molt, meaning soft shells and wimpy meat. As far as fresh lobster goes, it's reasonably priced at $135 for eight rolls (plus $35 for mandatory next day shipping). If no decadent picnics are in your future, at least get on the Dean & Deluca mailing list. Because a full-page spread of plump lobster is kind of like foodie Playboy.
The Neighborhood Scout chooses Southwest Harbor, Maine as a seaside equivalent to the pricier island of Nantucket. On Nantucket the median house value is $1.56 million but Southwest Harbor has a median house value of just $266,936. The two locations have much in common including a quaint New England charm and island beauty, you just trade in Nantucket for Mt. Desert Island. It's a little colder and doesn't have as much of a reputation as a summer getaway but it has some beautiful properties.
Today's home is actually on Greening's Island and has views of Mt. Desert Island. This shingle-style cottage was constructed in 1932 and sits on 9.75 acres of meadows and woods reaching all the way to the granite ledges. The property has western views of Southwest Harbor and Manset villages, and North to the views of Somes Sound and there is 1,544+/- feet of shore frontage. The property includes a shared dock and the "Captain's Cabin" a special retreat near the dock. It is listed at $2.65 million. A bargain compared to the shingled home we recently featured on Nantucket which is listed at $11.75 million.
The Inn by the Sea on the Maine coast is Maine's first hotel heated by biofuel and the first in the state to be carbon neutral. The hotel also has five acres of indigenous gardens certified as a Wildlife Habitat. They also offer green weddings and green meetings. Now the eco-friendly inn is bringing green to the tale with the new restaurant Sea Glass which opens in June 2008. They have hired executive chef, Mitchell Kaldrovich to create a restaurant that will focus on the freshest fare from local and seasonal ingredients. The changing menu will incorporate dishes with regionally raised beef, pork, lamb and seasonal game as well as organic chicken, a variety of handmade pastas and vegetarian dishes and seafood fresh from the ocean. Kaldrovich was most recently the executive chef of the Plump Jack café in Squaw Valley, California. To celebrate the new restaurant they are offering a bed and breakfast package that start in June and includes breakfast for two in the Sea Glass restaurant. Garden suites are $331 per night, spa suites are $370.
A tip from Luxist reader Dave led me to an interesting story regarding one of our previous estate-of-the-day properties, Point Lookout. Maine Coast Now reports that a Maryland businessman is buying Point Lookout from Bank of America and has plans to turn it into a training center for seniors and executives in the aging business. The 378-acre property has been listed through Landvest for $26.4 million. John Erickson, the potential buyer, is the CEO of Erickson Retirement Communities which owns and operates 20 continuing care retirement communities throughout the United States. By next fall, Erickson hopes to reopen the facility to use as a training facility. Point Lookout also may end up as an educational tour destination for older adults including those living in his retirement communities.
If you've ever watched the showLobster Wars, you know that obtaining lobster is no easy task. Now you can be part of the lobster experience without the hard work by investing in Catch a Piece of Maine. A partnership, which costs $2,995, entitles you to the proceeds of one lobster trap. Your trap will be fished by one of the eight lobstermen participating in the program. During each trip your lobsterman will record the catch from the trap.
The number of lobsters caught in your trap, each time your lobsterman checks it, will be credited to your personal lobster account. At any time you can have lobsters from your account shipped anywhere in the continental U.S. You are guaranteed at least 40 lobsters from your trap. Each shipment comes as a complete lobster dinner, and with every four lobsters ordered, you receive a pound of steamer clams, a pound of mussels, four servings of blueberry cheesecake, butter, lemon and lobster utensils and bibs.
Those who sign up during the holidays will be credits with 12 lobsters so that they can use them during the holiday season, but the traps go in May 1, and are pulled out on December 31.
What to make of Boldwater, a four-season resort in Brooklin, Maine? The 38 acres is well-situated with 1400 feet of shore frontage on Blue Hill Bay. The land includes a massive 15,084+/- sq.ft. main house and three additional houses. The main house which appears to have been built in 1980 according to the MLS listing seems rather hotel-like. I do not know if it was used as a resort or if it is just the lack of furnishings that make the home seem so massive. There are six-bedrooms total, a restaurant-sized, colorfully tiled kitchen, formal dining room, two living rooms, a family room, billiards room, Jacuzzi room, wine room and more. The home is also bedecked with some rather faded-looking murals. The land also includes three other homes, a pool and a long pier. The home is listed at $7.5 million but it looks like it was at $8.8 million last year. We are looking at some beautiful land here but the home needs a bit of updating so I would guess that the sale price might be a bit lower.
Today's home in remote Deham, Maine is a rather unique project. According to the property Web site, in 1994 Charlie Adams went on a hunting trip in Dedham, Maine. When he came across Mitchell Pond he decided to buy it and build his pondside retreat. The home, on 60 expansive acres, is built on a grand, if idiosyncratic scale. There are two kitchens, both with stainless steel appliances and marble countertops. The estate has 12,000 square feet including seven bedrooms. The home has a large indoor pool complex complete with a fireplace. The home was originally listed at $8 million, but is now on sale for $5 million.
This home on Blue Hill in Maine is the perfect vacation home for someone looking for something a little more modern than your traditional shingled cottage. The home has 225feet of deep-water frontage and the side that faces the water is a wall of glass. The home is three bedrooms with plenty of open spaces including a double-height living room with a soapstone fireplace. There are also multiple porches and decks and two outdoor showers. The mater suite has a walk-in closet with an attached laundry room, and expansive master bath that includes a soaking tub and a deck overlooking the bay. The home was designed by a LEED accredited architect and has green features such as bamboo floors, the use of recycled materials, passive solar features and a landscaping design to reduce mowing. It is listed at $1.85 million. After the jump, loft-like in Maine.
March isn't the best time to go boating in Maine but Sabre Yachts recently launched their Sabre 52 Salon Express, the largest motoryacht in the company's history in Portland, Maine on March 16. . The Sabre 52 has a classic trawler styling with an elevated helm deck that has twin Stidd helm chairs. The salon has a retractable sunroof to let in air and sunlight. It has an oversized U-shaped lounge around a cherry dining table. Other amenities of this small cruiser include a retractable LCD television, built-in wine cooler and icemaker, concealed bar area and exceptional recessed lighting. The galley includes a drawer refrigerators, a dishwasher, washer, dryer and a coffeemaker with a dedicated waterline. The yacht has an MSRP of $1,275,000.
Cove House is a four-bedroom home, built in the 1950s which has been given an updated look. The home is located on picturesque Rockport Harbor in Maine. The estate has terraces and decks, a private office and two guest apartments with kitchens, baths and bedrooms. A winding path down to the shore leads to a deepwater dock, a float and 260 feet of shorefront. The main home has been highly remodeled but the exposed beams help give the home more of a rustic feel. It is listed at $5.6 million. After the jump, if only the boat came with it.
This home in Rockport, Maine defies the quaint shingled Maine cottage stereotype. Set on a bluff overlooking Penobscot Bay this home has a style somewhere between contemporary and just plain bizarre. This three-bedroom home was clearly designed for someone with unique tastes and by unique I mean slightly crazy. Key features include 24K leaf trim, an Italian marble fireplace and a very suffocating use of wood paneling. The most striking detail is the use of skylights, they seem to be almost haphazardly cut into the walls and ceiling. The effect is vaguely childlike and oddly disturbing. The 6.44 acre property also includes an uncompleted guest house and a steel and redwood pier. It is listed at $4.5 million. After the jump, the strangest of the strange, a clover-shaped bathtub facing three porthole windows.
Far from the Wolf is perhaps the grandest of the summer "cottages" built on Grindstone Neck in Winter Harbor, Maine. The home was built in the early 1890s by John Godfrey Moore, who developed the Grindstone Neck area as a getaway for New York society. This gorgeous shingled home is on 4.6 acres and has 10 bedrooms, each with a private bath. The home offers both water and mountain views. It has been lovingly restored and updated and features several large fireplaces and lots of beautiful woodwork. The home is being offered furnished. Another detail is the small tea house which sits on a granite cliff at the shoreline. It is listed at $9.65 million. After the jump, a slew of mouth-watering images.
This may be the first time I have seen a major resort make a move into developing townhomes in Maine. Fairmont Hotels has announced they will be creating the Fairmont Residences at Bar Harbor. The 25 homes will be located in the village of Bar Harbor and will have views of the island-studded bay and Acadia National Park. There will also be a Clubhouse with a heated outdoor pool, jacuzzi, billiard room, clubroom and fitness center. The homes will cost from around $1.2 million to $1.6 million and offer over 2,600 square feet of space. Groundbreaking is anticipated for this fall and the homes should be ready 2008 summer season.
Bar Harbor is one of the spots to experience classic New England charm and while it is a popular destination it isn't absolutely overrun with tourists most of the time (although the price of a lobster roll does seem to climb somewhere in June). According to the press release, the Fairmont and their partner Bayview Financial, are making nice with the locals by doing things like underwriting the cost of the Rotary Club's annual pancake breakfast and seafood festival during Bar Harbor's Fourth of July celebration.
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On a little island called Nash, off the Maine coast, a flock of sheep lives undisturbed, except in June when weavers from Swans Island Blankets come by lobster boat to gather some wool. This year's shearing produced 420 pounds of wool, enough for a year's worth of weaving.
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This summer, 
