Welcome to August. From wherever you are reading my post today, it’s probably hot! While the temps here in Ogunquit won’t reach 100, we have had our share of humid, hot days. The challenge of living in a “summer place” is most homes don’t have central air conditioning. We are fortunate the Inn has central air. I’ve made friends with a few people here who don’t, so they must rely on window units or “splits,” which provide cool and warm air.
I love the little cottages here, like this lovely Tudor home across the street, built in 1900, just two years before the Inn. Jan and her little dog, Brie, have the most beautiful garden filled with white hydrangeas.
Jan’s Tudor was built in 1900
gorgeous white hydrangeas from Jan’s garden
I’ve had a crush on this home every time I see it when I take my walks. They named their cottage “Bridge Over Ogunquit.” What would you call your house?
I eyed this cottage in Perkins Cove during an “Artist Walking Tour” hosted by the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. Funny story, unknowingly, I had previously met the owner at my book club. She stopped by the Inn to bring me a book. We started talking about her childhood summers in Ogunquit, and as she described her home, I said, “Oh my gosh, I think I took a picture of your home. I loved it so much.” I got out my phone and showed her the photo. Sure enough, it’s her home! Built in the 1940s by her dad, it’s one of the few homes on the street with central air conditioning. Lucky duck!
In 1888, Perkins Cove attracted artists to its picturesque qualities as a New England fishing inlet and established a colony through the efforts of Massachusetts-born marine artist Charles Woodbury. Woodbury opened an academy for his students in 1898, the “Ogunquit Summer School of Drawing and Painting,” eventually converting some of the surrounding fishing shacks into living spaces where artists obtained room and board. His students included women from the Boston area who wished to master Woodbury’s impressionistic style. By the end of the nineteenth century, Perkins Cove held a firm reputation as an artistic haven. The village will host its 2nd Annual Plein Air Art Event in September. I can’t wait to attend and maybe even bring home a lovely piece of art.
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
