Book Artists Gail & Abbey

Meet Gail and Abbey Santner Searsport Shores Artists in Residence for the week of June 26 through July 2 Hello Searsport Shores Campers and Fans!  My name is Gail and my  daughter Abigail and I will be offering Book Arts activities relying on the  beautiful local scenery for inspiration and a few materials.  I have been  making folded and stitched books since 2009 and love the flow of  creativity that comes with working with others.  For me, the content of a book is critically important although I admit to having a collection of empty-paged books.   One time I made a book using old New York postcards to recreate my parents’  visit to the Big Apple as they would have written about it to friends and family. Another book I am proud of is my tiny “Six Word Stories” book that family members have contributed to capturing events and feelings in a few significant words.    Gardening in my yard and as a volunteer can take over my life in the  summer.  I have perennial gardens that I am perennially fussing over and a  vegetable garden that I try to make unattractive to deer.  Success is usually  “next year.”  I love the sense of promise that comes from planting seeds in  the springtime; the reality of pests eating my plants brings me down to  earth in the summer.  But when bees, butterflies, moths, and even a  dragonfly or two find my yard, I have a sense of accomplishment….just  like when I finish making a book .   Join us as in making various kinds of folded and stitched books as well as creating…

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A new face at The Shores

Let me introduce myself to readers of the Searsport Shores blog. My name is Rolf Olsen and I call this my ‘retirement summer job’! Last winter, I retired from a career of going to one office or another for more than 40 years, and my wife and I built a small home here in Searsport,…

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Lobsterbakes on the Beach

What’s the best way to celebrate the summer on the Maine coast? With butter dripping down your chin and wood smoke drifting through the air as the seafood steams in its bed of freshly harvested seaweed. Add a layer of scent coming from the homemade bread hot out of the oven and brought directly to…

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Walk with me 

It’s been a beautifully warm and dry spring.  In the past couple of weeks we’ve hosted many more guests than we usually see before Memorial Day Weekend. Some years I cringe at the thought of sharing our muddy roads and cold fog with people who have traveled so far to be with us; but this…

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Choosing a campsite

Now’s the time when the reservations start flooding our world…the sun is shining, the tents and RV’s are begging to be opened up and aired out.  In the Spring, most of my morning and evening work hours are spent in front of the computer, answering e-mails, returning phone calls and booking sites.   This is…

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It’s beginning to feel like Spring

The roads are soft, the air is soft, the plants are greening and the flock is begging to graze in the campground…The days are getting longer and we’ve finally been able to spend more time outside…and we’ve noticed:

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The sun was warm but the wind was chill

April is a rough month for us because we’re rested and feeling cabin fever deep in our bones…we want to be outside taking care of projects but because it’s still pretty cold out AND we have plenty of indoor work still left to do, we start behaving like caged cats. In my world, self discipline…

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First Days of Spring

My window by the computer is large and sunny in the afternoons.  It lets me keep an eye on the antics of the goats and sheep and watch how fast the water is running down the stream to the Bay.  In true New England fashion over the past week I’ve alternated between peeling off layers because…

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La Recoleta Graveyard in Buenos Aires

*Taking Tango Lessons was on my father-in-law’s bucket list so my wife made it happen.  We took a once in a lifetime family vacation to Argentina (the largest wine festival in the world just happened to be in full swing during our visit. Good planning on my wife’s part). One afternoon we decided to visit…

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