Photo by Eliza Massey
Photo by Eliza Massey
If I Lived Here
The coastal town of Saint George has over 100 islands, 3,000 year-round residents, and at least one light-filled house full of possibilities.
Growing up, we never locked our doors. It was a large city—in the ’50s and ’60s. But whenever I came home, I only had to turn the knob and walk in—day or night. Now, looking back, and acknowledging that they were different times, it still sounds absolutely ridiculous. Our street wasn’t without the typical urban problems of a transitioning neighborhood filled with working-class people, plus old Alice Cabot, a curmudgeonly scion from the days of established families, living all by herself in the house directly across from ours. Whenever Miss Cabot needed sugar, she just opened our front door and “halloo’d” into the small hall.
So when I moved to northern Maine, it never occurred to me to lock the doors. The house we built, and lived in for almost 30 years, never even had a lock. It was a come-on-in place, like my childhood home.
And although I have a key to this Saint George home in my hand and have just used it, I suspect I would sometimes choose not to lock this house looking out over Deep Cove. I feel sure that when I made the short drive down to the Port Clyde General Store for lobsters or a bottle of wine, to pick up friends coming in on the ferry from Monhegan Island, I could leave my door wide open and let the scent of mint from the front garden mingle with the ocean’s salt coming in the back. And I would feel safe when I returned.
When I walk into this compact foyer, I am struck by how open it feels, how I am drawn up and in, watching the light play on the white walls. As soon as I move into the body of the house, I know I could live here in all my incarnations—hostess, hermit, artist, mother. Everything is connected but spacious: kitchen, dining area, clusters of chairs by one stone fireplace, an expansive living room with another.
And the light! It’s all resonant with light.
Triangles of multipaned windows reach up high into the farthest corners of the living room. At least half a dozen double glass doors open out onto a deep, long, weathered-grey deck overlooking the yard, the forest, the sea. Ceiling-to-floor windows are everywhere.
I can’t imagine that I would ever turn on a light during the day here. And on clear moonlit nights, or ones with wispy clouds that merely dream their way across the sky, I could sit with only the light from a cluster of tapered candles. If the cobalt blue glass kerosene lamps were not left for me, I would bring the three I saved from my days in the north woods, including the three-inch-tall one with a frosted globe and a wire handle for night-walking.
In one of the upstairs bedrooms, there is a telescope. I aim it over the treetops onto a distant island, scanning for wildlife. I walk out onto the circular deck, and look straight down right through the tops of the birch and the pine, look out onto the rugged moss-covered granite steps. I see the lush flower gardens, meticulous—and wild. Someone must have planted them—the lily of the valley, the hosta, delphinium, columbine, a variety of ferns, some kind of mint. But once laid down, they have clearly been allowed to establish their own patterns, dropping seeds, shooting underground runners.
Here, I am convinced, I could establish my own patterns, too, and one would be an open door.
Features of this home:
• An Intimate Place to Relax—deepwater view with gardens and stone walkways on 3.1 acres.
• Open Spaces—2, 822 square feet of living space with dozens of large windows and a seamless connection to woods, water, and sky.
• Masterful Master—first floor master bedroom with stone fireplace and bath featuring gold fixtures and black marble countertops and shower.
• Plus—2 upstairs bedrooms, 2.5 baths, exposed beams, large granite steps, expansive, multi-level decks.
• Plus, plus—a separate 4-bay garage and large guest quarters.
Maine Ahead has no stake in the sale of this house, and it may be sold by the time this appears in print. It is listed at $1,495,000 by Camden Real Estate. To learn more, contact listing agents Vicki Doudera or Scott Horty at 800-236-1920, or email vicki@camdenre.com or scott@camdenre.com.
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