June 15, 2024
Homemaking
Most often when we travel, we rent a home/cottage/cabin, and I love the process of making that space “ours,” with all the quirky riddles a new space presents.
We just returned from a great space built over a garage on a piece of property set on a couple of acres directly on Watts Cove in midcoast Maine. We figured out how to make the bounty we bought at the local grocery store fit into an unexpectedly smaller-than-standard fridge, moved the dining table closer to the windows overlooking the cove and positioned our chairs so we each had a prime view of the water, used the lobster pot lid as a cover for the fry pan, temporarily moved the light-blocking curtains from the master bedroom, and found baking sheets to use as trays for carrying meals outdoors to eat on the deck.
A note taped to the fridge said we might prefer water from the fresh spring just up the road instead of drinking the tap water. Awesome! That led to the discovery that the spring was situated at the head of a trail. Filling our water jug and taking a wake-up walk on the trail that ran through beautiful unmowed fields and sweet wooded areas down to the St. Georges River became a ritual in no time.
I never know in advance what shape a makeshift studio space might take. At our Tenants Harbor home I was able to set my materials out on a low coffee-table height table that sat behind the freestanding couch. I parked myself at the kitchen dining table with whatever materials I needed at any given time—and, this year, that given time turned out most often to be in the evening after an early dinner and our daily post-prandial passeggiata. Exquisite! I could look out at the cove, with the tide moving in or out on its ever-shifting schedule, and capitalize on the abundant late-day western light available with the summer solstice just around the corner.
2nd exploration, playing with charcoal pencil, pan watercolors,
Stabilo woodies, and gesso in my art journal
2024
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8 responses to “Homemaking”
This whole “homemaking” nesting thing makes me smile from ear to ear. That’s just what Paul and I did in Vermont. We know what we like…and what we need…we do something about it. I Love it!
I also love hearing about the spring to fill your jug…your views…and your “post-prandial passeggiata.” Your sketch captures the feel of the Maine coast beautifully! Thank you for sharing!
I’m smiling ear to ear in return, knowing that my description of away-from-home homemaking struck a chord with you!
Also happy to hear that my sketch captured the feel of the Maine coast for you. And what an amazing coastline it is, with its tide coastline—which includes all inlets and bays—of 3748 miles!
Roseanne, I WAS ‘busy’ during my time away, although at the most leisurely and spacious of paces. Thanks for appreciating the color palette and for taking note of the abundance of movement. That movement came from trying to figure out how to use my materials in real time, how to disrupt and soften what might be feeling harsh and/or stiff. By the end I was applying gesso on top of other layers using my thumb and then scratching through with fingernails : )
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Ann! Thanks for your appreciation of my word-smithing. I do find the process of writing very engaging, nourishing, and satisfying—such fun to shape thoughts into coherent words, and words into pleasing story!
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