Wouldn't you rather be in Maine?
For me, the answer is "always"
On this day one year ago, I was exploring Isle au Haut, a 12-mile-square island off the coast of Maine populated by fewer than 100 people, a lighthouse, and a few snakes.
I was there (with my husband) in an official capacity as an Artist-in-Residence at Acadia National Park, soaking up the last few days of my residency in a primitive ranger cabin on the island.
No electricity, no running water, no transportation around the island apart from our own feet, just woods, cliffs and rocks, blue ocean views, and a burbling creek to keep us company.
I’ve been thinking a lot about those two weeks in Maine over the course of this summer, and not just because I wish I could spend all my days in Maine. (I’m working on that.)
As I wrote in the introduction to my residency project, Maine Ingredients:
“I thought I knew Acadia well after multiple visits over the past 15 years, but being an Artist in Residence has gifted me with a deeper and richer connection to the park than I ever hoped possible.”
I tried to encapsulate everything I witnessed during my two-week immersion in the project, from the simultaneous sense of expansiveness and comfort I got from sitting on the boulders at Schoodic Point to the delight at finding tiny pink starfish in coastal tidal pools to the connections made with locals who use the region’s natural ingredients in inventive and satisfying ways.
I feel so, so lucky to carry this experience with me, and it’s something I’ll hold onto forever.
So today I thought I’d share a recap of my residency work so you catch a bit of Acadia vibes wherever you may be.
Maine Ingredients: Recipes Inspired by Acadia National Park
My residency project is a digital book featuring illustrated recipes and essays celebrating the ingredients and landscape of Acadia National Park and the Mount Desert Island and Schoodic region of Maine.
You can see it here, and also read an accessible plain-text version on the NPS site.
(I also produced a limited-edition expanded print version with more essays and recipes — see below for details on that version.)
Behind the scenes!
As part of my residency, I hosted a public cooking demonstration at the Sieur de Monts visitor center on Mount Desert Island.
You can catch a glimpse of that event, along with some gorgeous scenery shots including those awesome tidal pools, in this video produced by the talented Sam Mallon of Friends of Acadia.
Flavors of Acadia
I also created a companion piece of sorts for National Parks Magazine in the form of four short illustrated essays and recipes titled “Flavors of Acadia.”
Here’s where you’ll get my Maine lobster roll recipe (with grilled lemon!), along with the blueberry flatbreads I created at my cooking demonstration.