Accidental GC of � high performance solar new build on 5 acres of Maine woods. Story telling planet-loving & life moments embracing the 50s of life.
8-10-24 a magical, fairytale Maine wedding cradled by an zinnia garden alter, a trellised arch and a twinkly woodland path lined with fairy houses leading guests to the tent. But what made it truly magical was the incredible endless outpouring of love and support - beyond my imagination - beyond anything I’ve ever known. Of kindness, joy, smiles, pure happiness.
What a blessing. ♥️ I’m humbled and so grateful.
Popping into to check on my painting, hanging over the super cool 😎 check in QR code. Love everything about this! A series of artists from are featured in this local must-stop in Freeport! Lemme know when you !
SOLD! Maine has 3,500 miles of coastline, with cold, salty ocean water rich in nutrients where oysters are nature’s filters, tirelessly cleansing the water. In Casco Bay, oysters are vital components of a larger ecological tapestry. Their filtering process improves water clarity and quality, supporting the health of the entire marine ecosystem. In my painting, I wanted to honor the oyster’s silent contribution to the relentless bombardment of synthetic nitrogens and toxins humans release into the seas.
Interestingly, oysters are a reflection of the micro-environment in which they grow. Everything from water temperature, salinity, season, the geology of the watershed, and growing methods work impact each oyster.
Each and everyone, working tirelessly in our dark seas, is a little gem of its own.
SOLD ♥️and headed to its new home out of state. What an honor.
Thank you 🙏 !
They say peak foliage is over in Maine. The morning light begs to differ.
Papa on Farmers Market Friday: “If are trying to find me just look for the outbursts of laughter.” Shifting into caregiver mode is challenging but every few hours there are some pretty good gems added to my day. As we were leaving the farmers market with a stash of homemade English muffins beyond amazing, whole organic chickens to get me through in the next few months, and a couple more pie pumpkins… he wanted to know if we could hit up the next farmers market that afternoon. I can’t blame him. 😊
Wait, what? Large north facing windows in an energy efficient home ….in Maine? Breaking all the colonial home rules (and probably bending the high performance home recommendations just a smidge) the windows of Blue are one of her signature moments.
I honestly thought I was going to enjoy the window decision making process. In the end, there are so many nuances and this-and-thats, it became pretty overwhelming.
Here’s what I recommend….
🪟 It wasn’t a decision of two pane or three pane all around. Each side of the house was taken into consideration. And ended up saving some money 💰by being thoughtful. I mean, by my Queen Architect () having forethought.
🪟 I ended up with an .llc series, even though I also liked . And if you are in New England, visit . Or in MA, ✔️
🪟 Invest here, save in other places.
🪟 I went for wood because I’m an anti-vinyl anti pvc, phthalates, BPA girl on principle.
🪟 I wanted to own this topic..and U values, and glazing…and it beat me down, but is mostly due to the chaos of Covid construction spiral. So, simply order ‘s new book. ✔️
🪟 I think the European tilt and turn windows are wicked cool. Eventually, I went for casement because in my small footprint I like how they open out, and they create a nice snug lock when closed. ( Although the large windows featured here don’t open.)
🪟 I remember spending a weekend doing research on site. And having salesmen representing different lines tell me that one window could withstand 130 something hurricane winds but this other window could withstand 138 hurricane winds. I was like, “if I have 130 mph hurricane winds, I probably have some bigger problems going on.”
Maybe, just maybe I can get those sills done by snowfall…..
♥️ Follow:
Saturday morning Farmer’s Market in the fall:
1 start building up the squashes - acorn, delicata, butternut…
2 eat all the fresh and love it - winter is coming! Lettuce, ground cherries, kales …
3 fresh flowers !
4 pie pumpkins
5 and dried flowers!
6 root veggies for roasting … carrots, parsnips
7 oh and hello Brussels on the stalk! One of you as well…
8 impulse of hat, cuz, I love them
.me
Blue just shifted trajectories. This has been simmering for a while, now I’m ready to share that my beautiful home will not be used as a short term rental for the next phase of life.
This was an incredible summer of unexpected change. My stepmother, one of the matriarchs of our family, passed away in July.
Partnering with my brother, we transitioned my father, Papa, here to New England.
Everything that I envisioned and have been building - a welcoming apartment and experience as an Airbnb - has shifted for the incredible honor of taking care of family.
With change comes a lot of soul-searching. I will continue to use my Blueberry Woods accounts to share a simple message that you can have incredible impact on our planet through little life loving changes and choosing wiser where and when you can.
I’ll continue to share my tiny wins on creating a high-performance energy efficient home.
And my delight at local farmers markets and organic farming.
I look forward to facing the next year alongside my Papa as we focus on the regenerative garden/ farm, a mini orchard, and continue being stewards of the land.
And I’ll continue to share my transition from a Californian to a Boston family to living my best life as a Maine girl loving the woods and coves that surround me. I’m delighted to face this unexpected but beautiful turn in my life.
Above, day one, learning to collect eggs.
The oh my gosh factor is real. The darkest area this side of the Mississippi.
1 mile up in the dark with a headlamp. To greet the first rays of sunlight ☀️ to hit the US on September 3. Sweetheart brought a hiker’s coffee maker ☕️ ☕️ ♥️. Eagles Crag @ Acadia National Park ✅ Bar Harbor, quite possibly my very favorite Maine coastal town to visit. And only 2 1/2 hours from my new home. Overall hiked 7 miles round-trip + then biked 🚲 14 …super proud of these legs of mine. 😏
Saturday morning ride to the Farmer’s Market dream in action. 💭 Observations:
🧺 Initial dream was a beach comber bicycle, flowy skirt and a basket on the front. The reality is: orange helmet, flashing tail light and sharing location.
🎒: Going to need a bigger boat
🗺 8 miles total round-trip. It’s down to farmers market + up to home up📈🤣
🚲: It’s part of the East Coast Greenway. Maine to Florida. Here I come - only 1338 miles left.
The blueberry 🫐 were Wowza!! The ciabatta wowza!
Welcome Sea Biscuit to the life. 🚲
.me
July: Harvest Garlic ✔️ & smelling fantastic 🧄 2 hours harvesting on the front porch rocking chair, ocean breezes, chickens strutting around and U2 Blasting 🎼🎸
life is tumultuous + life is good
Unbelievably grateful for the unconditional generosity of sisters in my life.
Living the life in Maine thanks to
Finally, early morning garden tending, misty rain, barefoot. Coffee mug and devoted labradors. Observations:
It’s not going to be much of a garden this year.
Direct sowing seeds isn’t my strength.
Slugs are a plenty, I don’t have the leathered heart of a true gardener to throw them to the hens. 🐔 But mental note made to bring out small bowls of Guinness and let them drown drunk.
But those scapes. LOVE those scapes. Meandering turned into a pluck turned into a full scape harvest. Smiling barefooted meandering harvest. Early July in Maine.
Accidentally plucked a full one - and laid it out in the photo —how can I not think of .kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? If you haven’t lost yourself in this book, make it the one summer todo that you todo. And then, you’ll know why that gorgeous little scape isn’t a patient laid out for surgery, but she is revealing an entire story….. ♥️
Scapes = garlic. Order yours via , plant in October around here. Winter does all the hard work. Harvesting the bulbs is right around the corner.
But today… hardwood floors & scape pesto.
It’s not that there were people that doubted me. They just couldn’t see what I could see. I think I’ll be working on the inside for months and months to come but for now, I’m a wee bit proud.
Remodeling on a budget? Want to stay green as possible? Me too! I recommend who helped me design this small kitchen! LOVE it!!
Some fav moments :
My AO Smith water filter at the sink
and their green efforts
A big window at the sink that I missed having as a mom
All solar powered appliances
And an induction oven
Supporting
And the crew at for my dreamy counter that screams “ appetizers and conversation anyone ?”
I’m in love with the what-will-be’s that will unfold from here forward.
Yes - I was slightly Nervous 😬 to have a thermal imaging exercise performed on Blue! Using a thermal scanner around the house, Emily Mottram (co-author of Pretty Good House 📕 ) could read surface temperatures and detect thermal anomalies.
I mean, what if relying on my contractors to do superior work ( aka my $$$ ) failed? What if this 2 year effort for a tight building envelope was just as drafty as my 1998 colonial energy sucker? I didn’t WANT to know 😂 but I came this far - and now I want to be able to own the process.
What did I learn?
1) She (Blue) did Pretty Darn Good!! ( Whew )
2) All my exterior doors have some drafts. I will go in and adjust their hanging and possibly add weather stripping.
3) Window ledges have yet to go in and that will help at the base of the windows.
4) We can detect a few places where insulation installation could have been better. Oh well - next time! Although Emily did call it from a simple visual…
5) One room was colder than expected - turned out the window wasnt closed all the way.
Very cool process to go through! So glad to know thy home and what is within my span of control. I’m one lucky girl to be able to go through this!
Next up …blower door test !
I kind of have a thing for coastlines off cities named Portland. ♥️ Took a break from the relentlessness and long days of building 🔨 and actually slept an unheard of 12 hours. Much needed and returning for the final sprint toward the Occupancy Permit, flooring installation and MOVE! 😊
This makes me so happy . Those beams! Gasp! But I wasn’t able to easily share the reel. I hope you can see and hear it….
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cbvst3QPI8U/?utm_medium=copy_link
thecreatingwonders • Original Audio | 🇮🇩• Effect
Do you entertain the thought of building one day? If you buy land, spend at least three seasons getting to know it. Watch what happens in the winter. Watch where the water runs in summer storms. By doing this your home can be part of the land instead of fighting against it.
I learned that I have a winter water way - when the ground is frozen the water moves through what I now called “Winter River.” (A slight exaggeration but affectionate name.)
The driveway curves into the land and around an existing Hemlock & protects the water way.
The water is diverted down the side of the hill and through my baby orchard 800 feet away.
I noticed last summer - because we didn’t destroy the wetlands - I had a lot a little frogs and toads around the garden. 🐸 😊
It is so common to simply plop our rectangle foot print of a home facing the street. But you can be intentional about the placement of the home. Around the land and 100% around the movement of the sun. Work with a landscape architect… I am blessed to have crossed paths with the women at & who helped bring this out in me and out of Blue.
Fire 🔥 pit christened with tender loving slow cooking 🥘 over coals : chili in cast iron pot and a side of sourdough. This story swapping, late summer evening, large gathering fire pit was created by local excavator extraordinaire and used boulder found here at Blue. I’ll say that I made it for you… but I dream of my kids and their friends enjoying it too.
The questions still to be answered… Chair styles?
Pea stone gravel or pavers?
Coal cooking meals to make ?
Blanket of stars ⭐️ included .
You know what happens next right? We hydroseed the crap out of this bare area with bright green seedlings followed by years of intense synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides for that perfect suburban lawn! Sprinkling in weekend after a weekend of the rest of my life mowing! NOT. 🤭❌❌
What happened during the construction phase is that I destroyed the microbiomes of this lovely forested area to create the building footprint. I’ve stripped it of it’s nutrients and it’s tiny little micro biomes. For the next few seasons, my intent is to allow nature to come back, encouraging it with cover crops and nitrogen fixing plants. From patches of clover closer to the house to small meadows around the front and the back.
Overtime, I can slowly carve in patches of rock gardens, herbs and flower meadows. I look forward to partnering with Mother Nature, not working against her, and placing more indigenous plants that work together, create diversity and many edible plants as well.
So excited. 😊 🧑🌾 🌱 🌺 🐝 🌲
Thank you 🙏 winter conference 2021 🧠 ❤️ & for loaning me a book 📕 years ago…
Upcycling this 1800s carriage wheel (originally made in MA) discovered while perusing Portland Architectural Salvage the Feb before Covid. It’s been hanging in my garage since waiting for the house to be built.
It’s been a muddy weekend ! Drywall
Mud onto the walls and a rainy muddy day outside! I’ll take the muddy progress ! 😊
The Story Behind The Exterior Lights: I imagine a car pulling slowly down the gravel road, hesitantly turning into my driveway in the woods of Maine. A solo female traveler has booked the studio apartment for the weekend…. While short term rentals have normalized, it takes a little bit of awareness and courage to be a solo traveler.
I know what it feels like to arrive at a semi-creepy home, barely lit, or having to walk around back corners dragging luggage. I’ve questioned myself. And I’ve gone forward and it’s all been well.
But I don’t want my guests to have any of those feelings.
……the car pulls into the driveway and she gets out of the car, noticing how dark the night sky is, how many stars there are. It’s going to be the weekend she needed to refresh her soul…to find some peace.
In my mind I wanted to light the path that she would take as she walked around to her door to the apartment. I want her to feel welcome. Safe. Enchanted and delighted.
The lights that I chose have dusk to dawn option. Automatically operating at night. Low level and high level options. Or can be turned on with motion detection. By having a solar home, the underlying thought process of “I can’t use up the electricity” is removed. Instead, I can focus on warm and welcoming.
One little step at a time…
Immersing myself in Baja California Sur’s whale breeding grounds of Magdalena Bay —- so humbling. My safari style tent was on the sand dunes and all night long these giant gentle whales 🐋 were just outside my beach breathing and diving… being.
SOOOO many moments on this adventure with ! Love how respectful this was of traveling was to the biome, people and partners.
I am rejuvenated to continue my path of sharing Maine’s coastline gems through Blue - my way to share delight and awe forward.
( kayaking, oysters, hiking, osprey, snowshoeing, yoga…. )
📸 .bajaman
🙌
A break from ice storms and zero degree. Embracing the solo traveler spirit and surfing on remote Baja California Sur beach with whales 🐳 spouting on the horizon. Through - masked, vaxxed, small group pod and …. Exhilarating. So many fun ideas for Blue… inspired by art, food and adventurous women.
Hired the tiling contractor. She’s ridiculously slow. Incredibly messy. Like, there was mortar everywhere. She’s obviously a beginner & she’s in charge of tiling backsplashes, entryways, the wood stove hearth (shown) and bathroom floors. She is constantly looking at YouTube videos & playing with the dogs. Honestly, I’m not quite sure how she’s going to do being on her knees so much - she says she is 51!
But she plays an awesome 70s music playlist, is often dancing, talks to herself and seems to be pretty proud of the job that she’s doing.
Taking a good look at the labor shortage - and budget shortage - I think she’ll do. 😂
🙌
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I never set out to build a House. I only wanted to make a Home. I had no lust for Building Science, but simply stuck to my values of kind to the planet, health to our bodies and within that, affordable as possible. I didn’t covet Maine. I just wanted to live fully and happily in a place I love. It’s been a roller coaster 3 years. Thank you to @visitfreeport @finelinesconstruction @mottramarch @prettygoodhouse @royalriverheatpumps #alltheDodges ;) @assuredsolar HearthDoctor @greenmainehomes (leading & educating) @freeportcan_ (go!!!!) @wolfesneckcenter @merepoint_oysters @hancocklumber 💯 @andersen_windows @andersoninsulation1949 @midcoast.restore @bostonbuildingresources @flooranddecor And all those who where kind and patient but don’t have insta like Darryl & Evan And of course the foundation, skepticism, support and trust I needed from TJ, KC, KT and MM and my full Fam & BFF posse near and far.
Blue just shifted trajectories. This has been simmering for a while, now I’m ready to share that my beautiful home will not be used as a short term rental for the next phase of life. This was an incredible summer of unexpected change. My stepmother, one of the matriarchs of our family, passed away in July. Partnering with my brother, we transitioned my father, Papa, here to New England. Everything that I envisioned and have been building - a welcoming apartment and experience as an Airbnb - has shifted for the incredible honor of taking care of family. With change comes a lot of soul-searching. I will continue to use my Blueberry Woods accounts to share a simple message that you can have incredible impact on our planet through little life loving changes and choosing wiser where and when you can. I’ll continue to share my tiny wins on creating a high-performance energy efficient home. And my delight at local farmers markets and organic farming. I look forward to facing the next year alongside my Papa as we focus on the regenerative garden/ farm, a mini orchard, and continue being stewards of the land. And I’ll continue to share my transition from a Californian to a Boston family to living my best life as a Maine girl loving the woods and coves that surround me. I’m delighted to face this unexpected but beautiful turn in my life. Above, day one, learning to collect eggs.
Front… lawns?? This was one of my favorite 😍 experiments of the season. Having a plethora of new-construction hard packed, difficult (non)soil, eradicated of healthy biomes during excavation process, I took the front yard and seeded it in the spring with peas and oats from @johnnys_seeds. Both plants are great cover crops and nitrogen fixers and quickly went to work amending the soil on their own. By June, a flowering pasture of sweet peas and oats. Brutal July heat fried everything- they are a cool weather crops—and I simply mowed them down. Now, I’m obsessed. I can’t wait to experiment with other greens and mini pastures. I’m reading a fantastic book right now called Gardening with Greens by @brietheplantlady and one of my favorite quotes is “as Home gardeners we have the privilege of growing plants simply for the experience. Even a novelty crop can provide a valuable educational opportunities as well as fascination and exposure to something out of the ordinary.” The blessing to just have fun….. ❤️ I’m thinking …. Barley is next. #NoLawns #FrontYardPastures #FrontYardLandscaping #FrontYardGarden #Grasses #Barley #Goats #SweetPeas #NitrogenFixing #CoverCrops #CoverCropSeed #CoverCropSolutions #MeadowsNotLawns #greenmainehomes #New constructionideas #PrettyGoodHouse #LittleChanges #Choosewiser
Remodeling on a budget? Want to stay green as possible? Me too! I recommend @bostonbuildingresources who helped me design this small kitchen! LOVE it!! Some fav moments : My AO Smith water filter at the sink @candlelight_cabinetry and their green efforts A big window at the sink that I missed having as a mom All solar powered appliances And an induction oven Supporting @bostonbuildingresources And the crew at @hancocklumber for my dreamy counter that screams “ appetizers and conversation anyone ?”
Upcycling this 1800s carriage wheel (originally made in MA) discovered while perusing Portland Architectural Salvage the Feb before Covid. It’s been hanging in my garage since waiting for the house to be built.
It’s been a muddy weekend ! Drywall Mud onto the walls and a rainy muddy day outside! I’ll take the muddy progress ! 😊
Immersing myself in Baja California Sur’s whale breeding grounds of Magdalena Bay —- so humbling. My safari style tent was on the sand dunes and all night long these giant gentle whales 🐋 were just outside my beach breathing and diving… being. SOOOO many moments on this adventure with @advwomen! Love how respectful this was of traveling was to the biome, people and partners. I am rejuvenated to continue my path of sharing Maine’s coastline gems through Blue - my way to share delight and awe forward. ( kayaking, oysters, hiking, osprey, snowshoeing, yoga…. ) 📸 @manuel.bajaman @mwoodhouse00 🙌
Big Blue Update and chit chat about my fav type of insulation….and why. The main point? You can choose wiser. There are many places you can make little changes. I aimed for the sky, fell short, but am still pretty damn pleased. #densepackcellulose #energyefficienthomes #insulationmaterials
Sweet memories in the making. 🎄Selected right off the land and carried back up the drive in preparation for our first Blue Thanks-Mas…. 😊 I love having fun. And I love having kids that can handle my crazy.
Spooky Halloween 🎃 Prep? DIY cemetery? Nope! Just fall clean up and reconfiguring the garden! (Volume up ⬆️.) What have I learned? I’ve probably have had 3 to 4 ultimate failure gardens across 20 years. I’ve did 2 1/2 years as an apprentice farmer on a no till regenerative agriculture CSA. This past year? The best garden ever!! I completely followed a no till organic method by @Charlesdowding. Less watering. Hardly any additive at all. No money spent on creating wooden garden beds. The entire focus is on the health of the soil and a whole heap of compost. This year was opulent and a cornucopia of veggies. But… I learned by watching the plants that they yearned for the sun in a different direction that I had the rows laid out. So used this opportunity to reconfigure the rose, and enlarge the garden. There is hardly a moment of sadness for the end of the season as I turned around and put the garlic into their bed for winter. I so look forward to seed shopping now…. Anytime from October throughout the winter is a great time to start learning and prepping for your spring garden. Even an early summer garden. I’m just a little early on this because I’m completely eager and excited.
Poor little guy! He tried so hard to figure these flowers out 🌺 🐝
🔉 Audio for you ☕️. 🎶 When the sun's comin' up I got cakes on the griddle. And life ain't nothin' but a funny funny riddle. 🎶 Seeking a friend who plays a fiddle. 😂
Talk to me about women’s workshops. 💭 I’m very inspired by how comfortable women have felt on the land, learning skill sets from each other, and feeling empowered to try new things. The video above is some “playtime” from a girlfriend whose goal was to build a shelter out natural materials and no power tools. (The composting toilet? Well that’s another topic.) We have brainstormed ideas like how to use a chainsaw, over the fire cooking, cooking with coals, learning about trees in the area, no till gardening…. I’d like feedback from you. 😊 I need to contemplate if this is my path. It aligns with me and all of my past history— but what are your interests? What else would come to your mind? foraging? 🍄 Learning how to cut tile? yoga classes in the woods? Mountain biking? Sea kayaking? Shucking oysters? Local history? Bee keeping? Small orchards? What’s exciting to you? These all have an outdoor focus but eventually Blue will have a meeting space… A room that could fit scrapbooking tables or yoga mats…..
THIS is Summer in Maine. Glorious and endless harbors, bays and islands. Kayaking, sailing and boating. Ospreys and eagles, seals and dolphins, oysters and lobsters. Maritime history and marine geology. The Harraseeket River and Maquiot Bay, all part of Casco Bay has stolen my heart….all within a bike ride of Blue When you visit… Book a tour with @seacoasttoursoffreeport Learn about @merepoint_oysters And explore @maineoystertrail & @maine_aquaculture. Take a look at my stories on this page for more Must See, Must Do and Must Eat in the Portland to Brunswick Maine area.
Graffiti!?? First it was the framers notating footage lightly with pencil marks. Then, right in front of me the electrician picked up a sharpie and started notating placement of outlets. Now all of this was within the normal practices but honestly… I was a little jealous. I want to write on walls!! I want to write on my own walls! Picked up the sharpie and wrote this across the top header of the front door that any contractor would walk out at the end of the day… “Thank you for working so hard on my dream home “ - Kristi I tried to be clever & come up with the perfect quote but …..that is what came from my heart. And obviously Tucker concurred.
Hey FB world…. Advice needed! This darling guest room is smaller than I expected. How would you feel as a guest arriving to a room that was not ample? I would really like to put a queen bed in here and have marked it out on the floor. 📏 But my other choices are: a daybed for a single person, two single beds that I think would only go in here maybe L shape, or I always can do a bunkbed. Finally I guess there’s the option of doing a full with a pull out but that’s not my favorite option. Ultimately, two people should be able to sleep in here. All the other rooms are queen beds. It will have great light from the windows and it has an inset that gives a little bit of space on the opposite wall. It was going to be the “chickadee” room named after the state bird, but I can make it even more affectionate and call it the chickadees nest. 🐦 😊 Talk to me… Imagine you are a guest on a girl’s weekend away with a total of five women.….. Or three couples…. In my head, I wouldn’t be disappointed if I simply knew the information upfront. And you?
Can you identify this sound 📣? Fox 🦊 wolf 🐺 or coyote? It’s was at dusk and “playing” with my dogs 🐕— coming closer and retreating at dusk after visiting my neighbors farm. Guess who decided NOT to sleep in the tent ⛺️... 😂 .....
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