New Danforth Photos

Scott and Aaron

Great pic that we are going to use for the Blue County posters. Should attract female fans :-)

Good Ole Dads

Last night, when Ava and I were out squirrel and chipmunk hunting... ( we only find them, don't eat them ) - poor Ava got bit by red ants again, they're back!!! Before when her Grampa treated the place, they stopped but here they are again.

Ava promptly wrote Grampa an email pleading for help to stop the ants from biting her. Well.... I am not even sure her email got through cyberspace before Grampa showed up ready to defend her from those tiny, sadistic beasts with killer in hand. (I never would have gotten that kind of response on my own, now you see where the family gets the animal lover gene from :-)

And THEN, Grampa decided not to stop there and mowed the lawns until it was too dark last night. NOW, today, Mulligan pressed the doorbell asking for some water because he and Grampa have been here for an hour and a half raking and weed whacking and we didn't even know it.

Amazing what a little email from a little girl can do :-)

Dog Report

I heard tonight that both dogs that I mentioned in an earlier email have found loving homes. No, not together, but I am told it is OK. They are both with great Dads and will have wonderful lives. All is well. (Don't worry David, they'll be fine :-)

Nieces and Birthdays and Famous People

Tonight, on a nice but cooler summer evening in Bar Harbor, we all gathered at Gam and Grampa's house for a 13th birthday party for Evelyn. My friend and business partner and fantastic singer/songwriter Aaron Benward was on the phone with me when I pulled into the driveway. I said, "Hey, I'm just getting to my parents' house and it is my niece Evelyn's birthday, will you say Happy Birthday?" to which he replied "of course I will". Aaron proceeded to not only wish Ev a Happy Birthday but also sang her the whole song. She loves Blue County and her face was priceless, amazed and very cute, someone she sees on stage and music videos singing now singing HB to her. I told Aaron I was now off the hook for a birthday surprise for her until she was 21. He is a great guy, very generous and kind. Love, love, love him.

Sooooo.... a little later, I was talking to Lily, the 4 1/2 year old, or 25 year old, depending how you look at it.... Her long ringlets were falling out of her pony tail, big brown eyes were waiting for presents and cake and she just had that exasperated look on her face. Teasing her, I lamented, "Gosh, I wish I had an aunt like me when I was your age". She asked why and I told her my aunt had never had anybody famous sing Happy Birthday to me. To which she replied, rolling those big brown eyes... "OK..... Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you.... omg. TOOOO much! :-)

Lily, the famous in her own mind one, pictured above with Ava.

Blue County

Had a great time at Susan Sarandon/Tim Robbins hosting of showing of Bull Durham last night at Criterion. The theatre was packed and they did a great job answering questions, felt very honest and open.

NOW! Blue County goes on schedule. August 20th. Aaron and I worked on plane tickets yesterday so looks like they'll fly into Portland on Thursday, we'll come up here for a show on Thursday night, go back to Portland for Friday night and then they go over to New Hampshire to do a fair on Saturday night, should be fun.

Just got this from a friend in Southwest Harbor

Hello all dog lovers and particularly Lab lovers.

Yesterday Belle and Buoy (3 year old yellow and chocolate, sister and brother) were turned into the shelter because their owners have lost their home to foreclosure. I walked both of them today and got lots of kisses from both. Belle is a sweet bright petite female but needs some good nutrition and Buoy is gentle but very dependent on his sister for direction. She is the Alpha dog. Both have been fixed. They are also both very scared, confused and alone except for each other.
Please help them or pass this on to someone who can.

Capt’n

Dining Room B&A

Danforth Foyer B&A

Cool Before and After of Room 3

Cool before and after of Room 9

Cool before and after of Danforth parlor

Ava

Av had her first Doctor's appointment today and she was a very good girl. They took blood, gave her a shot and took her temperature and that was before the Doctor came in. I was very proud.
Now, on July 15 she will have her no puppies for us procedure and they told me she has to spend the night. I didn't like that and then I thought,,,, wait a minute. In three weeks, I can sleep til 8 am! WOW. Poor baby though....

Feeling Old....

Talk about strange.......... Farrah and Michael Jackson gone on the same day. Farrah, we expected, even though I will always think of her in the red bathing suit poster with the "hair" just like I'll still think of myself being WAYYY younger even though my back hurts every morning... :-)

But Michael Jackson? Where the heck did this come from? You would think that Farrah would have been enough for our generation to lose today and now you wouldn't even know she was gone.

Danforth still....

Went to Danforth on Saturday for the day with Ev, then back Sunday afternoon with Mom and Dad and home last night. BEST OF PORTLAND shot for their TV show yesterday. Chris Bohler is fantastic and I can't wait to see what she comes up with. Kevin Keith, my favorite photographer spent today at the inn and will do another day. Here are a few shots that I got after we prepped for both.

Saturday Marathon

Ev, Ava and I went to Portland and back today. Oh... Chris road down with us to pick up his car, what a treat! NOT :-)

We went on quite the tour of properties; Danforth, Pomegranate, my apartment at 161 Pine and the outside of West End Inn. Danforth was Ev's favorite which was interesting to hear. We shopped for the inn and then got a few things for ourselves.

I think I did something wrong posting the pics but I feel like trying it, so if I did, sorry.

Acadia Offices

Excited about new concept for the building that John and I own on Route #3 in Trenton. It is a great location, great parking, great visibility and six private offices of varying sizes and a really nice conference room

We are going to make the individual offices available, including all utilities, wifi etc. for small businesses that don't want or need a whole big office rental.

They'll also get great advertising with their company name on the sign. Heidi and I are designing that now. Why, why, why didn't I think of this earlier? It will be great for the tenants and a positive cash flow for us! Love it. Now, we can just keep the building and do something with the land next door, like maybe a storage facility.....

Islesboro

Went to Dark Harbor House today to take photos for new marketing efforts. I can't believe that property hasn't sold. It will this year! It is a great property.

Silver.....

Some cool shots of silver collection at Danforth.

Inaugural Newsletter - or First in Series

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs087/1102424219081/archive/1102609458077.html

Birthday Dinner

Menu: Grilled chicken with an herb rub, french fries, potato salad, peas, garlic bread, salad and chocolate cake with white frosting, sprinkles and vanilla ice cream.

Guest list: Mom, Dad, Chris, Karen, Evelyn, Cameron, Lily, Ava, Mulligan and Murphy.

And you expected me to say a bottle of Silver Oak Cab at Havana with .....

This was just perfect, thank you :-)

CLOSED - SOLD - DONE

Atlantique is now sold and starts the next chapter in the wonderful history. It is a great house and the new family that own it now will love it for years to come. The Barretts left it completely furnished and turnkey beyond imagination. The historical significance of this house is huge, comes up all the time in books about society. In the last few months it was mentioned in two books I ready, one about Brooke Astor and one about Susan Mary Alsop.

I'm glad it is finalized. Now onto the next sale.

Updates....

Baby buck is doing great. He has two friends, one from Swan's Island and one from Brooksville - don't know what happened to their Mom's or their twins.....

Chris and Cameron hooked up wii for me yesterday. My arm is killing me from playing tennis, now that is just pathetic. Should have gone for a walk with Mom and Ev, not sure wii tennis should count as a day's exercise. You do really get into.

Of course, there are no great views like there are on our walks...

Better to use as blindfold than chew toy....

Ava said "don't forget me"

After a long Saturday of fawns and ups and downs, Ava demanded some attention today and Grampa obliged.

Great News!

Anne, from Acadia Wildlife, called first thing this morning and said "Kim, I just thought I should tell you...." (pounding heart full of dread) "that the little guy made it through the night and he is drinking from a bottle now and he is going to be just fine".... Phew Phew Phew.

My little boy is going to grow up to be a big strong buck. Chris told Mom that he had a vision of a repeat of the reunion between the lion and the two guys in Africa - me at Jordan Pond having tea some summer and a huge buck bounding out of the woods to cuddle again :-)) I wish.

And then there was the twin....

Too tired to write the story of how little, beautiful Lola's twin brother ended up alive but suffice it to say, it was very, very close. But so far so good. Would like to do this day over again and not have any deer in it.

Warning, not a happy ending....

Really struggled with whether to post these pictures or not then decided that "Lola's" short life should be remembered. Dad took these this morning after I called frantically for them to come down. Ava and I were on our 7 am walk around our property and startled a bunch of deer. After we came back in we heard crying and when I went out to investigate, without Ava, look who I found.

Trying desperately to trust nature, we talked to Acadia Wildlife, and left Lola for her Mom to come back to later. Skipping to the end, I went out for a quick check before heading out for a little while and Lola had gone to heaven. Everyone was shocked when I called, even Acadia Wildlife and mostly me. So, though I hate nature's guts right now, I am trying to believe that Lola is warm and comfy in heaven.

She was absolutely beautiful and even though I am crying as I write this I think it is better to remember her instead of trying to forget. She is wrapped in a beautiful scarf and buried out front where we will think of her everyday.

New Portland Place

Sometimes the most amazing opportunities come along and everything lines up so that it is a win for both sides. That happened last week in Portland. Clients had an apartment available and were running into time limits on getting it rented. The inns are starting to fill up and I sold my Portland condo so will have no place to stay. Ava loves long walks so we need a nice, nice place where we can walk at night and early morning... and then voila.

Is this bad???

Sent Mom a recipe that I wanted to taste last week and had a great dinner and then when I got home from Portland to BH - dreading yard work - Dad had mowed the lawns.

Now I have to talk to him about getting rid of the red ants. Poor Ava got her first red ant bite this morning. I thought she had broken her leg, scared me to death. I wonder if the stuff you can treat the lawn with to kill the ants would hurt her? Probably. She isn't much bigger than the ants.

Bar Harbor Portland Bar Harbor Portland

No matter which side of the Maine coast we are on, Ava always knows when it is getting close to 5AM. Now proudly housetrained in Portland - not so much in Bar Harbor.... yawnn....

Maybe because she is much more "contained" in Portland. Shown here in jail. Not a happy girl :-)

Sunday Dinner at Mom and Dad's

OK, most women - make that most people - see a great recipe online and save it, buy the ingredients and try it out. But no, I am not most people :-) I read it, think that sounds great and forward it to Mom. :-)))))))))

So, below,( if this works) is the recipe, copied and pasted out of FOOD AND WINE. Mom made it tonight and YUMMMY! You missed it Ev!!! It was great with a chardonnay and a grainy garlic bread that Mom also made for Dad and me to enjoy :-) Then all of us tried to catch Ava.......... none of us were successful.

Try this out:

Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard
Recipe by Nigel Slater



Rate & Review
(590 people have added this recipe to their favorites.)


In matching spicy sausage with a creamy mustard sauce and fragrant basil, British cookbook author Nigel Slater created a quick pasta supper with warm, mildly spicy flavors, perfect for a cool fall or winter evening.

The ripe flavors of a soft, round California Merlot, such as the 1999 Markham or the 1999 Benziger, best complement this hearty pasta.
Search for easy-to-find rich, velvety merlot
Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard
Recipe by Nigel Slater




Average Rating
(590 people have added this recipe to their favorites.)




Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard
Recipe by Nigel Slater



Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard
ACTIVE: 10 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 20 MIN
SERVINGS: 4
Fast
Staff Favorite
Ingredients
1 pound penne or medium shells
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 hot Italian sausages, meat removed from casings and crumbled (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons grainy mustard
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced basil
Directions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente; drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown over moderately high heat, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, mustard and crushed red pepper and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the pasta and basil and toss to coat. Serve at once.

Another Mercury Retrograde Week

Tuesday, Wednesday were crunch days at Danforth. We worked like crazy to get it ready for the holiday weekend. We ended up with six rooms/suites ready for guests and Leslie told me today we filled them all up! Very exciting. Will finish up the next three as soon as the Palecek delivery comes. Grand opening party will probably be end of June before we have everything the way we want it.

Yesterday we had a broker tour of the GORGEOUS Williamson House in Belfast. What a treat. See pics above.

Brunswick Inn on Park Row closed today. It is sold and it is time to start the next chapter. I do wish the new owner the best. It is a wonderful property.

Spent the day today helping at Atlantique with Pat and the owners getting ready for closing in two weeks. Had a great time. Very fun for Pat and I to be styled by a former model and Editor at Town and Country. Listening to stories of Cathy's life is more entertaining than any book.

Brought home a boa from Cathy's closet and Ava went crazy. At first I could not figure out why she was just staring at the couch and barking hysterically until I figured out it was the boa. When I let her sniff it, she went crazy, it must be real. I tried to get it back and she ran like the wind with the boa trailing behind her - it was hysterical and luckily I got it back.

Weekend...

What's a blog without pictures.... Ava..... I need to order a new cord soon.

Next week is crunch time. Hopefully we will close on the sale of Brunswick Inn on Park Row. I have never been involved in such a ridiculous, frustrating sale as this one has been. And to be an owner and a broker...... should be easy but worst ever.

Then we have Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to finish Danforth. We already have two weddings in June. Wish I knew more about the event/catering business. Thank goodness for Leslie.

Atlantique is firmly under contract so that is one thing to check off. Very happy for the sellers and the buyers. It is nice when everyone is happy.

Danforth

Well.... I would post some pics of the progress but the princess chewed up the cord that downloads pics to my laptop.

There is so much new carpet at Danforth that we put Ava in a little kennel last night. NOT happy. I have to get the dog whisperer, or her Grampa, to train her - I keep thinking I am there and then, not.

I had a great idea on the way to Portland yesterday. Since we can't have a plane, we need get a small but cool RV and a driver. Ave can play around, I can work or treadmill or even sleep. I am not kidding, the hours that I could add to my life. I'm really into this adding hours thing. Getting up at 6 is cool!

I am so hurty right now. My back, my feet. Need to get in shape if we are going to be these big furniture movers. owww....