Finding Monhegan: The Perfect Giving Tree

A view of Monhegan and Manana Islands from the lighthouse

On a peaceful Sunday morning, Joe and I, along with our trusty dog, Penny Lane, set out for Monhegan Island because Susan Rayfield Wood told us we should. Susan, a Maine Ten artist, sent me an email shortly after I purchased one of her pastels at a winter art exhibit in Bath. In her note, she thanked me for appreciating her work and suggested that Joe and I visit Monhegan, an island ten miles off the Midcoast of Maine that has been inspiring artists for over one hundred years. Even though I have never met Susan, I would recognize her artwork anywhere. Her images are soulful, and her pastel, "Blue Haiku," captured Joe and I instantly! Following the creative trail of an artist is like following a trail of breadcrumbs to a secret garden, and we wanted to follow Susan's creative trail.

The garden gate of a Monhegan home

According to the 2000 census, the year-round population of Monhegan Island is 75, but every summer there are countless visitors that board a boat and take the hour long trip to the island to hike the trails and witness the beauty of nature up close and personal. In 1614, Captain John Smith  - who gave New England its name - visited Monhegan Island, and four hundred years later, on July 6, 2014, my captain and I landed on the island ready to explore as well.

Penny Lane and I in search of the perfect tree.

 To begin our quest, Joe and I drove to New Harbor, down east from Damariscotta, to board the Hardy III, and we arrived early enough to find seats on the upper deck. What an amazing view! Even our nervous sea dog, Penny, was quieted by the water's majesty. Two seasoned travelers were seated in front of us, and they turned to comment on our well behaved dog. It's funny how our pets help us to meet good people. Within a few minutes, one of the ladies introduced herself as Ellen Hutcheson, an artist who was planning to spend a week on the island. As luck and Bath would have it, Ellen gave us a brief art history lesson and pointed out Manana Island, one of her favorite subjects to paint. (As a Spanish teacher, I wanted to add the tilde and say "Mañana," but several locals assured me that Manana rhymes with banana and is not pronounced the Spanish way.) After we arrived on the island, we did not see Ellen again, but we did find many of the inspirational views that she described during our boat ride, including a "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree that begged to be photographed!  It was pure serendipity because I later discovered  that it looked just like the little evergreen tree that inspired one of Ellen's favorite watercolors. 

Our Penny Lane (a.k.a. "Charlie Brown") Christmas tree!

Like the trails of Monhegan, there's a twist to this story. When I returned home from our day's outing and went online to learn more about Ellen Hutcheson, I misspelled her sir name and discovered another Maine artist, Marieluise Hutchinson, who also visits Monhegan Island for outdoor studies. Those breadcrumbs can lead us to surprising places! But before I delve into the homemade goodness of Marieluise, I must say I enjoyed viewing the whimsical and representational art of Ellen Hutcheson on her web page. In fact, I found her painting of the little evergreen tree. Clearly, it is one of her most popular works because she has reproduced it in both poster and greeting card form; however, it's not truly a "Charlie Brown" tree because it is shorter and chubbier. Since Joe and I both photographed this adorable tree, we may use one of our Monhegan photographs to make a unique Christmas card this year. I think we will call it a "Penny Lane" Christmas tree because it's short and chubby and oh so cute! As Auntie Mame used to sing, "We need a little Christmas, right this very minute!" I suspect Monhegan Island has inspired songwriters as well as artists! Nevertheless, I know for certain that Monhegan inspired Marieluise Hutchinson and Edward Hopper (Nighthawks, 1942). Hopper actually spent four consecutive summers on Monhegan, 1916-1919, painting mostly the distinctive rock formations, like Blackhead and Gull Rock. In 2011, the Bowdoin College Art Museum offered an exhibition of Hopper's Maine paintings that included over 30 of his Monhegan pochades ("pockets"), small plein-air oil panels.

Joe's photo of the distinctive rock formations that inspired Hopper

Surprisingly, modern day photos show little change in the landscape of Monhegan Island, and living artists, like Marieluise, whose style has been called "Hopperesque," continue to paint there. It seems rather ironic that Hopper, the creator of "Nighthawks," one of my favorite paintings to view at Chicago's Art Institute, influenced Marieluise. While most people can identify with the loneliness of the urban "Nighthawks," they yearn for the "Perfect Tree," which was inspired by a row of homes near Owl Head, south of Rockland. Marieluise resides in Cushing, Maine and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and she prefers to paint real places. To find out more about this authentic New England artist, I recently visited Bayview Gallery in Brunswick, which has several of her oil paintings on display. The Monhegan houses, in winter and summer, as well as the classic lighthouse, seem to jump off the wall and embrace you with a big hug, and that is the obvious difference between Hopper and Hutchinson. Marieluise offers us the same crispness without the darkness. Her solitude calms us like the quiet after a snowstorm. Viewing Marieluise's "The Perfect Tree" is like watching "White Christmas" and listening to the low and high notes of Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. In a December, 2013 article published in the Portland Press Herald, Susan Starr, the co-owner of Bayview Gallery, said "Marieluise's images make it very easy to compose a story." One could make a similar observation of Hopper's "Nighthawks," and his urban paintings that followed his Monhegan summers. Both artists have used their brush and paints to create visual narratives that capture a feeling in a familiar setting. Typically, Marieluise conveys a sentiment without a single person in her painting. The light in the window, the wreath on the door, or the smoke from the chimney stir up our memories and take us to that safe place. Robert Colburn, the director of  Bayview Gallery, told me that "Perfect Tree" sold recently, and I am not surprised, but in my dreams I find that perfect tree first! 

The Pine Tree Society's Christmas card by Marieluise Hutchinson

In his December 25, 2013 article for the Portland Press Herald, North Cairn reported that 825,000 people around the world spied a picture of rural New England last December because Marieluise Hutchinson donated her painting, "The Way of Wintertime," to the Red Cross, and the Red Cross used the image for their holiday card. Each year Marieluise paints a winter scene in October to be offered to a charitable organization. In 2003, 2008, and 2012, The Pine Tree Society of Bath, featured one of Marieluise's winter scenes on their annual Christmas card. The cards are sold in packages of 25 to raise funds for Pine Tree's herculean efforts to help Maine people with disabilities maximize their abilities. The Society was established in 1947 as the Pine Tree Society for Crippled Children. In that same year, the granddaughters of Mr. John Sedgwick Hyde, a past president of Bath Iron Works, donated their Elmhurst Mansion to be used as a rehabilitation hospital for victims of the polio epidemic. Today, the  Hyde School, a private preparatory school, occupies the mansion and grounds, but in 1947 this Bath home provided hope to young children afflicted with a terrifying disease. As a child of the late 1950's, I often tell my high school students that I was among the first generation of school children to be vaccinated against polio, and I feel enormously blessed! The Pine Tree Society's mission is beyond noble, and in many ways it represents the perfect giving tree. Needless to say, I purchased a few packages of their  Christmas cards, which were designed exclusively for Pine Tree by Marieluise Hutchinson, and through giving I discovered that dreams can come true. I will mail the cards to friends and family, but I will keep one to remember the glow of a perfect tree as well as the beautiful joy of giving. Yes, sometimes we need a little Christmas in July!

On the "Penny Lane" trail!

           

Northern Exposure Lights up the Fourth

I grew up watching the Wonderful World of Disney with my brother, Mike, every Sunday night on NBC, and I think that is partly why I am always looking for magic. This past weekend I witnessed some true magic in Bath. I discovered music and laughter and fireworks at Waterfront Park! Most of us in the USA go to Disneyland or Disney World at least once in our lifetime. If we are blessed, we go multiple times, and each time we are enchanted in a different way. At that happy place, every day ends with a parade down Main Street, and every night begins with fireworks. In Bath, every Fourth of July weekend feels like Disney because of a nationally recognized organization called Main Street Bath. This creative group of volunteers produces a little magic for Heritage Days every year, and the entertainment comes in a wild and crazy assortment of flavors to please the most discerning participants!

Mark and Lauren at the Cosmopolitan Club's Strawberry Shortcake Festival

In Maine, the weathermen were predicting rain for the Fourth of July, but because of the luck of Bath, they were only partly right. Nevertheless, for me, the pure magic began in the rain. I was helping the women of the Cosmopolitan Club scoop strawberries on to homemade biscuits, and I was topping them off with fresh whipped cream for their Strawberry Shortcake Festival ( a hugely popular bit of magic), when I noticed the kitchen clock said three o'clock, and that was my time to go because I had convinced my family that the "must see" performance of the weekend was Rob Morrow at Waterfront Park, and his act started at three o'clock sharp. With hoods up and umbrellas in hand, my family and I jogged over to the Main Stage to see Morrow and his fellow guitarist, Carlos, singing and playing in the rain. I was surprised to see only a small crowd; however, considering the weather, the faces seemed  remarkably cheerful and very enthusiastic. I suspect we were all loyal TV fans of Northern Exposure and Numbers. It was easy to find a place to stand close to the stage. I don't think I have ever enjoyed such an excellent vantage point for viewing a concert. I could actually see that bright, Hollywood smile and those famous brown eyes that crinkle boyishly.

Rob Morrow live!

Rob Morrow today looks almost as youthful as Dr. Joel Fleischman, the newly graduated physician who arrived in Cicely, Alaska fresh out of Columbia University's medical residency program in 1990 to confront the trials and tribulations of Main Street, USA. Northern Exposure showed millions of viewers how people from very diverse backgrounds could pull together and form a strong, albeit eccentric, community. At first glance, the townspeople of Cicely seem to have little in common: the former astronaut turned radio station owner, the ex-convict disc-jockey, who served as the resident philosopher and non-denominational pastor for local weddings, and the beautiful bush pilot. Cicely was definitely populated by an entertaining crew of colorful characters! Is there a Bath connection? Truth be told, in TV land the town of Roslyn, Washington provided the backdrop for Northern Exposure, and I believe those of us who have spent time in both the Pacific Northwest and the Mid-coast of Maine can see some similarities: evergreen trees, blue water, wildlife, cold winters, and moose. In the opening titles of the show, there was a moose walking down Main Street. (For trivia buffs: the moose was named Mort and was borrowed from a herd owned by Washington State University.) All of this begs the question: Why would Rob Morrow, who also played an F.B.I. agent and protective brother in Numbers (2005 to 2010), headline an outdoor concert in Bath, Maine on the Fourth of July? Well, his wife is from Gloucester, Massachusetts, and his family probably prefers to summer in Maine as so many smart people do! Of course, this is just a wild guess.

Can you find the Northern Exposure t-shirt in this picture?

On the Fourth of July, surrounded by a rainbow of pink, blue and yellow rain jackets, there was a man and woman standing together under an umbrella, and the man was wearing a Northern Exposure t-shirt with Cicely, Alaska printed below a border of moose. Morrow noticed it between sets and used it to begin his banter about his now iconic television show. A consummate performer, he moved from music to stand up comedy without missing a beat. With a few quick jabs and a lot of wit, he proved to be the perfect choice for Bath's Main Stage. Morrow is a great story-teller, and I am a fanatical fan with good reason! According to Morrow, the infamous scene where Dr. Fleischman and a group of men run nude down Main Street in Cicely was authentic. He offered  all the extras a mere $10 to run without their protective cover ups, and as they approached the town's City Hall, they were greeted by the mayor who proceeded to press charges against Morrow. Fortunately, the studio's attorneys were very skilled and negotiated a settlement without grave consequences for the rising, young star! Morrow laughed long and hard at his own folly, and that made him all the more endearing. He also spoke lovingly of his wife and daughter, and he shared another anecdotal story. When he first met his wife, he thought her name, Debbon Ayer, was "cool" because it sounded just like the word "debonair," so when his daughter was born he kept the cool flowing and named her Tu Morrow. We all laughed together with that sweet confession; however, by far the sweetest moment of  Morrow's concert came later when a young man with Down Syndrome approached the stage and asked if they could do an Elvis song. Morrow flashed his biggest Hollywood smile and said he knew the words to Jailhouse Rock if Carlos could play it on the guitar. Carlos said yes, and the Hollywood star and the brave young man from the audience began to move like Elvis. Earlier in the show, Morrow shouted with a grin, "We've got the fireworks right here!" Well, as soon as he started singing and dancing to "Jailhouse Rock," the fireworks metaphorically exploded! It was a heart-tugging, unrehearsed moment that won Morrow our love and applause!

Rob Morrow (a.k.a. Dr. Joel Fleischman) and I

Naturally, Rob Morrow, the actor, had to promote his upcoming film, Begin Again, but he did it with great style and teased us with insider information. This soulful comedy, which pairs Keira Knightley as a young song writer and Mark Ruffalo as a disgraced record-label executive, was originally titled Can a Song Save Your Life?. Morrow plays a CEO in the film, but as an actor and a singer/guitarist, he believes most musicians would prefer the original title because it implies every songwriter's greatest hope. Ironically, Rob Morrow resembles my older son, Matthew, who is a new doctor like the main character in Northern Exposure; however, there is an obvious difference. Dr. Matthew is an easy going Midwesterner who is now practicing medicine in New York City; Dr. Fleischman was an edgy New Yorker practicing medicine in a very relaxed Alaska! My daughter, Katie, on the other hand, is a singer, and she would whole heartily agree with Rob Morrow and prefer the title Can a Song Save Your Life? for his new film. To sum up all the good parts of the concert in the park, there was something for everyone in Rob Morrow's performance. Main Street Bath played all the right notes this Fourth of July!

Dr. Matthew (a.k.a. my son) and I

P.S. Joe and I said good morning to the Fourth by 

We ran the race in Maine's Cool Little City!

running the 5 Mile Road Race at 8:15 a.m. for the second year in a row. It's our new tradition. Joe, of course, ran much faster than I, but I did manage to finish with a P.R.! Five miles in 50 minutes and 13 seconds isn't terrible for a 50 something lady, especially if you factor in the hills. God bless America, God bless Bath, and God bless the countless volunteers who make our national celebrations so memorable!