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[TWE NEWS] Magical Maine, Creative Crankies, Gnome Garden, Land of Books, Lost Kitchen Shortcake
Published 7 months ago • 4 min read
September 8, 2025
Hello Readers,
Clever crankies…the Maine Garden Gnome…a village of tiny houses in Bayside.…garage sales galore. What’s fun about traveling is bumping into the unexpected. And Maine is chock-full of that…so many creative people with such a sharing spirit. It is indeed magical. Each day here presented fascinating conversations and an abundance of breathtaking nature.
Pam with visual artist Lucky Platt | Photo: P. Burke
What a delight to meet visual artist Lucky Platt at the Farnsworth Museum’s 365 Arts Gallery in Rockland. Before I met Lucky, I saw a breathtaking elephant collage hanging on a wall that she and artists created using a window shade as a canvas. Her inspiration: the book “An Immense World,” by Ed Yong.
That day she was teaching children how to make colorful crankies, wondrous boxes of visual storytelling that I hadn’t seen since childhood.
Colorful Crank Box (crankies) Lucky Platt was teaching kids to create | Photo: P. Burke
We are hoping to talk more to Lucky in the near future so we can learn about her stories of resilience and healing through art. She says giant drawings give her strength and that she finds art in the most unexpected places. Stay tuned.
Linda Long: The Maine Garden Gnome
Linda Long in front of her magical garden in bloom in Brunswick, Maine | Photo: P. Burke
Speaking of magical, the gardens here are just that, exploding with flowers blooming into the early fall. Garden outings are a must in Maine, especially the Brunswick in Bloom tour. Gardeners are incredibly giving, explaining every seed and plant.
Being introduced to Linda Long, the Maine Garden Gnome as she calls herself on Instagram, was a very special experience. Flowers bloom everywhere you can imagine at her house--in front, at the side and in the back.
In 2006 her yard started blooming with a few lilies on a blank canvas of dirt and by 2009 vegetable beds followed…expanding with flowers from seed in 2018…and in 2019 the most glorious dahlias began to grow. Almost every inch (and I do not exaggerate) of her yard now produces an amazing array of colorful plantings.
Linda Long's garden in bloom in Brunswick, Maine | Photo: P. Burke
Her seasonal flower cart faces the road in front where fresh vases of gorgeous flowers are available. I can’t do her garden justice here with any photo but follow her @mainegardengnome on Instagram or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bodwellflowers/ and you’ll see.
Author Amy Reading with The World She Edited at Left Bank Books
Amy Reading with her book, The World She Edited at Left Bank Books, Belfast, Maine | Photo: P. Burke
I am thrilled to report that Maine is the land of books…independent bookstores seem to be thriving; people are reading books around towns on benches; Little Free Libraries sprout everywhere in front of houses and talented authors abound.
Visiting Left Bank Books in Belfast was a delight, especially at the Amy Reading book event. I joined a local gathering to listen to Amy chat about Katharine White, E. B. White’s wife (he who wrote “Charlotte’s Web” and lived down the road in Brooklin). Her new book “The World She Edited” was the star of the evening.
This longstanding editor of The New Yorker is said to have transformed the twentieth-century literary landscape for women, working with the likes of Janet Flanner, Mary McCarthy and more illustrious authors.
Amy spent over seven years researching the intimate biography and gave the most fascinating talk about White’s impact on the famous writers of the day and her life with E. B. White. My love of magazines and early experience working in publishing made this evening and meeting Amy a special treat.
Beth Berman at the Side Street Gallery
Artist Beth Berman in front of her small Side Street Gallery in Searsport, Maine | Photo: P. Burke
Beauty is not just in the gardens here but on town walls and in galleries. The amazing thing about Maine artists is that many of them don’t just paint…they multitask and are fiber artists, basket weavers, jewelry designers, and turn little pieces of fabric into gorgeous collages as well.
One of these multitaskers is Beth Berman at the Side Street Gallery. Her tiny cottage near her house is full of extraordinary pieces of all kinds of art. What a joy to see what one human being can accomplish while working as a dental hygienist.
Peach-Ginger Shortcake
Peach-Ginger Shortcake from The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine
You'll be hearing more about the delicious food, the abundance of creative chefs and home cooks but will leave you with a tasty dessert I had at The Lost Kitchen—a magical place in Freedom where Erin French comes up with the most special meals and ambiance.
Above is her Peach-Ginger Shortcake with pansy decor. I was told you can make this dessert with whatever concoction of fruit you like and a favorite scone recipe. It was delightful with the fresh peaches.
You can find Erin's recipe in her Lost Kitchen Cookbook, page 132. I can’t wait to make this once I return home. Concoct your own when you can.
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