Categories
Uncategorized

More Maine….

The Olson House in Cushing, Maine

                                    Well….. we are back up in Maine visiting Paula’s son Brian and his family. This is the 4th (?) year doing this run and if you’ve been following us from the beginning you already know how much we like Maine, especially the Down East Coast. You also know that one of those dreaded Art Appreciation lessons is forthcoming.

                                    I am so sorry about this, but it is out of my control as I find myself whisked away into the mind and world of my favorite artist, Andrew Wyeth. He used to live around here for many, many years. He met his wife Betsy here in the late 1930’s and it is because of her and her knowledge of the locale that brought him to the Olson Farm, the scene of his most famous painting, Christina’s World.

No description necessary.

                                    I know that I’ve beaten this to death in a few posts from the past but this time we were able to visit the actual site of this iconic work of art. Located in Cushing Maine, right off the St. George River, and just up the road from Port Clyde, sits the Olson House. Still bearing all of the ravages of time that made this muse (?) of Andrew’s so attractive to him. That, and his relationship with Christina and her brother, Alvaro, who worked the farm after their parents passed until they, in turn, found their way into the family cemetery that sits down the hill on a wooded promontory overlooking the river.

                                    I always knew that it was here.

                                    I just never had the opportunity to visit it.

                                    I believe that I’ve stated before that Maine does not possess any roads that are straight. They all seem to swerve and curve around lakes, bays, mountains, and rivers. This makes their state motto, “Ya Can’t Get Theah from Heah”  stand on an element of truth. The Olson House sits way down on one of the peninsulas that jut southward from the mainland and gives this part of Maine its unique character, that of Down East. And unless the House is your destination, there is no way of just driving by it because the road dead ends shortly after it, falling off into the bay.

                                    But…. this was the year of opportunity.

                                    The Olson House has been on my Bucket List.

                                    And as we all know, these Lists have a habit of getting proportionally larger as our years on this planet dwindle down to us just being a “memory”.

                                    The time presented itself, the weather was perfect, and …. the place was closed.

                                    Yes, all of the parties that are collectively involved in the caring of this National Historic Landmark deemed it necessary to close it so that some important interior maintenance could be performed. But this was just fine with me as I know that I tend to be a ‘Location Experience Snob’ when it comes to doing, or visiting, something for the first time. I am not interested in sharing my experiences with hundreds of others. So, I knew that the average visitor would shy away from coming here because the information available listed it as ‘Closed’. But upon deeper investigation, it would be found that the grounds are indeed, ‘Open’.

                                    So we were lucky on all counts.

                                    Upon arrival the two other vehicles soon beat a retreat as their ‘time’ had expired at this site. That left just us to wander and appreciate the grounds and thank the thoughtful owners of the farm after the Olson’s that donated it to the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine. This museum is the northern repository of many a Wyeth family painting, and as such, the perfect organization to curate this farm.

Here is an old photo from about fifty years ago, before it came under the protection of the Farnsworth.

The U.S. Department of the Interior states that the preservation of buildings is “the process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity and materials of a historic property.” Using minimally invasive approaches, they are taking measures to protect, stabilize, maintain, and repair the Olson House, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011. It is nice to see that someone realizes that there is more to this “preservation” than just replacing old with new, that preserving the house without excessive restoration, allowing the evidence of its weathering over time to remain and balancing this aesthetic with the need to conserve this historic building. Hopefully, this is quite evidenced by the accompanying photos.

No one wants to visit a ‘Replica’.

Everyone wants an ‘Original’ (to the extent that it can remain so!)

On the day they met in the summer of 1939, seventeen-year-old Betsy James, who would later marry Andrew Wyeth, (who was twenty-two at the time) introduced him to Christina and Alvaro Olson. Betsy was a summer neighbor and friend of the Olsons, she saw the Olson House for the first time at the age of ten. She later described it as “looming up like a weathered ship stranded on a hilltop.” Betsy and Andrew married ten months later.

Over the next three decades, a growing friendship developed between the Wyeth’s and the Olson’s, as each summer Andrew sketched and painted aspects of the house and the everyday lives of the Olsons on their saltwater farm. Christina suffered from a polio-like disease that deprived her of walking anywhere. She refused to use a wheelchair and thus was forced to drag herself around the house and farm to get her chores done. It was this sight, Christina dragging herself up the hill, that Andrew witnessed from one of the upstairs windows that was the inspiration for that painting. It was Betsy who provided herself as the model of Christina in the field leaning and looking up at the distant house. Every book that I own on Andrew illustrates, by the use of his paintings, this relationship that developed and aged over the years, along with the inhabitants.

            Andrew didn’t throw any punches when it came to how he felt about the Olson’s and their farm. He once stated that he “wanted to be buried with Christina” and that is exactly what was done.

Alvaro and Anna Christina
The simplest headstone in the cemetery.

As you have noticed, I have elected to display the photos of the Olson House in Black and White. The ones in color came out splendidly but somehow or other it seemed fitting to use B&W as the medium of choice for their debut. I will add the color pics at the end, for your reference and pleasure. I would definitely be interested in your comments on this subject! Feel free to add a Yea or Nay at the end!

            When we were finished, we bade Alvaro, Christina, Betsy and Andrew goodbye and wove our way up the coast to Rockport, Rockland, and eventually Camden. Each is a great seaside port in their own right. We had lunch in Rockland, the largest of the three, at a dockside fresh seafood restaurant aptly named Archer’s on the Pier.

Archer’s on the Pier

                        Where we had cheeseburgers.

                        Not a chance!

                        Lobster it was!

                        Lobster Roll for me and a Lobster Melt for Paula.

                        After lunch and a stroll around the harbor of Rockland, we proceeded north and found the Holy Grail in seasonally crowded Camden…..

                                    A convenient parking spot!

                                    Another saunter around this cute little town led us to a nice harborside bench in the shade which we shared with a nice older (?) local couple who shared some of their local knowledge with us.  We all had a good time critiquing and commenting on the comings and goings of the various dinghy’s, small sailboats, and larger schooners that ply these waters. We had been out on several of these over the years so the need to repeat that outing was not primary, but if any of you ever make it up here, make sure that an excursion on one of the day schooners is on your “To Experience” list!

The “Falls” in Camden. The Megunticook River ends its run in Camden Harbor.
A nice view of Camden Harbor from just above our ‘bench’.
One of the original Windjammer Schooners of Camden

                        Now all you need to do is come up here and visit these places for yourselves!

Now for the color photos!

That’s it!

8 replies on “More Maine….”

Ooohhh. You are the reason my “must visit” list keeps getting longer.

Thank You so much for the Maine update. Enjoy, be safe!
I have been to Yetters many times, still haven’t seen you, yet!
will see you at some point, I am sure. Joan

Glad to have you along Joan! And Yes… we will meet soon!

What a great trip! The history/art lesson has been well received! Thanks!
I am partial to the black&white !!
Glenn and I also love ME! Hope you had a great time!

Thanks for “voting” Carol! I’m partial to the B&W’s also!

Thanks Robin! It was great to see you guys again too! Glad to have you aboard!

Comments are closed.