Do you own or rent a summer cottage? How do you prepare for your summer stay? Join me for a week in early May as I get our Coastal Maine home summer-ready. And a little tune-up for myself too.
The frost warnings have passed,
the trees are budding,
and the Forsythia is starting to bloom.
It’s time for a jaunt to our home in Coastal Maine to get it summer-ready.
What does this mean?
Well, there are a few things that need nurturing in getting a home summer-ready. Along with the enjoyment of a few pleasantries along the way.
Starting with this;
Vintage Garden Variety Market
My first priority (haha) was to attend Sage Farm’s Spring Pop-Up Vintage Garden Variety Market.
Where I found a fantastic stack of green and white vintage ironstone, plates, and linen napkins.
You may also enjoy the post, 17 Best Summer Home Decor Accessories to Thrift.
Vintage Ford Truck
We store this old 1977 Ford truck in our Maine home’s garage during the winter.
The time is now to get it started and take it out for a drive.
And I got lucky, as it started right up, woo-hoo. Because many times it does not.
We’ve had this old truck now for over 20 years, it’s been a lot of fun but we just don’t use it like we used to and it takes up a lot of space… So this will be our last time with this gem, as we will be gifting it to my husband’s nephew next time he is in Maine.
You may also enjoy the post, White & Green Rustic Summer Flower Planters Sure To Charm You.
Mainely Grass
This is going to be the year that we work on the landscaping at our home here in Maine.
The soil is awful here, truly making it really hard to grow or garden.
When my parents owned this home they lost so many plants like hydrangeas, witches broom, and lilac bushes, that they ended up taking out most of the landscaping and planting pachysandra all around the perimeter of the home. Which fortunately filled in very nicely.
The front lawn has all turned to moss and I would like a nice plush lawn once again. So I have hired Mainely Grass to see what they can do for us. They started with their first treatment this past fall and second again this spring. Fully organic treatments.
It was also time to clean up the yard, which was filled with sticks and debris from the winter months. And the lawn was ready for its first spring cutting too. I use the EGO Cordless Electric Walk Behind Lawn Mower. I actually love cutting the lawn now. It’s so light, quiet, and fun to use.
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It’s still early here in Maine for summer flower containers. Waiting until Memorial Day weekend is important to avoid any unforeseen nightly frosts. But I do prefer to keep the flower arrangements around our house pretty simple. You may see last year’s flowers in the post, Red Geranium Time-Honored Window Flower Boxes.
My mother loved having all-white outdoor flowers. Which I may choose to go with this summer, we’ll see.
Storm Windows
I always look forward to removing the storm windows! It gives the home such a bright and new perspective after all those long winter months of hibernation.
Opening the windows and letting all that fresh air in! Priceless.
Do you see Ella, our Bernese Mountain Dog peeking in from outside?
My father came up with this easy and brilliant way for storing the storm windows in the summertime so that they don’t get banged up or broken.
Simple white hooks mounted into the ceiling allow us to hang all the storm windows from the ceiling beams in the garage.
You may also enjoy the post, Chatting About This and That in Vintage Home Decorating from this same time last year.
Rose’ All Day Patio Party
I always enjoy catching up with friends that I haven’t seen in a while. On one of the most amazing first beautiful spring days I met up with one of my besties and attended a Rose’ wine patio party at Walker’s Maine Restaurant, just around the corner from our home. So much fun!
Summer Bedding
Switching out our bedding from winter to summer is something I always look forward to. I love adding fresh new bedding to the bedrooms in anticipation of summer.
This year I’m going with Schweitzer Linen’s crisp white Italian bedding sets.
Guest Bedroom
This is Schweitzer Linen’s Hampton Court bedding now ready for our summer guests.
You may also enjoy the post, Vintage Braiding Rug Stand | A Mother’s Day Reflection on this Mother’s Day weekend.
Save 20% OFF all Schweitzer Linen products except sale and clearance items with the COUPON CODE: DYGEN20.
Master Bedroom
Our master bedroom will sport Schweitzer Linen’s Windward Luxury bedding. I just love the embroidered sailboats and coastal vibe of this bedding set.
Crisp, clean, and fresh with a nautical summer vibe.
You may see more summer bedding options in the post, 10+ Best Coastal Bedding Ideas For Your Beach House.
A May Beach Day
As the temperatures reached into the low 70’s it was time to dig out the beach chairs from the shed, gather together the sunscreen, charge the earbuds, and head out for a few hours on the beach.
The beach was filled with seaweed, the wind was blowing, the bugs were flying, and a bulldozer was moving rocks. But it was still so great to sit in my beach chair with the ocean by my side
Check out My Favorite Beach Day Essentials.
And I had the best laugh as I watched these golden retrievers frolic in the sand, seaweed, and ocean. They dug holes and gathered sticks completely in sync. Now this was just pure joy!
You may also enjoy the post, Entertain with Red, White, and Blue! Easy Summer Table Trimmings.
A Spring Visit to Snug Harbor Farm
And of course, an annual spring garden trip to Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunk, Maine is always a favorite. Accompanied by my girlfriend, we headed north to find topiaries and succulents to display in our homes this spring season. Snug Harbor Farm has the best selection around by far.
See more in the post, Go Green – A Visit to Snug Harbor Farm, Maine.
The Snub Harbor Farm greenhouses were filled with beautiful displays of topiaries and succulents in preparation for Mother’s Day weekend. My girlfriend, Lisa even got poked by a super duper succulent.
Then of course we ended our day once again with a fabulous Maine lobster roll at The Boathouse Restaurant.
You may also enjoy the post, Antiquing, 6 Thrifty Finds, and a Lobster Biscuit and Mother Nature And An Antique Millinery Hat Mold post.
Do you love lobster too?
Order your authentic Maine Lobster delivered directly to your doorstep and save 5% with the coupon code DABBLINGDECORATING from my friends at Overnight Lobster.
And we got the chance to look through some old family photos too in preparation for Mother’s Day:)
You may also enjoy the Quaint Nautical Decor Corner With a Vintage Wow Factor post and A Bernese Mountain Dog & The Gift of a Whale post.
Our home is now summer-ready, and it’s time to get my hair done and head back to Vermont until we can return to enjoy our summer in Maine. Thanks so much for joining me this week. It means the world to me that you are here!
If you are new to my blog, welcome! I hope you enjoyed visiting our Home in Coastal Maine with us today.
Be sure also to check out our Home in Vermont, where we spend winters enjoying the coziness of home in the Green Mountains of Vermont.
I’ve created the above custom pin just for this post! Hearing from you makes my day; your comments mean so much to me! Please join me on Instagram & Pinterest to see more!
OH ANN,
I’m so sad you’ll be gifting your red/white truck away, but I am certain that there’s going to be one happy young man❤️🤍
I think I told you, we have a green /white truck, the same circa, it’s in storage, I’m not sure my husband would part with it! I’m hoping you’re going to spray for those nasty bees 🐝 you had a couple of years ago! The lawn looks great! You should definitely check with a local nursery, regarding what thrives in that sometimes harsh conditions along the coast! Love the white flower idea, that’s my jam🤍
So excited to see you bust Snug Harbor, I think Lisa got attacked by an Agave plant, they’re killers!!
Happy Summer(almost)!! Hi Miss ELLA 🖤❤️🤍
Deb
Thanks for your note Deb and for stopping by! Agave plant, thanks for the information, we had no idea. And yes the truck will have a new home soon. Fingers crossed! I bet a green and white truck looked amazing!
Oh boy Ann!!!
I love winter (actually I love all the seasons….never boring) But it’s so refreshing to prepare and lighten up for the summer season!! It’s such fun seeing your posts. I can almost feel the fresh air and smell the salty ocean. We visit Maine a few times each year. Maybe we will bump into each other at Bob’s Clam Hut or some other restaurant where the Maine lobster is the BEST. Thanks for getting us in the spirit of the season!!! Love EVERYTHING you do!! Hi Ella !!
Oh Kathy, we think alike for sure. I love winter too but welcome summer for sure, and summers in Maine are the best! I can’t wait for my first summer lobster with corn on the cob! Have a great Mother’s Day.
Beautiful Ann! Love following you and the information you share! Can’t wait for more!💙
Thank you so much Jeannie, you’re the sweetest to say that!
Hi Ann,
I’m a New Yorker but I love Maine – and your blog. May I ask where you bought that beautiful thermal bath robe with the blue trim?
Kathy
Thank you so much Kathy. The robe is the Fresca from Schweitzer Linen https://bit.ly/40c1EAN But I see it’s not available right now, unfortunately. Shoot.
Hey there bestie! Great post…I’m trending on dabbling:) Love the music with the dog video…they were so in sync with the music!!
You sure are, people are going to start thinking you are me, haha. Good times!
Sigh….love everything about this post. (Haha I always do) I just adore Maine and you touched on all things sing to me. Happy Spring!!
Awww thanks Cara, off to The Fabulous Find today to see what they got in yesterday, haha. Have you been there yet in Kittery, Maine?
I have a summer rental property on the Southcoast of Mass. I am currently getting ready for the summer season. I enjoy looking at your photos and thinking of some fun pretty things I might do differently this season as I re-caulk the Master Bath and fix the odds and ends from last season.
Awww I love that Susan. Isn’t it so fun getting it all ready? Thanks so much for joining me here, I’m so grateful!
I don’t know exactly where you are located, but my kids and grands are moving to Hiram next month. I really enjoy your posts and now maybe I’ll feel a little closer to them.
Hi Gail, I’m not familiar with Hiram. We are in southern Maine in York County. Thanks so much for following along and I love that you will feel a bit closer to your family.