Hardly a surprise, I found myself quite in love with Northeast Harbor, the 'quieter' side of Mount Desert Island, which somehow, in my thirty-eight years of Maine residency, I had never visited. We were led, thank goodness, right on out of the lovely but busy town of Bar Harbor before the July 4th festivities began and the crowd descended.... and blissfully immersed ourselves on the other side, in the quiet and beautiful gardens of the Asticou Azalea Garden and Asticou Terraces. A blend of East meets West was there in the sand and moss and stone gardens, complete with freshly raked sand that made me pause, admire and appreciate. What beauty! And what a truly special way to spend a quiet Maine morning. I carried a bit of that home with me in spirit, and I think it's certainly fueled my desire to create little nooks and spaces out of doors here at home.