A Flower Fairytale in Portland, Maine
Dear Flower Fairies,
I needed a vacation this summer, to get out of the city and take a little break from growing my sparkling blooms (I love growing my sparkling blooms but even flower fairies need to rest sometimes!) so I ventured to Portland, Maine because it was nestled by the ocean and not too far away from my enchanted garden ~ I thought I was in for a lovely week of lounging by the water and seeing the beautiful pine trees Maine is known for. But wait! First things first, which was picking sparkling flowers from my enchanted garden to bring with me…packing is always more fun when it involves packing colorful and sparkling flowers! And I didn’t know how many vibrant flowers I would need for a beach vacation, but I knew how many I wanted which was a lot. Truly, you can never bring too many because you never know when you might need one to brighten up your day…
Sometimes (usually) I’m the most dressed up wherever I go, but that’s what makes me happy so that’s okay. I’ll put on a whole set of sparkling flower jewelry when I venture out of my enchanted garden for decidedly un-magical errands, but wearing shimmering color makes even those mundane tasks feel more special. Hence wearing all the vibrant flower jewelry to the airport for my early morning flight…
Okay! Now we’re all packed, colorful and sparkly at the airport (thank goodness, it makes flying much more fun!) and after a lovely (and short, thankfully!) flight, I arrive. I thought I was in for a week of sea breezes and swimming and quaint New England cottages and lots of lovely seafood ~ I did not at all expect a magical, colorful fairytale town simply bursting with the brightest flowers! I was so happily surprised from the moment I stepped out of the taxi and started to explore…
I hadn’t even planned on a floral adventure or taking photos or drawing in my sketchbook while in Portland because I didn’t think there would be so many wonderful flowers, if any at all! But then I arrived to cobblestone streets, cascading pink blooms, colorful and eclectic doorways and hidden alleys festooned with fairy lights and bursting pots of rainbow flowers straight out of a fantasy…
My tired feet and tired eyes and just tired everything were revived with a burst of inspiration and of course, a burst of joy from all of these magical flowers and excitement over going on a brand new floral adventure to discover all of the winding streets and Victorian homes and magical array of blossoms. I didn’t even know so many different (and colorful!) varieties of flowers bloomed by the sea! There were new blooms to discover around every beautiful historical corner of the Old Port…and it made me so happy that some of them just matched perfectly with the sparkling flowers that I was wearing, my flower jewelry fit right in too…
Magical flowers even bloomed right next to the bay, watching the boats sail out from harbor while the happiest bumblebees buzzed and the sun shone overhead…it was flower fairy heaven! I had never smelled such glorious wild roses before and the yellow goldenrod was even brighter than the sunshine. And I realized that I really never know where I might find inspiration and happiness, it can be in the most unexpected places…and I should never assume a place is a certain way before actually traveling there! Because you never know what you will find, especially if you keep an eye out for it and believe that fairytales can happen anywhere and that magical flowers can always bloom…
Everywhere I went, there were the happiest flowers ~ even growing on the hillside on the path down to the most famous lighthouse (the oldest one in the country!). I hope the ships that arrived to the coast here could see the waves of glorious yellow blooms in addition to the welcoming lighthouse…flowers must be missed out at sea! I wondered down enchanted paths, archways of bright green with slopes of wild roses and magical wildflowers on either side as the sun shone brightly overhead in the perfectly blue summer sky, it was a fairyland and an enchanted garden away from home…
On my last day in Portland, I went on one final flower walk to see all of the magical blooms and say goodbye (until next time!) and of course I discovered even more special flowers blooming along hidden alleyways I had never walked through before ~ it seemed like they were beckoning me to stay. I wish I could have stayed for a little bit longer, Portland was truly a magical land, but I was also beginning to have the very first inklings of new flower jewelry in my imagination ~ flowers full of every bright color I had seen and the brilliant magic of all these glorious flowers I had discovered, just waiting to be created in my enchanted garden when I arrived home. Those first few glimmers of a new blossom and my fingers itching for my magic wand to make it come to life…it meant that it was time for my sketchbook, to play with color and happiness and draw the magical blooms I couldn’t wait to grow when I arrived home…
And so when the morning of my departure arrived, I took one last walk by the sea to bid farewell to the oceanside blooms of pink and yellow…and I even discovered the biggest hibiscus I had ever seen, growing right by the harbor next to the sailboats swaying in the breeze! And I wandered along my favorite cobblestone streets to say goodbye to all of the magical, inspiring flowers blooming there…
And after one last chocolate donut for even more happiness and joy, it was time to return home to my enchanted garden, which is, after all, my favorite place in the world. I couldn’t wait to grow new flowers infused with the sunshine and sparkle and rainbow array of glorious summer colors from Portland, flowers that will keep us warm and happy and full of joy as the cold winter months arrive here, flowers that are unapologetically brilliant and vibrant and bold as an endless enchanted summer…and flowers to remind us that there is often happiness and joy where we least expect to find it…
Lots of love and sparkle and hope for new floral adventures!