Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140J u ly / A u g u s t 2016 113 House of the Month ite fireplace and a great wall of curved glass looking out to the sea that also opens to a casual dining area and the beginning of the food-preparation spaces. It’s easy to imag- ine yourself in the long, low room where you can sip coffee by a roaring flame and plot your next move–with the walls rein- forcing your zen-inspired calm in oceanic, seashell blue. O f course there is an island with daz- zling granite countertops that are pearly but shot through with streaks of black. It reminds me of something. Every- where you walk, the grand interior leads you with a motion of its own. Morrison says, “I’m not handcuffed to say you can’t develop it [the acres not pro- tected by a conservation easement to the wa- ter]. But the preference is... “I showed it yesterday to a guy I know who could just write a check for it. But he’d want to put a house down there.” He mo- tions toward the water. “And that’s not go- ing to happen. The front 18.6 acres above the high-water mark is an easement granted in the Falmouth Land Trust. Richard was a conservationist.” On the other hand, “There are 13 acres of developable land on this side of the easement.” We look at the Neil Welliver painting and think of the artist’s recurring images of birch trees. Then we look outside at a perfect birch copse: life imitating art. “They planted a birch grove on their own,” Morrison says. As though in a com- mand performance, the stand of slim white trees shot through with black vibrates in the soft breeze at the edge of a clearing near the water. The sun comes out from behind a cloud and the trees light up. That’s what it is. What a place to first think your thoughts, then collect them. With so little light pollu- tion, the stars overhead must be incredible, not to mention the radio reception. On the many grassy paths, “There are blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, straw- berries.” Animals sighted include “fox.” Upstairs, there’s a roof-deck zen gar- den that drops off to infinity, like an edgless pool or an aircraft’s windscreen, an aesthet- ic I can relate to as a former pilot but oth- ers might find unnerving. It is like flying up here. “There are four bedrooms” on this lev- el, Morrison says. “Plus the office.” The office is quiet. Mostly cleared out, there are some conservation relics. An ob- ject in a glass case looks like a moon rock. But when you draw closer, you see a plaque that says “Black Rhino.” No, it’s not a sou- venir piece of Black Rhino horn, considered an aphrodosiac by murderous poachers. Best guess, it’s a little joke–a bit of petrified rhino scat. How do you explain this in cus- toms? If it’s a contest, and surely it is, the drama inside the house is exceeded by the landscape and dependencies, including an exquisite rectangular pool with adorable tea house and a 1955 visitors’ house: the kind of low ranch Dean Martin would pick, decorated in bright Maine-inspired fabrics and chairs. Sowhowould,orcould,buythis?Among the prospects expressing interest so far are “Folks from New York,” talking about mak- ing the property a family compound, where visiting children’s families could live in [possibly new] dwellings onsite. No chance of the Rockefeller family stay- ing on here? “No, they have left for good. The fami- ly has decided to move on. It’s too painful.” But Dr. Rockefeller is still everywhere. Part III Curb Appeal From The Air Before the Rockefellers, the family of the late, great photographer and sculp- tor Verner Reed III lived here. Funny, thoughtful, and talented (a tough triple), Verner shot many of history’s most strik- ing images of JFK and Jackie in the ear- ly 1960s as a world-class magazine pho- tographer for Fortune, Time, Paris Match, and Life. [See “Life After Life,” Portland Magazine, February/March 1999.] Deborah Reed, Verner’s wife, the Chair- man of the Board of Trustees at Maine Col- lege of Art, knows and loves this property. It is dear to her, and she describes the es- tate as no other can: “It was originally built by the Pews. We bought it from the Loves (I think he had fishing vessels). Verner always teased me that I fell in love with the house because every time I opened a closet door the lights came on!” As the seasons passed, including mythic Christmases, Reed found “He couldn’t do all the gardens” in the sum- 7 8 courtesy Deborah reed