{"id":16311,"date":"2019-06-12T16:13:59","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T20:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=16311"},"modified":"2020-09-29T10:12:16","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T14:12:16","slug":"dream-islands-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/dream-islands-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Dream Islands"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"issuuembed\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 341px;\" data-configid=\"37604829\/70586030\"><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/e.issuu.com\/embed.js\" async=\"true\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Summerguide 2019<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\">This paradise <b>reflects<\/b> your <b>deepest thoughts<\/b> in its <b>mirror<\/b>.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>By Colin W. Sargent<\/em><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Incomparable Kingdom<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-16319\" src=\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Dream-Islands-SG19-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Dream Islands SG19\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Dream-Islands-SG19-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Dream-Islands-SG19-200x134.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Dream-Islands-SG19.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Some islands don\u2019t live in real time. They live in mythic time. If you\u2019re looking for a getaway on an island straight from an Eric Hopkins painting, this is it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Centuries ago, five-acre <strong>Ram Island<\/strong> off the St. George Peninsula was prized by settlers as a sheep pasture surrounded by a universe of blue water. No need for a collie here! One still morning, the flock woke to the ringing sound of hammers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Today, this granite-trimmed isle hosts a modern four-building compound, dock and boat included. Three plush post-and-beam bungalows are selfie-worthy for guests. The center courtyard and boardwalk paths connect the smaller dwellings to the big show.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">The main mansion has a dining room with cathedral ceilings; water views; and a wraparound porch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">You\u2019ll never want to leave the great room\u2014a showstopper. Its russet wooden rafters mimic modern art. They shock the stillness with the illusion of motion, the joists refracting, ducking, shifting, and racing to a dramatic peak like lovely, flapped-out fans. Anchoring the room is a massive brick fireplace.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s1\"><b>Words, Music, Romance<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Still more rare: a dreamy octagonal library designed to let you push off from the shore of your imagination. Remember libraries? This one has built-in shelves and floor-to-ceiling windows. Indulge yourself. Disappear into a great story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">W<\/span><span class=\"s1\">ho dares to dream on this scale? Sometimes it\u2019s not \u201cfollow the money.\u201d Sometimes, thankfully, <em>it\u2019s follow the library<\/em>, with words and music as your guide. Composer <strong>Alan Fletcher<\/strong> runs the world-famous Aspen Music Festival. Before that he headed Carnegie Mellon\u2019s School of Music. His husband, philanthropy guru <strong>Ronald J. Schiller<\/strong>, is the founding partner of Aspen Leadership Group, LLC, an executive-search service for the non-profit sector, and the engineer behind billion-dollar gifts to learning and arts institutions with libraries on the scale of Cornell, Princeton, and the University of Chicago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">These two cultural power brokers find their way back to the island each summer for soul sustenance and private reflection, walking barefoot along the beaches to the cries of gulls. Putting their words in print: <\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Exploring the Personal<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe have owned an island home since 1997. Our first island home was on Lake Winnipesaukee. We moved to Ram Island in 2013, in part to be on the ocean, and in part to own a fully private island. For the past 22 years, whether traveling a couple of hours by car, or all day on multiple flights, the last ten minutes of the journey has always been the most important, and the most magical. Crossing the water means leaving everything else behind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>\u2018Psychic Decompression\u2019<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe found the property through a friend, and the first time we stepped onto the island we knew we were home\u2014before even seeing the structures and interior courtyard! Though neither of us grew up in New England, we knew we wanted an island home there\u2014we love the Maine coastline, the warm days and cool nights, the seafood.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe love being surrounded by lobster boats and having Outward Bound as a neighbor. We also love that so many artists and writers live and work in the area, also attracted by the natural beauty and peaceful environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>All This, and Heaven Too<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cThe town of Rockland, with the extraordinary Farnsworth Museum, with great restaurants, and with wonderful shopping, is 15 minutes away. But on the island, it is all ocean, birds, gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, and starry skies. Both of us write\u2014one of us writes books, and the other writes music. One couldn\u2019t ask for a more quiet and inspirational surrounding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe were married on the island, with 40 family members in attendance, and the island has been host to other weddings in the past. It is the most enchanting location for a family or friends gathering!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Make Ram Island Your own<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">I<\/span><span class=\"s1\">f you buy Ram Island this summer, your first order of business will be to circumambulate the 1,700 feet of granite ledge surrounding your kingdom. Sometimes the cliffs drop to lustrous beaches. Want to be luxuriantly alone? The boathouse at the head of the dock lets you eavesdrop on the whisper of the waves.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Making Connections<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Fancy scaring some seagulls? There\u2019s a 2014 Boston Whaler Super Sport with a 40-hp outboard motor at the end of your dock, all gassed up, waiting for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Dreaming of an all-night cocktail party? There\u2019s a \u201ctent platform for overflow guests\u201d\u2014just don\u2019t call them that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\">D<\/span><span class=\"s1\">ig infrastructure? Three rainwater collection tanks with an 1,800-gallon capacity are here to slake your thirst, and a solar array provides electricity for your island. Because it\u2019s yours now\u2014there\u2019s no turning back.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Solar array on the blink? Just flick the switch to your backup generator.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Insist on pizza delivery? Included on the mainland just 800 feet away is your own deeded parking and boat storage area, where the delivery car is just pulling in. Let them know you\u2019re approaching with flashlight signals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Got a yen for zen? Stone statues are hidden around the island to watch you chase your dreams. <\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Brass Tacks<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cThe whole island is assessed for $432,600,\u201d reports the St. George town assessor\u2019s office. \u201cThe house was built in 1990, for the late Wilson Alling,\u201d of Greenwich, Connecticut, an educator, dreamer, and divinity scholar who bought the island in 1979. \u201cHarbor Builders worked on the house.\u201d What was the purchase price when Fletcher and Schiller bought it? \u201cOne million, two hundred thousand dollars.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s now or never. The price is $1.395M. Don\u2019t check your mobile for comparables. This Shangri-La deserves a special place among the incomparables.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p4\">view as pdf<\/h4>\n<h4 class=\"p4\"><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This paradise reflects your deepest thoughts in its mirror.<br \/>\nBy Colin W. Sargent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,892,232],"tags":[409,127,323,322,410,208],"class_list":["post-16311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-real-estate","category-shelter-design","tag-islands","tag-maine","tag-portland-magazine","tag-portland-monthly","tag-private-island","tag-real-estate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16311"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18584,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16311\/revisions\/18584"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}