A Cottage Stay on a Dahlia Farm in Maine
Picture this: a walk through fields of flowers while sipping on a hot tea as you feel the morning sun across your face and hear the birds sing.
This is what every morning was like during my stay. Nestled in the woods of Buxton, Maine along the Saco River lies Ferris Farm, a thoughtfully designed place where you can reconnect with nature. Their cottage is cozy and peaceful while the flower farm is family-run. These folks truly care about the land, community, and providing a relaxing experience for guests. If you’re planning a trip to the Portland area, I recommend booking a stay here! It’s about a 30-45 minute drive depending on traffic and where in the city you want to go but I can promise that you won’t regret having this oasis to return to after a day of noise.
This trip came together on kind of a whim. Jessica, the flower farmer, had reached out to me with an interest in collaborating but it didn’t quite align at the time. A few weeks later, I ended up being able to make the trip up there and it was more amazing than I could’ve imagined.
Mid September here in Maine is special. The temperatures are still comfortable, the light is a little more golden, and everywhere is a bit quieter. Jessica specializes in dahlias and they were in full bloom during my stay. She was also hosting her first event here with a local artist!
Upon checking in, I immediately noticed the dining nook with fresh flowers and large windows that brought in the perfect amount of nature. I was also greeted by Jessica and a thoughtful basket of local goodies which I used in a charcuterie tray later on when my friend Faye arrived.
The first day was about settling in, exploring the grounds, and catching up on life events with Faye. We chatted over sparkling wine and a charcuterie board. We leaned into autumn and cooked a butternut squash soup. Later that evening, Jessica took us on a sunset tour of the farm. There are many trails all over the property and one that leads down to the Saco river. There is a dock with kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards plus a sweet little picnic area. Truly a dream stay for a nature lover!
The next day was filled with a little bit of everything. Nature, the city, working, and relaxing. I woke up for sunrise to take a walk through the flower fields and create. I’m a summer gal at heart so I was very grateful to still feel the warm sun across my face at 7AM. I strolled through hundreds of zinnias, buzzing bees, and eventually through the dahlias and down to the river. The light was absolutely gorgeous! It was a bit cloudy and almost stormy but it made everything look so much dreamier and softer. It was probably my favorite type of light to photograph in. The one thing I love about this farm is how open it is. It’s over 50 acres so you can get lost and it’s unlikely you’ll find into anyone else if you preferred it that way.
While exploring at sunrise, I became overwhelmed by an intense feeling of gratitude in the zinnia patch. After moving through some heavier life events the last few weeks, I was finally able to have a moment of peace. Lightness. Clarity. My grief lifted for a few minutes and I started finding gratitude in the smaller moments again. The warm sun, my hot tea, the birds singing, and so on. I had a “I can’t believe this is my life” moment. That it is my job is to create in places like this. That I get to do what I love. I am grateful.
After a peaceful morning of frolicking and a cozy breakfast of pancakes with fresh wild Maine blueberries, I took myself on a date to the city. It was about 35 minutes to the area of Portland I wanted to go to which in my opinion isn’t bad. I didn’t have a real plan but I knew my first stop: The Holy Donut. When in Maine, I have to go! Especially because they offer gluten free donuts and they are hard to come by these days. I indulged and got three: the chocolate sea salt, the blueberry lemon, and a cinnamon sugar. I’m normally a chocoholic but the cinnamon sugar was actually my favorite.
After my coffee and sweet treat, I just browsed some shops near by. I wasn’t planning to buy but isn’t that how it always goes? I ended up finding a beautiful mug by a local artist and a skirt that had my name written all over it. I’ve been heavy on skirts lately and less on pants. And surprisingly, I don’t have a lot of mugs so I justified my desire to begin collecting more. The city wears me down after a few hours so I headed back to the cottage for the rest of the day to create, relax, and enjoy. I ate some lunch and worked a little bit in the office at the cottage. It was sweet to have a dedicated workspace as a lot of stays don’t typically have an office. I don’t mind working at any old table but it was a nice thing that I wasn’t expecting. That evening, everyone was setting up for the dahlia event the following day. It was fun to hang and chat with new friends!
The next day, everyone, including myself, were up early to get ready for the event. I wanted to use sunrise to grab a few more shots but then helped set up on the farm as well. It was the most gorgeous day to pop up a tent and gather a wonderful group of people together. Beautiful dark wood tables were brought in along with special place settings for each person, mason jars for flowers, and table runners.
The class was two hours with artist and teacher, Emma (pictured on bottom left). She also is 1/2 of Milkweed! A coffee roasting company but her and her partner, Jenni, just started this specialty food truck. They provided unique drinks such as an iced espresso with blood orange seltzer and an array of carefully crafted food such as parfaits, baked goods, cucumber salmon dill bites, and more. Their attention to deal was incredible and they really brought in a special vibe to the event.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading! Thank you to all of the kind folks I met on this trip and to Jessica and Jeremy for being absolutely wonderful hosts. They have something really special going here and I hope you feel inspired to visit or simply follow along online! Jessica plans to host more events next summer and in between, you can book her cozy cottage stay on AirBnb.
All of the film shot in this blog was developed and digitally scanned by Negative Lab in Los Angeles. I have been sending my film here for 2 years now and I am always pleased with my scans. I cannot express the difference the lab makes! If you’re interested in giving them a try, use ‘WILD15’ for 15% off your first order. For transparency, I do not make any money when you use this code but I do receive a discount off my processing services by spreading the word. Whether you’ve read this post or use my code, every little bit helps keep me doing what I love. For more work and easier updates, follow me on Instagram. Until next time. With love, stay wild ~ Jess.
