Sarah Stebbins

6 days ago | downeast.com | Sarah Stebbins

Some of Jill and Joe Drew’s closest friends have been their guests at Harrison’s Greenwood Manor Inn. There are the Daleys, whose kids bounce back and forth with their brood between the single-family home, where the Drews live, and the attached former carriage house, where the inn’s guest rooms are located. There are bachelor buddies Ed, Mike, and Jimmy, who were among the first people Jill texted after giving birth to the couple’s fourth child in January.

3 weeks ago | downeast.com | Sarah Stebbins

When Meredithe Stuart-Smith wants to show her English colleagues how Americans celebrate holidays, she often pulls up photos of the Fourth of July festivities in Castine. Every year, the town common is a hub of patriotic pride, with a parade assembling on School Street and costume, tug-of-war, and pie-eating contests playing out on a wide lawn.

1 month ago | downeast.com | Sarah Stebbins

In Maine, large swaths of untouched land, coupled with a strong Yankee independent streak, have lured generations of hardy souls to build homes off the grid. Now, rising electricity costs are sparking renewed interest in the lifestyle. We caught up with eight intrepid homeowners living self-sufficiently in remote spots — and getting a charge out of producing their own power, sometimes blissfully unaware when the world around them goes dark.

2 months ago | downeast.com | Sarah Stebbins

When Mario and Kitty Costello unpacked theirnew leprechaun-green kitchen cabinets, their teenage daughters threw some shade. “They were like, ‘Seriously, that’s the color you picked?’” Kitty says. “But I wanted the kitchen to look like things we make.” The verdant cupboards match emerald brass-and-epoxy knobs in the couple’s metal home-décor line and inspired the vivid coral Kitty painted the adjoining dining space.

Feb 4, 2025 | downeast.com | Sarah Stebbins

Shortly after moving into her Lovell fixer-upper, in 2017, Kimberly Crichton realized she was not alone. The 1920s cottage had stood empty for three years after the prior owner passed away, and mice had the run of the place. Crichton set about plugging holes, laying traps, and employing cleaning remedies recommended by neighbors until she’d wrested back control. Folks in town tried to help Crichton find a firewood supplier during her first winter in the house.