The story behind Fort Hill Designs
Our family spent every summer, from the early 60’s through the mid-80’s, at Fort Hill, located at the very tip of Hills Beach, in Biddeford, Maine. Our cottage sat above the rocks, looking out over a small sandy beach, several islands, and many moored sailboats. Days were spent swimming, playing on the rocks or the beach, walking out to the islands on the sandbars at low tide, looking for crabs, digging for clams, and picking blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
And we read books; many, many books - The Happy Hollisters and Nancy Drew were some of our favorites - on the beach, or curled up on one of the couches, late into the night. We’d race down the dirt road, quarters in hand, when we’d hear the ice cream truck approaching, and we’d smile as Mr. Cole delivered milk with his cheerful “Morning Lou - 1 skim, 1 regular today?”
Corn on the cob and lobster were a favorite meal, eaten out on the deck, and afterward we’d throw the lobster shells onto the rocks; a feast for the seagulls. Campfires on the beach, storms at sea, and fireworks from across the bay were all a part of our summer landscape. We’d fall asleep to the endless foghorn, and wake up to the sounds of lobster boats heading out in the morning.
Many years have passed and we’ve come full circle, back to our roots. Our kids are grown, and we once again enjoy walking the beaches, yet now we see the shells and stones, and the landscape, with different eyes...the shells as skirts, and the round or oval stones as steps or body parts; pieces of art. We each have a studio, where we paint, craft, or sew. We refurbish old furniture, create stone art, ornaments, and jewelry.
And we still love the sounds of foghorns and seagulls and lobster boats. They’re sounds of a happy childhood. They’re sounds of home.