The Architect's Daughter

Left: One of my dad's thousands of watercolor paintings. Right: Maine in the winter.

My parents are up at our house in Maine at the moment, battening down the hatches for the impending blizzard. But three feet of snow won't stop my dad. His profound yearning to live a romantic, whimsical, poetic life pushes and pulls him so strongly that he will dredge through anything to experience the island's endless beauty.

You'll rarely find my dad without a sketchbook an arm's reach away.  See more of his work here.

Through an architect's eye: snapshots of Maine from my dad's point of view. [Instagram Source: @michaelmber]

Right now, he's probably hiking along the coast, collecting wild berries for his homemade cobbler. Or maybe he's leaning over the dock precariously, searching for mussels in the freezing Atlantic waters (where, deep beneath the surface lie several pairs of fallen eyeglasses from past failed attempts).

Right: Fresh pickings! My dad has shared the recipe for his famous homemade Maine cobbler on his own blog, At Home & Afield. [Instagram Source: @michaelmber]

He could be up on the covered porch, wrapped in a flannel blanket, listening to Whiskeytown while he watercolors Old Harbor. Then again, he could be crouched in the teeny tiny powder bathroom, painting little dragonflies and stick bugs on the green leaves of the old wallpaper.

Right: If it weren't winter, I'd place bets on my dad being out on our hundred year old sailboat, Belle, right now. [Instagram Source: @michaelmber]

Wherever he is, he's building a beautiful life. He can't help himself. He's an architect. That's what he does; build beautiful things.

And as this architect's daughter, my life is brimming with the results of his efforts.

From an early age, he instilled in me a sharp sense of good design — in my style choices, for instance. (Maxwell isn't so sure though)

This blog will offer just a small glimpse into how being The Architect's Daughter has shaped me into who I am today. From our travels as a family, to my cherished collection of watercolors — my dad's undying passion for living a well-designed, beautiful life has always been my biggest inspiration.

Go ahead and venture out into that blizzard in search of life's little beauties, Dad, but please — wear a coat. 

Learn more about my architect dad here.