Located in the Mid-Coast Region of #Maine on the Atlantic, #BoothbayHarbor, Maine has been a tourist destination since the 1880s. This cute #coastal town only has about 2,200 permanent residents. You would never know it though, from how many people are walking the streets in the #summer months! Talk about a hot tourist destination.
I was awestruck by this display. The density of detail between the buildings, people, and ships, is almost overwhelming. This was the last diorama of the series (or the first depending on which way you were coming from). The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento was worth visiting for this series of dioramas alone.
*Smuggler’s Cove*
This O scale narrow gauge layout, Smuggler’s Cove, built by Michael Flack and the late Geoff Knott in Australia, depicts a fictional New England fishing community modeled after towns in coastal Massachusetts and Maine. Small and large fishing boats and the steamboat Sabino near the Maritime Museum play a prominent role in this coastal diorama. Look for intricate details such as the scratch built lobster traps, floats, and fish crates stacked on the pier. How many seagulls can you spot in Smuggler’s Cove?
*Geoff Knott and Michael Flack*
The late Geoff Knott and Michael Flack were insprred to build Smuggler’s Cove after discovering the history of rum-running along the East Coast of the US, in the carly 1900s, their inspiration for Smuggler’s Cove came after Geoff and Michael traveled to New England and visited Cape Cod, Boothbay Harbor, Bar Harbor, and Kennebunkport, Geoff and Michael helped to popularize O scale models. <Layout furnished by the Australasian Region of the NMRA>.
I really enjoyed the demo and the characters we met on day one and look forward to day 2! When playing the demo it made me very nostalgic due to reminding me of a solo trip I took to Nantucket during the off season over a year ago and so I was wondering - What was your inspiration for the setting? Was it referencing Nantucket/Martha's Vineyard or some other location?
Thank you so much for your incredibly sweet words and interest in Crimson Hydrangea!
I'm actually really flattered that you specifically mentioned how Saint Anne's reminds you of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard! Those two islands are huge inspirations for Crimson Hydrangea as well as other islands and coastal towns on the east coast. Places like Kennebunkport, Portsmouth, and BoothBay Harbor are also other locations I've drawn a lot of inspiration from.
I hope you enjoyed your off season trip to Nantucket! I've never actually been, but I've been considering visiting after working on Crimson Hydrangea.
This house sparrow was foraging in the tidal area of Boothbay Harbor, demonstrating how adaptable these little birds can be (as long as they live near humans).