Katy Elliott

09/05/2026

A late-summer brunch talise in Annisquam, MA — probably one of my favorite little neighborhoods on the North Shore.

Talise is open seasonally, and this is their final weekend serving brunch. After breakfast, wander the quiet streets past houses perched on granite ledges overlooking the ocean, with Wingaersheek Beach visible in the distance.

Coffee, huevos rancheros, harbor views, weathered shingles and flowers tucked into a blue bottle…the very best kind of New England morning. ⚓️

09/02/2026

This week in Modern New Englander: a Sunday morning at Todd Farm, an $18 L.L.Bean tote, why I’ll take a small regional flea market over Brimfield, a mysterious old L.L.Bean dealer’s bag found in a Maine barn that sent me down a New England stencil rabbit hole, a seaweed wreath experiment, and one last batch of summer tomatoes turned into vodka sauce.

Plus, I may have accidentally given myself a new fall assignment: tracking down New England’s surviving stenciled rooms.

A little history, treasure hunting, making things and eating the last of summer.

A Sunday at Todd Farm is up now — link in bio. https://modernnewenglander.substack.com/p/a-sunday-at-todd-farm?r=bthmh&utm_medium=ios

09/01/2026

This past Sunday, I think Todd Farm in Rowley, MA was the busiest I’ve seen it all season. Dealers filled the aisles all the way to the back parking lot. The weather was perfectly cool, without that blaring summer sun, and we started in the far left field this time, where I found more unusual folk pieces and objects. Read more >>

Flea market finds, a New England stencil rabbit hole, experiments with seaweed and shells, and one last taste of summer.

08/26/2026

Issue No. 4 of Modern New Englander is out, which means I’ve officially finished my first month of publishing a weekly newsletter.

This week: historic paint colors, a trip to Strawbery Banke, a portrait I couldn’t leave behind, late-summer plums, postcards, and a stop in Kittery Foreside.

If you’re new here, you can read the entire archive for free on Substack. Four issues waiting for you. ❤️

Link in bio.

08/25/2026

A new Modern New Englander went out this afternoon! This week I’m writing about historic New England paint colors, a town treasure sale, a trip to Strawbery Banke, and ramen across the bridge in Kittery.

It’s free to subscribe, and a new issue comes out every Tuesday. Come read along: https://modernnewenglander.substack.com/p/new-englands-historic-paint-colors?r=bthmh&utm_medium=ios