I grew up in the suburbs of New York and was fortunate to attend sleep-away camp in Maine. My experience at camp was idyllic. Camp Truda was on a lake in which we swam and went boating every day.
We played sports (always encouraging, rarely competitive and when we did compete, it was always loving), sang songs, danced, acted, made art, had color war (also loving), went camping under the stars, went on field trips, and picked wild strawberries off the soccer field.
Diane’s second year at camp in the 70’s. 9 years old.
Most important were the people. I always felt like I belonged.
Due to unfortunate circumstances, this idyllic camp closed after my fourth summer and my favorite childhood memories remain locked there. I’ve wanted to return to Maine for decades but it just never happened.
There was talk about a camp reunion which didn’t materialize, yet I had my heart set on going to Maine. My cousin Susan and I have been discussing traveling together for a while. I asked if she felt like going to Maine and she immediately said “yes!”.
My women’s group was meeting in Pennsylvania this year, and I decided to take advantage of being part way across the country (I live in California) when planning our trip. I rendezvoused with Susan in Boston, picked up delicious vegan fare from Lulu Green and off we went.
We stopped en route (though totally out of the way) to visit my sister and niece in Vermont. My sister cooked us a wonderful dinner of vegan sushi, tofu and broccoli and scallion pancakes. Oops- I should have taken a photo. The colorful veggie sushi was beautiful. Thank you though, Julie!
We stayed in Maine at a Bed and Breakfast called the Inn at Bath. We had a variety of meals in Maine- some meh and others wonderful. Notably, the breakfasts at the Inn were spectacular. The new owner, Kelly, goes above and beyond to deliver quality food. She asked ahead about food preferences and was more than happy to provide vegan fare for me.
Every day breakfast was three courses! Breakfast began with either a yogurt, homemade granola and fruit, or melon slices with a ginger jam. On the first morning, she cooked me a vegan waffle (it tasted great but didn’t fluff like the non vegan one so I didn’t take a photo). The next day Kelly was off but a wonderful chef, Corinna (more about her in a minute) made me a tofu scramble. Also delicious.
Savory Oats
Tofu Scramble with Cheese
And on the third day, Kelly served savory oats with beans, sauteed onions, mushrooms, zucchini and avocado. The savory oats were exceptional.
Each meal ended with fruit, like the citrus, berries and lime with gorgeous edible flowers pictured. Or chocolate covered strawberries. Wow. Just wow. I had no problem finding at least one vegan option everywhere we ate (I always check ahead of time).
We stopped in at Corinna’s restaurant, Back River Bistro in Wiscasset for a glass of wine and the kitchen was able to veganize their mushroom toast for us. (More edible flowers!) Thanks, Corinna! It’s a lovely spot and even though they don’t have vegan options on the menu, they were happy to accommodate.
Mushroom Toast
Popham Beach
Yes, we did more than just eat in Maine. Here are a few highlights:
- We took a boat tour to see the puffins and other sea birds! Sponsored by the Audubon society, the boat leaves from New Harbor daily. I did capture photos and video, but my phone doesn’t do the birds justice. I highly recommend the boat tour.
- We walked along Popham beach which is truly otherworldly.
- We visited the Botanical Gardens, and on our way out of town on our last day,
- We visited a lighthouse! It’s tiny and looks like the leaning tower of Pisa in this photo. It’s upright in real life.
All in all I loved my time in Maine and can’t wait to go back. It is beautiful and peaceful and the people I met were lovely. From my experience it is also community-minded which is refreshing. And the best part was the quality time I spent with my cousin. We had lots to catch up on and had plenty of relaxed time to do so. Plus, we created new memories.
Susan and Me