Bringing Maine to NC
Posted: September 20, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 CommentsSome years I bring jam home, others canvas bags. This year I brought a wooden canoe model I bought at auction. Jam comes and goes and bags could be from anywhere, but this little canoe is very Maine to me. Although, it could be New Hampshire too.
When I was a kid I went to summer camp at Camp Idlepines for Girls. It was a sweet little camp on Bow Lake in New Hampshire. It was run by Jan Adams, a woman who lived in my town of Wilton, CT in the off season and her sister Jane, who lived in Falmouth, MA.
I loved camp and canoeing was my favorite activity, quickly followed by arts and crafts and dramatic arts. Horse back riding was my least favorite. When I was a senior camper we got to go on a three night canoe trip where we camped beside the lakes and rivers we canoed on. It was an “away” trip, meaning they drove us somewhere with the canoes and equipment and dropped us off.
I remember bringing a sleeping bag to camp for camp outs, but other than that, no special equipment. Water shoes were not a thing. I wish I knew what shoes I brought. All I remember is I loved that canoe trip. I loved it so much that when I went back to camp the next year as a CIT, I was assigned the canoe CIT role, as well as dramatic arts. Somehow, someone else got arts and crafts. Thank god I did not get archery or horse back riding since they were the activities where you got the hottest.
So here we are, back from Maine and fifty years from my camp days. But all the canoe happiness is still with me. I am certainly not as good at getting in and out of a canoe as I was then, but paddling at dusk listening for loons, is a memory I will always cherish. Now when I come in the living room I just smile.
Less Dana, More Good 
I can’t believe this! Canoeing was my favorite too! Actually, we had a song meet each summer and my first year I was Song leader, My team won the meet. Being song leader had nothing to do with being able to sing, since I’m not very good at it. All I had to do was have the right pitch to start the songs. They elected me song later because I knew how to lead like a conductor leads instead of this weird way they had always done it camp before I arrived.
But canoeing, that did it for me just as it did for you! Did you swamp your canoes? I just loved doing that! We also had a three day canoe trip each summer, and my favorite part was going through locks. We would hold onto Rose at waist level and then our Hands would be either really high or really low depending on which level of water was beyond the locks. Your description brought back great memories!
And being with you at lunch with lots of fun. Since you’re not going be in Raleigh for a while, let’s do that again and just get everybody together when you can manage!
XO
I think the canoe is beautiful. So well done. My family had a wooden canoe when I was growing up, which Dad built. It was painted blue. We canoed on the lake we lived on. Special memories!