My Mama was born in the family homestead on Prince Edward Island, but grew up in Bath, Maine.
Bath is located just a bit over thirty miles from Maine's largest city, Portland. During World War II, a handsome sailor happened into the shipyards of Bath and swept my mama off her feet. They were married within a couple of weeks! After the war, Daddy talked Mama into leaving her home and family and moving out west. Eventually they settled in a small suburb of Portland, Oregon, where we lived until I went away to college.
The summer I turned six, mama and daddy and six of the seven of us kids, drove across the country back to Maine to meet Mama's family for the first time. As young as I was, I fell in love with my Maine family and that beautiful place. Mama took my youngest brother and I back again the summer that I turned 16. Then my husband and I visited Maine and several of the other New England states for our twenty-fifth anniversary. The summer after Mama died in 2011, my husband and I and my sister and her husband flew to Maine together, revisiting Mama's hometown, then we drove up through Canada to P.E.I. to visit her birthplace and to meet our P.E.I. relatives for the first time.
My dream was to return to Maine someday with my family. However, there are now fourteen of us counting us, our three daughters and their husbands, and our grandchildren. So, for my sixtieth birthday this month we planned a celebratory trip to Maine for me and my daughters, (and our two month old grandson tagged along with his mama). We flew in to Boston, then drove up to Portland, Maine, where we spent our first night.
When you live in the Pacific Northwest, where the historic buildings are from the 1800's, then you visit New England and see buildings and towns dating back into the 1700's and even some from the 1600's it's quite phenomenal. My Portland, Oregon girls instantly fell in love with both the natural and historic beauty of Portland, Maine.
still following,
What a wonderful experience to share with your girls!
ReplyDeleteIt was fabulous!
DeleteWhat a beautiful opportunity and so glad you had family to celebrate with you!
ReplyDeleteIt was such a wonderful time with my girls!
DeleteI so enjoyed reading your post today! And the title is perfect. What an amazing gift to receive on your birth day. I'm sure Mama is smiling down from the heavens.
ReplyDeleteI thought that very thing!
DeleteBeautiful shots. I'd love to tour the pottery place - I love that sort of thing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2017/08/snuggles.html
Happy Birthday. I think a trip to the East Coast would be a great experience even if never having lived there. Thanks for sharing a bit of your trip with your photos. :)
ReplyDeletePeabea@Peabea Scribbles
I think you would love New England!
DeleteWonderful captures, Elizabeth! Growing up in Vermont and then moving to the southwest, I understand what you mean about the difference in "age" - but then you go to Europe and everything is even older, ha! Maine definitely has a charm all her own! Thanks for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! I loved my one trip to Europe for that reason and long to go back!
DeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteIt certainly looks like a beautiful area!!
ReplyDeleteInteresating town I think. Love the harbor :)
ReplyDeletePortland looks beautiful from the photos. Good to know that you got to visit it again. I like that tree!
ReplyDeleteHello Elizabeth, I am now following you and I invite you to follow me too. Thank you.
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