Friday Letters: The Art of Becoming My Summer Self

From bookstores to dining, my best Maine tips. And an invitation to join me TOMORROW in conversation with author Dara Levan.

It’s almost July, and the annual countdown to Maine is on.

Our family treks up north began two summers ago, when we plotted a month-long escape from the DC heat and wound up in an A-frame cabin outside Acadia National Park, where we discovered our love of lake life.

As we begin preparations for this year’s trip, I can feel my longing for the place bubbling to the surface. I often joke that our first summer in Maine “ruined me.” That month away eroded my lifelong devotion to city life and left me hungry for more time outdoors.

But maybe it’s also fair to say that Maine helped me find me: an evolved expression of myself that values quiet and introspection — not just during the summer, but all year long.