Darby Ray wasn’t looking for a change when Bates College came calling.

But the opportunity to be director at the school’s Harward Center for Community Partnerships was too good to pass up, so last summer she, her husband and their two children moved up from Mississippi.

Maine was already partly in her blood.

“The generation before me has had a long-time love affair with Maine,” Ray said.

All of last fall, the family spent at least one day each weekend adventuring in their new state. And this summer, the adventure continues.

Name: Darby Ray

Ages: 48

Lives: Lewiston

Describe your average day: I help get my daughters off to school at Geiger Elementary and Lewiston High, and then I walk or ride my bike to work at Bates. Once at work, my days vary tremendously. I may teach a class, write a grant proposal, meet with a community partner about a collaborative project, work with a faculty member to brainstorm ideas for a community-engaged learning course, or work on a publication or presentation project. Then it’s home for a few hours of family time, often followed by a return to Bates for a public lecture or an arts event. I live quite close to the Bates campus, so it’s easy to hop over for events. On weekends I try to catch up on reading, writing, or grading, but I also enjoy family adventures of one kind or another, as well as various community events. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by how many great things there are to do in the Lewiston-Auburn area.

If you were a student, what project through the Harward Center makes you think, “I’d be all over that”? Last semester one of the education classes at Bates met all semester long at Farwell Elementary School. The students and professor didn’t just visit the school once or twice — they actually held their college course AT the elementary school, which enabled an amazing reciprocity of knowledge, insight and energy. I love that kind of creative exchange.

Fun fact you’ve learned about Bates since arriving: The cafeteria food is delicious! No kidding . . . It is seriously tasty.

Your family hit the ground running exploring Maine. Sight/place/activity that you’d label a must-see? Our recent favorite was seeing the alewives climb the fish ladder in Damariscotta. We had no idea what a fish ladder was or how in the world fish would”climb” one, so it was really fun to experience. We found ourselves hooping and hollering and exchanging high fives as the fish made it to the top.

Your last must-see movie? “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” a stunningly gorgeous film that is both heartbreaking and hope-filled.

Maine myth that you’ve found to be entirely untrue: People say Mainers aren’t friendly, but I’ve found everyone to be quite wonderful.

Maine myth that you’ve found to be entirely true: Mud season is no fun.

Anticipating most about your first full summer here: Camping at Cobscook Bay and Lily Bay State Parks. We were lucky to reserve camp sites right on the water!

Important camping question: S’mores, yeah or nay? It wouldn’t be a family camping trip without s’mores. In fact, when we’ve camped in places with burn bans in place, we’ve resorted to using the flame from our Coleman stove to roast the marshmallows. Desperate measures for desperate campers!

kskelton@sunjournal.com

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