It is hard to describe fall in New England without gushing. The leaves are indeed spectacular and I seem to have picked the best week to revel in their color.
My week in the Berkshires was magnificent - both visually and in time spent catching up with the lives of Stu and Jayne. Stu went to Yale with Gary and they were among the first friends I made when we moved to Connecticut after our marriage. The years fell away as we enjoyed the week in their cabin in Beckett, Massachusetts.
Ten years ago, on my last trip to New England, Jayne and I, with compass, map and can of red spray paint in hand, walked the 33 acres they had just purchased. Our goal was to tag trees along their borders. I called us either Hansel and Gretel or Lewis and Clark (Jayne and I remember differently) as we worked our way through the forested land. When we came to the remains of a meandering stone wall we knew we were indeed along one of their boundaries. It is now forested but once must have marked the edge of a farmer's field. All those stones came from clearing the land.
Today we know that, although we were successful in marking some of the trees, we mismarked many others. Oh well - the red paint is already wearing away so time will erase our mistakes.
It was great fun to be on the land again but now with a long driveway and cabin in its midst. I was able to walk to the creek (these wonderful hosts had two walking sticks I could use when walking over uneven ground, around roots and over rocks). I didn't make it to the swampy area but have clear memories of the mud oozing over and into my boots as we marked the trees ten years ago.
And so the week passed in long conversations around the table, walks in the woods, wonderful meals and drives through the countryside. I loved the pumpkins and scarecrows, stone walls and the two-lane country roads. History smacks you in the face in New England. So many small villages from its colonial past. And have you ever had an apple cider doughnut? I never had - delicious.
In one small town we came to the church that Arlo Guthrie bought and turned into a community support agency. It was closed but, luckily, a man happened to open the door and invited us in after we kind of begged. They were having a big fund raiser that evening and Arlo would perform - drat he wasn't there practicing - but we enjoyed chatting with folks who were getting the place ready.
All too soon it was time to go. I hated leaving Stu and Jayne, the cabin, the forest and that
meandering stone wall - it is now visible from their front porch - but the next leg of the trip awaits. Onward to Connecticut with all the memories associated with the first 16 years of my marriage.
My week in the Berkshires was magnificent - both visually and in time spent catching up with the lives of Stu and Jayne. Stu went to Yale with Gary and they were among the first friends I made when we moved to Connecticut after our marriage. The years fell away as we enjoyed the week in their cabin in Beckett, Massachusetts.
Ten years ago, on my last trip to New England, Jayne and I, with compass, map and can of red spray paint in hand, walked the 33 acres they had just purchased. Our goal was to tag trees along their borders. I called us either Hansel and Gretel or Lewis and Clark (Jayne and I remember differently) as we worked our way through the forested land. When we came to the remains of a meandering stone wall we knew we were indeed along one of their boundaries. It is now forested but once must have marked the edge of a farmer's field. All those stones came from clearing the land.
Today we know that, although we were successful in marking some of the trees, we mismarked many others. Oh well - the red paint is already wearing away so time will erase our mistakes.
It was great fun to be on the land again but now with a long driveway and cabin in its midst. I was able to walk to the creek (these wonderful hosts had two walking sticks I could use when walking over uneven ground, around roots and over rocks). I didn't make it to the swampy area but have clear memories of the mud oozing over and into my boots as we marked the trees ten years ago.
And so the week passed in long conversations around the table, walks in the woods, wonderful meals and drives through the countryside. I loved the pumpkins and scarecrows, stone walls and the two-lane country roads. History smacks you in the face in New England. So many small villages from its colonial past. And have you ever had an apple cider doughnut? I never had - delicious.
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| I laughed - getting ready for Halloween! |
All too soon it was time to go. I hated leaving Stu and Jayne, the cabin, the forest and that
meandering stone wall - it is now visible from their front porch - but the next leg of the trip awaits. Onward to Connecticut with all the memories associated with the first 16 years of my marriage.
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