"It's The Colors, Man"

The foliage is far from reaching its peak here in Central Mass, but there are some splashes of intense color around that will blow your mind.

Late yesterday afternoon we headed out for probably one of our last Sunday ice cream rides of the season. This time we headed to Howard's on Route 9 in West Brookfield. The sky was mostly gray with the late afternoon sun hitting the tops of the huge cumulus clouds. It was if one of the great Masters had painted the sky just for us. Closer to earth there were pockets of fall foliage that were so fresh, and colorful that even Crayola would feel threatened.

The reds along the wetlands were ablaze. The yellows filled in as the tree line moved further from the waters edge, and the half tones took over till they met with the solid green of the trees that had yet to feel the need to change.

These colored pockets were random, but were a sure indicator of what we will have in store for us in a couple of weeks.

I had a feeling it was going to be a great year for color. Sunday morning I went to get the paper, and on my way south down Route 148 I cast my eyes just beyond the river to Stallion Hill. There on the hill was the best early foliage I had seen in a long time. Couple that with the soft, misty morning, and the colors jumped right off the hillside.

These short jaunts around the area are like mini-vacations when the season is changing before our eyes. To see the world actually changing around you day by day is something that special effects artists will never master, and we get to see it for free.

After our ice cream, we rode through West Brookfield, and down Route 19/67. After a bit we took a side road up onto a hill. There, on the left was a blue sign on a pole: "Scenic Road". Naturally, we turned there. About a hundred yards ahead of us there were two Tom turkeys in the middle of the road. They were enormous. And, they had attitude. We slowed down to view them, but kept the windows rolled all the way up. They strutted across the road with confidence, and stared at us as if to say, "Slow down any more, sucka, and we'll 'jack your ride".

The gray, black, white and red colors they sported made the scene look like a post card against the yellow leaves on the roadside.

We let the GPS show us the little roads, and we followed them back in the direction of home.

It just may be our last foray for ice cream this year, but it won't be our last Sunday excursion. With the price of gas, the economy in shambles and food costing so much we need to get out and empty all the negative from our heads on a regular basis. Otherwise, we'll explode.

Next weekend, I'd like to head further north into Worcester County, and this time, I'll take the camera.

October 5th: Footsteps through History….The Trails of Sturbridge

Community Preservation Committee member, Joe Ouellette, is hosting a tour of town owned open space, known as the Heins Farm. This Walktober event is sponsored by Quinebaug-Shetucket Corridor, Inc and is one of many interesting walks planned for this fall. You can catch up on other opportunities by visiting http://www.thelastgreenvalley.org/ww/WW08web2.pdf .


Footsteps through History….The Trails of Sturbridge
Historic Heins Farm
Sunday October 5th - 10AM

The Community Preservation Act is a Commonwealth of Massachusetts funding tool to help communities preserve open space, historic sites and create affordable housing and recreational facilities. This Open Space project is highlighted to encourage the people of Sturbridge to use these lands for recreational purposes and walk in the footprints of other generations.

Historic Heins Farm
”The Hills are Alive” - From one of the highest points in Sturbridge you will enjoy 84 acres of spectacular views few have ever seen since the stagecoaches carried businessmen, politicians, as well as other area families on this very trail. Enjoy a look back in history to see the last intact remains of the Old Worcester – Stafford Turnpike (1810-1835) making its way across this revered site. Experience new and easy-to-handle hiking trails throughout this property. See the rock outcroppings left from the ice age and experience one, two or three hiking trails to make it a memorable day of experiences you and your family will not soon forget. Your guide will explain just how these early turnpikes were formed, where they stopped along the way and finally what were the influences of their rise and decline.

The three trails are as follows:
Worcester - Stafford Turnpike Trail - 1 Mile – Farm Fields and Town Views;
Pond View Trail – 2/3 Mile – Glacial effects, Wetlands, Streams and Farm Views. This trail is designated as Universally Accessible, which makes it an easy and interesting walk.
Old Cabin Trail – 1/2 Mile – Wetland views, expansive views of the Old Heins Farm including the old Heins family play cabin.

Parking for these trails is located at 197A Leadmine Road. Follow the signs. From Route 20, turn on to the entrance to OSV and proceed past the OSV entrance. This is Stallion Hill Rd. Proceed to the top of the hill. Turn left on to Leadmine road. The parking lot is _ mile on the east side of Leadmine Road.

Making The Transistion

With the change of seasons comes those chores we annually perform to say goodbye to one season, and hello to the next. This week is one of those weeks, and I have the list.

The air conditioners are out of the windows, but need to be hauled up to the attic. That's not a problem, Mary is very strong. There are a couple of fans that will join them there. Yard furniture put away. Summer shorts and t-shirts packed away, and the flannels pulled out of the moth balls. The set back thermostat needs some tweakin', and some weather strip needs to be put up along a new door.

There are many more things on the list, but that will do for now. I won't run out of things to do, and if I do, I'll just make more up just to keep busy. Waxing the refrigerator drives my wife nuts, but keeps me off the street at night.

I really enjoy this transition period into fall till just before the leaves are off the trees. After that I have a really hard time with the short, gray days, but there is always the winter list, and that is a lifesaver. Home Depot loves that list.

This morning I woke up as Mary was heading out the door to work around 6:15. The heat had come on just enough to knock the chill out the air. The old steam radiators will keep the house very warm for hours after the furnace shuts off. I think steam heat is the best. Outside it was gray and foggy, and cold. Not a breath of wind, the trees still with anticipation of what the day will bring.

The mist and fog here in Sturbridge in the fall is unlike anything I've seen elsewhere. As I drive home in the morning there is often a large fog bank hovering over Exit 9 that suddenly appears. Walker Pond is shrouded in that low lying cloud, and it covers the ground all the way to the toll booth. It is a scene out of a Stephen King novel.

Once through the toll booth the sun is bright, and the fog seems to evaporate around the road. It's as if I am driving into a secret kingdom surrounded by a moat of fog that suddenly lifts when it recognizes one of its own.

Driving west along Route 20 the mist reappears to accent the trees on Stallion Hill and the land along the river. When the leaves are in full color you cannot find a prettier sight in all of New England.

Autumn is a time for different chores, harvesting, and change of weather, but it also refocuses our eyes to the world around us. The hills take on a different glow when the angle of the sun decreases. Our lakes and meadows steam with mist in the mornings, and look like a scenes from a Yankee Magazine calendar. Pumpkins punctuate the fall earth tones, and mums brighten our door steps.

I have always enjoyed the spring the most, but as I've grown older I have begun to understand why we are given the colors, and cool, soft air of Autumn. It is a gift to prepare us for those short gray days, and long dark nights of Winter. A last hurrah of sorts. It prepares our souls for the emptiness of December, until the sun begins to linger longer in January.

Until then we will soak in the fall. Store up all the colors, smells, and sounds offered us, and when the those cold, colorless days of winter appear, we can pull out those memories to help get us through til Spring.

I need to get moving on that list now. I want to get as much done during the week as I can. After all, there is football that needs watching on the weekend.

Monday Musing

In 2003 a man awoke from a coma after 19 years, and spoke. His first word was "Mom".

Freakin' amazing. He spoke a few more words like milk, Pepsi, and then started chirping up a storm. He hasn't shut up since.

I always wondered if when someone awoke from a coma would they continue the conversation from where they had left off, or would they start a new one. In this case it's a bit of both. He asked for a Pepsi, obviously a conversation starter after 19 years, but also asked about President Reagan. He still thought it was 1984.

Some fully conscious people do this, too. Ever hear from a usually omnipresent person after they've been somewhere else for a few weeks? Most of the time the conversation starts anew.

"Hi, Bill."

"Hi, Fred. Where ya been?"

"Peru."

"That's nice. Want a Pepsi?"

This is a normal conversation. A short, but healthy exchange of words. Then, there are the others that are away for a bit, and suddenly call.

Rrriinngg

"Hello."

"A 1963 Dodge Rambler with a black interior. It was a standard shift, too."

"Is this Fred?"

"Yes. I believe it was light gray."

"Fred, we had this conversation last summer before you went away to Peru. And, in the spring, and over the Holidays I listened to you about the Rambler. Can you talk about something else? Heck, you've been gone for a month, is there anything else you can talk about!"

(pause)

"I put an eight track in it. Remember?"

(click)

These fully conscious people go away for a month, come back and start over as if they had just gone out for bread and milk. The same story. The same rants. The same complaints. Nothing new.

Arrgghh. Irritating as all get out.

Anyway, enough about that. Did I tell you about this fella that awoke from a coma after 19 years?

Freakin' amazing.

Our Stones

Sturbridge Stone Piles (MA)

Long before there was a concern for the height of gravestones here in town there was a people that lived on this land that built stone monuments all over our town. The Native Americans, and ancient people that lived here are responsible for scores of "monuments", and if you are curious enough, you can find them.

Why were they built? I haven't a clue. Some may be burial grounds, others may mark where significant events occurred, or maybe markers for the passing seasons. The point is, they are here, and all around us, and were obviously very important to the people that built them.

These "rock piles" remind us that we are newcomers to this place. Long before they discovered the graphite here, there were peoples that lived undisturbed for eons. Hard to imagine a world devoid of Route 20's, fast food, motels, and "primitive decor". These purposely built piles of stones are hidden in the forests throughout the area, and are invaluable to the historian in telling more about the history of our town.

Yesterday, I took a short walk into the woods with a friend of mine that is somewhat of an expert in local history. I had mentioned some stone piles that I had found a couple of years ago that seemed more than just a random placing of rocks. Curious, he asked to be shown where they were.

Our "hike" wasn't a long one, but over land that is seldom, if ever walked on. We crossed a small stream and in a short bit I found the pile I told him about. He agreed, this was not just a pile of stones. He had seen Native American burial grounds before, and this site reminded him of the stone monuments he had seen before. He has a friend that is Nipmunc, and very knowledgeable in this area, and he is going to run it by him, and get his feedback.

As we wandered about, in the area of the stones, we found a few more piles. Each one purposely placed and mostly covered with years, and years of forest debris. Early settlers would not have left piles of rock in the middle of the fields they had cleared, but rather placed them in a wall surrounding the field, and out of the way of the plow.

The slide show above is not of the piles we visited yesterday, although the photos were taken here in town, it is from a website I found on the internet. The photos were taken by someone else that had the same curiosity we have about the rock piles in our town. The photos give a good sampling of what there is in the woods around us.

The stones can tell us much if we are willing to see. Disturbing them is not something that should ever be done, even archaeologist won't disturb them unless there is the chance of a major find, and then it is something that will be discussed at length.

Seems stones have been something the peoples in this area have paid attention to over the ages. I guess we're no different today judging from the activity at the selectmen's meeting this week regarding the tombstones at the cemetery. Stone monuments are still very important to our culture.

We may be called Modern Man, but we still have a bit of Stone Age in us.

For more information regarding Rock Piles in New England go to

http://rockpiles.blogspot.com/
http://www.stonewall.uconn.edu/PrimerHist.htm
http://www.stonewalljack.com/
http://mysterious-hills.blogspot.com/2006/05/washington-stone-formations.html
http://www.travellady.com/Issues/January07/3822STONEHENGE.htm