We could easily have spent a couple days exploring Lexington and Concord. It's charming there and we'd have loved to see the inside of
the Wayside and there was plenty of touristy stuff worth doing in the towns from the look of it. Add another thing to the list for the next time we're in Massachusetts.
We headed west to Worthington. Andras and Deirdre (et al.) live on a farm out there. It was a longer drive than we thought it'd be (Massachusetts is a lot wider than I thought it was and the roads weren't necessarily as traversable as I might have expected), so we got there around 6:00pm.
I've known
Andras and
Deirdre since 1982, when I met them at an early Pagan Spirit Gathering. They were head of
Earthspirit then (and now) and they did lots of good things for the pagan and Wiccan communities back then (and still do, from what I can see). I was also blessed with the chance to work with them in
Covenant of the Goddess for a number of years. They are fine people, wonderful singers, well-read and thoughtful, and they have a delicious sense of humor. They are also delightfully pretty. All these traits have been passed on to both of their children. The last times I saw them was in 1989 at their old house in Boston and then a couple years later in Seattle, when they came out to visit us. Donovan was very young and Isobel hadn't been born yet. They have long since moved from the Greater Boston area and are living on 135 acres in as pretty a valley as you've ever seen.
Having braved the roads and heading out to roughly the middle of nowhere (but a very pretty nowhere, I hasten to add!), we made it to the farm. There were many hugs and introductions. I introduced the Babe to them (they'd not met her before) and we both met Donovan (who wasn't talking much when I'd seen him many years before) and Isobel (who hadn't even been born the last time I saw A & D). It was amazing: 15 years and Deirdre hasn't changed. I'm of the opinion that she's never going to show her age.
It being later than we'd hoped to arrive, we took a tour around the farm while there was still light. The first thing we saw was the stream. There are several streams on the property; this one is the biggest.
The stream was running low when we saw it (although we heard tales of the flood a few years back, when the stream was auditioning for a role as "The Gushing Torrent"), so we could see the bed easily. As we got closer to it, we saw that there were a number of rock sculptures sticking up on the banks.
A friend of theirs comes by and creates rock sculptures. I didn't find out how. When the stream is fuller, I'm sure that some of these are sticking out from under the water,
Andy Goldsworthy-style. (If you're not already familiar with Andy Goldsworthy's work, check out some sample images
here.) I really like what he's done.
In a field near the stream, there's a maze in the making.
The maze is currently laid out with stones. I've always thought that a large parcel of land is enhanced by the addition of a maze somewhere.
Not far from the maze is a Peace Circle.
In the Peace Circle is a pile of rocks brought from all over the world and deposited here.
We headed back up from the Peace Circle towards the house and the animals.
We'd seen the chickens (some of whom were stretching the concept of "free-range" to its absolute limit) as we drove up. They're a good-looking bunch of birds and fresh free-range eggs are a culinary bedazzlement, but, honestly, I've seen chickens and there's not to say about them but, "Yup, Maw, that's a fine-looking bunch o' chickens!" Goats, on the other hand, have character--usually on the pugnacious side, but character nonetheless. The billy has an amazing set of horns.
We then went up to see the llama, whose name is Sinta.
The llama lives in a pen with a bunch of the goats. The goats and the llama are reasonably friendly and tolerate people getting into the pen with them.
Quite apart from the convenience of corralling the llama with the goats, the theory is that the llama will protect the goats from coyotes should any show up. "Has it done so?" I asked. "Well, no, but there is a llama nearby that stomped a porcupine to death when it got into the pen." "How did they know for sure?" "They had to pull quills out of the llama's feet." Hokay….
The Babe didn't get too close to Sinta. She doesn't have a fear of big animals, but she has seen llamas spit on two different occasions (they do spit every so often). Both times, it nailed one of her brothers, so I guess that counts as a draw.
I got close enough to pet Sinta a little. Llamas are rather adorable animals, generally, and I have always enjoyed the fact that they hum.
We then hiked up the hill. The Babe's knees were bothering her so she didn't join us. We passed the back of the farm house and could peer into Andras's office, which looked to be about the level of hoorah's nest that mine usually is.
We also went past the remains of the old sugar shack, which from the looks of it remains standing mostly out of force of habit at this point. Donovan told me that up until a year or two ago, you could still smell the lingering aroma of maple sugar in the shack.
The sugar shack was up the hill from the house. The sugar shack was on my right as I headed up the hill. Looking straight up the hill, there was a large clearing. I heard stories about sledding aaaaaaall the way down the hill, navigating the path at the bottom of the hill onto the road by the house, and then going all the way down the road to the stream: about 1/4 mile! Quite a ride, I must say! (I tried enhancing the picture as best I could, but the light was fading at that point and it was tough getting a good shot. Next time, next time.)
Facing away from the sugar shack to the left was more field. Although the picture doesn't show it, there's a much sharper drop-off that leads down to where the llamas and goats and bunnies are. Isobel and Donovan were telling me about how they liked sledding and skiing on that part of it best.
A little ways above the sugar shack on the right was another clearing, in which was a standing circle of stones that Andras and Deirdre had created.
Andras told me that they'd gotten stones in place in three different ways:
Sledging them in with rollers--The kids had been responsible for picking up the rollers and running them around to the front again.
Dragging them by ox-team--A team of oxen pulled them in. Andras said that it was amazing watching them work because they did everything together: when the ox on the left put a foot forward, the ox on the right put the corresponding foot forward. He said they looked like they were thinking with one brain.
Dragging them with a small tractor--The modern way, yes, but it works, too.
All three ways were fun. And the circle is standing, so they were all effective.
One of the stones looked very much like the
Barber stone of the Avebury circle. It's a fine stone circle, as good as any contemporary stone circle I've seen. Of course, the surroundings and company improve it, too.
We went back down the hill, snagged the Babe, and went inside. Dinner was fantastic and there were several other people in the community joining us. Afterwards we dug out songs that we hadn't sung in ages and new gems that we hadn't had a chance to share with each other.
Andras reminded me of one song that I'd completely forgotten that I used to do, entitled "You Can Sing Anything You Want to 'Alice's Restaurant'." Andras, Deirdre, Donovan, and Isobel all joined in for two songs with harmony. We were thrilled.
Sue was also able to join us later in the evening--huzzah!
We kept singing and telling stories until 11-ish, at which time we bade sorry goodbyes and headed off for the evening. I'd had a grand time and was very pleased with having been able to share some of my favorite people with my favorite person and vice versa.
The Babe was vastly impressed with Donovan and Isobel (me, too) said as much. We'll be visiting again and not in 15 years. We got to our hotel, crawled into bed, and fell asleep almost immediately after a rich, happy day.
Andras and Deirdre
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