New Enland Writers III
The Berkshires
October 13-14, 2001
Participants: Erel Pilo, Brooke Cardin, Lauren, Jessica Finelt, Brett Mole, Jason Formicola, Leigh Neithardt, Heather McConnell, Damian Cunniff, Julie Leff, Hiroko Hosaka, Leslie Van Gelder
It was one of those perfect Fall weekends that you spend all year dreaming about. The weather was warm, the leaves were happily turning from green to yellow and orange. We stretched our day as far as it could go. Leaving at 7 in the morning we drove up to Massachussetts in the early morning light, arriving in Great Barrington before 11:00. We took advantage of the time to have a nice wander through town, poking our noses into used bookstores, record stores and places selling hot water bottles shaped like ducks. After a little lunching, we headed up to the home of Herman Melville.
Our guide, Janet, was the queen of all author's house guides. She was funny and informative (even offering up future thesis topics to lost english majors). Sitting on Melville's porch in the light of a flaming orange maple tree, we could see the profile of Mt. Greylock, the inspiration for the great whale's back. We got to see Melville's bedroom and office (rumor has it that a few folks may have even tried on his hat and glasses...) and puttered around the living room where he and Nathaniel Hawthorne got together for "what is the purpose of humanity" kinds of chats. Secretly, we think they probably spent most of their time chasing each other through the front yard, trying to escape a barrage of flying chestnuts.
In true literary spirit, we lay out under Melville's pines, picked apples from his trees (are they filled with bookworms?) and let the chestnuts fly. Good time for napping, guitar playing and dogbelly scratching, too.
After a minor Road Scholars detour (Where's the third car?) we headed off for a coffee and pb&j refueling before going down to a beautiful lake where we all had some quiet time. Some hiked, some gave piggypack rides, some played guitar, read Trainspotting, or talked about love, change, and how to make sense of September 11.
In the darkness with rumbling stomaches we went to a Hawaiian Luau place for dinner where we were treated to a saucy waitress, a herd of young hula girls in coconut training bras, and drinks the size of wading pools.
We split with some of our crew there. On the way home we stopped in a farmer's field to take in the beauty of the night sky. (Some took in the glory of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, too) In the wee hours of morning we made it back home, snuggled off to sleep and in the morning shared a breakfast of waffles around the kitchen table.
Our Situques
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HH
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JF | |||
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EP
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JPF
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BC
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L
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JL
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DC
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HM | LVG |
BM
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Suggested Reading:
Herman Melville, Moby Dick
Edith Wharton, Roman Fever and Other Stories
Web Resources:
