my only disappointment is that thanks mostly to the terrible awful no good very bad (seriously nightmarish) traffic in eastern massachusetts, i didn't get to spend any time in salem, other than my quick stop to pick up a national park stamp. aside from that however, it was an absolutely fantastic couple of days, with my sightseeing centered largely in the concord area.
i got to reflect on walden pond, literally and figuratively, taking in the incredible beauty and variation in the turning leaves.
after walden pond, i headed back to the city to have dinner with my co-workers, and wouldn't you know, i happened to notice a big gold statue off the freeway and had to inestigate further. lo and behold, it was exactly as i suspected - the boston temple!
can you conceive a better pairing to inspire awe and gratitude, than walden pond and the temple?!
the following day, i got to visit louisa may alcott's orchard house, and it was an absolute highlight.
little women was written here, and i learned just how much of the book was based on her life. i also appreciated that aside from the rugs and wall coverings, 95% of the furnishings, art, trinkets, etc. were original. i can't tell you how many 'recreations' i've seen in my life, so to see the melodian 'beth' played, and 'amy's' artwork hanging on, or directly drawn/painted on the walls, was quite special.
last but not least, i finally had a question answered that i've asked myself for years. what was up with the professor?!
the following day, i got to visit louisa may alcott's orchard house, and it was an absolute highlight.
little women was written here, and i learned just how much of the book was based on her life. i also appreciated that aside from the rugs and wall coverings, 95% of the furnishings, art, trinkets, etc. were original. i can't tell you how many 'recreations' i've seen in my life, so to see the melodian 'beth' played, and 'amy's' artwork hanging on, or directly drawn/painted on the walls, was quite special.
last but not least, i finally had a question answered that i've asked myself for years. what was up with the professor?!
well, apparently little women was written in two parts. louisa may absolutely did not want jo to marry, but rather to remain a strong, independent woman. however, after the first part was published, she received overwhelming feedback requesting the next part of jo's story - her marriage. as a way of satisfying her readers, she created the professor character, but because it was so incongruous with the rest of the story, she felt that she was having the last laugh afterall.
so now i understand why the professor never made sense:)
and after leaving the alcott home, i also understood for the first time that alcott and thoreau and emerson and hawthorne were true contemporaries. i had never envisioned them in the same timeline or social circles before, so hearing that thoreau attended jo's sister's wedding jarred a little reality into me. what a rich literary history that time and place has!
after the alcott home, i stopped by emerson's. the story about this house is actually quite endearing.
following the emerson home, it was on to sleepy hollow cemetery. this was another high highlight.
i enjoy cemeteries to begin with, but one with a name like 'sleepy hollow' is bound to be excellent.
what was most excellent about it was author's ridge - where the alcott, hawthorne, emerson, and thoreau plots are literally adjacent to and across the sidewalk from one another. in addition to the close proximity, i was so impressed with how unassuming and accessible each of the graves were.
no barriers or fences, in fact i was literally standing on the graves of emerson and thoreau to get my self-portraits, taken, of course, with absolute respect and appropriate humility.
emerson's was the largest of the bunch, a giante slab of granite serving as the headstone. thoreau, hawthorne, and alcott however, had tiny little headstones no different from those of the rest of their families.
at thoreau's headstone, preceding visitors have left pine cones and stones in homage to the transcendentalist nature lover.
before making my way to the airport to head home, i also made a stop at minuteman national historic park to wander across the old north bridge and visit the old manse.
the old manse was built by ralph waldo's grandfather and served as a witness to 'the shot heard round the world'. it was a hotbed of activity during concord's political and literary revolutions, and also served as nathaniel hawthorne's home for a time.
though it was a short visit, i was able to deeply enjoy both the natural beauty of massachusetts in the fall, and some wonderful historic sites.
so now i understand why the professor never made sense:)
and after leaving the alcott home, i also understood for the first time that alcott and thoreau and emerson and hawthorne were true contemporaries. i had never envisioned them in the same timeline or social circles before, so hearing that thoreau attended jo's sister's wedding jarred a little reality into me. what a rich literary history that time and place has!
after the alcott home, i stopped by emerson's. the story about this house is actually quite endearing.
On July 24, 1872, the house caught fire and was heavily damaged. Luckily there was no serious injury, all of the Emersons escaped, and Emerson's papers were not lost.
Without consulting Emerson, his neighbors took up a collection to pay for repairs. This allowed Emerson to journey to Europe and to Egypt—as he had always dreamed of doing—while repairs were being made. In 1873 the Emersons returned to live in the house, surprised by a town-wide celebration of the event.
following the emerson home, it was on to sleepy hollow cemetery. this was another high highlight.
i enjoy cemeteries to begin with, but one with a name like 'sleepy hollow' is bound to be excellent.
what was most excellent about it was author's ridge - where the alcott, hawthorne, emerson, and thoreau plots are literally adjacent to and across the sidewalk from one another. in addition to the close proximity, i was so impressed with how unassuming and accessible each of the graves were.
no barriers or fences, in fact i was literally standing on the graves of emerson and thoreau to get my self-portraits, taken, of course, with absolute respect and appropriate humility.
emerson's was the largest of the bunch, a giante slab of granite serving as the headstone. thoreau, hawthorne, and alcott however, had tiny little headstones no different from those of the rest of their families.
at thoreau's headstone, preceding visitors have left pine cones and stones in homage to the transcendentalist nature lover.
before making my way to the airport to head home, i also made a stop at minuteman national historic park to wander across the old north bridge and visit the old manse.
the old manse was built by ralph waldo's grandfather and served as a witness to 'the shot heard round the world'. it was a hotbed of activity during concord's political and literary revolutions, and also served as nathaniel hawthorne's home for a time.
though it was a short visit, i was able to deeply enjoy both the natural beauty of massachusetts in the fall, and some wonderful historic sites.
3 comments:
Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for sharing!
Wow!
Beautiful pics!
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