An Americana 4th of July Weekend to Remember...and Inspire US All...in VT and MA July 2021
When duty to care for a little one calls, I tend to answer. I met the challenges of finding transportation that fit a tight budget and planned to be there a day early since I haven't travelled since I hopped on a jet in Feb 2020 to go to Hawaii. I had been in NY for a few days prior so the trip to JFK was not a challenge on the NY Subways which I had done a time or two before (once schelpping luggage up a flight or two of stairs for someone since the subway had a detour via bus...) But I digress (who, me?!)
Surely after managing to rent a car and drive around the Big Island and then enjoy another few weeks driving myself around the quieter parts of Prescott AZ and Farmington NM after taking an airport shuttle from the Phoenix AZ airport to Prescott, I could handle a loop up to VT for a week. A straight shot up Route 7 is what was recommended, until others suggested Rt 22 was the way to go to Bennington VT or maybe all the way up to cut in at Vergennes.
I take a while to pack and get going even with the extra day in mind. The weather also had surprises for me to tune into such as downpours and lightning. So after I got to Great Barrington MA and enjoyed a meal and chat with some folks, I considered going to see a play in Pittsfield to wait out the storm, Chester something which I plan to look up. I was making my way through some rain when the heavens opened up in Stockbridge, so I ventured into the Berkshire Theatre Festival to see their play, The Importance of Being Earnest which was a comedy. Just the thing to get my trip off to a light-hearted start.
I met a few folks among the hundred or more in attendance, including a young girl visiting from California and locals. Others came from Albany and NJ (visiting friends.) The play was about two women who were eager to marry a man named Earnest which the two men they were interested aspired to be. Quality acting and simple settings helped the 2 and a half hours move along nicely.
The storm passed and I got to Pittsfield, staying overnight to pace my journey. I got to do some grocery shopping at Market 32 and learned that I was technically still in Lenox. One woman spoke highly of the Elder Services in that town so I hope to learn more about what they offer folks to help spread the ideas around. The grocery store used to be Price Rite I believe and got changed over. Lots of friendly people both working and shopping there and many of the places I visited...
As I ventured up on Route 7, thinking of getting an oil change since someone said it was worth protecting the engine from dirty oil clogging things up and the blended oil should be checked at 4K (though the sticker was marked for 3K and was over that.) I like learning more of the basics that can help avoid a problem in any area, and cars can be a make or break situation...so better to fix things before they get broken when it comes to cars.
(See a former post about a fellow who had a few tires blow all at the same time. He couldn't really comprehend that happening so continued to drive some distance...then realized it was indeed time to pull over. I did see a car with at least one tire that gave way who thankfully made it to the side of the road, I-91, and that was on my return trip on Monday, July 5th. I reported that along with some tires pieces that were near the shoulder of the highway, a person who made a quick turn in front of oncoming traffic on Route 7 near Burlington VT without much warning he was slowing down either, and a dead animal close to the road on Route 7...and I inquired about the law for child passengers since a fellow with a young child on his motorcycle went zipping along at about 70 on I-91.
Apparently there is no age limit as long as the second passenger has a helmet on...I hope more people can think about the options that could be offered to people who are feeling that is their only way to travel with a child or feel it's 'perfectly safe or reasonable' to do so, especially on a regular basis or at high speeds.
Definitely would help to have some discussion on the nuts and bolts about caring for people who are young (even in utero) right on through the teen and young adult years...and of course, why stop there? Sharing helpful tips and ideas for making the most of each decade makes sense and usually people have more than enough guidance and advice...unless they don't.
Maybe it's resources and help following through with some funding, programs, education, practice in interning as part of a group or working with support to get there and back and even to talk things over along the way. That can be a plus especially 'just starting out' or at many steps 'along the way' even if in a good college or program.
A few set backs from mentors or others saying one may not have what it takes (again without the guidance that could be true for many people in many fields whether parenting, teaching, mechanics, or something in between.) I saw a few homeless folks along the way and heard of people who faced illness or mental health or drug problems or otherwise struggled (even without any clear issue.)
An array of topics came up in discussion with a fellow I met in Montpelier who promotes using clogging and drumming and such old fashioned ways to gain skills and attention which could be a healthier alternative to sports which could result in injuries and possibly a TBI (traumatic brain injury such as in football he shared as a concern in these modern times.) He was ready to get the ball rolling by giving free demos and sharing the idea with passersby.
A mother with her four children, newborn through age 10, and friends were having a picnic nearby and other folks were taking time to give a listen and share some of their thoughts as well, including one couple that had moved up from NYC twenty years prior.
In looking up more about VT for directions, I had read that the taxes could go up quickly for those earning a fair amount, but that there were many programs to help lower income people. I didn't do too much more research along those lines but enjoyed going through many of the small towns after seeing Burlington VT for a few days and taking the fireworks in with others along Lake Champlain. I was reminded a few times that children were allowed to run about fairly freely but that caused a Mom concern when her 5 year old seemed oblivious to her telling him not to run ahead on a sidewalk.
There were some folks quite a bit ahead he was wanting to see, but ideally she would have realized that since his Dad or thereabouts had to run full tilt to catch him up about 100 feet or so. As some of us were driving out of a parking lot, a small boy of two seemed curious and ran from his Mom but thankfully she caught him up quickly.
In the news the reminder that kids need to be watched closely around water all of the time was a good one to note, especially at residential pools but also I would say when it's dark out (and yes, kids were running in and out of fairly shallow water, just a couple of feet deep at the lake, but without adults really close by it seemed riskier than need be...Not even sure folks had flashlights and such.
Someone can get a mouthful if tripping and going under etc. I'm sure that is more of an issue with ocean waves and I know I was surprised as a kid to be doing a somersault at the behest of a wave that tossed me about accordingly, but at least it was daylight and at a beach that hopefully someone would have fished me out if I had swallowed a mouthful and got stuck out of luck. I recall an elderly woman doing just that in shallow swimming area and I alerted someone to check on her (this was many years back at a crowded public pool that usually only had a dozen or two people in it.) She didn't have much trouble once they lifted her head up for her.
Okay so back to the amazing Vermont trek from the Capital in Montpelier almost to St. Johnsbury. I got to spend time with an old friend and catching up on the last thirty years or so. There hardly seemed a way to recap so much of our lives, but we got the jist of things and enjoyed a hearty meal too at her lovely home with views of the mountains like a neverending ocean. She's one who works full time, parents, and loves to garden and mow her own lawn too so it's not just for the views that she's sometimes a happy recluse.
Moooving right along I got to see alpacas, horses of many colors, cows in fields who came right up to the electric fence and let me look into their big cow eyes. I wanted to hug each of them, but the fence had us keeping our physical distance. Dirt roads (well worn so not too bad) and amazing scenery made it hard to think about getting anywhere too quickly. I called a friend to think about my best options to get from Greenfield to Pittsfield or over that way.
I took I-91 S and Route 5 for a while to catch the charming small towns, many of which were draped with American flags along Main Street. Cottage gardens added rainbow energy to the luscious green lawns and the day was cloudy but cleared along the way. A perfect day for enjoying the expansive views, an easy drive and time to reflect since I didn't have a radio and wasn't quite sure how to get my iPhone to play music...one more thing to learn about getting things set in advance.
I went to the Big Y in Greenfield (or near it) and then got on Route 2 which is also called the Berkshire or Mohawk Trail. I took a few other roads, such as Route 112 South and then Church Street and something else to come back on the Berkshire Trail (and maybe I don't have that perfectly right so check things out.) That led to Route 8 and 9 and then I was in Dalton MA before long, a lovely town that was well cared for, someone suggested maybe due to the Crane Paper Co being based there among other funders.
Going down Holmes Rd led me toward Lenox and soon enough I was in Great Barrington and back home after a visit to give some friends a few treats such as blackberry jam and slices of pizza and a half gallon of milk that had been requested. Making the trip all the nicer was checking in with folks before, during and afterward. I shared some of the highlights and concerns, videos--of the fireworks, the travels and folks..., food and even a fidget toy made from wrappers from a glow stick and other bits of smooth packaging paper and labels, fabric, plastic, one firm foil star that can snap taped onto the heavy paper (so became part of a game to name which thing made which crinkly, scrunchy or snapping sound.)
Many places brought other people to mind such as my late in-laws Sandy and Caroline Paton who lived in upstate VT before moving to Sharon CT to offer their sons a better education (and which made it easier for me to meet David many years later and rear our children in the area as well.) I recall how I spent a weekend visiting him when he worked for Canoe Vermont, shuttling canoes and leading groups from one bed and breakfast to the next.
Thankfully he once got a van to a safe place when the breaks were less than ideal, a bit like water water canoeing on land! I also recall we spent a weekend on Moose Mountain n NH of some such lofty place. Many ventures, dozens for him and a handful for me, were part of the decades mainly 'before children' but with the folk music and boating, the connections stayed strong and carried on to the next generation.
One of my first ventures up that way on my own since high school with friends was to take our eldest, a daughter who went on to study environmental policy and engineering, to Chewonki in Wiscasset Maine. The family ties also included the late Victor Swenson who promoted literacy through the VT Council on the Humanities and his wonderful family.
The sense of appreciating this trip in part as a 'memorial trip' to recount the people and times that have gone by but that still enrich and inspire me and many in our family and circles of friends and community made the adventure all the more meaningful. I let the love and spirit of those who have journeyed on ahead of me, whether our late son Kaelan who would have been nearing 30 years of age, having passed at age 16 a dozen years ago, or my parents or in-laws who all lived long lives and left meaningful legacies or or other loved ones as well.
"They are with us" and I felt connected to the greater loving guidance and spirit that there are lessons to learn and a wonderful way to live life that can provide more joy and sharing than the work and caring that is needed for us to survive and thrive as the saying goes. Feeling validated and needed, and being able to respond to requests and opportunities, is all part of the joy and the gift of life.
I hope more people are feeling they are able to craft lives like a quilt with pieces of their youth, adulthood, parenting or caregiving and relationships, work, play, dreams and teams all finding a place in their hearts and the continuing shared journey in their communities and on the earth.
I met a colorful family with a young son who was cherubic with his curls (reminded me of our son Kaelan's but his this young larger sized fellow had bigger hair and eyes than our amazing child...) His Dad was named Jerry, like that fellow from the Grateful Dead..and his hair was half way down his back in curls and his Mom was an earth mama and herbalist. Jerry shared that he used to live in Maui by the volcano so that brought me back to thinking about my Hawaiin trip of a lifetime. He loved that but he also loves Vermont and was putting roots down here.
I barely had to say I'd love to visit them more sometime and they invited me to see their alpacas. I couldn't quite reach them to say I'd have to try another time but I think I did see their furry friends on my way out. I met them and quite a few others at a festive farmers market celebration complete with fiddle and folk tunes, plants, homemade baked goods and knitted hats for kids. Everyone was right out of a made of magic movie...and it was just lovely to realize I had arrived even though I hadn't quite gotten to where I was going!
More people are finding ways to feel the fresh sense of planting gardens, friendships, projects and plans for a brighter future..whether with 'permaculture blitzes' to put a garden in or take a role in sharing knowledge and teamwork to make plans or implement them (some juicy permie terms...) I have the Turtle Garden Permaculture Game that I shared with someone heading off to college (and she in turn told me about the blitzes happening in Australia but likely in a country, state and town much closer than that as well!)
Let's pull together and make the most of our time together...one blitz, adventure, garden and person at a time! Happy Birthday, America...and as I shared in some videos, Best wishes to all who had this country before we did...and may we find ways to open our hearts and dig deep into the choices and voices we have and can use to create a more harmonious world and way of sharing resources, saving energy and helping people not hurting them (as the WKZE radio folks and thankfully many others) say as well. Una dia a una vez...One day at a time! Allow for the angels to work out the timing and routes, people and places you connect with and you likely will find more 'trail magic' (to borrow a phrase and key aspect of the journey from our Appalachian Trail hikers) than one can imagine.
