Rained Out

We left Vermont in drizzle and fog. The colors were not vivid in the gray light, but at least the trees near the road showed their true colors. A bit of a navigational error put us on a route other than what we had planned, but after a couple hours of driving we arrived at our first stop in Shelburne, Mass.

This little town's claim to fame is "The Bridge of Flowers." An old bridge was turned into a veterans' memorial by planting flower beds along the entire length. It is meticulously maintained, and we were surprised to find so many flowers in full bloom, even this late in the season.

Deerfield, Massachusetts has a long history. A stockade was erected in 1673 to enclose the first settlement on what was then the far western frontier of Massachusetts. A battle with the Pocumtuk tribe in 1675 caused the death of some 60 settlers, and attacks and reprisals continued off and on, culminating in a disastrous attack by the French and Indians in 1704.

Some of the buildings now standing in the historic area date to the 1760s. Many are preserved as museums, but others remain as private homes. In the few blocks along the old Main Street are also a boarding school for children, and Deerfield Academy, a residential high school.

Of course, as our luck would have it, all of the exhibits are closed on Mondays. But the rain abated to mere drizzle once again at our arrival, so we were able to walk the street and a footpath back into the farm fields. It was almost like stepping into a time machine.

With our walk complete, we set out for the Hartford, Connecticut area. Even though we were on Interstate highway, the drive was taxing due to traffic and poor visibility in the rain. We arrived at almost exactly noon in the suburb of Newington and the headquarters of The American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national organization for amateur radio.

Though Mary could not have cared less, Mark is a Life Member of this organization. Due to Covid, there are no tours of the League headquarters at present. But Mark was able to visit the Maxim Memorial Radio Station, W1AW, and to actually operate the station briefly. The highlight was making contact via radio with college roommate and longtime friend, Steve, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Next, we drove a short distance to the Mark Twain home. We were disappointed to discover that all tours of the home for the day were already sold out, but we did buy tickets to the museum, only. The exhibits on Twain were quite good, and we also were able to walk around the exterior of the home.

The Harriet Beecher Stowe home, which is quite literally next door to Twain's home, is closed down due to Covid. But we walked the grounds there, as well.

Since the rain put a damper on almost any other activity, we drove to the Hartford suburb of Farmington, CT, where we had a motel reservation. Although a large and fairly modern motel, the decor is meant to be reminiscent of a New England inn. We found it quite enchanting.

We also enjoyed the excellent Italian restaurant right next door, where we had a nice meal in the evening.