When my friend Bethany from Alaska Emailed me and offered her family’s cabin for us to use if we happened to make our way through Connecticut, I thought it might make a pretty nice stop for a couple of days. Little did I know how nice it would be and how hard it would be for us to leave.
I had only known Connecticut from a freeway point of view and had never been to the Northwestern part of the state so an opportunity to explore that part of the state was alluring. I Emailed Bethany back and said “we would love to take her up on her offer”.
The tiny town of Cornwall sits among the green rolling hills of the Berkshires, the place that New Yorkers go on the weekends to get away from it all. Dotting the countryside are 100-200 year old farmhouses and barns most of which are in immaculate condition.
On our travels through the area, we never saw the dreaded anywhere America, you know, the street that has a gauntlet of every franchise business known to man? It is one of the only places that we have traveled that has avoided the curse and still maintains it’s own distinctive personality – how refreshing!
The family’s cabin sits on a peaceful wooded lot just up the hill from a private lake. The minute we turned off our diesel engine, our world became enveloped by tranquility. The stillness of a cabin in the woods miraculously makes the rest of the world just go away.
Bethany’s friends and family welcomed us and set us up with boats for the lake and suggestions for exploring the countryside. Meanwhile, the back patio beckoned me to make a cup of tea and sit for a spell. It wasn’t long before I found myself on the patio with a cup of tea in hand. This would turn into a daily ritual while we were there especially first thing in the morning before the boys were up.
Bethany’s Uncle told us there were “plenty of fish in the lake” so the boys didn’t waste any time before throwing their lines in. The Big Dude, who hasn’t had much luck fishing lately, was very excited when he pulled in his first large mouth bass. After their first evening, they had pulled in about a dozen fish, not bad!
above: I don’t think the Lil’ Dude liked taking the hook out but he sure was proud of his catch.
Although we were perfectly content to hang out at the cabin, we did venture out to explore the town. We did a short hike at Dean’s Ravine which had an amazing waterfall, ate lunch at the Wandering Moose and saw the local 1700’s covered bridge. We also spent some time venturing beyond the town but that deserves a blog all of it’s own.
left and below: Hiking Dean’s Ravine.
Our bus has become a very comfortable home but it was nice to spend some time in a real house. Our evenings were filled with games, puzzles, and reading in the den in front of the stone fireplace. I almost wished it were winter so I could have fired it up! I imagine that winter is an even better time to be there.
left: We came upon a brand new fawn in the yard one day, very cute!
We originally planned to stay for 2 days but before we knew it 5 days had gone by. It was truly one of the most peaceful and relaxing places I have ever been and it was very difficult to leave. A great big thanks to Bethany, Nancy and Bill for a wonderful time in the Berkshires!
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
Henry David Thoreau