In March our beautiful snowy winter gave way to icy patches, mud, and wet! AWOL moved indoors to the glory of early spring at the Smith College Bulb Show. There are so many gardeners and plant-lovers among us that we were three groups on three different days. (Others among us also visited the Mt. Holyoke College spring flower show as well!)
Cheryl, Geri, and Robin enjoyed the sensory blast and then our chance to talk as we lunched at the Julia Child Student Center on campus. (surprisingly delicious)
Meredith, Roxy, Betsy, Jeannette, Peggy, and Cheryl (me) meandered our way through the bulb show and the greenhouses, healing our souls with greenery and shocks of color, and aromas. Good conversation was the main course for us as always, but we also enjoyed hot chai and the delicious buffet at Bombay Royale afterwards!
Pat, Barbara, Liz, Judith K, Karen (Stevie), and Joyce went on the last Friday of the show. They had lunch at Paul and Elizabeth’s after their sensory feast.
We’re lucky to live near colleges with well-funded horticulture programs, and we’re lucky to have each other!
Well, the Goddess of Weather had a mixed gift for us this January weekend. We had planned on a winter wonderland kind-of-day but that was not to be. The rain on Saturday melted most of the snow and left the rest too mushy or icy to navigate — so off to the Clark Art Institute we went. It turned out to be such a gorgeous day that being indoors felt like an odd thing to do. Luckily, The Clark is in a beautiful setting so, true to AWOL, we managed to be outdoors for at least part of the day,. Liz, Maria, Judith, Moira, Roxy, Ann and Geri were in attendance coming from Amherst, Colrain and Williamsburg/Florence. It was otherwise a day of Protests against government overreach. We thank the AWOLers who went to make their voices heard.
Our very own Shadow Visionaries
We primarily saw the exhibit of French artists in the mid 1800’s making art in opposition to the rapid modernization of Paris or to preserve images of the medieval Paris soon to be essentially bulldozed. Shadow Visionaries is an exhibit of lithographs, etchings and photographs, all black (grey or brown) and white. Very dark but oh so interesting. Incredible details of fantastical woods, underground catacombs and sewers, images of greed and evil, mysterious castles, frightening gargoyles and nightmarish monsters. (Who wouldn’t want to see that on a beautiful sunny day!)
Look at the detail! Can you see the creatures growing out of the flora! This is the Good Samaritan by Rodolphe Bresdin.
It really was much more interesting than we make it seem!!!
Not much snow to ski on here. but joy nonetheless….
Here are the Sweet 16 Awolers… after a successful CLOTHING and BARBARA’s JEWELRY GIVE-AWAY and lunch at Roxy’s house…., and ready to take off for the third part of this THANKS for the GIVING November event!
Each of the 3 bedrooms were stocked with plenty of tops, sweaters, jackets, scarves, bags, pants and dresses, and a full-length mirror! The front hallway was filled with jewelry from Barbara’s beautiful box, and people took turns visiting and trying on earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, pins… omg! Everywhere you turned for the first couple of hours, you saw people dressing and undressing. It was fun to watch everyone, but then you also wanted to see what treasures might be there for you. Sizes didn’t always make sense… XS was too big, large was too tight. But there were many people who found some perfect new-to-them clothing, and with matching jewelry, too!
Barbara’s beautiful jewelry box, filled with treasures!
<—- But why did Jane and Liz come dressed as twins??
All brought their lunch, and we somehow managed to fit around the dining room table and the kitchen counter. And finally the HIKE up Mt. Warner, the nearby mountain walk that takes around 1&1/2 hours to hike.
We walked clockwise, and our first discovery was the giant oak that some felt compelled to hug! And it took 6 of us to completely circle the base.
And then at the top of the trail map, we found the path that leads to the view of the river, Mt. Sugarloaf, and Mt. Toby, and the farm with the sheep, and the Great Pyrenees sheepdogs, and chickens… what a beautiful scene!
Wood Ear mushroomsMeredith & Moira at the Big RockA Geocache fairy house!Turkey tail mushrooms, close to ThanksgivingLast apple on the treeSunshine on the path!One last picture after our hike…. Thank you, Geri!
There was a varying forecast leading up to this hike, and we went back and forth about whether we would need to do the rainy day plan of going to the Smith College Art Museum and lunch in Northampton, or would have the opportunity to venture out on the trails behind Barstow’s (Off Rt. 47 in S. Hadley) and luxuriate in a Fall foliage hike to a view. The weather goddesses ended up being on our side, as they often can be (being AWOL and all!) and the rain held off to later in the afternoon- Yay!
7 of us ended up being able to make it: Amy, Moira, Betsy, Eileen, Margi, and co-coordinators Jane and Joyce. We missed those who weren’t able to make it, and also shared sadness about Karen S. , who had signed up from the beginning, but had fallen the day before, and badly injured her wrist. Sending healing thoughts to you, Stevie!
The camaraderie, humor, wisdom, and caring in true AWOLian spirit was ever-present going up and coming down the beautiful trail which is appropriately named the “New England National Scenic Trail.” (Which is actually the name for the long Metacomet Monadnock Trail) . And scenic it surely was!
A big reward awaited us at the viewpoint: a panoramic view of the south side of the Holyoke Range looking down at Lithia Springs in S. Hadley.
Tah Dah!!!
It was a beautiful spot for lunch and for all frogs on the log!
Frogs full of fun and frolic !
Oh, Amy , you are unique!
Amy calmed us with a QiGong exercise named “Piercing the Veil”:
We had some lovely “restrooms” to use up there, and this was the view coming back from the “ladies’ rooms”:
An amazing family stopped to chat with us at the viewpoint, with their 6-year-old son hiking with them, and a 3-year-old carried on her Dad’s back. Surprisingly, after awhile, we noticed a 3rd child, a 4-month old, hidden behind her mother in her back pack! They had already hiked up Skinner Mountain and were on their way down to Lithia Springs. That is a super long hike for any person!! No less small children! The 3-year-old, they said, had walked most of it herself! And these children seemed to be loving hiking this far- Extraordinary! We gave them some of our chocolates and they were quite pleased with that!
On the way down, the usual serious, interesting, and open conversations were had, and Jane, Moira, and Amy had fun singing rounds.
Moira taught us a cute song which has the words “Life is but a melancholy flower”, which is sung as: “Life is but a melon, life is but a melon, cauliflower, cauliflower .”
Betsy picked some leaves for incorporating into her amazing pottery:
And Amy picked an unusual square-shaped plant which we looked up: it is called Seedbox or Rattlebox. Always more to learn!
On our way out, we came upon this dead soldier, left over from long long ago (16 years ago: 2009!) when AWOL did a tree-blazing task of spray-painting red blazes on this Dry Brook Trail, arranged by Meredith’s son-in-law who is a ranger. We recalled memories of the dogs we brought with us that day with red paint on them telling the story!
Ah, how young we were then and how long AWOL has been giving us joy!
Joyce came up with a good saying involving our group name:
– AWOLism means: We are never lost because wherever we are, we are there – with each other, laughter, and chocolate.
After the hike, we shopped for foods and snacks at Barstow’s and some of us enjoyed eating those together as a sweet ending to this wonderful day.
If interested in trying this hike yourself, here is a map you can follow:
Sunday, Aug. 17 started out foggy, but quickly cleared to provide a beautiful summer’s day for Maria, Liz and Louise – a small but mighty AWOL contingent – to enjoy (well, that’s a bit misleading) a vigorous hike and a serene swim at the reservoir.
Liz and I were a little late meeting Maria at the Hinsdale Common parking lot, but Maria seemed comfortable when we got there.
Liz did the driving the rest of the way. As some of you might recall, there’s a treacherous “hairpin” turn on the way up to the Reservoir, which Liz navigated brilliantly. I wasn’t able to snap a good picture of it, but here’s a guaranteed-faithful representation of the angle of the turn (with a stitch-holder standing in for a hairpin). Really.
Liz continued to drive us safely up the incredibly bumpy access road to the reservoir trail. We arrived fairly early in the day and were pleased to notice that there didn’t seem to be any ATV trailers in the parking lot. And indeed, as we hiked up the hill (did they somehow make it steeper? Can that be done?) we were pretty much the only humans in sight (there might have been one ATV’er – but I don’t remember now.)
We finally reached the reservoir and were rewarded with that spectacular view.
We rushed to get into our suits, and jumped – well, eased ourselves – into the water. Unbelievably perfect temperature! We swam out to the rock and around a bit and then basically hung out in the water and gabbed.
When our fingers and toes had turned into prunes, we decided it was time to return to the mainland and have some lunch. Alas, getting out of the water – for Liz and me – was not as easy as it had looked. The spot that seemed like it would afford a simple exit turned out to be difficult and treacherous – the rocks were rough and slippery, which made it hard to get purchase. Liz and I tried to visualize ourselves as primordial ancestors, air-breathing sea creatures making the courageous evolutionary leap to land-dwelling. That didn’t help. What did help was Maria’s coming and hauling each of us individually onto the shore. There is no photographic documentation of this process.
We dressed and had a leisurely lunch, finished off with chocolate (of course) cake, posed for a selfie snapped by Maria, and then proceeded back to the parking lot – another perfect AWOL day!
All week the weather apps predicted that Sunday would be a hot dry day, but when we woke up on Sunday morning, it was POURING! After the rain stopped around 10am, Geri, Roxy, Maria and Moira set off for a ride from Geri’s house in Northampton.
It was energizing to ride in perfect breezy weather on the 13.4 mile loop on scenic country roads. Maria’s electric bike was an absolute inspiration when she rode it fast up a long steep hill.
Half way through the ride we stopped at the Mayval Farm Creamery in Westhampton for delicious ice-cream and a bathroom break. It was a pleasure to view other scenic stops on the way.
We returned to Geri’s house, where Peggy and Jane were there to meet us. We enjoyed our lunch together, with much laughter and fun on the beautiful screen porch. To make our sandwich lunches more exciting, Geri provided us with amazing goodies, including olives, Mayval cheese, fruit and chocolate.
The adventure continued when we visited Smith Greenhouse to see the famous Corpse Plant which blooms every 7-10 years. Moira had visited the vigorous giant bud earlier in the week, and we hoped that the plant would be in full stinky bloom when we arrived. Sadly, it had collapsed into a flaccid mess because of the extreme heatwave… but it was fun to see anyway. We wandered through the rest of the greenhouse and admired the cocoa tree which is such a happy symbol of our AWOL chocolate consumption!
Thank you so much, Geri for organizing the fabulous outing.
Jeannette gave us a good excuse to all get together and have a party, …. she’s getting married next month! So we did what we gals love to do — plan some fun, cook great food, be a little crazy, eat the great food, do some wild and fun activity, laugh at ourselves, and hopefully do it all over again!
Betsy hosted us at her beautiful home and gardens, which was stunning with her amazing flower gardens! We planned a 4-stage event — appetizers and schmoozing, a sit-down dinner hour, a surprise game, and then an hour of desserts, gifts, and a heart-warming discussion — sharing about our lives, families, relationships, and whatever.
Appetizers!
Karen S sent this in, though unfortunately couldn’t make it herselfAnd Desserts
The Game : Jane, Joyce, and Roxy organized the game. Each person chose a number from a bowl that placed them into one of three groups, and were given a bag with the following items: 4 rolls of toilet paper, tin foil, ribbon, yarn, sparkly mesh, clear tape, a headband and hairclips, scissors, a bouquet of beautiful cut flowers, and a hula hoop! They were told each group would have 20 minutes to privately dress up their bride, using only what they wanted from their bag. Jeannette was to be the bride in her group, and the other groups could choose their bride, just as worker bees choose their Queen! Someone in each group should be the timekeeper, and another would be the narrator for the following activity, explaining the dress when their bride would walk the runway!
People got busy in separate rooms, and here are some of the photos of them getting dressed up!
All week the weather prediction was looking iffy: it seemed that the polar vortex which had spread over Massachusetts this spring had caused the temperature during this fortnight to plummet below average. Luckily the cloudy day with no rain turned out to be perfect for our expedition. Ten AWOL adventurers, Ruth, Karen S, Karen C, Jane, Joyce, Meredith, Cheryl, Robin, Eileen and Moira met at the Teawaddle Hill Road parking lot at the trail-head at 10am. We followed the yellow trail which led us over well-maintained boardwalks through swampy areas full of skunk cabbages and ferns towards the beaver pond.
We took a small side path to a view site where we admired the huge beaver pond. Talking and laughing, the ten of us continued north on the yellow trail, parallel to the pond. We saw a few ladyslippers, wood geraniums, and spectacular moss.
Turning right towards the east, we crossed bridges over Dolittle Stream to reach a grassy field with a bench in the Gordon King Conservation Area. Then we headed south on the mowed green trail past rows of blueberry bushes in bloom. In summer, when the berries are ripe, people are welcome to pick blueberries and make a donation.
The trail led us to an ancient maple tree. Gnarled and dramatic with its new leaves, we called it the grandmother tree.
At the Aughoo Covered Bridge we crossed a stream, and explored more of the woods on the green and purple trails, carefully crossing smaller streams without falling in. After taking the red loop trail back to the covered bridge, we stopped for lunch. It was lovely to be together in that scenic place, eating lunch and chocolate, laughing and catching up with news.
We followed the same route back, and returned to our cars at 1pm after walking for approximately 4.5 miles.
Thank you to Amy, who scouted the trail with me, and who was unable to join us for the hike. Thank you Eileen, Joyce and others who helped as sweepers and trail advisors on the trail, and for everyone who shared their photos. A big thank you Maria for introducing me to this lovely hike many years ago.
Who knew…. with the cold and crazy weather we’ve had… what the weather was going to be, too cold?, not enough snow?, Too windy? (Many people canceled last minute.)
Yes, it was all of those things, (and there was still plenty of snow), but we had a fabulous time. Only three of us made it, Peggy, Roxy, and Jeannette, and one of us even left our boots and hats, mittens back home! But AWOL is resourceful, and we had enough of all of that to share, and we had a fabulous run of sunshine with no wind in the woods, and hardly any people around, but when we got out of the woods and ready for our final ski run back to the lodge, the wind picked up. At one point, it was blowing us backwards! It was a thrill nonetheless. We went up the Kinderloop, (a good choice to get into the woods), and stayed on the Circuit Trail all the way to the Trela Shelter, where we had lunch. And then made our way back. And it was one of those times when we were appreciative that we took the risk and came out on one of the last ski ventures of the year. Hurray~ for AWOL~!
On a brisk (understatement) but sunny Saturday, fifteen intrepid AWOL sisters (Jeannette, Joyce, Roxy, Peggy, Margi, Liz, Cheryl, Robin H, Karen, Jude, Ann, Moira, Judith, Pat and Karen aka Stevie) hiked the Sweet Alice Trail off Bay Road in Amherst, around Plum Brook Pond, then continued on to Brookbank Trail. The wooded trail was lovely though a bit steep in places.
When we reached Trolley Bed Road. Liz and Moira elected to head back down to Trolley Bed. (It seems that many of us are facing health challenges – we need to adapt to these changes.) The rest of us headed up Laurel Loop Trail to the Mount Holyoke Visitor Center where we enjoyed a roaring fire in the woodstove and hot chocolate provided by the friendly and helpful ranger – and of course we had chocolate candy! We hung out and caught up with each other and conferred with the ranger re: our options for our return trip.
Some of us chose to head back down Laurel Loop to Trolley Bed and head over to Meredith’s to eat our packed lunches; the rest of us headed down the other side of Laurel Loop to Robert Frost Trail to the Northside Trail and back onto Brookbank and Sweet Alice and rejoined the others at Meredith’s. We are so grateful for Meredith’s generosity and hospitality.
Those of us who did the ‘long way back’ met the rest of the group at Meredith’s where we were warmed by the company, of course, and a roaring fire! We enjoyed our lunches, brought out round 2 of the chocolate and were surprised by a plate of delicious brownies that Meredith had made to celebrate Jeannette’s 60-something birthday!
Some of us were lucky enough to spot an osprey out the back window!!! We talked only briefly about the current political situation and Roxy invited us all to a musical event taking place on the 20th. That will be a lovely diversion!
On Sunday, November 17th, a group of enthusiastic AWOL women gathered at the Rock House Reservation Trailhead in West Brookfield for our “anniversary” hike. Almost exactly 10 years ago, on an equally beautiful Fall day, AWOL hiked here for the first time. To do this again and to know we’re “20 Years Strong” was a joyful and poignant experience.
Our troupe of 15 included Amy, Ann, Cheryl, Eileen, Joyce, Jude (aka Judith), Karen C, Stevie (aka Karen S.), Margi, Meredith, Peggy, Robin D, Ruth and coordinators/chocolate suppliers Jane and Robin H.
Five others had hoped to come, but were sick or injured so took a pass at the last minute. On the top of the “Rock House” some made and sent a short video to let them know we missed them. Out of sight is not out of mind for AWOL!
We began with a stroll to Carter Pond, along which is Rock House, a structure of huge boulders which form a “house” and were deposited by glaciers, thousands of years ago…Such a peaceful and pretty place. What a stretch to imagine what it was like at the time of its tumultuous creation!
Back from meditative thoughts to the reality of the beginning of our adventure:
It didn’t take long for us to get lost (why waste time?!? Life is short!!) In fact, it happened rather quickly! Just as we were getting to the Rock House, one of the coordinators (we will call her “J”) spontaneously decided to take a side trail heading uphill to explore the top of the “Rock House”, thinking that this looked intriguing and that the others were following right along. Up on top of those rocks, Anne creatively named the “rooms”, and a group made and sent that video to those who weren’t able to come. Meanwhile, some of the others had stopped briefly to take in the beautiful surroundings and did not see those who had detoured out of sight. Along with “R” (code name for the 2nd coordinator) this part of the group sensibly continued on the route that had been planned and previously agreed upon. “R” then realized they were missing a third of the group, including “J”. As our befuddled coordinator “R” paused to consider this dilemma, Margi sensibly called out; which led those “missing” to yell back.
It’s good to know some things never change☺ and, equally as important, to be true to one’s namesake: “Astray Wanderers Outside Lost” , which some of us thought was a befitting acronym for AWOL on this outing. But, all’s well that ends well and spontaneity has its benefits. Reunited, we continued on our merry way, thankful for Margi’s good sense and navigation skills, which were handy throughout.
The many paths we wandered (“wandered” being a key word here) took us up to the spacious cabin located nearby (where we returned for lunch).
and then to the amazing Balance Rock, which we initially lost our way attempting to locate. But, with determination comes success; we did find it and took time to enjoy its placement and its unique beauty.
We strolled along more winding woodland paths and the wider fire roads, all leaf-covered and full of sunshine. Earlier it had been cooler, but within a short while we were shedding layers and all but sunbathing.
Along the way we marveled at the impressive erratic glacial boulders and then stopped for a much- needed chocolate break, when we suddenly realized that we were in need of it, thanks to Stevie’s contagious recognition of feeling hungry. We enjoyed getting that chocolate boost!
Returning to the cabin, we all ate on its deck, while watching several beavers and enjoying the last bits of color over the pond. Chatting and laughing, we caught up with one another, had more chocolate and were well-filled, in so many ways.
We hiked back to our cars, and along the path, more was waiting for us before we reached the parking lot. A large beaver in full sight was swimming and then walking briskly near us in the woods, parallel to our trail. She was in a grassy area and so close to us it seemed she wished to join our group…Many photos and videos were taken…a wonderful ending to this part of our day.
Then came the second part of our adventure: an optional walk on the Goodnough Dike Loop, which many of us did. At Goodnough Dike Loop we began with Amy’s suggestion to gather on a picnic bench for a photo, which soon evolved into a spontaneous and enthusiastic rendering of a singing appreciation-of-AWOL video. This video is included in our email informing folks of this post. (videos can’t be posted in our WordPress site.)
Following our singing debut we took an invigorating walk along a paved path on the dike, with water sparkling all around us. We stopped, spent some time relaxing, overlooking the water, and chatted with a pleasant gentleman who filled us in on other paths around the dike…good for future adventures.
The paved path was about half the walk; the remainder of the loop curved through the woods and took us back to our cars.
How wonderful it was to spend this beautiful day, reveling in the company of our dear AWOL sisters!
We greatly appreciate the reflections that some of you shared. The message that we took from these is that what makes our adventures extraordinary is the extraordinary women we share them with. In Moira’s words, “The autumn day was exquisite, and we could view the sculptures in perfect light. How wonderful to be in that magical place with a group of AWOL friends!”
And thank you to Ann for providing the perfect overview: “The sunny day, brilliant fall colors on the bog, a beautiful and not too difficult hike, a challenging climb with the reward of a stellar view, good conversations reinforcing friendships, lunch on the beach. These are my memories of our hike last weekend. It was a beautiful trip!”
We met up at the Lake Wyola parking lot at 9:15 where the requisite chocolate was distributed among us to ward off any unforeseen chocolate crises along the trail (or for that matter, in the 5 minute drive to Bright Water Bog). We divided ourselves among three cars and headed off.
A little background:
The property was owned by Dr. Julian Janowitz where, over the 40 years he lived there, he pursued his interests in nature and art. Along with friends, he maintained trails on the 147 property and built boardwalks across the bog and stone steps up to the look out. Throughout the time he lived there, he opened his property to anyone who wished to walk, and many people have lovely memories of coming to the bog to pick cranberries and wild blueberries both as children and with their children.
Julian bequeathed the property to the Kestrel Land Trust, and in 2022, Kestrel began work to improve the trails and rebuild the boardwalks. Work still remains to be done, including signage to mark trails to the overlook, but today access has been restored to all parts of the property.
Our fearless leaders (that would be Joyce and Barbara) decided to go counter clockwise around the pond so that we would go past the artwork first. This was a tactical decision taking into account both our propensity to linger and admire and wanting to so with an expansive sense of time and the Magical Door (more on that in a moment).
The trail begins at a platform overlooking the pond where we see the first of Janowitz’s art work. The little dot in the middle is a large metal spider on a spider web.
This sculpture served as a marker to see where we started once we were at the lookout.
The trail skirts around the pond and over the stream that many, many years ago powered a mill (some of the stonework still remains). The path turns slightly to wander past the many sculptures that Janowitz made.
The two dancing women served as the perfect backdrop for our group photo:
We continued on through the woods to the Magical Door of Courageous Resolve:
This very same doorway
You have always read about
When you were a child
Fix it in your mind the bliss you seek
Take courage!
Strike the gong!
Go through the doorway!
Find the Bliss!
We each rang the gong and Meredith ushered us through one by one.
Now filled with courageous resolve and bliss, we set forth to our next destination: the erratic rock. For those unfamiliar with erratic rocks, it is not their behavior that is erratic – they just sit there like any other large rock. Rather it is a rock that was picked, transported, and dropped by a glacier.
The rock both marks where the path to the view veers off and offers a bit of poetry. In this picture Robin and Jo, her friend from high school, lean against the rock – such a long friendship and so appropriate given the poem’s reflection on time.
From here to the end of the walk we would periodically pass a poem, all by Janowitz (with Shakespeare being the one exception) that offered reflections on the changing landscape, on time, and on our relationship to both.
We all headed up the path, past the cliffs (where ravens nest in the spring … apparently well worth coming back for), and up the steep stone steps to an amazing view all the way to Mount Greylock – grey (how appropriate) cone in the background.
We all sat for a bit before heading down, some of us lingering longer to further enjoy the beautiful view and the beautiful day.
Back down the path we reached the boardwalk and began our walk across the bog. This definitely warrants a return visit in the spring when the Pitcher Plants and orchids are in bloom, and in the case of the former, chomping down on bugs. Robin found some Pitcher Plants that appeared quite healthy for the time of year:
A little background:
What is a bog? The strictest definition is a wetland that gets all of its moisture from precipitation. However, when walking this trail with a guide from the Hitchcock Center, she said that bogs receive the majority of their water from precipitation. The water is very acidic and low in nutrients. They are shrubby (as the photo shows), and the soft, squishy bottom is peat. On that walk someone asked if it’s the same as the peat that is cut in Ireland and her answer was no. The water has been drained from those bogs, making peat extraction possible for heating homes and other energy uses.
We lingered again when we reached a bench on the boardwalk next to a mailbox holding a small notebook for visitors to make observations or draw pictures. When Joyce and Barbara did their scouting trip two weeks before they wrote a welcome for AWOL. We’re not sure anyone found it … many, many people had visited and left their thoughts in the book in that short time.
The last sight that drew us in was a large beaver dam. After much examination and appreciation, we returned to our starting sculpture and then back up the gravel path to our cars.
By this time, we were ready for lunch. We all got back in the cars (very glad we carpooled – there were a lot of cars there and a couple of people looking for a place to park were delighted, or so we assumed, that we were freeing up three spaces) and drove back to Lake Wyola where we had some lunch, enjoyed the warmth and the beauty of the day, and then headed home.
Roxy’s words sum up what Bright Water Bog offered us: the “peaceful and playful walking trail [offered a] GIFT to all who seek the marriage of beauty in nature, creative sculpture, thoughtful verse, and community. [And] on the day we arrived, the skies were deeply blue, and we felt the glow reflecting everywhere we looked” (thank you Roxy!).
It is with a mix of chagrin and relief that I finally sit down and document for the wonderful women of AWOL the double-header event Maria and I orchestrated for our August 2024 outing. My hope was to get it out right away, like the day after the trip, but that changed to trying to get it out sometime, somehow, before our annual meeting, and it seems I have done so by the skin of my teeth.
And so it was that Saturday August 17 four of us (Maria, Liz, Jane, Laura) met at the Amherst Cinema for the National Theater production of “Vanya”, about which I knew nothing but at least one other, and possibly two, in our little group did know something.
I only knew I wanted to see Andrew Scott perform, since Maria and I had recently watched him in “Ripley”, a series on NETFLIX which we both heartily recommend.
In a word, “Vanya” was amazing. Andrew Scott was amazing. This one-man play made me wonder if great actors are of this planet, or if they are made of other stuff from somewhere else. If you have a chance to see this production, please do so.
Sunday, with the weather not actually cooperating as much as we had expected it to, six of us (Maria, Liz, Jane, Cheryl, Margi and Jeannette) met in downtown Hinsdale, NH and took two cars to the trail head for our hike to Pisgah Reservoir. This was AWOL’s second hike there so some of you reading this may remember it as a sunny, beautiful place to swim. That was last year.
The hike up to the reservoir took about an hour, a relatively easy hike, but raining hard enough for everyone to be glad they had rain gear as well as umbrellas. Intrepid AWOLers? You bet!
The woods were beautiful, the company and conversation were both lively and by the time we got there the rain had almost stopped…… not quite, but we enjoyed a glorious swim anyway. When was the last time you were swimming in the rain, we all asked each other. Noone knew. But now we do – it was that day!
We lunched after our swim, ate chocolate (of course), changed into somewhat drier clothes and made our way back to the cars, encountering along the way a father on his dirt-bike waiting somewhat anxiously for his daughter who was following him on her own dirt-bike. Eventually he turned back to help her and together they provided us with the only interaction with other humans on this hike.
We declared the outing a success (Yay, AWOL!) and returned to downtown Hinsdale where Jeannette found her way home to lovely Vermont and Margie hopped in her car and more or less followed us to lovely downtown Northfield where we all stopped for ice cream.
Yum. Maple flavored soft-serve was my personal favorite. From there we foundour way back home, happy to have braved the elements and hiked and swam and ate ice cream with a group of like-minded friends.
On a bright Sat morning four spirited AWOL women, Barbara, Margi, Moira and Robin H, met up at Barbara’s house before starting our outdoor adventures. The forecast had been for rain in the afternoon, but it never materialized. We got sunshine, moderate temps and a mild breeze – perfect weather!
Due to the initial forecast we had decided on a shorter hike, so there was time to spare and we opted to play a game first. Barbara gave us a tutorial on her house variant of Rummikub, easier to play than the original and lots of fun. It’s similar to 500 rummy, but uses tiles.
This was a great start to our day, followed by an important backpack check to assure we had chocolate aplenty. Once these essential were done we were off!
We started our adventure by walking down the road from Barbara’s to a pretty family run farm about a 10 minute stroll away. The owners encourage community members to stop by as they wish their animals to feel comfortable with people. This Spring the mamma goats were very busy having babies and we spent some relaxing time cuddling the babies and even doing a bit of “goat yoga” of our own making. The little girl at the bottom initiated this and we followed suite; Margi was a marvel at it!
Following our time with the goats we returned to the dirt road and, after walking and chatting for about two miles, we turned onto a leafy trail in the woods that lead fairly quickly to a sweet Spring waterfall, a flowing creek, mossy banks and big old trees. It was heavenly! For more specific directions, please see Barbara, who lives close to this paradise, turned us on to its beauty and will fill you in on exactly on how to get there:)
Sitting comfortably, on a mossy spot, with sunlight and shadow, we ate our lunch on the bank, shared more about our lives and finished our repast with lots and lots of chocolate. It was a divine day as it always is when we are with our wonderful AWOL sisters!
I couldn’t imagine a better thing to do on a cold February morning than to bundle up and hike the beautiful wooded trails behind the Clark Museum in Williamstown with a handful of women friends that we haven’t seen for quite awhile!
Margi and Peggy organized this event, and Karen, Cheryl, Jeannette, and I (Roxy) all hiked a good 3 1/2 miles, up the Nan Trail, onto the Woodland Trail, over to the Stone Bench (see pic below) and then down the Pasture Trail back to the museum. We also stopped at a pentagon-shaped building called “Crystal”. It probably took a little over an hour of walking (& talking) which was perfect timing to get back and pull off our boots and coats, get our free lockers (first figuring out how to access the locks which return your quarters upon return), and then head straight into the cafe for a hot drink and lunch!
One of the great discoveries at the museum was the website that we all downloaded called “Bloomberg Connects”, (yes, founded by Michael Bloomberg). We thought it was a good idea to “guide” us through the new exhibit at the Clark entitled “Works on Paper Acquisitions”, but soon discovered that this app is a digital guide including directions to hundreds of art museums all over the world!! I clicked on a museum called “Artichoke” in London, England, and clicked on the Directions tab, and it actually gave me round trip prices from Hartford to London and the airlines to use!
We finally got out of the cafe to explore the exhibits… Here’s a few from the temporary exhibit…
We all got scattered amidst the exhibits, but when we found each other again, there was a not-so-private demonstration on the museum’s main staircase of an achilles-stretching exercise which prevents the “bumps” on your ankles! Anyone interested, ask Margi or Jeannette for the demo!
A couple of things to note on the drive. We stopped at Wild Oats Market, right on Main Street in Williamstown for coffee. It’s a great grocery store, and worth a quick stop for groceries or prepared sandwiches or meals.
Also, as we were going through the neighboring towns, we came upon a screaming parade of police cars, fire engines, honking cars… what the hell?? We HAD to stop and ask someone parked on the side of the road watching and waving. Turns out the Boys AND Girls Cheshire High School basketball teams both won the championship !!! Hooray for them!
On December 3rd five hearty AWOL women, undeterred by mere rain, arrived at Talbots parking lot dressed in sufficiently bright gear to start a fashion sensation. Watch out Talbots!
Some events, like the Hot Chocolate celebration, supporting Safe Passage and community dignity and safety, are like the mail, they come despite atmospheric phonemena of whatever sort and… so do we, the AWOL women!
Margi, Robin H, Laura, Cheryl and Judith were soon rocking & rolling as we strolled along with the rollicking Northampton crowd, well fortified by the yummy muffins Margi graciously provided and the holiday lights Cheryl bedecked us with.
After a cheerful walk in the rain, singing, chatting and getting wet we met up with Meredith and Karen C. for a delicious brunch at Miss Flo’s iconic diner. We loved the dog in his trashbag raincoat, but he didn’t join us.
from my iPhone
It was , as it always is when we’re together, a satisfying, fulfilling and joyful day!!
Six intrepid AWOLers braved the blustery winds and frigid temperatures on – who knew? – World Snow Day (https://worldsnowday.com/#) to ski and snowshoe at Maple Corner Farm in Granville. Despite the weather, there were quite a few folks (including small children) who were similarly inclined.
Joyce, Roxy and Margi elected to ski; Cheryl, Pat and Karen chose snow shoeing. Once we crossed the meadow and were in the woods the wind and temperature were actually not too bad – at least for the snowshoers. Frozen fingers and slick snow surfaces were a bit more of a challenge for the skiers. The woods were indeed “lovely, dark and deep,” to quote a famous poet.
After exerting ourselves for about an hour and a half, we headed back to the lodge to eat our lunches, catch up on each other’s lives, exchange book suggestions, and laugh and laugh. By chance, a young couple and their toddler and infant were at the next table. Turns out they were originally from Iceland and Norway so our weather probably didn’t impress them much. We had fun discussing books and travel plans with them.
No one wanted to try for round two of the skiing and snowshoeing so we packed up our bags and equipment and headed north for the ride home (yes, Granville is south of us!). We were glad to get in some time in the snow before it turns to slush this weekend!
Karen C and Mina organized the Mount Tom Reservation hike. We decided to do the Goat Peak Loop via T.Bagg Trail to Kay bee Trail, a 3.3 mile hike. It turned out to be a beautiful clear sunny day though a little brisk.
Ann, Betsy, Caryl, Geri, Jane, Margi, Meredith, Moira, Peggy, Robin, Roxy, Mina, and KarenC were able to make the hike, a great group in spite of the shorter than usual lead time. We met at 10:30 in the first parking lot on the left as you enter the park from route 5; there are rest rooms available and several trailheads. From there we walked up the road to our trail head and met Roxy.
Noticing a gigantic rock!
Going up was slightly steep with dry leaves covering the trail and we had to watch our steps. We made Goat’s Peak (822 ft) in a little over an hour. At the top we were greeted with beautiful views, a very nice clearing with two benches, rocks to sit on, and crystal clear views of Easthampton, Mount Nonotuck (827 ft), and the distant mountain ranges. It was (unlike the cloudy forecast!) just a perfect sunny day.
We had lunch and our traditional chocolate at the peak – and Peggy met some close friends who turned out to be the owners of Margi’s part time dog; he was so happy to see us all again!
We had a short huddle/meeting after lunch led by Betsy to discuss our Sunshine Fund and Awol dues. Betsy will send around her Venmo and other info and everyone can contribute to replenish the fund. It was a great venue for a meeting!
Betsy, Meredith, and Geri had to set off quickly to be home at a certain time and the rest of us left shortly thereafter. The hike down was steep and difficult and slippery due to the dry leaves covering the trail. It might have been handy to have a rake so you could see your footing! Fortunately we made it down without anyone slipping.
Jane and KarenC slowly descended the steepest part while having a great discussion about study abroad experiences in college. They discovered that they both had crossed the Atlantic, in ‘68 and ‘66 respectively, on the same ship, the Michelangelo, and both had onboard Swiss boyfriends! You never know what commonalities you’ll find on a mountainside in Massachusetts.
On the way down Margi and Peggy decided to retrace their steps at a certain point as AllTrails was telling them something different about their location. They went all the way back to the peak, encountering many other kind and friendly hikers along the way, and they ended up descending the same trail we had hiked up. They noted that it’s always a totally different trail when going the other way! We were happy they got down safe and sound and had proven AllTrails perhaps is not always correct??
The early group made it to the parking lot by 1:15 and the rest of us made it down by around. It was just a perfect hiking day!
Jane and Roxy were missing AWOL companionship, especially after our Annual Meeting had to reschedule from September 10th to October 22nd due to weather. So, with the AWOL calendar for 2023-24 being finalized, we decided to sneak in the schedule a last-minute AWOL brunch and hike on September 23rd, to combine Roxy’s wish to have everyone over for brunch at her new home in Hadley, and a hike nearby, at Mt. Warner.
13 AWOLers ended up being able to attend: In addition to Roxy and Jane, those who participated included Mina, Geri, Amy, Laura, Karen C., Ann, Moira, Margi, Cheryl, Jeannette, and Meredith. And we had an adorable dog, Tovy, brought by Margi.
The weather forecast began deteriorating a few days before, and Roxy and Jane offered the possibility of bowling as a rainy day activity. It indeed was lightly raining at the time we were going to hike, but our intrepid AWOL troopers unanimously opted to hike in the rain rather than bowl after the brunch.
Down a narrow long driveway in Hadley, we found Roxy’s new home, on a private and lovely lot, with plenty of parking:
We entered the house with our brunch goodies, and we were all blown away by the beautiful, cozy, open-space great room, lined with a long row of large, pretty window grids and Roxy’s unique, artistic, and gorgeous decorative touches. The kitchen had a nice big island where we could put our yummy selection of dishes:
After meeting and greeting and chatting,
Roxy gave us the tour of the house, which was a real treat. Here is the living room area and her bedroom with a cozy sitting nook and very nice bathroom, with pretty views of the large backyard:
And then came the sumptuous brunch in her pretty dining area – yum and fun in every way! Among various interesting conversations, many passed around recent photos of their grandchildren, and we had a rousing discussion of the nuances of the Barbie movie. Those who hadn’t yet seen it were making plans to see if they could go to see it together.
And then off we went, in a caravan, dressed in boots, hats, and various rain gear, to hike in the light rain at Mt. Warner. There was a certain beauty and peace in the woods in the rain, and of course much enjoyment of each other’s company:
We saw some interesting mushrooms: the one that Cheryl is holding and Mina is sniffing had a strong mushroom scent, and Roxy found out that one is called “Crown-tipped Coral”. We noted that some of the mushrooms on a dead tree reminded us of a Thanksgiving turkey:
Speaking of thankfulness, we are so grateful that we have our dear friends in AWOL with whom we get to share fun times in the great outdoors, wonderful food, condolences about difficult times in our lives, and celebration of happy times and achievements, such as this move by Roxy into such a lovely new home.
AWOL 