Robert Frost House – Derry NH

Since I was in the area anyway I decided to go to the Robert Frost house, some eight and a half miles from Benson Park. Robert Frost is one of New England’s most famous poets. You probably remember him from The Road Not Taken, you know the one that starts, “Two paths diverged in a yellow wood…” He’s also the delightful curmudgeon who coined, “Good fences make good neighbors.” This is something considering he lived on a large acreage in the middle of nowhere. I can relate. My DNA is also composed of a lot of Hermit fragments.

The house was right off the road, super easy to find. I had heard there were trails nearby but it was getting a little late to be mucking about in the woods all by my lonesome. I am not sure if anyone lives there or not but there is a sign telling you all about it…

***I apologize for any missing photos and galleries as I continue to work getting Catching Marbles fully migrated to a new host. Please come back soon for restored photos and thank you for your patience!***

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Just up the road I was thrilled to find a happy surprise – an old caboose still sitting on the track outside of a tiny recovered train station that was now being used as a trailhead. I stopped and took a few photos.

Today was also the first day I decided to actually pull over and start reading all the historical markers I had driven by a billion times but never read. This one’s aside the road in Jaffrey, pretty much in the middle of the woods. Look, I learned something!

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June 22, 2017 0

Benson Animal Farm [Abandoned Zoo Turned Park] Hudson NH

The weather was perfect today, sunny but not too hot, and I was getting itchy feet to go somewhere so I decided on Benson Park which was once a popular zoo that closed, I think in the 1980’s, and then rotted for a good long time before the town decided to make it into a lovely park. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I’d been promised I could play in empty zoo enclosures so I was in.

I have been to plenty of roadside zoos and I figured that’s what this would be… I figured it’d be some rotted fencing jutting out of an embankment in the woods somewhere but actually it’s smack dab in the middle of civilization and has a huge parking lot to boot. Upon entering I noticed three things: A nursing home, not affiliated but still right there, a dog park in what was probably a zoo cage at one point, and a TON of kids playing on brand new playground equipment. So this old zoo somehow became a place to house old people, dogs, and children. Seemed odd but oddly fitting…

I wandered where I pleased. Although there were trails here with names they were insanely poorly marked, and by that I mean pretty much not marked at all except for one wooded section that might make city dwellers think they’d die if they wandered off too far… That was the best though, as it was in the far corner and super quiet. The vegetation had grown so out of control it grew around and over the paths making this sort of whimsical lush green tunnel. Swamp lands abounded, as did vague signs about being on the moose path. I had a weird moment of realization that this once could have been the home of tigers and wildebeest, things that should have never lived in this part of the world, things that could easily kill. Were their ghosts still lingering?

There wasn’t much left to the old zoo but the buildings that remained were under reconstruction. I got to walk up to an idle ticket booth, an “elephant house” turned gift store, some sort of cage I am hoping the elephant didn’t live in, and another very depressing wrought iron prison used for the gorilla. Apparently they had one silver back gorilla, living in solitary isolation in a cage I would find the appropriate size for a small flock of chickens. That is where I left off and the place made me feel SAD. I could just imagine the poor beast pacing the tiny concrete floor in his own Victorian Hell. Say what you will about zoos – at least the ones these days aren’t that damn depressing!

As an added bonus I got to spend some time with some really tame Canadian geese and their awkward and ugly little goslings, almost as big as their parents but still sporting little tufts of fuzz. This was delightful surprise and made me ache to be back living on a free range farm. It reminded me what a peaceful and fulfilling experience it is to live among the animals. It has once again solidified my determination to make this a reality in the future. Sigh, someday!

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June 22, 2017 0

Historic Shaker Village – Harvard MA

This took three tries (and I have no justifiable defense for this) to find the lollipop cemetery which was set up by Shakers who for whatever reason decided that grave stones should be made of cast iron lollipops. They were a weird bunch.

There’s a trail nearby that might go behind these places but I ran out of time (with the sun setting and all.) Instead I was overjoyed to find there were ruins just up the road of an old Shaker church. Also viewable from the road was what used to be their living quarters, a HUGE house now privately owned which I would not be surprised to find out has twenty or thirty rooms… I mean seriously, that’s practically a castle. I felt weird snapping a photo of this house as it was private property but I didn’t hesitate to take a few snaps of the ruins and the graveyard.

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June 9, 2017 0

West Rutland Quarry – Vermont

Today I decided to venture farther than I have gone in the past few weeks and take a trip into a more Northern locality, West Rutland Vermont, to check out an abandoned quarry. I couldn’t find any photos of the quarry itself but the photos of a dilapidated old building and machinery had really peaked my interest. I had no idea if it was private or public property and decided to take a chance as I drove over two hours to get there. I was not disappointed!

Finding it was somewhat difficult. It’s a path on an old rural dirt road. There is nowhere to pull in and right in front of it there’s a No Parking sign. I pulled off somewhat up the road where there was a little turn-around. The path was behind a bunch of rocks reading, “No shooting!” which was a super comforting thought. I can’t say I found any of the buildings or machinery but the path did lead around the quarry which was gorgeous. Here there were at least six different swimming holes, all with a fantastic view. It was raining and cold and not the best day to take a plunge into the black waters but I enjoyed it just the same. It was QUIET out here and someone had obviously put a lot of time and effort into making the swimming holes safe, adding ladders and stairs. I had grown up weary of quarries, knowing only they’re very deep and teenagers drown in them like ship rats all the time but now I was staring down into my first quarry I was not overcome by fear but more an urge to jump. The water was indeed deep and black but near the edges it was a shimmering emerald green that took my breath away. Fairly sizable fish even swam back and forth eating pond skippers and Orioles flew by at terrific speeds. This was a short path, very short, but I think it was worth the drive especially since I also got to take some dramatic snaps of the surrounding area. The people near by were all super friendly too. Vermont makes my heart dance with joy.

If you are enjoying Catching Marbles please consider adding a dollar or two to my limited gas money fund so I can continue going on adventures and sharing them with you! Thank you!

June 6, 2017 0

Wachusett Dam Clinton MA & Surrounding Area

I apologize for the lateness of this post considering I went here last Thursday! But that led to forty eight hours of being awake which I paid for dearly with three days worth of a migraine… and here I am, back to tell the story without barfing, so it’s all good! And even with that little set back this was a great find that I found by happenstance.

Initially I had gone to a small town I had never heard of – Harvard, to find a cemetery. As with every entry I have written on cemeteries I did not find it. Instead I grabbed a friend living nearby and said, “Let’s drive!” My intent was to pick a series of roads neither one of us were familiar with… and to visit the next cemetery we came across because why not? It was raining, cold, and miserable, but I was overjoyed to find a cemetery near the school that had some old slate stones with a series of unusual designs on them. Generally speaking slate stones are very plain, while they do sometimes have designs, doodles and geometric insignia are more than a bit odd. Clearly this artist was marching to the beat of his own drum.

And then I came across something truly peculiar – a set of two slate stones that looked like they had been put up yesterday. As it turns out they were dated to 1900. This is very weird considering slate stones were used in the 1700’s. And yet here they were, more than 100 years past the time they should have been put up – with the same classic designs on them. Makes me wonder.

From the cemetery we drove down some rural road that went on for miles past farms and woodlands alike. That’s when we came across this crazy house that looked like it was built by Pablo Picasso – doors jutted out at odd angles and windows were piled on top of each other to make a geometric jumble of strange. I literally turned around so I could stop and take this photo of this poor unsuspecting house.

We continued to drive. I had decided at some point we were close enough to Clinton to check out an abandoned train tunnel but this was merely a suggestion. In all honesty I was in it for the drive today – which I desperately needed.

“You’ve got to see the dam!”

“OK, where’s the dam?”

“You can see it from the road, we’re near it.”

“Wait, there’s parking spaces… let’s walk.”

And that’s how I found myself at the Wachussett Dam. There is indeed a tiny parking lot adjoining the road and it belongs to what is now a park. You must climb down A LOT of stairs but it’ll take you to the bottom of the dam where an old gorgeous water works building is, as well as a fountain, and what looks like a nice bike path for a less rainy day. I was having a ton of fun photographing this place… too much in fact. We were kicked out by a park ranger, sort of… he said we were free to stay if we didn’t mind heaving ourselves over the gate he was closing. I wouldn’t mind. My friend was less than athletic sooo…. we just said thank you and ambled back up those 300 steps. The ranger was a super nice guy though. He told us all about the history of the place. Apparently five towns had to be taken down and resettled so the area could be flooded. This was a water reservoir that fed all of Boston, including the more famous Quabbin water reservoir. I had NO IDEA. Also the water works down below shut down in the 40’s but before that it produced electricity for the town – and pretty much all the equipment to do that was built into the building back in those days which meant it was still there. Maybe during my next visit I will peek in the windows!

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From the Dam we ended up going back on the road and driving randomly until we hit a shop that sold grave stones. Some of their wares were in the parking lot and I found this the perfect opportunity to take a few creepy snaps… in the rain…. in the dusk…. of some gravestones. My only advice, don’t blink!

May 30, 2017 1

Plotting Some Maine Trips

If you enjoy my blog please consider helping me fund my lifelong dream of having an educational farm and check out my GoFundMe. Thank you! https://www.gofundme.com/help-fund-an-educational-farmI must admit exploring the area I live has already been so much fun but I have a bunch of requests from an assortment of different people to go on some adventures in Maine so I am in the planning stages of that right now.

When I was younger I spent nine godawful months living in central Maine without a car. To me it was a vast wasteland. I always read the license plates reading the state motto: “Vacationland” and thought it might be a more accurate if it read, “Where people come to die.” This was mostly because just about every woman I knew up there was in home care. Another friend who lived in Maine told me harrowing tales of potato picking and being stared down by pissed off Native Americans (and hey, I would be pissed off too if someone drove my ancestors off their land and relegated us to some godforsaken rocky hellhole in the northernmost part of Nowhere…)

But maybe it’s not that bleak. I have heard from a lot of wealthier tourists that Maine is drop dead gorgeous… so I must be missing something here. I have spent my afternoon and evening today researching places to go and wow, Maine is one quirky place. Of course there is much beauty to be seen on various hiking trails and parks including a “waterfall tour” I have promised one group of people. I look very much forward to that.

But Maine is more than state parks. It’s…. curious. The people there are… interesting at times. I may reside in the Live Free or Die state of New Hampshire but I think Maine maintains far more of this spirit. Over the past few hours I have read of disputes over the right to display dead seagulls, town disputes over whether or not you can build 20 foot tall metal statues of your visions from God in your yard, and yes even a half a dozen giant lobsters that all appear to be humping something. Yes, Maine is a weird place.

And if you think there’s anything going on in Maine you should just check a listing of their museums… the Sardine History Museum, The Museum of Umbrella Covers, and my personal favorite: The Maine State Prison Showroom where “trinkets and toys at lovingly hand made by maximum security prisoners!” Even that wasn’t nearly as creepy as Fawcett’s Toy museum which has me repeating an emphatic, “NOPE! NOPE! NOPE!” I mean look at their welcome sign out front… if there were ever a sign that secretly read, “Serial killers reside here,” this would be it.

But with all that being said and all jokes about Bigfoot aside I am actually really looking forward to spending some time in Maine bopping around and taking it all in – every beautiful piece of scenery and every godawful piece of metal scrap art – each and every little bit of it because there’s nowhere else in the world quite like Maine.

If you are enjoying Catching Marbles please consider adding a dollar or two to my limited gas money fund so I can continue going on adventures and sharing them with you! Thank you!

May 23, 2017 0

Trails to the Rails – Rindge NH

It’s been a rough couple of days for me as my health dogs me once again. I wasn’t up for much today so I decided to check out something that looked really easy in town – Trails to the Rails. Obviously I wasn’t smart enough to look up where the trail started or how far it goes…. so I started in the middle and meandered for a mile before coming back. It was getting dark anyway. I must say though it seems a very well maintained and easy flat trail. I will be back to try it from start to finish when I have the time and energy! I’m just a little bit amused by the fact I wasn’t the only one ignoring the whole “not open for another three days” sign. There’d been at least one very well fed horse and I encountered other people, including a couple who were dashing into the bushes…. “WHY HELLO THERE!” (Naw, I’m not that obnoxious. Flee like bunnies if you wish, I couldn’t care less, unless you want me to join you but alas, you never do!)

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May 21, 2017 0

Prison Camp Ruins, Rutland State Park- Rutland MA

Today I decided to check out some prison camp ruins rumored to be in Rutland State Park in Massachusetts. The directions said they were on Prison Camp Road, which was easy enough to remember but what they don’t tell you is the park is FULL of primitive dirt roads going in all directions, most of which the GPS does not recognize, and they aren’t labelled either. So this place was somewhat difficult to find but not too bad. It was a lucky day and the road I needed wasn’t gated off due to seasonal flooding as many were. The prison ruins are visible from the road and since you can only drive five miles an hour without breaking an axle it’s hard to miss.

I must say as parks go this place was drop dead gorgeous. I had only intended to check out the ruins but now I want to go back and explore every one of those dirt roads! But back to the prison…. it was built to house minor offenders, probably mostly the town drunks, and it kept them busy growing potatoes and milking cows – a field still exists and is covered in billions of dandelions this time of year. And of course this was also the location of a Tuberculosis ward. The ruins you can see from the road are of four absolutely tiny cells. I couldn’t even take a photo in them to show they were rooms and not just a wall! This place was apparently still very popular as every inch of masonry had been tagged by one sort of graffiti or another and trash was ankle deep where ever I walked. Still… that sort of adds a bit to the allure and I sure had fun snapping photos of this unusual subject matter. Three other structures were within walking distance but be forewarned — bring your bug spray! The dense vegetation tossed up many ticks.

Hikers who knew where they were going seemed to be using the roads to amble down rather than drive – which is a wonderful idea if you have a map! I drove around for a long time and passed several bridges and rivers and a few rock formations that were just to die for. This place seemed to have it all and we were out in the middle of nowhere. For as peaceful at it was there was also a very wild and untamed sense about it – maybe this was because of the occasional bits and pieces of other ruins that dotted the roads here and there – like a staircase to nowhere which was probably someone’s house at some point in history.

All and all I had am amazing day out here and wish to go back with a picnic basket! This was another win on my travels.

If you are enjoying Catching Marbles please consider adding a dollar or two to my limited gas money fund so I can continue going on adventures and sharing them with you! Thank you!

May 16, 2017 0

Fairy Village – Gardner MA

Today was a fun day. It’s always super interesting to see how my travels effect people. I have been so happy to hear how excited people are to see my photos, read this blog, and take a day trip of their own, but sometimes inspiration goes beyond that. This time around it was an idea hatched in a friend’s mind – why not leave fairy villages on these hikes? So several people made houses, got together, and placed them on the Wellness Trail heading up to the hospital. It’s a tiny trail, probably not even on any maps, but the hopes were to place this little bit of whimsy somewhere to be enjoyed but not populace enough to get immediately stolen or ruined. This was the results – three sweet little fairy houses and a fourth from a darkly humored friend who placed it behind a tree stump away from the others because she said it looked like it belonged to a reclusive serial killer fairy and that’s just where reclusive serial killer fairies belong. Can’t argue there. Will people enjoy this little set up? Will they add to it? Will they wonder who made it? We’re conspiring to start a much larger network of fairy house makers and spread these little surprise villages throughout New England… could be fun! Let me know if you’d like to join in!

If you are enjoying Catching Marbles please consider adding a dollar or two to my limited gas money fund so I can continue going on adventures and sharing them with you! Thank you!

May 14, 2017 0

Chesterfield Gorge – Chesterfield NH

This was another gem just a stone’s throw from Madame Sherri’s. In fact if I knew how great this place was I would have visited the castle and then did my hiking here! GORGEOUS! I had no idea New England had so many picturesque little water falls. I had a lot of fun taking normal photos and even more fun putting weird hazes and tints on the camera to make it seem even more whimsical. I know – only a certain crowd appreciates photos that look like they were taken by a broken camera from the 1970’s…

It was the perfect day to go out – sun shining but not too warm, not a May fly in sight. This trail was super easy to find right off the highway, had ample parking, and was in no way hidden. In fact there was a welcome station and shop, a donation box, and a bulletin board. This was an easy going and short walk that didn’t disappoint! The perfect little place to lollygag a hot summer day away. Climbing farther down into the gorge the views went from beautiful to stunning. And the people! So sweet! I took a photo for a passing family of tourists and talked for a while to the care takers who asked if everything was up to par. Most certainly! This place was pristine! And the photos I took with the marbles came out absolutely adorable. I think they are my favorite so far. I am thinking of starting to leave a business card with them… or perhaps even a fairy house or two. I really like the community involvement. It’s like passing on the joy from person to person. Afterwards I even stopped to help an old woman pick up a can she dropped as her arms were beyond full. It’s these little kindnesses that can really pick up a complete stranger’s spirit and I hope I can leave little happy footprints where ever I go. I also left a marble for “Joe,” as I couldn’t help but laugh at his graffiti. Will he ever know? Probably not but it’s a damn cute picture.

If you are enjoying Catching Marbles please consider adding a dollar or two to my limited gas money fund so I can continue going on adventures and sharing them with you! Thank you!

Update:

I returned to the Chesterfield Gorge on 5/23 with my mother and a friend. Took a few more snaps… mostly with filters because why not.

May 12, 2017 0