After a long day of walking through the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery we decided it was probably a good idea to find something to eat before heading the 3+ hours home. At first we had a hard time figuring out where to go as it seemed most eateries in this area were swank and out of our price range but then we came across this little pub in town and we were not disappointed!
It was as small place, dimly lit as a pub should be, and the staff were exceptionally sweet. The menu was very small and simple (which is GREAT if you’re one of those people who have a hard time making decisions!) We decided to try their spinach dip first and it was sooo good I ate way too much! I had ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and my partner in crime was intrigued by the Horseman Burger which read, “As seen on Man v. Food!”
That had to have been the best grilled chicken sandwich I’ve ever had at an establishment like this. It melted in my mouth and popped with the flavor of red peppers and soft brioche bread. Sadly, I ate literally three bites before I couldn’t eat anymore. The waitress came by and asked if something was wrong with it and I emphatically said no, that I’d just filled up on the spinach dip before giving her a big smile. She started to laugh, patted me on the shoulder and brought out of a box. Little was I to know that in that big smile was a piece of spinach the size of Kentucky. She knows I wasn’t lying!! Meanwhile the burger was indeed big (10 oz) but was pretty standard fare for a pub – which isn’t bad but that grilled chicken sandwich was way better!
Today I decided to strike out on my own and take a long drive to New York – three hours away – in part because I was invited to do so and I was intrigued. For the first hour of the drive I was going through torrential downpours hoping there was no flooding because when it comes to taking the Prius swimming there are no winners. My GPS was similarly uncooperative and refused to acknowledge the address I typed in was in fact real. Eventually I’d have to pit the GPS and my phone navigation against each other in a death match. Just kidding, both devices are still fine, I assure you.
But that’s not to say I wasn’t a little frazzled when I finally drove in, more so when I realized I’d have to parallel park. I tried. God’s honest truth I tried. But eventually I gave up and drove quite a distance just to be the last car parked in the line. See, that was easy, now to hoof it the half mile up the street. Slight exaggeration, though the man at the register seemed to pick up on how much of a hot mess I was in that moment. It was an awkward exchange.
This place was bizarre. I had no idea what I was walking into when I came here. I guess I just expected a gymnasium full of vendors like you see in markets back in the sticks but no, this venue seemed to be an old roadside attraction/camp that had long been past its glory years and was now cashing in on how creepy it had become in its state of semi-decay. And why not? Little haunted houses and spooky props seemed to be just the normal background scenery here which made it a charming and strange open-air market. I kinda fell in love with this place as I took some photos before wandering around and finding the vendors in what felt like a Byzantine layout.
I’d been initially invited here as a vendor but these past couple years have been hard in the creativity department. Usually I have something, or a lot of somethings, in the way of art but not lately. Plus I sorta wanted to poke at this place and see what was actually selling here. I’ve been to so many different markets that I knew my particular flavor of art wasn’t always appreciated. Or almost ever if I’m honest. Being a vendor is hard work! I was however delighted to see that I would have fit right in had I decided to be a vendor. The people here were weird, proudly weird, which is the best kind of weird. If you were a witch, they had you covered. Crystals, potions, sage wands, tarot decks and positive vibes you’d find it all here in multiple booths. Then there were the bones, the repurposed scary dolls, and rings made in the shape of human teeth. Weird and whimsical paintings coyly dotted several booths here and there, one fellow had an absolutely gorgeous collection of photography prints of abandoned places, several vendors had an assortment of small fabric creations, a young writer pitched his book real hard but he didn’t have to. I bought it anyway because I like encouraging writers. I also love encouraging artists which is why I also ended up with a button and another small token I bought for a friend which I won’t be talking about just in case they’re reading this!
At some point I ended up in Candy Land – the pot vendors. They had EVERYTHING. And all in such bright colors! Every edible known to man and then some. And some little colorful bongs and I don’t know what else. I sorta wandered away after someone offered a sample. Sample of what I don’t know but I felt like I should drift off before accidentally eating a tab of acid or something. Not that I think anyone here was malicious in any way, that’s just 100% how my life goes. Not a day goes by where I am not asking myself, “How did that just happen?!” And this includes two separate occasions of accidentally eating psychotropic berries. So yeah, I’m talented.
I was really enjoying this. I’d found all my favorite kinds of people so far – witches, hippies, people in full steam punk regalia, stoners, artists, really all the empaths on the fringe of society. This was especially so for the woman selling cutting boards, soap, and paddles presumably to beat lovers with. I’m not sure how these things are related as this is also not my wheelhouse, but the sex positivity was refreshing in any event. I ordered a cup of corn chowder and sat just in front of the aforementioned vendor. Why? People watching. It was the perfect spot for that. While I was there I messaged the organizer of this event (and hilarious author) Jeff Mach and did a short meet and greet. It’s always lovely to finally put a face to my Twitter and/or Facebook friends! I wished him good luck as I went about my afternoon.
I must say the vendors and customers alike at this place were all super nice! I lost count how many compliments I got on my bellbottoms, silly T-shirt, and vibrant orange hair. Got into one discussion with a vendor about my age – 38 – to which both vendors gasped, “You do not look 38!” THANK YOU. You know how to flatter these creaky old bones!
Anyway, I am writing this tonight in the hopes someone may see it and join the festivities tomorrow as this is a three-day event Fri-Sun. And maybe if you’re reading this later on who knows, it could be an annual event if enough people like it… I certainly did!
After perusing the cemetery earlier on in the day we decided to head towards town and take a little walk to see if we could find any neat little shops or other things to explore. What we found was a whole town utterly dedicated to Halloween. EVERY shop window had decorations, paintings, and Halloween displays. Scarecrows dotted the streets, each with a name, so I am guessing it was a contest. The local school nearby advertised their sports team: The Horsemen. Banners were hanging in the hopes people would attend various events all related to Sleepy Hollow and other spooky adventures. It was an absolute delight!
Even the municipal building was in on it, adorned with a stain glass window of a headless horseman and telling everyone about this year’s haunted hayrides. Locals looked at me with a mild amusement as I took photos and cooed. Clearly, we needed to plan this better. I have a feeling next year we’re going to go all out. You see most of the things that needed tickets were completely sold out – shows, cemetery tours, haunted walks, you name it! Oh yes, we will be back…
We’d been wanting to go to Sleepy Hollow New York for quite a while now to check out their infamous cemetery – the one that was once terrorized by the ghostly visage of a headless horseman. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was written about this place and the author of said classic tale of horror, Washington Irving, was also laid to eternal rest here with other members of his family. Obviously, we had to go see that. We chose October hoping everything would be a vibrant celebration of Halloween and we were not disappointed!
However, getting there proved quite a challenge. I was on day 2 of my usual 3-day migraine and despite probably better judgement decided to drive down there anyway. Google said the trip should take 3 hours, but I knew it’d be longer. Traffic in that area is always horrible. I was right. My migraine pounded as I drove through every traffic jam I could muster, even getting rear-ended at one point. Eventually I was forced to stop at a service station to take a piss break or explode. We also took the time to eat lunch in the parking lot, thank god.
We arrived after 3PM only to find this is one of those cemeteries with stupidly short hours closing at 4:30PM! Uggggghhh. We drove through it a bit trying to see things by the car but this was definitely set up as a walking cemetery for the most part. I parked at the church, we quickly located a map, and joined the throngs of other weird tourists. I immediately found the grave of Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), Scottish-American industrialist, steel magnate, and philanthropist. Interesting but that’s not what we were here for.
We headed immediately towards the Civil War Memorial which was nice as far as these things go. But I was keener to find Washington Irving which we did next. He had a bunch of people gathered to peer upon his stone which was very ordinary and uniform amongst the other stones in his family plot. I left a penny. People had thrown all sorts of coins, very few were pennies! But I guess…. most people don’t carry pennies on them these days like I do.
We really hoofed it from here trying to see as much as possible in a very short amount of time. This cemetery however was quite hilly and I struggled to breathe as I overheated trying to get up the massive amount of steps. This overheating this is really starting to affect what I can do on a day-to-day basis. It’s Autumn for pity’s sake! Not like it was 80 degrees out! And so there I was, panting like a peasant at the foot of an egregiously ostentatious Rockerfeller monument that was bigger than most houses (and not to be snarky but also quite boring to look at.) Another mausoleum across the way was somewhat smaller but looked like it might hold vampires or treasure or something else interesting. See, if you’re going to throw away good money for the dead you might as well make it individualistic!
My favorite parts of the cemetery were actually the bridge the headless horseman galloped over (although it is no longer the original bridge – another stands there and is just as cute) as well as the oldest part of the cemetery near the Old Dutch Church where all the stones from the 1700’s were. Being this was New York and not Massachusetts or Rhode Island the stones were distinctly different being made of not slate but sandstone. Still the Cherub heads seemed to be very popular.
This cemetery was one of the most immaculately maintained and well gardened cemeteries I’ve seen. The large trees planted very strategically around the place added to the eerie charm of the place. I loved this cemetery and would love to come back when we’ve planned it better to either spend an actual day doing a deep dive or perhaps do a night tour – of which there are several (though all the tickets for the rest of the year are sold out. Maybe next year??)
We had a WONDERFUL day exploring Sleepy Hollow New York earlier on in the day and we thought that was it. I had a pounding migraine, we’d been driving for 4 hours but when we saw this LIT UP driveway on the way home we had to check it out. I literally turned my head achy ass around to go in. (106 Ten Rod Road Exeter RI)
As you enter there are signs asking you to turn your headlights off and stay in the car. This place was LIT. Just about every blow up Halloween decoration you could think of lined both sides of this driveway all illuminated with lights. Two other lookeyloos were already driving along. There was a donation box at the end of the driveway in front of an open barn FULL of huge Halloween decorations as well.
My dearest tried taking photos but I was driving instead of stopping and most came out blurry. My brain was FRIED from a whole day of migraining and he’s just too damn polite to yell at me.
In any event if you find yourself in Exeter this is worth a detour!!
Twas a grey and gloomy day to take the cat for a walk through a random cemetery, as one does. This cemetery had signs posted at the gate stating dogs were not allowed. It said nothing about cats.
Mystic has been a wonderful place to visit in the past. I’d appreciated the apple picking, the day shopping, the pizza binging, and someday I shall visit the aquarium. Surely such a cute little city must have a fine and glorious cemetery, no?
We went to find out. The stones seemed to be mostly from the 1800’s to the present, almost all were marble. One monument was a mourning woman who had lost a bunch of babies. Tragic but not unusual. What was unusual was that they had a monument to them.
The cat was over stimulated to say the least, but she seemed to be enjoying it none the less. She even managed to court a ginger gent who spent a good twenty minutes stalking our party. Figures she’d find a boyfriend being unfixed and ready to roll. Later on a car would come by, see the cat, and think this was the funniest thing in the world – a cat on a leash in a cemetery. They told us the ginger tom who’d been following us belonged to a house across the street and he frequented this cemetery on the daily. I was impressed. A cemetery with its own cat. That’s pretty cool.
It was a relatively quick visit. The cat sure had fun but I’m not sure I would suggest this cemetery to anyone who is travelling to see it. There was the usual smattering of grieving women, a cherub or two, and some interesting nautical themed monuments but mostly this was pretty standard faire for a cemetery.
It’s been many many years since I went to Jaffrey’s Old Town Center. I’m not sure I ever went into the cemetery but on this day I did! I had heard that there were two famous people buried here: Amos Fortune and Willa Cather. As a child I had heard about Amos Fortune, a formerly enslaved man who made quite a name for himself, but Willa Cather was news to me. She was a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist.
I’ve been trying to do more Catching Marbles entries this month than usual, but my body has NOT been happy with this new goal, and I was knackered even before I arrived. Still, seeing this place again brought back some fond memories of my childhood. The Old Jaffrey Town Center looks more or less like it did 200 years ago, a small cluster of churches and big farmhouses sitting in a neat little circle, a big grassy common in front of them all. It’s quaint and sweet. They even kept the carriage house intact behind the church as well as the absolutely tiny one room schoolhouse. Plaques and memorials are scattered about making a self-guided tour very easy. The atmosphere was absolutely charming and the Old Burial Grounds behind the church were no different. They were nestled in a quiet spot with a gorgeous view of Mount Monadnock beyond. The perfect place for eternal rest.
Out front of the gates there was a big plaque stating that this was a stop on the Black Heritage Trail because of Amos Fortune. I was told online maps of the cemetery would be at the entrance. There was…. sort of… one big map but it was not laid out in a user-friendly manner. On it several graves were marked out under letters although you pretty much had to read this huge thing about all of them to figure out which was which. I passed because I could see immediately beyond a big number one sitting next to one of the graves. Cool. Surely the two graves I was looking for would be on this numbered tour, right? Right?
I had wandered around and enjoyed all the old slates and got a feel for the place when I realized none of the 13 clearly labelled stops were either Amos Fortune or Willa Cather. What?? I managed to just bump into Willa Cather on accident at the corner of the cemetery not far from the gates. I’d only gone to look at her monument because I saw a ton, and I mean a ton, of rocks on top of her stone. I wanted to know who was so well loved! And I was happy to see it was her. Novelists rarely get that much attention after death. From what I gather she had a claim to fame by writing a series of novels about pioneer life back in the day.
Before I found Will though I found a bizarre monument at the other end of the cemetery in the back that was like nothing I’d ever seen before. It seemed like a vault grave but different somehow? On it the face of a woman was carved as well as a series of religious scenes below. It was chunky and odd, like a folk-art representation of the ostentatious wealthy Catholic memorials I sometimes see. I knew from one of my cemetery books that this monument was carved by a man driven mad by grief from the death of his first wife (whose face it was at the top.) After some drama in creating this… unusual display he eventually lost interest, moved away, and remarried. Doesn’t make for the greatest story but it does make me want to ask a lot of questions!
After all this I was having a hard time standing. I sat on a huge tree trunk near the crypt and rested. Where was Amos Fortune?? I had consulted the map earlier on in the day. He was labelled as “J” but seeing as I have no sense of direction I read the map all wrong and didn’t find him. Asking my phone also resulted no results so I went back to the map and realized it wasn’t oriented in the way I thought it should be and tried again but only after looking up what the memorial looked actually like. It was distinctive in that all the slates in this cemetery seemed to be in perfect condition except for his. His looked as if at some point it has cracked diagonally and snapped in half. A repair effort had fused the pieces back together but not in the most delicate of ways – a large white cement crease could be seen as well as some rusted bolts. Not to be bitchy but this was the worst attempt at stone repair I’d ever seen.
And so I tried again. From the gate I walked forward until I came to the stone wall on the opposing side and then I took a small left and it wasn’t long before I recognized this unique stone. I’d been looking for something drenched in pennies but it didn’t look like anyone had been here. Not a single penny, rock, or trinket, lay testament to a man whose name is burned so heavily into this town’s history. I apologized for this and amended the situation leaving a penny on both his and his wife’s stone.
So who is Amos Fortune? Well, he was an African man who was sold into slavery in the 1700’s and brought to Boston where he labored until he was able to purchase his own freedom at the age of 60. After this he moved to Jaffrey, founded a successful tannery, bought the freedom of his wife and adopted daughter, and lived what looks on the outside to be a good life until his death at 91 where upon he bequeathed a substantial amount of money to the church and community. In 1950 he was once again remembered with Amos Fortune, Free Man a Newbury Metal winning biography by Elizabeth Yates.
I was having a weird day today. Ended up accidentally crashing a funeral! Hoooow? How did this happen? Well…
Last week I was reading in one of my cemetery books that there was a beautiful cemetery in Jaffrey NH. Really?? I mean I live very nearby and had never heard of this cemetery. The book also denoted the driveway to it was easy to miss and basically said it was in the middle of nowhere. It was called the Philips-Heil Cemetery which is not an unusual name as many of these older cemeteries are named after the original families that buried their loved ones in them. Seeing as it was in the middle of nowhere, likely a family cemetery, and very old (I’m talking slate stones here) I did not expect to find anyone out there.
It was indeed a bit of trouble to find but the sign out front was big enough to see coming from one direction. It was up a long narrow dirt driveway in the woods, so you could not see the cemetery from the road. As I drove up I found a parking lot. And it was FULL. I mean really full… there had to be thirty cars here. Whaaaat was going on?
I found a tiny slot where I could squeeze my Prius. A dirt road continued onward but I wasn’t about to get my wimpy ass Prius stuck and unable to turn around with so many witnesses. Later I’d learn it was only a short drive to overflow parking where there were spaces. Wish I’d known that.
Do I get out or turn around? People were already looking at my car. Hrumph. I got out. If I had to I could bluff in this odd Harold and Maude kinda moment. Upon getting out I realized this cemetery was TINY and there was no real way I could just wander by the services and pretend to be there for someone else, but I had no other option. I walked up to road by them getting dagger eyes from whoever was leading the ceremony. It was just wrapping up. I was not dressed for this sort of thing and was clearly an outsider.
By now I was uncomfortable and so were a great deal of others. I tried not to make eye contact as I walked to the opposite side of the cemetery and peered at the stones intently. Sadly, all these stones were super old and I couldn’t pretend I was here to leave flowers for a great uncle or something. By now I could smell the faint aroma of decay. That was odd. I’ve been to funerals before, I never remember smelling the dead. Then it dawned on me, I thought Heil might be a Jewish surname. Great. Did I just crash a Jewish funeral in the midst of that clusterfuck between Israel and Palestine? When tensions are at an all-time high?! YEAH, that might explain why the person leading this (the rabbi? The funeral director? Not sure) was watching me with such intensity it was burning a hole in my neck. I swear I was not here for any nefarious reasons. I couldn’t give a shit what anyone’s religion or ethnicity is – I just like the pretty stones!
As people were leaving a friendly man and his wife approached me smiling. Oh fuck, here it comes.
“Just out taking pictures today?”
“Yes, I like to take photos of historic grave markers.”
“Oh! Well! The newer stones are up front. You can see many generations of the Philips family here.”
“Thank you!” I smiled and wandered off.
Later I heard a girl and her mum speaking.
“Why is she here?” She asked, obviously referring to me.
“She might know someone buried here. Or she’s out taking photos of the old stones. People do that!”
This cemetery was very small. Around 150 or so stones. Most were very old and in this setting, they were quite charming nestled away in a quiet corner of the woods. It was VERY New Englandy! Most were pretty uniform although there was one monument that stuck out at the back near the overflow parking. It wasn’t a headstone. It was a chair. Made of marble.
Later on in the day I looked up this cemetery’s history and found this note about the chair, “A striking memorial is that in the north end of the yard, looking across to Gap Mountain. It is a great stone chair, fit to be the throne of a monarch of the hills. It is a memorial of the Ross family, three generations of whom lived hereabout. It is said that according to the belief of a descendant, spirits often return to the scenes of their earthly existence, and so, with filial respect, he placed for them this chair, facing the sunset, where in seemly fashion they may sit at ease when they return to muse upon the scene of their earthly existence.” (You can find the rest of the article here.)
Basically, this cemetery was the remnants of a farming enclave that lived in between Jaffrey and Fitzwilliam, too far away from either to be fully incorporated. Very interesting! And without further ado here is the very scant few snaps I took.
It was another day just wandering around looking for some good trails to explore when I came across the Weetamoo Woods. Strange name, I thought, as I wandered in. As it turns out this gorgeous scenery came with a gruesome and perhaps entirely regrettable historical narrative.
I had no idea this was somewhere that was tainted with the blood spilled during the King Philip’s War. More so I had never heard the name Weetamoo before. As it turns out she was a woman chef of the Pocasset tribe. She led several hundred men in her own army during King Philip’s War against the colonists. And King Philip – he was her brother-in-law during her third marriage (of five.) Her leadership was largely unrecognized by the white settlers because of her being a woman but she fought valiantly in her short life. Unfortunately, she was eventually cornered by the colonists during King Philip’s War, drowned, and her corpse defiled. They brought her head to be displayed to the public on a pike in Taunton Massachusetts. And her children who had been caught alive? Sold into slavery. Most of this story was narrated on a plaque at the entrance.
Dark. Morbid. And wholly unjustified. No wonder they don’t teach us about what really happened in those early years of our nation during our schooling. It’s much more comforting to just go on believing in the Thanksgiving Story. Everyone being nice to each other…
I was struck by this story. This woman was a force in her own right, and she had followed her heart, led her people, and fought with everything she had. And now I was here, near where she died, just casually ambling through a patch of woods we’ve named after her. I was humbled.
Since I was alone on this particular day and lacking someone with a sense of direction, I decided to stay on the yellow path which cut straight through the forest before ending some ways out. Although I could still hear traffic for quite a while these woods seemed more remote than they were. A few big, gnarled trees took on an appropriately creepy vibe. Most people don’t realize that the trees in these parts used to be huge I mean with trunks you could wrap several people around in a hug – the sort of thing we normally only think of existing in the Redwood Forest on the opposite coast of our country. White settlers cut pretty much every last one of them down. I’ve yet to see any evidence of a tree older than these times but before the settlers trees were so big because they were allowed to grow for hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years. Everything you see today is new growth. Trees that began their life after everything else was cut down.
I pondered how different these woods must have looked then during Weetamoo’s life in the mid 1600’s. Were they scary? Perhaps even haunted? I couldn’t blame them if they were. I made sure to talk to the trees a bit and thank them for such a beautiful trail. Whether you believe someone is listening or not doesn’t matter. It never hurts to be kind in these situations. Kind and grateful.
I wasn’t the only out on this day. Lots of people had come with their dogs and they were passing me like no one’s business as I struggled to keep going. My body has not been happy with my recent attempts at getting back into shape and was pitching a fit as it usually does – overheating and stabbing me in the side with sharp pains. I stopped several times to sit on rocks and eventually turned around before finding the end of the trail because by then it was getting dark and I didn’t want to be stuck in the woods with no sweater or jacket for the night. Especially in woods with such a gruesome history. No… I have my limits.
That being said I really enjoyed this trail. It was pretty wet at parts, but it was gorgeous and easy to hike. And all the people with their sweet little dogs? Bonus. Definitely a puppy bonus.
You ever have one of those days where you just have a complete meltdown because of things out of your control and then you ask the universe for some guidance and end up somewhere wonderful? That would have been today for me. Serendipitous, you may say. Earlier on in the day I thought I was near my journey’s end when it came to me being a medical mystery for the past 20+ years but the rheumatologist I went to disagreed and I felt like I’d slammed into a concrete wall for the last time. I went out into the parking lot and yelled in my car and then tried to drive home but then I realized NO, I was not going to go home defeated. I needed to find my inner Zen, recenter, be a peace with the universe. So, I asked the Universe to guide me to a good trail.
And when the time felt right I took one of those fateful detours up a random road which turned out to be Mt Lebanon Road. In less than a mile I got what I asked for. A trail. A trail I knew nothing about as I don’t live in the area. It found me. I parked and headed in. And whew! This trail was… how shall we put this politely? Rugged. Untamed. Quiet. Although it seemed to be near a neighborhood all I could hear were the chipmunks screaming at me and the birds above. No one else was here. This was PERFECT. An answer to my prayers.
I toddled in with the wonder of a small child. And before I knew it the aggravations of the day started to fade and I found myself at the feet of some very colorful autumn trees and then little creatures started to show themselves. Fuzzy caterpillars of all kinds, a darling little tree frog, more irate chipmunks, a pair of mourning doves, and a night crawler so big I thought it was a snake! I felt blessed, quiet, at peace. I looked up to see a dead tree which still had one living branch, really a whole new baby tree, jutting out from it far above my head. I know it seems silly but this seemed like another sign – to keep going, to never stop fighting for myself. Before the day was out I would find another dead tree that seemed oddly significant. It was bendy, really bendy, almost serpentine as it snaked up towards the sky in an S pattern. Normally I’d just say that was a weird tree but that diagnosis I was seeking earlier was for EDS – a disease punctuated by hypermobility. I.e. people with it are bendy. Too bendy.
When I fell tired I perched myself on a rock and in a calmer state than I was in earlier I made a little video about why this particular doctor’s appointment was so frustrating. And the trees listened. And so did a few people on TikTok. I felt better. A lot better. And then I went back to wandering this ill marked trail, eventually ambling off of it only to end up in someone’s back yard staring at a staircase to the road. I turned around, completed the North Trail loop, and because I have NO sense of direction I ended up back at in those poor people’s back yard before correcting my route and finally finding the car. I was spent, feeling a bit foolish, but I’d returned to my happy self.
Which brings me back to this weird review of the trail. If you happen to be in the area looking for a moderate trail with little to no traffic and a few pretty scenes check it out! See if you can find your Zen here too. And for those of you who have been reading this blog and want to see the videos I took of my little 2 part meltdown feel free. I’ll include them after the pretty pictures. Much love to all of you!
