Saturday, November 08, 2008

By the Rude Bridge

I took a drive out to Concord, MA this afternoon. It was a lovely day for photographing because it was kind of gray and misty making the colors stand out rather brilliantly. First, I stopped at Hartwell Tavern, a place I've driven by many, many times but never stopped to see. As I was walking down the long driveway, taking pictures as I went, all of a sudden a turkey cock emerged from the woods to cross the road with 13 hens following!

I continued along Battleground Road to the Old Manse. I didn't go into the Manse this time (home at different times to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne), but I did explore the garden. There wasn't much left but some cabbage and a few pumpkins.

Next door to the Old Manse, was the Old North Bridge where "the embattled farmers once stood and fired the shot heard 'round the world." This is not the original bridge; it has been rebuilt a number of times. It's still rustic and inspiring.

I went from there to Walden Pond where I drank in the peace still there from the days that Henry David Thoreau wrote about.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

My brother lives in Concord. Looks like late fall has descended, but not quite winter. Walden Pond is probably one of the top five most influential stories of the larger American Story. It's a time tested classic that is a window and wormhole to understanding who we are, collectively, and where we are going, personally.

La Tea Dah said...

A lovely post --- I almost felt like I was there with you. Thank you for sharing your adventures and giving us a taste of history. Your locale is so rich in history --- I love it!

I too saw wild turkeys recently. Yesterday on our way to our cabin we viewed two large flocks. One turkey cock especially had stunning tail feathers! It's amazing to see the world through autumn's view.

Thank you!
LaTeaDah