New England trip
New England trip
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 Mendocino Farce of July
Most days, on the roads near Caspar, you'll spend some quality time behind a log truck. This one, loaded with second- or third-growth redwood, escorted us from the mouth of the Navarro to the mill in Philo. This reminds us that our woods are still amazingly productive after more than a century of abuse. |
Being home was heavenly. We got to unpack. We got to wear unworn clothes. We got to eat Caspar style. And the weather, for summertime Caspar, was wondrous.
After a lovely stretch of weather, beloved guests, and Mendocino's supremely silly Fourth of July Parade -- Julia bought me a "These Colors Don't Run ... THE WORLD" tee shirt, we felt we had one more little trip in us, so we gathered up our goodies, packed up, and headed out for one last little excursion.
 log truck turns into Philo mill |
 orchard richness at Gowans |
We had to make a couple of stops before leaving our beloved Mendocino County -- Gowans where Damiana ponders her purchase of stone fruit and berries and Navarro Vineyards for a sampling of superb local wines for house gifts at friends' in New England.
 Navarro Vineyards garden |
From one garden spot, we hopped to another, different kind of garden. Usually, the Mendocino has two seasons, wet and dry, and New England has summer rains ...but not this year. Everyone was commenting on the lack of life-giving precipitation. Nevertheless, the gardens and fields and hillsides looked mighty green to us.
Vermont Master of Beer-can Chicken |
Sandy's & Stephen's garden
As a westerner with five years of Cambridge in my life, New England is still puzzling. This year, friends notwithstanding, there seemed to be a cloud over the people of Massachusetts and Vermont, and it wasn't just the drought. Aging infrastructure, declining wealth, and not much hope of recovery seems to have been wearing at these people, and their kindness, never a strong point, is frayed. |
We spent a lovely sun-struck day among fellow solar fanatics at the small but delightful SolarFest, visited with old friends, and conducted a couple of well-received workshops on dumb solar tricks and building community.
Across New England, there are many little towns and villages that are striving to reinvent themselves, resist the onslaught of the big box stores, and I was touched by how eager the folks were to talk about community.
 |  the sun-powered stage at Solarfest |
 Rockport shop window |
Too soon, we felt the absence of the sea, so we beat our way across northern Massachusetts, past the carnival of Walden Pond on a sunny summer Sunday, to the equally beset shore of Cape Ann in far northeastern Massachusetts, a place neither of us had been. We found a B&B with a wrap-around ocean view, and enjoyed a quiet, anonymous evening.
Just one question: what is it about seashore villages that makes people want to buy stuff? |
 picture-perfect |
 splendid "cottage" |
 Rockport harbor
Parking in Rockport being next to impossible, Rockport is a walking town, with a great bluff walk complete with wonderful engraved marble benches to sit on and watch the sun set behind the harbor and the cape. Along one good stretch, the walk goes between splendid houses and their splendid view -- imagine that in Caspar! |
Rockport has probably been a tourist destination since long before tourism was invented. Its mix of day-trippers, summer residents, and full-timers is much like Caspar's, but it has had much longer to provide amenities that appeal to all.
 benches along the bluff walk |
 sunroom at sunset |
Rockport is a Nantucket you can drive to, with a bit more solitude that one might expect in the crowded northeast. We really appreciated a day to regenerate within sound of the lapping waves.
 sunset over the harbor |
We were invited to Nantucket to teach an adult class in sustainable living, but our best class turned out to be a gathering of young children and their doting parents. Favored by a perfect Nantucket day, we played solar games and told solar stories, and got our young friends thinking about where their energy really comes from -- maybe their parents, too!
At right you see a collection of ceramic sundials set out in the sun at noon along a timber oriented north-south. |
 student projects at NISDA |
 Island sunset |
As ever, Nantucket is a world apart, far enough away from the mainland to have a strong island spirit, but still too crowded and gentrified for our coarse California preferences. The island is awash in serious questioning of the sustainability of the development that's been going on there for the last three decades or so, but for some reason we didn't really get a good chance to join productively in the conversation. |
 sun behind water lily leaf |
 water lily |
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We decided to try to get home early enough to be part of what promised to be an important Caspar meeting. On our way out, we couldn't help noticing that Boston's Logan Airport is still under construction (40 years later!) What with the Big Dig and the perpetual reconstruction at Logan, Boston is an acquired taste. |
Just after sunrise (in theory; it was raining), we jetted from Boston to SFO, where Damiana fetched us and connected us with the MTA to arrive in Caspar in time for a lovely sunset. What a miracle.
The meeting was worth coming home for, and it was rewarding to be done with our sabbatical year of travelling and home among our neighbors.
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 Caspar Community meeting |
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