Friday, October 16, 2009

Good Night and Goodbye from Little Pond

 


Our stay has come to an end. Tomorrow we will head back to Columbus and leave Little Pond for Megan's Parents to enjoy. The next time we'll be back, ice will cover this pond and the geese that descended upon the water today will also be long gone. We've had a great vacation here in western Maine- we scaled two mountains, did the obligatory trip to L.L. Bean, and even ate a genuine New England boiled dinner held in the basement of the church where Megan and I were married. And Weston loved every bit of our stay. Can we ask for anything more?

When we visit here for a full week, we get a taste of what life in rural Maine is like- clean air and lots of nature, but the drive to town, to the store, to church, to the gas station- well, that just gets old. At home in the city, I never wish for more activity, more civilization, more things to do. But after a week in the Maine woods, I'm somewhat longing for our city once more. I know this feeling will be short lived- once back in the hub-bub of Columbus, I'll be wishing for the clean air and orange post-sunset glow reflecting into little pond.

Tom

7 comments:

  1. What a beautiful place...great photo. There are pluses and minuses to both country and city living, just as you say. We live a 15 minute drive outside of a nice medium size town....sort of country, but not too far from city. I kind of like that sort of location best. There is still beauty and a bit of wildness....but not isolation. Places like your Little Pond are for visits :-)

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  2. I can't remember who said it, but there's a quote about when a town gets so big you can stroll down the sidewalk and not know every shop owner and person you pass by name, it's too big. I agree. I live 15-25 minutes (depending on traffic) from downtown of a city I'm sure you know well—not quite as large as Columbus. Except for one monthly meeting I have to attend in the evenings there, I haven't been downtown in years. I visit malls once or twice annually while Christmas shopping. The mega-grocery is across the river and maybe 500 yards away as the crow flies; I shop weekly or every other week.

    Cities for me are places you go to as a last resort. If I could live the rest of my life and never have to go into anything larger than a village, I'd be perfectly happy. Many would say where I currently live, in what some would think as near-rurality, is the idea location. Yet whenever I leave the house, I turn toward the lesser traveled roads, the wilder country, the places where the human impact upon the land is as minimal as I can find. I think Little Pond sounds like a wonderful compromise between wilderness and civilization. But…to each their own. I'm well aware that my view is shared by only a few.

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  3. Your sky is a wonderful gift before you go.

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  4. Thanks for sharing pictures of the pond
    Which contains an oxygen and hydrogen bond
    Your next trip will take you to the beyond
    Where we'all will have a chance to respond

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  5. Your photos are so intoxicating. I'd love to visit rural Maine sometime ...soon!

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  6. Thanks Everyone-

    I think the country vs. city life is a battle that I constantly am engaged with- I love being in the wilderness, but I also love the action and excitement of the city. Ideally, I'd have two houses. I can dream....

    Tom

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  7. Looks like it was a wonderful trip. I'd find it hard to leave such a lovely place.

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