Live deliberately...

The morning started with a homemade breakfast of baked pears with raspberry sauce, yogurt with homemade granola, and blueberry cake at the communal table with a few of the others that stayed at the Inn. One couple was from Australia -- Melbourne, more precisely -- and one man from the Houston area. We were later joined by a couple of other young women, but I don’t recall them saying where they were from. Breakfast was yummy and the conversation was for the most part interesting. The issue of politics and health care and even Southern accents (well, all accents because we discussed the Boston brogue and the Australia accent as well) came up. I avoided speaking about anything I felt might lead to unpleasantries because I was focused on what I was certain was going to be a pleasant experience waiting ahead for me.

When Gregory, one of the innkeepers (the innkeepers are a couple) returned from taking the new cat that they had rescued from starvation on the streets of New York City where their son is in med school, he was going to drive me to Walden Pond.

Ahhhh...Walden Pond. A legendary, mythical, magical place in my mind...A place that inspired Henry David Thoreau to live a tranquil and solitary life for 2 years and 2 months while he wrote Walden....OK, I’m guessing that’s what you’ve been told too...and, you’d be WRONG...From my visit to Concord, I have learned that while Thoreau did live in a one-room cabin for 2 years and 2 months in order to re-connect with nature and simplify his life to the barest of necessities, he did not feel that doing away with the company of others or isolating himself to that spot for that period of time was necessary. He had guests at Walden Pond -- among them, the Alcotts, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. He also walked in to center city of Concord on a fairly regular basis. It is probable that he walked in once every week or two (and after walking that same walk myself today, I’m pretty certain I could have stretched those visits into town to more like once a month...2 miles was a fairly long walk for me after having spent a bit over 2 hours walking the perimeter of Walden Pond, but more about that walk later...)

Gregory was kind enough to take me to the CVS for camera batteries and a Diet Dr. Pepper that was I felt surely needed as fuel for my days’ journey. He dropped me off across from Walden Pond at the Visitor Center/Gift Shop and told me to head right after leaving the pond and walk two miles back to town. He said there were several shortcuts, but being as I had already explained to him that I was somewhat directionally challenged, he decided it was best not to pass on the information due to fear that I might get lost heading back.

The gift shop was not open yet and although the replica of Thoreau’s cabin (the original cabin was sold to Hawthorne’s gardener and disassembled for use as firewood and the roof of an outhhouse) is also on that side of the street I was more anxious to see the real Walden Pond and would visit the replica cabin and shop later.

I headed down the hill and caught my first glimpse of the beautiful Walden Pond. The forest surrounding the area is lovely and the trail is a beautiful walk that winds all the way around the pond. In many areas in an effort to conserve the woods, there are fences on both sides of the trail. But they are simple wire fences that do not obstruct the views and there are numerous places where there are gaps in the fence and stone stairways of sorts that allow a visitor to walk right down to the edge of the water.

I hardly feel that I have adequate words to describe the beauty of the area. (I did, however, take about 160 pictures of the pond and little things in nature around it that I found fascinating. I am uploading those photos now to the shutterfly share site...IF you like nature pics, you should check them out. I really feel in this case that a picture -- or 165 pictures -- is worth a thousand words (or maybe 165 thousand words...and I’m betting you are relieved I’m not going to even attempt to write those 165000 words to describe what I saw)...

A few things I will mention here are that 1) apparently a lot of people come out to the pond to swim. I was told that the water is less than pristine, but you can see to the bottom at the edges and it’s a beautiful blue-green in many other places. 2) It is a long, but very enjoyable walk. At first, I was bothered by encountering others along the way...But then I remembered that not even Thoreau chose to always spend his time here totally alone. 3) The earlier you go the better as far as solitude. I arrived at about 9:45 and stayed at the pond til around 12:15. By 11 or so, there were quite a few people there. 4) It is easy to see by walking through the woods at Walden why someone would choose this as a perfect place to commune with nature and simplify one’s life to the basic necessities. It is also quite easy for me to see how this place would inspire someone to think and to write. (BTW...if you have not read Thoreau’s works, I strongly urge you to do so...If you feel that you simply don’t have time to read -- ie, that developing your mind, thinking deeply and expanding your views on the world aren’t important enough activities to spend some portion of your day doing -- then at the very very least Google Thoreau’s quotes and spend some time at least reading those....In fact, do it NOW...I assure you that as witty and wonderful as I’m sure you think I am, you will be much more enlightened and entertained by the words of that great author)... 5) Walden Pond is a wonderful place to explore, to explore the natural beauty of the woods and the pond, and also to explore yourself and your thoughts and your relationship to the world around you.

One other important occurrence at Walden Pond that I will tell you about is the visiting of the site where the cabin actually stood. I knew that the tradition was to carry a stone and place at the site. I did not realize that it was a tradition because Hawthorne had helped conservations and researchers place stones where, to the best of his remembrance, the original cabin was located so that when they returned to excavate and search for relics from the cabin that the place would be easier to locate in the woods. The original footing of the chimney was eventually unearthed and in that spot there is a marker that indicates that and several stone columns that roughly outline the dimension of the cabin. To the left of that is a stack of stones. I forgot to bring a stone to add. I wish I had remembered to do so. I wish that I had brought a stone from Garrett’s rock collection to leave amongst the stack of stones. Instead I walked back down the trail a bit and found a stone large enough to write on. I pulled my hot pink pen out of my purse and sat down on a stump to write my message. I wrote “I will LIVE DELIBERATELY” on one side of the stone and wrote my name and the date on the other side and then rather unceremoniously -- because frankly, it’s hard to have much of a ceremony when you’re alone in the woods -- placed my stone on the stack, took a picture of it, and walked on.

I finished my walk around the pond. I found myself slowing down as I knew I was nearing the end. I knew Walden Pond was going to be one of those places that I didn’t want to leave. I walked to the end with the beach house and swim area and sat for another 20 minutes or so. I saw a park ranger on a horse and took photos of the plaques and the US flag that grace the top of the hill. I knew there were other things to be seen back in Concord so I reluctantly left Walden Pond and crossed the road to the gift shop.

I browsed for a good while. There were many things I wanted, but I settle on a lapel pin and a dark green wristband that simply says ... LIVE DELIBERATELY...(I’m sure you see a theme here...) As I checked out the cashier asked where I was from. When I said, Lubbock, Texas. He said “I have always wanted to go there.” I kid you not, those were his exact words...and my reply...WHY?...(yes, Lubbock is a good place and all, but I rarely run into anyone who says they’ve ALWAYS wanted to go there...) But this guy was a huge Buddy Holly fan...Had been since his childhood...He asked if the museum was nice and if I’d been to his grave (which I have not...and sadly, this spring was honestly the first time I’d ever been to the museum.) I told him I liked the museum a lot and suggested that he should definitely visit. I guess Buddy Holly is to him what Thoreau is to me...an inspiration and an icon ...and I think it’s worth visiting those places that inspired the ones that inspire you.

After quickly stopping by to visit the cabin replica -- mostly to check and see if there were indeed three chairs present..(if you don’t understand that allusion read Thoreau...heck, you can honestly probably find the reference if you just read the quotes collections you’ll find from Google) -- I took a few pictures, considered what it must be like to live in a cabin like that in the woods surrounding Walden Pond, felt a tinge of jealousy and a bit of satisfaction in the belief that I too could survive like that, and I took one last look and headed across the street, took a right turn down the path and headed back to Concord.

It was a long walk. And it wasn’t too bad til I crossed the highway that runs along the end of the woods nearest Concord and the path disappeared. I was walking down the side of Walden Road. Walden Road is a two-lane road that is really very busy. Unlike the wonderfully kind and courteous drivers in Concord who seem very aware and very obliging to pedestrian traffic, the drivers on Walden Road didn’t seem to notice or at least not care that I was there. I walked cautiously along the side of the road (and I mean the actual side of the lane of traffic -- there is NO shoulder) and although I’d been told to follow that road all the way back to where I took it out of town, I decided against this option...Directional challenges be damned...I was DELIBERATELY looking for a way to feel less concerned about protecting my own life. About a mile and a quarter in from Walden, there was a street named Thoreau. This street did not look as busy, had a sidewalk and also had a sign that said Thoreau Street shopping. I knew I was headed back to the center city shopping area off Main and Lexington so I figured this street was a safe bet. Well, it wasn’t exactly a shortcut, but it did get me safely back to Main Street...eventually...

I walked down Main to the area where I knew some restaurants were and settled on Comella’s, an authentic Italian restaurant. I was tired AND hungry. I ordered the shrimp parmigiana sandwich with peppers, onions and mushrooms and a salad. Both were absolutely scrumptious. I also finished my meal with a mini-cannoli and a second Diet Coke for the road.

I decided to shop for just a bit before heading to the Concord Museum. I stopped in several nice little shops. One had a good selection of Vera Bradley purses, luggage, etc. I wanted another small bag like the one I carry now in a different print, but it was only available in two other prints at this particular store and neither one of them was one I really liked. My feet were tired and achy and I knew I didn’t really have room in my bags for any more stuff, BUT...I decided to go in this store called FootStock. That’s where I found a cute and comfy and great pair of backless black clogs. I loved them...it was love at first site...In fact, I spied them through the window yesterday, but hadn’t really planned on shopping again so I thought that quick loving glance at them yesterday would be all that I had to remember them by. Alas, I was wrong...and although I’m not certain I need these shoes, I most certainly bought them. In fact, they will be waiting for me at home when I arrive (the nice saleswoman is shipping them to me at no additional shipping cost)... I suppose this love story would be better if it were a fabulous man who I fell head over HEELS for (head over heels -- for shoes -- get it???)...But that’s not the case...And now I have something wonderful for me waiting at home (which I’ve been thinking having someone wonderful waiting for me at home would probably make me more anxious to actually go there)...And some day when I’m back in Lubbock and bored or it seems like nothing else is going right at least I’ll have cute shoes.

(I also found a great wool jacket, but it was a bit pricey AND I think I can find it online when I get home...) So, with my shopping bug cured and my purchase securely on its way, I headed down to the Concord Museum.

The Concord Museum, like many other museums, to my great chagrin does not allow photography. That does not however mean I do not have pictures...(It’s a self guided tour and I do have an iPhone with a camera (albeit not a great one) built in...so, yes, I deliberately disobeyed the rules and took a very few pictures inside the museum.) The museum was lovely and informative. It has the actual furnishings from Emerson’s study set up in a room to replicate the study and has many other exhibits about the intellectual endeavors, the social causes, the historical occurrences, and the other aspects that make Concord a unique place.

I learned a great deal -- a great deal more than I feel able to write about at this late hour -- but I did learn one thing that I will pass on... I learned that Henry David Thoreau and I share a birthday. While I am certain that at some point someone had passed along the years of both Thoreau’s birth and death, I was not aware until today that his birthday was July 12. I have never felt like sharing a birth date with someone really meant you shared any larger connection with them, but for some reason seeing that he was born on the same day of the year as I was did make me feel even more connected to a man whose philosophies and writings have always stirred a special feeling within me.

In addition to the things about Concord the museum also currently houses a traveling collection of Presidential China. It was interesting to look at and since I’ve recently been to DC it was a nice addition to the information about our presidents (and their tastes --or at least their wives’ tastes in dinnerware.)

I spent a bit of time in the gift shop at the museum. I had not intended to purchase anything there, but when I came across a collection of letters from Thoreau to a Mr. Blake entitled, Letters to the Spiritual Searcher, I decided to buy the book.

I left the museum with the intentions of visiting the Author’s ridge at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and the Old North Bridge where the Minute Men statue is and where the ‘shot that was heard ‘round the world’ was fired on April 19, 1775 starting the war for independence from English rule.

I had to walk back down to center city and turn up Bedford to get to the Author’s Ridge at the cemetery. I walked the long path uphill (or at least mostly uphill although it was a gradual climb) looking at the lovely homes that lined the street opposite the cemetery. At the second gate there is a sign directing visitors up another hill to the area known as Author’s Ridge. The cemetery itself is pretty and interesting. There are headstones dating back hundreds of years. The graves of Thoreau (in fact the entire families of all the authors,) Louisa May Alcott and Emerson are all very close to one another. I took photos of all of them. I was mostly struck by the simple stone that read Henry where Thoreau lies. Although there is a much larger family monument that says Thoreau, Henry’s stone like those of the rest of the Thoreau family is small and simply bears his first name. The Alcott family plot is set up similarly. The Emerson plot has many stones that are more elaborate, but Emerson’s is actually a much larger stone...and it is in fact a stone... a large rock (which I believe is quartz) that has the rough shape of a stone from nature and is much larger than any of the other elaborately inscribed stones in the family plot.

After visiting the graves, I heard the church bells ring out that it was 6 o’clock. I was still at the cemetery at this point. I was still more than a mile, and probably close to two miles away from the Old North Bridge because there is no path across from the cemetery to Old North Bridge and I would have to return to center city to make the trek out to the bridge.

I decided at that point that I am a good student of American Literature, but a bad American. Although I was less than two miles from the historic place where the first shot that led to the birth of our great nation was fired, I was NOT walking up there. I know...I’m a bad American...Sorry...but at least it gives me a really good reason to come back to Concord.

I headed in to center city, had another small dinner at Walden Grille & Bar (and btw, the bartender/aspiring comic/dog breeder from last night was the waitress tonight...and there was no obnoxious talk about how uncivilized Southerners are) and headed back to the Hawthorne Inn. I arrived shortly after 7 exhausted from my day in Concord, but also inspired. Concord has proven to be another location that passes the test of a great destination...1) I was emotionally engaged and affected...2) It was a place that made me think...and 3) I will leave here in the morning wanting more of Concord....

It is a place that has inspired, comforted, educated, and enlightened me. It is a place of independence, educational and philosophical exploration and a place of kindness and integrity...It is a place that I am pleased to have deliberately decided to add to this leg of the Queen’s Travel Tour...