"Eternal Presence" by John Wilson
We took a trip recently to Boston to see our friend, Hong. You remember Hong, right? If not, here is a link to our introduction to him. He spent several weeks with us last summer as we traveled through Canada, Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. He has been taking dance lessons for years and we were finally able to catch a performance now that we are in the area. He did an outstanding job. Way to go, Hong! Nice jazz hands!
While it was a short trip to Boston, Chris and I both wanted to make a stop at one our favorite places, Walden Pond. Only 30 minutes from Boston, the park quickly became one of our favorite places to escape the hectic city life when we lived in the area.
"Feral Goose" by Kitty Wells
In the summer months, the pond is open for swimming. The natural beauty and of course, it’s history, always left us feeling rejuvenated and inspired. We’ve been eager to return.
The weather was beautiful that weekend and after a gigantic breakfast at the S & S Restaurant, a landmark in Cambridge, we needed to move around and get some exercise and we agreed that Walden Pond would be the perfect solution. Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea on that lovely hot day and the Pond was closed for crowd control when we arrived. Doh!
Forced to change our plans, I quickly pulled out the iPhone to see where else we could spend the afternoon near the fabulous towns of Lincoln and Concord and I found the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park to be nearby. From what I could tell, it had lovely grounds and fit our needs at that moment. Hong, Chris, and Hong’s friend, Jose, wanted a place to toss a frisbee around and just be outdoors. I just needed to walk since I had all-too-easily consumed massive amounts of blueberry pancakes, home fries, and fruit.
"Figure from the Sea" by Elliot Offner
The park was a nice surprise. The 35 acres of land owned by the park are beautiful and, of course, filled with sculptures and beautifully landscaped gardens. There is also a museum although we didn’t take too much time exploring the museum as we wanted to be outside.
Opened in 1950, the property was given to the town of Lincoln by its owner, Julian de Cordova. An avid traveler and lover of arts, he remodeled his home on the property to resemble a European castle. Today, the home serves as the museum to contemporary American art, primarily from artists in the New England region.
"Manna" by Tom Chapin. I have no idea why I was so drawn to this sculpture. Hmmm....
Currently, the park is the only permanent public sculpture park in New England and displays approximately 80 sculptures on the property. We walked quite a bit of the property that day and viewed a good portion, if not all, of the sculptures. We also found a nice open field where the guys could toss the frisbee while I sat in the shade and held my breath hoping they wouldn’t hit the nearby sculpture.
While it was no Walden Pond, the DeCordova Sculpture Park was a great find and a lovely place to spend an afternoon. Actually, Chris and I were reminded on this little trip that, like many New England towns, the towns of Lincoln and Concord are on our list of dream towns. Ah, if only we had an unlimited amount of money! These quintessential New England towns, so full of history and gorgeous landscapes, for us are an idyllic location. But, for now, and probably forever, we will remain content to be tourists of Concord and Lincoln. My goal is to make it back for another visit while we are up here for the summer. I realized all of my focus has always been on Walden Pond and the area has so much more to offer. So, Lincoln and Concord: I’ll be back!
