November 24, 1983 - Taking a Trip NorthPage 18
Taking a Trip North
By PAULSTOUTENBURGH
It does you good to get away every once
in a while, whether it's just out to shop or
visit a friend or to do something more
elaborate like take a few days vacation.
That change of pace seems to help make
the rest of the time go smoother and have
more meaning. Perhaps that is why
Barbara and I are usually off doing
something. It clears your head and sets
you up for the tasks ahead.
So it was that both of us thought it was
time for a break. We had friends up in
Maine who had been after us for years to
stop up again and visit. This was a
natural. We had the time and they had
the place. They live just outside
Kennebunkport and to anyone who knows
the area it is a place of rocky shores, 10-
foot tides, lobster boats galore and
beautiful old architecture that is so
reminiscent of the Maine area.
Our boat was up in the backyard, the
motor had been winterized and most of
the essential work done on her for the
winter. She'd have to be covered when
we got back but that could wait. After all,
the good weather wouldn't last forever.
And so we were off, headed for the ferry
at Orient.
I had a feeling the trip was going to be a
rough one for the wind had been blowing
out of the northwest for the past day or so
and never traveling without binoculars I
could see huge whitecaps to the east out
in the Gut.
Lash Down Truck
The roughness was doubly confirmed
when the crew of the small ferry boat
went about lashing down a truck with
huge chains and hooks that secured it to
the deck. Then to top all this, two large
straps went over the top and were
The Suffolk Times
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fastened to the ship's side.
In no time we were paralleling Orient
Point with its open fields and rugged
eroding coastline. This area was once
farmland but now has been bought for
development. In a better world there
would be a law prohibiting good
farmland from being used for building.
All these noble thoughts were soon
forgotten as we rounded the point and left
the old Orient lighthouse to port.
It was here the power and might of the
Gut flexed its muscles and we were
responding by lurching and diving
through the wild and turbulent water that
can only be appreciated by those who
know this spot. To make the ride more
palatable, the captain headed up into the
Sound, thereby getting away from the
rolling that was already having its effect
on many but now the spray from the
waves took on new heights.
The cars, unprotected in the rear, were
continually being covered by blankets of
salt water. Down we'd go in a valley of
green, waves fought against the wake,
creating miniature mountains of
bristling water. Inside the cabin was a
scene of unusual quiet capped by grim
faces on most.
Needless to say we all got through and
after arriving in New London were soon
on our way north. By now the wet salt on
the cars had dried and the old car took an
even more worn look than the years of
hard use had cast upon it.
Day of Relaxation
We had the whole day to ourselves as
there was no rush to get up there until our
friends came home from work around
5:30. We'd take the back roads. What a
wonderful countryside Connecticut has.
In some of the high country we had
snow turning on and off into sleet.
Nothing to speak of, but a reminder we
were in a different world than ours down
along the coast.
All along the way were wet areas
where colorful clusters of red berries
grew on bushes by the side of the road.
Black alder or winterberry they are
called. I remember years ago when my
Dad and I would collect these for
Christmas decorations, They always
came from around a pond down by the
golf course. Dad would put them in a
bowl on the sideboard with evergreens
spread out around them. We must have
past hundreds of these scarlet clusters
along the side of the road. Finally I
couldn't stand it any longer and stopped
to cut a few branches off. It would be a
fitting bouquet for our hostess who loved
all sorts of wild things.
Along the way we stopped at a dairy
farm that was having an auction. It was a
sad affair. All the worldly items that
makes up a dairy farm were spread out
for prospective buyers to see. We went
into the barn where the cows were being
driven through a chute and then one by
one were auctioned off. The sides were
lined by farmers in muddy boots from all
over, each bidding against the other:
"430..435..do I hear 450 ?..460? ...465..465
again..going once -- going twice -- sold for
465."
What had happened here was
happening all over our country for I
remember back on Long Island
attending many such auctions. The little
farmer is losing out and with him goes
November 24,1983
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
OLD WINDOW - -No matter where
you go in the country, you will
find old houses that hold
memories of good times past.
the backbone of farming in the country.
At least farming as I remember it.
We did arrive at the big farmhouse
later that evening and with big hugs and
kisses and greetings that babbled from
one subject to another we renewed our
acquaintances.
The next few days we toured the town
and took in the local sites along the
waterfront.
It was good to get away and see the
world with its good and bad parts just as
we see ours at home. Each place, each
family had its heartbreaks and glorious
moments. We all live in our own world
making the best of what we have and
being very thankful to the good Lord for
the favors he has bestowed upon us.
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