Connecticut was the 26th state on our trip. We stayed at a Corps of Engineers park called West Thompson Lake Campground. It was one of the prettiest wooded sites we have stayed in but we couldn’t enjoy it much because of the many, many gnats, mosquitoes and other pesky things flying in our faces. I had put out a nice cloth on the picnic table but when I went to take it off I found not just one but a half dozen daddy-long-legs attached to the back of it. Yuck!
West Thompson Lake
But once we left the campground, we were able to enjoy the sunny cool days. Our first adventure was the French River Walk in Grosevenordale. We try to get in as many walks and hikes as we can and if we are not walking around our campground we look for some place new to explore while we get our exercise. The French River is a small but pretty river and the path along it was perfect for us.
On Wednesday, July 19th, we spent the day at Old Sturbridge Village, immersing ourselves into the lifestyle of the rural 1880’s. We saw every aspect of life in this large preserved village. I especially liked to see the fruit and herbs drying on the strings stretched across the kitchens. I carded wool while watching a huge antique machine doing the same job much better. Doug liked the blacksmith shop and seeing the architecture of the buildings. Neither of us wanted to wear the period clothing. It was a hot humid day and just the thought of putting on so many layers of underclothes and heavy outer wear drove us to the little shop that served yummy handmade ice cream. We walked through the entire village, appreciating the hard work of living during that time but also the sweetness of the simplicity you could feel in Old Sturbridge.
Homes at Old Sturbridge Village
View from the Riverboat trip
Bank at Old Sturbridge Village
That Friday we left West Thompson Lake (and said good-bye to the flying pests) and set up our RV in Bear Creek Campground in Bristol, our second stop in Connecticut. No more flying nuisances, just a little rain. On Saturday we took the tour of the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford. We were surprised by the opulence of his home. I guess we were thinking about the raft trip of Huck Finn and the simple cottage with the white fence that Tom Sawyer lived in, but Sam Clemens and his family lived 17 years in luxury thanks to his wife’s family. The furniture, the wallpaper, and the decorations from around the world, were all in the elaborate style of Victorian America. If you are in Hartford, this is a must see and the tour is worth the price – you could also combine it with a tour of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s house next door. It was pretty exciting to be up in the Billiards Room where Clemens’ little desk is pushed up against the corner window. It was there that he got away from the bluster of his children and turned his back on his obsession with playing pool, and there where he finished Tom Sawyer, wrote Huckleberry Finn and most of his other famous works. Hopefully, if you take the tour, you won’t have to put up with two rude and interrupting children. We usually enjoy having children around us but these two were most annoying.
Mark Twain’s home in Hartford, CT
After only two nights in Bristol, we headed to our next stop. Arriving in Pennsylvania at Timothy Lake Campground near East Stroudsburg, we felt like we were coming home. Pennsylvania is our 27th state and Doug’s birthplace. The drive here is pretty and there were lots of interesting place names and signs along the road. “Beer From Here, Food From Near” – a clear sign of respect for bioregionalism. We considered the flavor possibilities of Llama Ice Cream and on a pub – a sign reading “We prefer our kale with silent ‘e’.” I haven’t had a chance to research it, but I’m intrigued by the evidence of Marshall’s Creek mastodon.
We enjoyed the rolling hills and green mountains of the Poconos, a place I had visited often as a child. My family spent some memorable vacations at Henryville Lodge (think Dirty Dancing only the Poconos, not the Catskills.) Doug and I made two trips to the Poconos the year before we were married and on one of them we purchased items for our wedding at the American Candle Factory. So, on this trip we went back there to see what had changed over the last 30 years. It hardly resembled the same store but it was fun to remember those special days before our marriage started.
We had also spent a long weekend at a Buddhist Retreat called White Cloud. There, we wrote our wedding service, contemplated our vows and came together on all the plans for our wedding. We’ve always looked back on those few days as the foundation of our marriage – taking time away from the rest of the world, concentrating on each other and finding our way to plan and compromise together. We also have really amazing memories of the great vegan food we ate there. We tried the Cashew Nut Soup on the first night and then ordered it again and again. I got the recipe and tried to make it a few times but it was never quite as good as the original at White Cloud.
On our first day of exploring we had planned on an extensive shopping trip, something Doug wasn’t exactly looking forward to. But Doug surprised me with a side trip that rates as one of my very top favorite places!
He had been looking at a website called Atlas Obscura and discovered a place called Columcille Megalith Park. Wow! With my love of rocks and ancient places that have centuries of spirituality and earth power – this lovely little park was my happy place.
It was established in 1979, next door to a monastery and retreat house, when a group of dedicated (and strong) people designed the park to be a place of worship and peace. They moved the giant boulders to resemble Stonehenge, created paths through the woods and built a few rock structures. First we went into the tower and then we walked to the Celtic Chapel. The energy coming from the center stone in the chapel was palpable. My reiki hands were treated to intense vibrations as the earth energy streamed through that sacred space. We walked through a Pi-shaped arch along a wooded path, around a little pond – with megaliths scattered around. We left a 5-stone cairn – representing our five children, who must have felt the energy and love we were sending their way that day. We finished our walk at the tiny Voyager’s Lounge cabin where we looked at the collection of books and we found 3 special stones to take with us (leaving our donation through a slot in a door). Usually, I’m not a big fan of walking around in the rain but in spite of a pretty steady downpour and muddy grass, my heart was smiling the whole time. Thank you, Doug, for finding this place and knowing how happy it would make me.
Rock Formations at Columcille Megalith
Thor’s Gate Trilithon
Inside the St. Columba Chapel
St. Oran Bell Tower
Our next stop was the American Candle Factory, then an Outlet Store, followed by a big shopping center called The Crossings. We bought candy at the Candle Factory, a few odds and ends at the outlet store, went into two stores at The Crossings and only purchased a drink there. So much for a big day of shopping. I think Columcille was so special I couldn’t distract myself out of that mode into a shopping experience.
The next day we drove to Dingman’s Falls and admired the beauty of the Delaware Water Gap as we hiked around the falls. The trail there was a long boardwalk. As we walked on it I started noticing the many varieties of mushrooms. I counted a dozen different kinds of fungi. If I haven’t mentioned this before, this seems the perfect time to reveal one of our silly conversations. For many years now, when we see fungi, I tell Doug he’s a Fun Guy. Then he calls me his Fun Gal. Yes, it’s corny and hard to believe we have said that more than once, but it’s one of our ways of touching base with each other with a little bit of silliness. The next day we drove along the Delaware Water Gap.
Dingman’s Falls at the Delaware Water Gap
Another Falls that we hiked to
Now we are still in Pennsylvania at Whispering Pines Campground in Stillwater. This is a really wonderful campground – well maintained, quiet, with huge grassy sites. Our site is particularly pretty with woods behind us and a large open tract of land in front of us. This stop, though, is not about the campground. We are here to be with family at the Patterson Grove Methodist Camp Meeting in Shickshinny.
Doug’s parents have been coming to this place for about 15 years and Doug’s mother Mary, who passed away a few years ago, loved it here. “The Grove” as it is affectionately known, is a seasonal retreat with about 70 small cottages occupied by families that have been coming here for generations. Mary’s brother Ken and his family have played an important role in the running of the camp. Ken served as a Trustee for many years and continues to help in his role as treasurer. Ken’s children have made this their family reunion site as often as the four of them can get their families here. So coming to Patterson Grove is a time of catching up with family and renewing acquaintances with old friends. Doug and I have been here a few times and each time we try to adjust to this “place apart”.
You see, this meeting site was designed as a place of worship and fellowship. All the activities revolve around the large open-air tabernacle in the center of the grove – vespers every night and two services on Sundays. There we go to sing psalms together, pray and listen to sermons. This year we are here during the camp meeting – a time set apart in the season, a time that the most families are here and the time of Vacation Bible School. So it is busy and a bit crowded and there are lots of children attending classes, swimming in the ponds, catching fireflies at night and just having a great time.
Dad’s cottage at Patterson Grove Campground
The Boardwalk
Doug’s dad, Creighton, goes to the trouble of getting his cable connected, but most of the cottages don’t have televisions, only one or two have any internet capabilities. There is a hot spot near a telephone pole a few cottages away from us and one at the end of the cornfield. Both areas have very spotty coverage, so making a phone call out of here is a futile experience for the most part. Our neighbors eschew any form of electronic entertainment, but I download some crossword puzzles and Facebook and Doug downloads some books. It’s a long quiet day without some data flowing through our phones.
But otherwise it is a very busy place and sitting on Dad’s enclosed porch we get a view of everything that happens here – people passing by to go to bible study morning and evening; children’s VBS classes and activities, the trek to the pond for a swim; breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Boarding House, choir practice, committee meetings, and vespers every evening at 7:15 pm. Most of these events are announced by the ringing of THE BELL and almost everyone that passes by the cottage waves hello or stops by for a few minutes.
The view from Dad’s porch
The Pond at Patterson Grove
The activity level increases at night. After vespers – a long service with many songs and a sermon, plus the after-service conversations – almost everyone heads up the Boarding House. The snack shop does a good business serving French fries and savory snacks, but their biggest business is in their delicious ice cream. We often join the crowds milling around the Boarding House porch, in rocking chairs and comparing ice cream flavors. Then for about two hours after vespers the Centennial Shop is open for business – a tiny, crammed room filled with knick-knacks, little toys, dishes and other invaluable stuff – most priced under $.25. Doug and I usually leave his dad around 9:30 pm and after a short drive on mountain roads in the pitch dark avoiding deer and skunk, we are exhausted.
The Boarding House, Dining Hall, Snack Shop, and Centennial Shop
We were so happy to reconnect this year with Doug’s cousins – Jeff and his wife Christie, Philip and his wife Beth and their children, Pam and her husband Jim and their children, and Kim and her husband Todd and their children. Since our RV was close by, we had the pleasure of visiting with them in our home. We treasure all our company and having them over for iced tea and cookies was really special for us. We also were able to have Uncle Ken and Aunt Charlotte join Dad, Doug and I for a lunch in our RV one day. We love to show off our unit and it was especially nice to bring this part of our family together in it. We hope our future holds more times with our cousins – maybe meeting them somewhere on our journey.
Camp meeting spans two weeks. This year, Doug’s sister Beverly and her husband Barry, accompanied Dad on his flights here from Portland, Oregon. They kept him company for the first week and took him to see his old homestead, the sights of Shickshinny (which means Five Mountains) and Nanticoke, the family plot in the cemetery and other favorite places. We spent the second week with him and one day we took Dad to Lake Jean for a picnic lunch – stopping that morning in Benton to get him his favorite hoagie. Lake Jean was beautiful and filled with happy swimming families – until the first giant thunderclap and the buckets of rain that followed it. By the time we got to our car, we were soaked through our clothes. The nice pleasant cool weather we had for a few days, had changed to warm, humid days with rain clouds every afternoon and sometimes a wet walk to vespers.
We are all getting super excited about next year here at The Grove – the 150th anniversary. Cottage owners were all given a muslin square to create a block for the memorial quilt. We also have all been encouraged to wear period clothing next year – we saw some samples of what to wear last night at the service and Dad and Doug don’t seem to be on board with that.
Bev and Barry returned from their short vacation to 1000 Lakes, NY and Jim Thorpe, PA and we all spent some time together, taking a trip together to visit Uncle Fred in New Jersey. On the last night of vespers we “Walked to Zion” – a Grove tradition that honors the trustees of the campground and looks to the promised land of Zion. Holding lighted candles the entire community marches around the tabernacle and forms a circle around the outside of it, while singing Marching to Zion. I participate in all things Patterson Grove with a lot of love of family and tradition in my heart. Somehow, just being in this place of sweet spirituality renews my Judaism and it seemed somehow appropriate to be a Jew “marching” to Zion and walking and singing next to Doug made it even sweeter.
Dad and Uncle Fred
Bev, Barry and Dad headed back to Portland on Tuesday. Doug and I will continue our trip with another campground in Pennsylvania. We will leave The Grove again – remembering our time together and our time “apart”. We never know if a return to Patterson Grove is in our future. We turned in our quilt block but we may not get to see next year’s special quilt. Our lives will get complicated but we will probably remember next year that Camp Meeting is going on whether or not we are there and we will smile thinking of everyone walking around in long dresses and aprons and high collared shirts and top hats. Patterson Grove will continue its mission of worship and fellowship and a little bit of it will always be with those of us who have spent time here.
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