The Place we call “The Land”

Thirty-three years ago my wife and I, along with three other families, bought some property in western Massachusetts. We called it “The Land”, because that’s all that there was. Now there is a house with a big screened in porch, a tool shed, a gazebo, and another cabin which I call my “Hermatige.”  There is also a garden, a small orchard, and there has always been a stream. Last week we spent several days there, the weekend of the Cummington Fair, with our daughters and their children. It is a precious place for us, and I thought I’d share some of the images with you.

The main house:

  

The tool shed was the second structure to go up, then the screened-in porch:

 

  

The outdoor shower on the side of the house has been a recent luxury.

The Gazebo provides a quiet screened-in place to think, converse, read, or write.  It also is a wonderful extra bedroom in the hot summer months.

The Hermatige was added four years ago.  It is 10′ x 12′ with a loft; about 500′ from the main house.  It has it’s own water barrel, fireplace, and outhouse.

 

But it is still the land which defines the place.  Here is the clearing with a garden and orchard with 6 fruit trees, raspberries, and a grape arbor.

 

The garden wasn’t weeded last year, but in May I was able to clear a few beds and now have butternut squash, potatoes, garlic, and a few summer squash and kale.

The stream has always been there.  I once encountered a bear at this swimming hole.

 

Nearby is the Plainfield pond where we can pick enough blueberries from the canoe to make a very full blueberry pie.

 

And the fourth weekend of every August is the CUMMINGTON FAIR.