The Road not Taken

The first line of Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” is “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” I thought of that yellow wood as I drove down this road yesterday. And I had to get a literary reference in there somewhere.

A nice, smooth flight today to Newburgh, New York. Looking down over the Hudson River Valley from the air, I saw huge expanses of orange covering the hills. Who knew that leaf-watching from an airplane could be so much fun? A lot of the hour and a half drive was through “tunnels” of trees—mostly golden but some stunning reds mixed in. The landscape seems meant for barn quilts. I love this red barn; it is on Beaver Dam Road—hence the critter in the center. I forgot to ask where the dam is.

I’m staying at The Blue Hill Lodge--quite an unusual spot. The front building is a small deli and restaurant; behind that is a package store, and in the rear, a long building with four cozy guest rooms. It was the first time that I ever had my motel bill rung on a cash register with my soda! I didn’t tip; she seemed to understand.

Dave Moore is my tour guide; I met him and his wife, Phyllis, for a while this evening and found out about the Neversink Renaissance project, which includes the barn quilts but has brought together volunteers to improve the entire community. They have achieved so much and still have plans in the works.

The perfect end to the first day of what promises to be a great trip: Gators 13, LSU 3. Slow game. But victory nonetheless.