Day Eight:. Siena: Angels In The Architecture

Saturday featured a visit to Siena, a mountaintop medieval village with a long and proud history. A rival of Firenze for 500 years, Siena is divided into 10 neighborhoods called contrado, each with its own flag, colors and mascot. Some of the mascots I saw were the snail, the fish, and the turtle. In the center of the city is Il Campo, which means literally, the field. For 500 years, since before Columbus raised anchor in Genoa, there has been horse racing around Il Campo. At the top of the city is Il Duomo, one of the most impressive cathedrals to be found anywhere in Europe.

Paul Simon wrote these famous lyrics years ago: He looks around, around, he sees angel in the architecture, spinning in infinity.... And yesterday, I felt exactly that way while in the presence of the angels, saints and gargoyles carved into the front of Il Doumo. Ir truly was an awesome moment.

When my daughter Kate was young, we used to amuse ourselves on snowy winter afternoons by doing jigsaw puzzles. One of our favorites was called Verticalville. The artist who drew the picture for that puzzle must have visited Siean. The streets are narrow and steep and all the good stuff is at the top.

Also yesterday, a road rally featuring old sports cars came through Il Campo between  11 am and 1 pm. There are few sounds more endearing to a confirmed car nut like myself than that of the open exaust of Bugatti race car snorting its way through these narrow streets and then driving con brio through the piazza and out the other side. I took a whole bunch of pictures of that event, but will post them separately for those of you who are not quite so passionate about automobili as I am.

I really enjoyed Siena. It gives the visitor of what life must have been like when Italy was still mostly city-states, each one fighting for the survival of its own way of life. That people still cling to these hilltop communities amazes me. But they are everywhere in Tuscany - some larger and some smaller - but the sense of community they create is remarkable to see.

Enjoy today's photos at this link.

Driving Directions to Blueberry Pointe on the Lake during Bridge Detour

Hello!  A local bridge is under construction near our home, so please follow these revised directions if you are coming to visit.  You'll be glad you did!

Driving Directions to

On the Lakefront
Carolyn Fortuna and Steve Hanley

P.O. Box 206, 115 Sand Dam Road

Chepachet, RI 02814

401.568.6826

From Boston:  Take 95 South to 295 South to Route 44 West.  Follow 44 West Go through Chepachet Center, totaling about 9 miles.  Bear left onto Pine Orchard Road extension and left again onto Pine Orchard.  Go approximately 1.5 miles.  Pine Orchard becomes Chestnut Hill Road at its end.  Go straight for about .25 mile.  Take right onto Sand Dam Road. 

From New York City:  Take 95 North to Route 395 North to Route 6 East.  After about 10 miles, bear left onto Route 6 Bypass and take a left at the next traffic light onto Route 102 North.  Follow 102 about 5 miles to a stop light.  Go left onto Snake Hill Road.  After about 1 mile, take a right onto Anan Wade Road.  At T in road, go right onto Chestnut Hill Road.  Follow until Sand Dam Road on right. 

From Warwick (airport):  Follow the airport connector toward Route 95.  Take 95 South one exit to Route 295 North to Route 44 West.  Follow 44 West about 9 miles.  Bear left onto Pine Orchard Road extension and left again onto Pine Orchard.  Go approximately 1.5 miles.  Pine Orchard becomes Chestnut Hill Road at its end.  Go straight for about .25 mile.  Take right onto Sand Dam Road. 

From Eastern Connecticut:  Follow 395 South to Route 44 East.  Go approximately 9 miles.  Bear right onto Pine Orchard Road extension and right again onto Pine Orchard.  Go approximately 1.5 miles.  Pine Orchard becomes Chestnut Hill Road at its end.  Go straight for about .25 mile.  Take right onto Sand Dam Road. 

From Hartford:  Take I-84 to Exit 69 (Willington/ Route 74).  Go right off ramp to light after railroad tracks.  Continue on Route 74 for about 7 miles to intersection with Route 44.  Go left on route 44 for about 20 miles, through Putnam, CT and into Chepachet, RI.  Go approximately 9 miles.  Bear right onto Pine Orchard Road extension and right again onto Pine Orchard.  Go approximately 1.5 miles.  Pine Orchard becomes Chestnut Hill Road at its end.  Go straight for about .25 mile.  Take right onto Sand Dam Road. 

From New York State:  Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Auburn, Mass. Pick up Interstate 395 South at the junction with Route 290. Its sounds complicated but the route is well marked. Then follow the directions just above for Eastern Connecticut.

From Central Massachusetts: Follow 146 South to Route 102 South.  Go about 9 miles.  Go right onto Latham Farm Road.  Continue straight through stop sign until next stop, which intersects with Route 100.  Turn right on Route 100.   Go about 1 mile.  Take left onto Reservoir Road.  Follow Reservoir Road to end.  Go right onto Route 44.  After about .5 mile, go left onto Pine Orchard Road extension and left again onto Pine Orchard.  Go approximately 1.5 miles.  Pine Orchard becomes Chestnut Hill Road at its end.  Go straight for about .25 mile.  Take right onto Sand Dam Road. 

Sand Dam Road is where we live, at the very end.  It is a one-lane dirt road (the street sign hangs high on a telephone pole only in the westbound direction). Two white houses are situated on each side of the road headway.  Sand Dam Road is just after driveway for 182 Chestnut Hill Road. You will note the first white circular sign for Blueberry Pointe on the pole.

We are an island at the very end of the Sand Dam Road, ½ mile down the hill from Chestnut Hill Road.  Follow the white circular blueberry signs. 

As you pass the state boat ramp on the left, continue bearing right. 

Bear right at the telephone pole with the rectangular sign for the Blueberry Pointe property and parking area. 

[Remember, take the turn to the

right.]

You’ll see ahead of you our main house:  a large white house with white wraparound decks and blue and salmon colored trim.  Once the lake comes into view straight ahead, drive slowly past our neighbors’ green/ blue garage on the left and the green house on the right.  Please drive slowly across the short one-lane causeway so as not to disturb wildlife or human life.

Once you get to the end of the causeway, park to the right in the driveway.  We recommend backing into your space, so you won’t have to negotiate around other cars on the way out later.  Welcome to Blueberry Pointe on the Lake.

Nearby autumn walking and hiking

At Blueberry Pointe on the Lake, we are interested in helping our friends and visitors to connect to the pristine natural geography available in our area. Two long stretches of shoreline off our lakefront island are owned and maintained by the Glocester Land Trust. The Glocester Land Trust has a goal of saving 2000 acres of land in our area.

One of the properties located nearby is called the Sprague Farm. Here's information that the Glocester Land Trust provides about hiking and walking on the Sprague Farm trails.

"Sprague Farm is thelargest and most popular property of the Glocester Land Trust and has miles of trails. Whether you have 30 minutes or several hours, there is a trail for you to enjoy. Just print out the easy-to-follow Trail Map and come out to Sprague Farm on Pine Orchard Road, which is two miles west of Chepachet village.

All the trails are easy to walk. You don't need any special clothing, just wear sturdy comfortable walking shoes or preferably lightweight hiking boots. The Trail Description has three walks: a 1/2 mile walk which takes 30 minutes, a 1 mile walk of 1 hour, and a 2.5 mile walk of 2 hours. Each walk takes a different trail.

Please note that deer hunting season at Sprague Farm starts on October 1st. During hunting season (Oct 1 to Jan 31) we recommend that you wear a day-glow/safety orange hat and vest. Basically the hunting season is Archery from Oct 1 to Jan 31, Muzzle Loading weapons in November, and Shotguns in December.

Sprague Farm, and all Land Trust properties, are open year 'round from dawn to dusk.

Questions? - please contact Roy Najecki 647-3631 or Roy@GlocesterLandTrust.orgor the Chair of the Glocester Land Trust at chair@glocesterlandtrust.org "

Sprague Farm Trail Map
Sprague Farm Trail Description

The harvest season of September around Blueberry Pointe on the Lake

It's the season of bounty in Rhode Island. The local farms stands are brimming with produce: deep and fleshy squashes, piles of sugar corn, plump red tomatoes, baskets of multi-colored peppers, vibrant purple eggplants, and crisp wax and green beans. Go to www.farmfresh.org/food/food.php?food=1&zip=02871 for a list of the local farms and the produce that is ripening at this time of year. Or, if you're interested in visiting a local farm stand, try www.rifruitgrowers.org/farmstands/.

The town adjacent to Chepachet, where Blueberry Pointe on the Lake is located, used to be called "Apple Valley." While several of the former orchards have given way to suburbia, many others remain in their original state. Long stands of sturdy trees with branches laden with fruit begin to take on red flames of color in September. We still remember our own joy of picking our own apples in our childhoods, and many families continue the tradition in our area.

Tractors transport groups down into the orchards, where the smells of hay, loam, and fresh air mingle as one. Woven baskets fill, an apple or two is tested, and the clear sky smiles over all. And who can resist a mug of hot apple cider afterward?

If the idea of "pick your own" is appealing, you might also like to choose the best pumpkin from one of the many local area fields. Imagine walking through long stetches of deep green bursting with pumpkins of all sizes around you. Who can decide which is the best? Will you be carving your special find? Drawing a ghoulish face? Thinking ahead to a freezer full of pumpkin pies for the upcoming holidays?

The joy of September is being outside in the clean fresh air and stretching our work-week legs. We hope you'll rejuvenate yourself in the outdoors while touring our little bit of heaven in the local region around Blueberry Pointe on the Lake.

Autumn In New England

Labor Day has come and gone. Warm days and cool nights are back with us again. And across the lake, the first tinge of color is creeping into the trees. What an exciting time of year, as we watch from our deck as Nature paints the shoreline with the riotous colors of Autumn.

Now is the time to make your Fall reservations to share the foliage season with us and visit the Scituate Art Festival on Columbus Day weeked. There are also a few more WaterFire events in Providence scheduled for this year.

Its time for cruising the back roads in search of fresh squeezed apple cider, pumpkins and corn stalks. And of course, the sights and smells of Autumn in New England. After the unusual rains we had at the beginning of the Summer season this year, we are expecting a fireworks display during foliage season this year. Every year is different and we anticipate an especially vibrant display in 2009.



Please come join us!

Fourth of July, New England style

Ah, the blue skies and warm days have arrived in New England.

And the first real day of summer was the Fourth of July, a fitting day to savor the out-of-doors, friends, and-- finally --- fair weather.

We started our day with breakfast for our guests at Blueberry Pointe on the Lake.

Then we visited with friends at an old-fashioned barbecue.

Vibrant perennial gardens reached to the warming sun rays.

Picture a long field of former agricultural land.

Tables were lined with burgers, 'dogs, chicken, potato salad, chorizo, salads, chips, nachos, chocolate chip cookies, cakes, pies, bread pudding, and so many other quintessential items of American fare.

And, oh, the heaps of fresh strawberries! The pool!

The inflatable trampoline!

Thanks to our friends, the Nolans for this annual extravaganza.

Please keep us on the 'to-be-invited' list!

Early summer on the Lake

What's the lake like in early summer? It's peaceful, with the glow of the first blooms having given away to hardy seasonal sprays.

The surprise of butterflies brightens the storm-cloud leaden sky.

It's breathtaking in the early morning, as the dawn emerges through the trees.

It's vibrant, as storms and skies merge into one.

It's a gift of nature and patience from the long winter bundled into one. It's the hope of the hot weather, the afternoons in the sunshine, the lazy bending blooms of tiger lillies, and the lush green lawn and perennials against the deep blue sky.

It's the first glimpse of reconnecting to the green world after the long season of gray. We savor, soothe, and give thanks for these long days and pervasive smiles.