A few years ago my child hood friend Louellyn and her husband Ramiro bought a cabin on College Pond in Myles Standish State Forest near Plymouth, Massachusetts. Louellyn spends every possible minute there until the snow gets too deep for them to get to the cabin. She and Ramiro believe no one could ever need anything more than to drift in kayaks in the middle of the pond.
Louellyn has been raving about this transforming refuge and its dragonflies, turtles, birds and frogs for so long, she finally managed to persuade some of her high school friends to gather at Frog Heaven in June. Pat, Jane, Lynda and I joined Louellyn and Jane's ex sister-in-law Ora and sometimes Ramiro for a few lovely days of non-stop eating and catching up.
Massachusetts is experiencing The Year Without a Summer. We spent much of the first day I was there sitting on the porch watching the rain, which was relaxing and uplifting. All those negative ions always raise the spirits of this desert rat. A family of Canada Geese complete with five fuzzy grey half size goslings came by daily. Orioles and hummingbirds also made appearances, along with a rather alarming neon orange slug that came from under the porch.
I paddled around the perimeter of the pond early one morning by myself. Forty four cabins each have their own style and siting. Louellyn has been told that her 600 square foot cabin was the ice house for the main cabin next door. I decided Louellyn and Ramiro have the best sandy beach.
Louellyn knows at least one person in 40 of the 44 houses. It's easy to meet the neighbors. One man paddled by in his canoe and was invited to join us. He came up to the porch and had a drink. He spends his summers living on the pond and taking tourists out in the ocean for whale watches and fishing. In the winter, he does scallop research, I think in South America. I was delighted that he was able to answer a question that has baffled me since we had delicious scallops in New Zealand last year (see Same Days, Different Island). What's that beautiful crescent that tastes and looks like lobster and is hugging the scallop? Turns out, it's the scallop's gonads. If squeamishness over certain body parts is the only thing stopping Americans from knowing about the best part of the scallop, they ought to get over it.
Louellyn revels in the pond community and the fascinating people who share her love for it. They freely visit each other to share coffee, laughs and songs.
Motorized boats are not permitted on the pond, and no one will ever be allowed to install an indoor bathroom. A short hike up the pine needle path to the outhouse is part of the cabin's charm. I think the lack of a bathroom has the additional benefit of self-selecting a community that loves nature and rejects the nasty things that humans do to our world.
The frog pond behind the house is filled with reptilian singers of every range from deep croaks to whistles and peeps. It's quite mesmerizing.
Louellyn has set an admirable goal for the summer. She plans to try a different ice cream every day at Erickson's ice cream stand until she has tried all 44. Then she will allow herself to repeat. Such strenuous discipline is hard to maintain in such a tranquil place, but I've known Louellyn all my life and I am confident that she is up to the challenge. She proudly read us her ice cream diary, which starts with Memorial Day weekend. I got Maine Bear Berry one day and something with Oreo cookies the next. I would have a hard time ordering a sherbet or anything without chocolate, but apparently Louellyn is not similarly handicapped.
The Queen of Frog Heaven
After all the others had left, Louellyn and I took the kayaks out to the middle of the pond to have some time alone for the first time in many years. It was a calm, warm day and a turtle poked his nose above the water to check us out.
Now I want to lure these girls to Desert's Edge so they can see my version of paradise.
