Autumn in the North Cemetery.

Sixty miles west of Boston, Massachusetts there is the small New England town of Sturbridge. Located at the junction of I-90 (The Mass Pike), and I-84 it has become known as the "Crossroads of New England". The town was first settled over 300 years ago, and like other small New England towns it has grown just enough over the years to be in a difficult place today. How do we embrace the future without forgetting how we got to our present? How do we attract the right kind of growth, and maintain who we are? And, what about our culture out here in Central Massachusetts?



These pages will cause one to think about how to protect what we have, our future direction, and how to move on in the very best way.


Those thoughts, and other ramblings, will hopefully inspire more thought, conversation, action, and occasionally a smile...

...seems to be working so far

Sunday, March 6, 2011

A Late Winters Evening In Front Of The Fire

Last evening Mary took me to the Salem Cross in in West Brookfield for their Fireside Feast.  It was a Valentines Day present from Mary.

The feast was fantastic!  This was our second time there, and we will go again.  It is that good.  We started off by taking a sleigh ride through the still snow covered fields with about ten other folks.  Last time we came the snow was mostly gone, and we were pulled about in a wagon.  I liked this better.

This man not only tended the huge fire, and cooked
 the beef, he also made the seafood chowder with our help.
After the ride, we went back inside the inn on the lower level where everyone was gathered. We watched the beef cooking slowly in front of the massive fire, the apple pie being prepared on a long table, and to had a choice of mulled cider or warm burgundy wine.  We chose the wine.  It was very good.  Of course, there was a full bar attended for those that wanted their taste of New England to be more on the Sam Adams, or martini side.

There were folks from all over attending the feast.  We met two couples from the Philadelphia area that had read about the feast in the Philadelphia Inquirer.  They didn't know each other, but after we pointed out that they shared the same home state, they got to know each other right away.  Meeting new people is always a lot of fun.

Large sides of beef roast slowly in front of the
meticulously tended fire.
Relaxing on the weekend was something we seldom had a chance to do for way too long, and for way too many reasons to list here.  Now we make sure we do.  In fact, it's almost second nature now.

If you have a chance, check out the Fireside Feast next year, or the Drovers Feast held outside during the summer in June and again in September.  There is also a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater as well.

There is so much to offer within a very short distance of Sturbridge.  As long as gas prices stay under $4.00 a gallon you may want to check them out.

And, it will get you mind off the gas prices, too.
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