Sunday, November 09, 2008

Historic Homes and Wildlife Refuges

Down the street, past the historic mill and the old cemetery, is Hamilton House. Built in 1785, Hamilton House sits on a bluff overlooking the Salmon Falls River. Once owned by the Tyson family, apparently they used to build their own pirate ships in a little swale alongside the house... Wait, "pirate" is not the politically correct word here. It was actually legal at the time to raid certain ships and claim their goods on behalf of mother England. In case you are not aware, piracy runs in my family. The Deasy's had their own quay in Clonakilty, Ireland which they used as their home base for raiding ships off the coast. Perhaps my own good girl concern for rules is some form of penance for early family sins!

Behind the house are some beautiful little English gardens. In the summer they hold concerts there. We wandered a bit in the gardens before heading back home. For more information on the Hamilton House see www.historicnewengland.org/visit/homes/hamilton.htm.


Have I shown any pictures of fall leaves yet? Yes, one of the main purposes of the trip (other than seeing my mother, of course!) was to see the New England fall colors. There were definitely some beautiful trees along the river next to my Mom's house, but we saw the most spectacular leaves as we drove through North Berwick on our way to the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge.


Pictures really can't do justice to the explosion of color. My favorites were often the ones in the midst of turning... with bright red and vibrant green all mixed together.


The Rachel Carson refuge was not bursting with color, but it was beautiful. A wheel-chair accessible path wound through the trees and then out along a ridge overlooking the salt water marshes and estuaries that make their way in from the Atlantic.


The sunlight would peak through the leaves... the leaves would take on a translucent glow. Beautiful.


I remembered hearing about Rachel Carson in the Wilderness and Faith Class I participated in last year. She was a marine biologist and environmentalist in the early part of the 20th century (www.fws/gov/northeast/rachelcarson) and served as editor in Chief for the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Following World War II, Carson wrote about the connection between pesticides and biological damage. She was one of the first to really argue for the connection between humans and the rest of creation in modern times and to call us to treat the environment with respect and care.

I am so grateful for those who decided years ago to set apart tracts of land as parks and refuges throughout the United States. They are my saving grace in the midst of the city of Chicago... and they have always been where I flee to seeking my own refuge... with the wildlife... with creation... with the creator.

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