Walden Pond

The ever dense Walden is a book I've yet to finish, but to visit Walden Pond was indeed special. Thoreau has always intrigued and impressed me (and others!) and there are so many lessons to be learned from him (Simplify CurlyTop, simplify!).

Grandma and I were

floored at the size and beauty of this pond. Did you know that the difference between ponds and lakes has nothing to do with size? True. If plants could potentially grow across the water and penetrate the bottom, it's a pond. (Obviously, depth plays a great role in allowing sunlight to reach the bottom.) If plant life is incapable of growing throughout the body of water, it's officially a lake!

We hung out on the sandy beach until Slugger and Little Man discovered a pretty steep hill covered in leaves. It was beckoning them to tear the seats right out of their pants and so they nearly did. Climbing and sliding, climbing and sliding, huffing and puffing and laughing joyously. Eventually everyone went home looking like they'd messed their pants.

Joining the other tourists on a walk around part of the pond, we made our way to the site of Thoreau's tiny cabin where he lived for 2 years. Each of us picked a rock, wrote our name on it and added it to the large pile in the woods -- a memorial to the great naturalist -- and filled up another little bottle of dirt from yet another state.

I have to mention something about this walk around the pond that we'd never see at home. The trail was quite narrow, but also crowded with people. Along the path there were several breaks, with stone steps leading down to the pond. People were actually changing beside the trail, hanging their towels on a branch and going for a swim! I admit it was a perfect day for a swim, but these people had no shame or modesty to speak of! It was hysterical. I loved them for it!

Friend explained that people in New England actually get in their water. Unlike us in the Pacific Northwest, who sit on the beach and admire it!