back to garden report subdirectory back to site directory h-o-m-e
parents. The reunion became especially meaningful when we learned
how avidly his mother had devoured certain American writers during her
formative years. For her, the week's tour of Massachusetts had been the
manifestation of a cherished life's dream - to see what she had so vividly
and lovingly imagined. Together, our combined family made a
pilgrimage to Amherst and the Emily Dickinson museum. Elvira's
determination to learn English made it possible for her to appreciate
much of the guided tour - a fact that pleasantly surprised her and made
the rest of us all the more pleased to be part of her American adventure.
Of course, we also took our own independent tour of the garden. Elvira
was surprised it wasn't larger because of how lovingly and completely
Ms. Dickinson described the space. I've been to these gardens many
times, often under personally auspicious circumstances, but this was my
first visit to the museum. I found it particularly thrilling to look at the
reproductions of the herbarium pages. It was easy to imagine/feel her
creating the originals in the same room where we stood contemplating
this eternally mysterious Belle of Amherst.
As always, we were pleased to incorporate a fortifying stop at the Black
Sheep Deli. See the second page of 2005Harvest Ideas for some notes
on how I chose, and prepared, the vegetable highlight of the evening's
meal later that evening.
than the image where Elvira and I pose
dutifully in the center of the sculpture
that's partially captured below. The
sculpture portrays a kind of refined
poetry slam dialogue between Robert
Frost and Emily Dickinson. In this
image, Elvira and I are engaged in our
own dialogue. She's explaining she
knows virtually nothing about the
literary new england males, only our
important women. I'm simultaneously
expressing my deep affection for both
Frost and Thoreau, old school feminist
ideals notwithstanding. It was a great
day with some truly wonderful people
we're very pleased to know at closer
range. Next stop: Firenze !!!
