Finding Frost

(NOTE: For some reason, the wi-fi here wouldn't let me post this last night.)

No, I didn't forget you, dear blogosphere. After my travels and a visit to the Robert Frost farm yesterday, I moved on down the road to Salem, NH, and located America's Stonehenge for today's research. I found a motel set back off the highway with an excellent rate and a park-like setting, picked up some dinner, and settled in to relax. I had a TV show on that I really love. Unfortunately, I have no idea what happened because I fell asleep for two hours sitting straight up in a chair. (I had slept only a few hours the two previous nights.) I remember waking up, but I can't recall going to bed, so I certainly couldn't have written a coherent blog, although it might have been something funny to read later! And I also owe an apologetic shout-out to my buddy Harry from the Farm, to whom I promised I'd have a blog posted last night. Sorry about that, Harry!



The Frost Farm was one of the most spiritual experiences I have had on my journey so far. The house had some of the original furniture, and I was able to take all the photos I wanted. Will, Harry's brother, was our docent on the tour, was very knowledgeable about the author with direct information from Lesley Frost, the daughter of the poet. She had helped with making the Derry farm Frost's memorial, which was his request. Here I learned that Frost's grandfather bought the Derry place for his grandson because he was afraid his grandson would never have a position or vocation. Unfortunately, Frost wasn't much cut out for farming. He didn't make a very good impression on those who were actually involved in farming, partly because he seemed to be acting the part, and partly because he was financed with a $500 annuity from his grandfather. But that was not quite enough to support the family since they weren't very thrifty. He worked as a teacher at the local academy, but because of their debts, that wasn't enough, either. He had tried to get a few poems published to no avail. After a few years, Frost sold the farm and moved his family to England, where he was quickly able to find a publisher. After a time, he bought the Derry farm back, although most of time, he lived in different towns all over the Northeast as a resident poet. Included with the tour was a video of both Lesley and Robert Frost reading and discussing poetry. The footage was old, of course, but I loved it.



It was great to tour the inside, but Frost was the poet he was because of his connection to nature, and that's what I wanted to capture. In search of this connection, I set off down the path behind the barn. I had been looking forward to it the whole time I was in the house; it followed a rock wall under heavy shade, east along the edge of a meadow. Stepping into that shade I found the coolest, driest spot I'd felt in days, maybe weeks. The late afternoon sun filtered through the dense trees, and I felt completely at home. I wandered down the wall reading some of the poetry and facts included on the guide provided, but mostly I just enjoyed it. There was so little sound, just a little rustling from the trees, but I was lost in enjoyment---I couldn't even tell you whether there were bird or insect sounds, and I don't know if it's because it was so quiet or because I was in awe. The wall was just the sort that would have inspired "Mending Wall" or any number of other poems, and it was fascinating to me. When I got to the end of the meadow, I found a large boulder to sit on and enjoy the view back to the west. I knew I connected with it because I was raised on a ranch that is still the one place I can go on earth and know I can escape any stress or worry. My students feel this, too, in the rural area where I teach, and to emphasize that connection is what I wanted to do for them in visiting the farm. I hope my photos and personal experiences will show them that poetry is relevant to their lives in all sorts of ways.



That leaves today. Today was a washout---literally. We had flooding rains here, and I have the pic to prove it: my rental car with water almost up to the bumper! With the threat of rain all day, I couldn't visit my site. Later in the afternoon it began to clear up some, and the water went down. I took the opportunity to drive about 30 minutes to the coast, find a parking spot, put in 4 quarters to give me 40 minutes, and hike down to the beach to listen to the waves for a while. That sound is so relaxing to me; it always seems to make me want to sleep. It was almost cold; I had jeans and a t-shirt on and was a little cool, but there were a few people out and in the water. Just before I left, the sun came out and lit things up nicely. It was a lovely way to end the day. Hopefully, tomorrow will be just as nice.