The COVID-19 trend in Massachusetts is going down.  The Governor has done a great job dealing with the crisis and people of Massachusetts are able to move forward in their reopening plans. We drove down to Boston on the 4th of July and up the coast just to get out once more. It was almost eerie to see how few people were on the streets in this city that would normally see epic crowds for this holiday. We didn’t get out of the car so I didn’t take any pictures.

This week we decided to make another journey into Massachusetts to revisit some more of Janet’s childhood memories. Our trek led us to the infamous Camp Pineshore in Westminster, MA.  I say infamous because I’ve heard countless stories of summers spent by the Sheppard clan in the little red cabin with no hot water.

Camp Pineshore is a Lutheran camp on the shores of Wyman’s pond.  Lakes and ponds in New England are very similar, but are mostly differentiated by their depth, rather than by their size.  In my part of the country, it would have been a lake! We entered the campground and I could tell by Janet’s animated way of speaking we had just crossed a time barrier that brought back a flood of memories. The camp hasn’t changed much in the 40 years since the family stayed there. It’s very easy to see the allure of getting away from it all for a nice three week stay.

Westminster is only a few miles west of Fitchburg, where Janet’s parents grew up.  Though only a one time memory for her, we visited a restaurant that her parents frequented many times, and it’s not hard to see why. The Old Mill Restaurant was built as a saw mill in 1761 and is a local favorite. Our menu was scaled back from its traditional fare because of the pandemic, but we were able to enjoy some traditional favorites like pot pie and pot roast. The grounds are just amazing. It’s worth visiting just to walk around.

Once again, we’re finding ways to safely travel. New England is filled with these little gems that sometimes bring back memories for Janet, and most times provide rich new experiences for me.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller