New England Authors

National Novel Writing Month began last weekend. In a happy coincidence, Chris and I had already made plans to visit a few famous authors' homes.

On Halloween, we took a day trip to Cape Cod to visit Edward Gorey's house. He's probably most familiar as the illustrator who created the opening scenes of PBS' Mystery! show. Here is one version of the video. Gorey is known for his perhaps gothic sense of humor, but what I did not know is that he was a great supporter of animals. One of my favorite things about his house was the couch:

Yes, Edward Gorey was a big fan of cats, though it doesn't seem like he was able to train them very well!

 

The next day, the first of November, we could not have started NaNoWriMo off any better than to visit Walden Pond, where Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden. Our friends Hobgoblin and Dorothy, English professors, were the perfect companions to make the pilgrimage with us to Concord, MA. Walden Pond is (1) large, and probably really a lake (2) incredibly clear -- you can see to the bottom. We walked the mile or so around the perimeter and admired the view from different directions.

Chris, Henry, and I, with a replica of Henry's cabin in the background.

Site of the actual cabin, marked by stones.
 

After Walden, we went into Concord proper and visited the Sleepy Hollow cemetery, final resting place of practically everyone who is anyone in American literature: Thoreau, Hawthorne, Alcott, Emerson. The first three and their families are all neighbors, and Emerson is a little further along the path. People left pumpkins, gourds, and pens at the gravesites in honor of their mentors and heroes. I only recently read about the Dead Poets Society of America, and the search to find and document dead poets, so perhaps I should join?

Henry's grave, left middle, has gourds and pens next to it.

Mr. Hawthorn and family.

 Louisa has two markers, and there is a larger family marker outside of this photo as well.

Mr. Emerson.

 
A close-up. All images other than knitting taken by Chris.
 

After lunch, we found the Old Manse, home of Nathaniel Hawthorne for a time. Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldon Emerson also had connections to the house. Creative energy was palpable. In what is literally the backyard sits the Old North Bridge, home of "shot heard around the world," aka the beginning of the American Revolution. I am not much of an enthusiast, but for those who love history, Concord is teeming with it.

The Old Manse.

The Old North Bridge.

 The marker near the bridge.
 

We didn't make it to Louisa May Alcott's house, or some of the other historic houses in the area associated with these gentlemen, but hope to get back there again sometime. I personally want to learn more about Louisa; there is a Pulitzer prize winning book about her and her father, and a new documentary of her life which will air on PBS next month.

So how is *my* writing going? I'm keeping up with the daily word counts. The writing is incredibly rough, but NaNoWriMo is about word counts and producing a first draft, not about the quality of said draft. And that's a good thing. It's a terrific exercise for those of us who normally want to edit so much we end up stifling the creativity and not finishing anything at all.

 

You'd write and knit more if you'd stay home with me on the weekend! -- Rosie

My purple cardigan aka Mr. Greenjeans continues to grow ever downward. I've separated the sleeves and am almost ready to begin the ribbed cabling portion.

I wanted to finish this before the end of the year, but with NaNoWriMo as a priority, and wanting to knit some beaded ornaments for Christmas, I think I'm going to have to give up on that idea. Or sleeping. :)

Comments

[sprite]

What a fun trip! Orchard House is on my list of places to visit. Who doesn't love Louisa?!

And congratulations on your NaNo totals! That's awesome!

[Chris]

Very cool tour! And hey - keeping up with your NaNo word counts is impressive - go go go go!

Love the color of your Mr Greenjeans.

[Kara]

I love visiting author's houses! How fun. I would think that Louisa May Alcott's would be fab. Another time...

[Sara]

Louisa May Alcott was my favorite author as a little girl. I loved Little Women!

I did not realize that her home was in MA...might have to plan a trip down there...

Thanks for the info on the show on PBS...I am going to look for it...

Like the knitting - and the fact that you are working on your writing.

[Erin]

Sounds like a lovely trip, and really perfect for this time of year.

[Jodi]

What a neat trip! I've been reading John Muir lately, and it's been making me think about Thoreau, too.

I love Edward Gorey, and I'm so jealous that you actually got to see his house. I have a book about his house on my Amazon wishlist, actually.

[Robin]

The Cape Cod trip looks perfect for this time of year. How cool is it that you got to see Walden Pond? Rosie is too cute. Mr Greenjeans is the perfect pattern for that yarn as the variegation continues unbroken across the pieces. Nice!

[Pam]

I am a bit jealous of your trip to Concord - Visiting the homes of the people of history is one way to make them feel REAL.

Good luck on nanowrimo. I have a cousin doing it (again) this year -- his page is here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/220161

[Danielle]

Thanks for sharing photos! I'm not surprised Edward Gorey was a cat fan--they often show up in his illustrations (I have a bookmark of his work that has a cat on it), but that sofa! That was a very indulged cat! I would love to visit there someday. How interesting that people leave pens on the graves. And thanks for the heads up on the Louisa May Alcott documentary--I've got a biography of her on hold right now at the library! Rosie looks very sweet--did she go and lay on your knitting after you took the photo? :)

[Sydney]

What a wonderful tour! How lucky to be so close to all of that.

Mr. Greenjeans is looking good, but I'm really impressed that you're keeping up with your NaNoWriMo word count. You can always knit next month, or the next. :)

[Kristen]

My parents took me a few times to LMA's houses. She was one of my favorite authors growing up. Her father was eccentric to say the least, and it is interesting to read her writings and biographies of the family from an adult perspective.
It's amazing how there was a cluster of genius in that place and time. I'd like to visit some of the other authors' houses too. I think you might like Hawthorne's journal "Twenty Days with Julian and Little Bunny by Papa".
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590170423/102-2735402-3196111?v=glance&n=283155

[Karen]

What an awesome way to spend a weekend. I so love Edward Gorey. I have a hardcover copy of The Gashlycrumb Tinies on a special shelf in my bedroom. :)

[Dorothy W.]

I can't tell you how happy I am to have you and Chris to visit literary landmarks with! It was fun looking at your photos and thinking again about what a great day we had. Maybe someday Hobgoblin and I will make it out to the Gorey house; it looks really interesting as well.

[Leah]

That must have been amazing, seeing those authors' homes! Thanks for the inside view of Gorey's house and furniture. I was always curious about what he was like as a person!

Good luck with your writing journey. :-)

[Robin]

I love Concord, haven't been there in ages. Maybe I will get The BF to make a Christmas pilgrimage, I bet it is extra lovely that time of year.

[Janet]

What a treat to visit those authors' homes. I grew up in that area many years ago but I don't remember visiting any of those places. I would visit in a flash now if I still lived in New England.

Janet in Dublin Ireland