Carrie Rowlands Johnson
Travel & Lifestyle Blogger
Carrie-Ons & DayDreams
recently published
Mud Season: The Best Cure for Spring Fever is the Great Outdoors
Published in Berkshire Living Magazine, March/April 2015
By Carrie Rowlands Johnson
The sounds of familiar young voices trickle into my consciousness. They come in subtly at first, then build with an increasing tenacity. Between the end of my dreams and the beginning of my reality, the chatter stirs in me feelings of Christmas morning—excitement, joy, and anticipation at the prospect of sharing a wide-open day with my children.
Then reality sets in, hard and fierce like a winter storm. I am responsible for filling an entire day with activities for twin eight-year-old boys. And it’s mud season, that dreary time of year when the snow has melted just enough to make Alpine skiing and sledding impossible, playing ball or going to the playground improbable, and muddy parking lots and lawns intractable.
But what if I take my plight and shake it up? Soon, a much more acceptable—dare I say enjoyable?—scenario appears out of the gloom. Diminutive feet clad in rain boots embark on a trail nearly free of snow. Melted remains pool along the path, and two pairs of boots cheerily splash their way past mosses clinging to rocks. They, too, are freed of their frozen, white constraint. Tiny green stems poke through the earth, preparing to start the grand show of springtime. Witness as the woods and all the creatures in it are resurrected.
“We have one of the best shows of spring wildflowers,” says Rene Wendell, pointing out three types of trilliums, trout lilies, and hepatica. Wendell, a conservation ranger, leads guided tours through more than eight trails at Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield, helping children and adults discover a world often hidden to the inexperienced eye. He proudly counts off a handful of varieties found on the grounds he cares for. Peek into a clearing and watch a herd of eight deer graze, while three baby eagles in a tree above wait patiently for dinner. Hear birds traveling en masse, creating a moving shadow on land as they migrate north to the Berkshires.
A bit farther down the path, Wendell points out what looks like an orphaned puddle of dirty water sitting to the side of the trail. It is actually a thriving vernal pool, a temporary collection of water rich with new life. It forms from melting snow and is used as a breeding ground for many types of invertebrates and amphibians like wood frogs, salamanders, and fairy shrimp. It dries up for the summer just in time for its inhabitants to walk away and live on dry land.
There are plenty of structured activities planned here, but you don’t need a guide to explore. Jim Caffrey, a superintendent with the Trustees of Reservations—the nonprofit group that oversees “Bart’s” Cobble and other natural preserves across the state—says an independent trek is one of the best ways to experience the property, even when the ground is covered in snow or packed with mud.
Caffrey offers one simple direction: “Just turn your kid loose. In the woods, something is always different. The tree looks different, or something fell over or the sound of the wind. There are all of these things to get involved with and look at. Kids love that stuff. They love to be out. It doesn’t have to be structured.”
Sometimes, that “stuff” still might be covered in snow in March and April, especially at Notchview, another property owned by the Trustees and located farther north in Windsor. Sitting at 2,000-feet elevation, Notchview maintains a cooler temperature than Bart’s Cobble. Snow blankets the trails well into April, welcoming those on snowshoes or cross-country skis, available for rental onsite for a minimal fee.
Caffrey suggests visiting both locations within a few days of each other and observing the stark contrast created by these two entirely different ecospheres. “By mid-April at Bart’s Cobble, there’s likely no snow. It’s likely birds may have established nesting. At Notchview, it’s possible they’re locked up with snow, bitter wind, birds are looking but turning around and going away.”
On what could have been a boring, dreary spring day, by nighttime two pairs of little rain boots return to the doorway. Dirty streaks freshly painted on them are proof that with a sense of adventure—and the right footwear—the muddy beginnings of spring are the perfect foundation for fun in nature’s playground.
Dr. Edwin Williams
Published in Simply Saratoga
There’s a genuine warmth in the voice of Dr. Edwin Williams as his words describe his first encounter with a domestic violence victim after he reconstructs their face.
“I’ve seen patients first day post-op. They have had a scar. They’re an emotional wreck. It brings up all these feelings again. It really does help them with that. They’ve moved beyond it, especially those who really break the cycle. It really does help them move on.”
Dr. Williams is a facial plastic surgeon at The Williams Center for Plastic Surgery in Albany. Twenty years ago, he worked with plastic surgeons across the country to start the program “FACE TO FACE,” a national organization which provides complimentary consultations and plastic surgery to victims of Domestic violence. Through this program, he’s donated his time, talent, surgery center, and skills to repair the faces of dozens of local women marred at the hands of their partner. The Williams Center has also donated tens of thousands of personal and fundraising dollars to domestic violence agencies in our area.
“I think it’s important to give… The most common facial fracture is a nasal fracture. You’ll see cheekbone fractures, scars, what have you. I guess between my trauma training and type of practice, I was kind of surprised at the people I would see and it astounded me how prevalent it was.”
Maggie Fronk of Wellspring, formerly known as Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services of Saratoga County, says domestic violence ranks as the top first or second cause of homicide toward women. Wellspring is a haven for battered women and men. The center offers a 24-hour hotline, emergency shelter, counseling, case management, and legal advocacy to victims. All of the services are free. Though subsidized by government grants, a big chunk of the funding comes from fundraisers and the generosity of individuals and businesses like The Williams Center.
“Through their fundraising efforts they not only raised funds for vital services like shelter, counseling and legal advocacy, they also sent a strong message that there is hope and support for abuse victims. No one ever should live in fear at home.”
Fronk says that awareness is as valuable as the surgery Williams and other surgeons across the country perform.
“We really wanted to use it as a means to increase awareness. It was just astounding when I started doing it, the number of individuals who didn’t realize there’s something wrong with it (Domestic Violence.) Some of it is just a verbal thing. We (wanted to) make an impact on prevention,” said Dr. Williams.
Williams says when he unwraps the bandages, women begin wrapping themselves in a newfound confidence which further enables them to move beyond the cycle of abuse.
“They’re much more self confident, even to the point where they dress themselves differently and put on more makeup. It’s a confidence thing. They feel so much better about themselves.”
When asked why this cause is so important to him, Williams admits he doesn’t have a profound answer.
“There’s no reason other than it’s the right thing to do. It’s important to give of your talents. It’s extremely gratifying.”
Williams is also involved with and volunteers his time for The Vascular Birthmark Foundation.
For more information on “FACE TO FACE,” call 1-800-842-4546.
Wellspring’s free and confidential 24-hour hotline is 518-584-8188.