Good-bye, Summer!

Well, here we are, at the tail end of summer, just two days away from the autumnal equinox, girding our loins for the cold season ahead. My postman, Dave, tells me he’s been seeing A LOT of acorns this year, a sure portent of a harsh winter. Not that we can complain after last year’s virtually nonexistent one. But even if that’s true, and we’re headed for snowy cold, there’s still the cool and beautiful fall season between now and then, a perfect time to squeeze in a hike or two, or three.

Last week, when I talked about the Thoreau Amble, a helpful reader told me about a walk in the woods I didn’t really know about. I HAD to check it out, seeing as it’s fairly close to where I live, and took some pictures, because it really is beautiful, and it’s always good to know about these little pieces of wilderness tucked around town. It’s part of the Concord Land Conservation Trust, and you can start at the Newbury Field trailhead right on Lowell Road. To get there, drive about a mile past the Barrett’s Mill Road intersection toward Carlisle, and on the left will be a mailbox with the number 1127. It looks like a driveway, but trust me, it leads to a few parking spaces and an opening in the woods.

Take the trail through woods, all the way to an open field, at which point the trail divides. Take the left fork, and follow it to the end of the field and into the next set of woods, to a section of trail called Tobin’s Path. This beautiful walk will ultimately take you all the way to Strawberry Hill Road, coming out near Macone Farm Road. The pine woods part of the trail is really peaceful, and wide and flat enough for a mountain bike. It looks like a great place for a picnic. Just make sure to follow the white signs with arrows; there are a lot of trails forking off of the main trail, but they go to private property, and you can’t go there.

Raspberries for the picking

This is the time of year that the raspberries are ripe and ready to be picked, and if you haven’t seen the signs on Lowell Road, Silferleaf Farm on Strawberry Hill Road is open for picking. You may recall last year, when their season ended early due to a nasty fruit fly that found its way here from the west coast; they continue to look for ways to work around this pest, but the berries are as tasty as ever. They recommend that you pick only what you plan to use immediately, because one consequence of this pest is that the berries spoil quickly.

And there are plenty of berries: the bushes stretch as far as the eye can see. The farm is open from 10 a.m. to 6 – 5 p.m. when the days get shorter – and the season lasts until mid-October, or the first hard frost. To get there, simply look for the handpainted white signs that say “Raspberry Picking.” You won’t be sorry.

Logo contest

Have a budding artist in your family? A kid of any age who is always doodling when they should be doing homework or listening to yet another lecture? The Concord-Carlisle Community Chest is holding a logo-drawing contest for their Pumpkin Roll and Family Fest, which takes place Oct. 28. The logo needs to be drawn in pencil or black ink only, no color, and can be dropped off at a number of places around town. But the deadline is looming close – it’s October 1 – so to get your entry form and get all the good details, go here, scroll down to the contest info and click on the entry form instructions.

Good luck!

Do you have something you would like to share? Contact me at stefanieac@comcast.net and I will be happy to help you spread the good news. And follow me on Twitter: @stefanie3131.