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| The Kitchen Garden in Templeton is one place to stop on a weekend drive. (Photography/TOM RETTIG) |
Trees place us in the world. Their bare lines sketch a stark outline against the winter's chilly sky. New buds, branches barely furred in green, promise bursts of color to come. Thick green foliage offers a shaded canopy at the height of summer's heat. And autumn? The fireworks of New England's fall foliage burn so brightly that it's easy to forget those red and orange leaves mean the end and not the beginning of something. Even driving along the busiest highway in October brings the season home, each bend in the road another vista worth a photograph.
Better yet is taking the time for a meandering Saturday drive. The russets and golds of the hills are a backdrop to your own exploration of the byways and back roads.
From hiking to biking to shopping, it's easy to find something to do — and even easier to find a place to kick back and do nothing, perhaps over a mid-morning omelet or a panini for a late lunch.
Heading out of Worcester on Pleasant Street past the airport, Route 122 leads past familiar territory at first: the center of Paxton and then the entrance to Rutland State Park.
The park could be destination enough, depending on the kind of day you're after. Marked trails wind through the trees and around ponds, for hiking or bike riding. The Rail Trail cuts through the park, as does the Midstate Trail. There are a variety of surfaces, from fire roads and gravel roads to maintained trails.
Farther up the road, Barre captures the essence of an old-fashioned New England village, the Common set off by graceful homes and town buildings, including the deep red brick of Woods Memorial Library, built in 1887.
The Barre Farmers' Market sets up on the South Common on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. until Oct. 25. After a summer's worth of bounty, farms bring out baskets of winter squashes, apples, onions and potatoes.
Five Loaves Bakery, from Spencer, displays tall baguettes, spiral sugar buns and scones; their fennel and golden raisin breadsticks might be an ideal snack for the road, neither too sweet nor too heavy.
Other tables showcase handmade jewelry and soaps, cookies, fresh meats and produce from local farms and artisan businesses. Even if you stop by frequently, you're likely to find something new and of interest. And by all means take a minute to pause, taking in the colors that surround you — the white painted bandstand against the green grass, maple trees wearing brilliant crowns around the perimeter. It's a timeless view.
The best part of a leisurely drive on a pretty day is flexibility. It doesn't matter if you head one way, change your mind and double back to go off in the opposite direction. You can stop, explore, turn around — or take that road at the fork just to see what might be ahead.
From Barre, Gilbertville beckons down 32 to the south, or 122/32 wanders off to the northwest to Petersham.
If you head south, Rose32 Bread provides yet another bakery delight — sandwiches on freshly baked breads of all kinds and flavors, loaves for sale, a host of cookies and pastries.
If you pick up lunch here, you have the perfect picnic for a walk in the woods. We'll get to that.
From Gilbertville, 32A North takes you through Hardwick, another lovely town common surrounded by graceful old buildings and trees topped with color.
Along the way, the occasional break in the trees reveals a glimpse of hills and valleys beyond, and it's a simple matter to pull over to the side of the road to take a photograph or wander among the crooked tombstones of an old cemetery.
Beyond the rugged stone wall of one such place, a weathered gravestone remembers Anton Perry, "aged 35" when he died in 1858, and you wonder why there is no birth date, and about the story of his short life.
Three miles shy of Petersham, a short driveway on the left leads to Gate 40 in the North Quabbin woods, one of several gates with public access to Quabbin Reservoir lands. Here, after parking your car in a quiet cutback, you can walk along the wide road for a couple of miles to what used to be the town of Dana.
The woods are silent save for the wind in the trees and the rustle of dried leaves. It's a protected canopy, only the occasional flicker of sunlight, until suddenly you realize there is open space ahead.
Blue sky appears above a grassy area surrounded by trees. A stone set at the edge carries a bronze plaque noting the Dana Common's listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Dana, founded in 1763, was one of four towns disincorporated in 1938 to make way for the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir. Along with Greenwich, Prescott and Enfield, the town's small population was displaced, leaving behind what today is only the skeleton of lives once led here.
It's an eerie feeling to stand among remnants of stone foundations and bits of sidewalk, photographs mounted on posts indicating the location of the town hall, the Dana Center School, the Eagle House Hotel, the homes of specific townspeople.
A few slender stone markers differentiate what was once the town cemetery from the Common; across the way, the cobblestone foundation that is all that is left of a home evokes the same kind of quiet respect. Near the road, two horizontal concrete blocks, one on top of the other, may have been the threshold of another house; the smaller piece is engraved "Macille" and "1899."
The trees, some clearly the older versions of those in the photographs, are the only witnesses left.
The Quabbin itself, with its trails and water vistas, is another mile or two up the road, and an overlook might offer a good place for a picnic.
When you're ready, Route 32A continues into Petersham, its vibrant, busier Common a bit of a relief after the ghostliness of the lost village.
In Petersham, the Country Store occupies the white-pillared edifice that was built in 1840 as the original country store; its newly polished floors and old counters echo that past. Purchased and renovated by the East Quabbin Land Trust in 2013 with significant community support, the store reopened in May under the management of Ari and Jeanneane Pugliese. There are upscale groceries, wine and beer and ice cream for sale here, as well as coffee and a small restaurant offering homemade goodies for breakfast and lunch. The focus is on local food and local products.
Apple picking is almost synonymous with autumn, and any drive along a country road is likely to feature signs inviting an orchard visit.
From Petersham, Route 101 and a little wiggling will get you to Phillipston and Red Apple Farm. With pick-your-own and fifty varieties of apples ripening across the season, the four-generation family farm can either be a short stop to gather fruit or an entire afternoon's activity. There are farm animals to visit, trails to follow and, on the weekends, hayrides as well as barbecue on a huge open grill near the farm stand. Inside, you can buy pre-picked apples and browse the shelves, stocked with farm-made apple cider and cider doughnuts, toys and candy, honey, jams and gifts.
Once you're set with apples, head to Templeton, not far from Phillipston, for more shopping at a few different spots.
Country Mischief is only steps from the town common. There are 19 rooms in this eclectic gift shop, and owner Gail Whittle loves every one. She bought the former Stone residence, built in the 1770s, almost 25 years ago. The work of local artisans fills the house, each room an ever-changing display of furniture, accessories, curtains, decorations, knickknacks and much more. There is something unexpected in every nook and cranny.
"We sell everything but underwear," she jokes, "and as soon as I find country underwear, I'm in."
On the first floor, the Mischievous Chef serves breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Sunday, with the bandana-wearing Shannon turning out magic in the small kitchen. He's been at the helm since December.
Mrs. Whittle recently added on a porch, built into the back garden, and sitting at one of its tables feels like breakfasting in the gentle sway of the treetops.
Foliage season is one of their busiest — "We try to replace the leaves back on the trees (as they fall)," she says.
Her daughter, Cindy, works with her, and her husband, Glenn, runs Country Mischief 2 down the road, an enormous consignment shop that takes up the former Adams Brothers and Co. printing business, the original structure built in the 1840s.
Down the road, you might pick up a braided Finnish bread or a couple of pots of saffron-colored mums for the front porch from the Kitchen Garden, which sells flowers, gifts and baked goods, many with a Scandinavian flair. It has a family history as well, run now by the third generation of the Henshaw family.
In East Templeton, Steeple Antiques is another consignment spot, opened two years ago in a former Methodist church built in 1853. This dealer shop is packed with everything from holiday ornaments to old metal milk boxes, handcrafted jewelry to antique toys. On the second floor, the pipes of the old organ are visible in the corner — it still works — and the pews serve as display shelves. The store is an offshoot of Oh My Gosh in Sterling.
If you're still in the mood to explore, Gardner's furniture history stretches back to the mid-19th century, earning the town the nickname "Chair City." You can still find places to shop. Stop in at Chair City Wayside Furniture Co. at 372 East Broadway, where ladderback chairs have been handcrafted since 1938.
Heading back toward Worcester down 2A to 140, the road curves past our own mountain, Wachusett Mountain, where trails snake up through the flame-colored trees to the summit. On another day, grab a bottle of water and a backpack and wend your way past streams and over rocks, stopping to take a picture and listen to the music of the woods.
But don't wait too long. All too soon, the bright colors of autumn will begin to fade, the last leaf will flutter to the ground, and winter will be on its way.
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