Get-Away in the Berkshires

Before the summer officially started, my friends, coworkers, and I had been saying that we could almost sense how amazing this summer was going to be.  We could just sense that it was going to be filled with adventure and good times.

This summer was perhaps the first summer in a long time that actually felt like summer vacation.  I mean, I was working full-time and definitely keeping busy.  But, it truly has been an amazing summer.

Having a little summer romance just seemed to highlight all the great parts.

Some close friends sent out an invitation a to hang at their house in the Berkshires of Eastern Massachusetts, which I forwarded to my close work friends.  But in the end, I ended up just bringing my summer romance.

The last time I was at this house, it had been in the dead of winter.  I believe others went skiing, but I chose to chill at the house.  Being that this was the weekend after the 4th of July, this was the first time I was able to explore the grounds and greenery around the house.

Apparently, there's an amazing little pond right behind the house called Hallockville Pond.  The house itself was located in the Hawley State Forest, so it was quite idyllic.  There were several tents along the pond's shore and a camp site on the opposite side from the house.

campsites at Hallockville Pond

We ended up taking advantage of a rowboat that sat at the shore of the pond.  I'd have to say that I had never felt like I was really living a scene from Disney's "The Little Mermaid" until this man started rowing me around the pond.

"percussion...strings...winds...words..."

I was literally waiting for a little crustacean to appear and start singing.  It was honestly hard not to completely geek out at that moment!  But, unlike the movie, we actually chatted a bit as we rowed around.  At some point, he asked me if I wanted to try rowing for a little.  I was a little nervous that I was just going to have us spinning in a circle, but I think I did I pretty decent job and managed to row us around for a bit before going back to the house.

"there you see her, siting there across the way..."

In the afternoon, the group of us went to a more swimmable pond.  The Plainfield Pond was a little more than a mile away, but there was a little bit of beach attached to it.  There were several families taking in the sun that day, including a family of ducks which would sometimes get close to the humans with food items.

duckies!

The pond itself was fun to swim in, but we would continuously feel plants and other unknown algae-feeling things at our feet.  After a while, it just started to creep me out a bit and I needed to get out of the water.

Later that night, after the delicious feast of bbq and veggies from the garden, we decided a bonfire with Smores was needed.  It was nice to have a little fire pit a bit away from the house, enough that we could see stars. 

apparently, Smores are called "Pogos" or something in Canada...
???

Honestly, it was an amazing weekend.  It felt nice to be away from all the business and noise that's part of a city, especially knowing that the summer camp was starting that following Monday. 

On Sunday, we got to spend a bit of time in the sunshine before driving back to Boston.  Hopefully, next time we go out there, we can explore some of the other attractions in the area like zip lining or hiking.  Either way, this city girl is learning to enjoy these country get-aways.

gorgeous weekend