Travel Journal 6:Tears and Treasures

Thursday, August 6, 2009
7:02 a.m.
Yesterday was such an overwhelming day. We saw so much and experienced a closer link to some of our favorite authors than we ever could have imagined. To stand on the edge of Emerson’s study, to gaze at Thoreau’s humble desk, to STAND IN THE VERY ROOMS where Hawthorne, Thoreau, Emerson, Alcott, and Fuller gathered together, to be surrounded by Hawthorne’s furniture (including the table at which he ate, the handmade desk where he stood to write and the cabinet where he kept his manuscripts in his beloved sky parlor), to wander around the room in which Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, to see the staircase where she and her sisters played Pilgrims Progress, to stand in the parlor of Orchard House and envision the Alcott/March sisters putting on plays for their guests: it’s unimaginable until you’re standing there in the midst of it all.
As we approached the Concord Museum yesterday, we had our first moment of collective awe. Standing off to the side of the path was a little wooden structure. Harvin paused to get a closer look at the sign on the building: “Thoreau’s cabin.” We all gasped and moved closer quickly. Of course, it was only a replica—which we all knew, but momentarily forgot. Still, we were giddy.
After a brief conversation with the lady at the front desk of the museum (who was quite intrigued by the existence of Travelers Rest, S.C.), we set off through the exhibits. Once we entered the Emerson and Thoreau exhibits, the three of us fell into a mutual silence as we each contemplated the nearness of literary history.
Moving on, we had lunch at Walden Grille. Then we set off to the appropriately-named shop down the street: Thoreauly Antiques. There we perused books and other treasures. Nothing really caught my attention until we were about to leave. I was looking around when a small, worn box in the corner caught my eye. I lifted it from a basket and gasped in excitement. Opening the box, I turned to Haley and said, “I FOUND THEM! I found Dr. Sepko’s author cards!” Doc has told us many times how she first found her love of literature sitting on her grandmother’s front porch, learning about various authors from these cards. She’s been looking for another set for years. To find something so precious for someone we treasure infinitely is exhilarating. I can’t wait to give them to her—we’ve already predicted tears all around!
Well, I must pause in my reflection to get ready to head out to Concord again today; the Old Manse, Emerson House, and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery are in the plans for today!