Private Waterfront Cottage with Majestic Views of the Sound

My family stayed for a week in Apri 20l2. My children had a blast riding their bikes and spending the day at the beach. The beach is private. We started our day going to the beach and setting up. We were able to go back and forth from the appartment to the beach all day. Our dog stayed with us for a couple of days. She had as much fun as the family. There is a walk to the beach but it is down a private dirt road so the kids always rode their bikes safely. Their are restaurants and shopping minutes away but you feel like you are on your own private island. A wonderful family vacation. My family is begging to go back again this year.

just beyond

the field newly shorn

of its Queen Anne’s Lace mantle

stands a tree

in the act of dying

how long this tree will live is unknown

yet the thousand swallows alighted there

seem not to care

they congregate and socialize

before flight of migration we surmise

they swarm high at times

realigning

themselves in a system

foreign to the wingless

some leave and return

to adjourn

to a less populated tree across

another field speckled

with red clover,

Queen Anne’s Lace and Black-Eyed Susans

they keep coming and coming

to this lone tree

just off the shore of Long Island Sound

briny air

moist breeze

warm in the full sun




there is an empty house beside the tree

no person has come or gone

in the three days we visited

so it seems

a mystery of beauty

historical in its clapboard

set apart from the rest

of the farm homes and manor houses

we have seen here in Old Lyme

it is a spectacular colonial

all windows six over six



but the real show is

the birds programmed

to go

somewhere

for some reason

unstoppable

driven

absolutely imperative



as the swallows continue

to ready themselves

for their journey

from time to time

single monarch butterflies float about the fields

from flower to flower

then head south east

across Long Island Sound

also compelled

to journey with purpose

for reasons

only they comprehend



the tree

auberge

for these many travelers

journeys as well

on its own

rooted

to the spot it took hold to as a seed

deep roots

spread and search for water

branches

reach toward light

life span

undetermined

despite

drought and storm

flood and hail



we had three days

to witness

this abundance

these joyous melancholic

realizations of time awareness

I would love to say that our stay at Udder Heaven was for a vacation, but we were in the area for some serious family business. And despite all the heavy duty family issues we had to deal with, Udder Heaven proved to be utterly heavenly. It provided us such a sweet sense of home, coziness, efficiency, and endless hours of shore walking where life could be contemplated and problems worked out. We all sat for hours reading books either sitting by a window or on the deck often looking up to take in the inspiring, charming scenery. And if we found we were in need of something, we very much appreciated the thoughtfulness and kindness of the proprietors with their help or suggestions. It was wonderful to feel part of the Griswold history, and to be ensconced in a community that includes a wildlife bird sanctuary, quiet beach, rolling pastures, walking paths, the sounds of distant fog horns, and the occasional neighborly conversation. What a delightful place that offered so much good and made our difficult family situation a joy to remember.