Pocumtuck Homelands Festival 2017

   The 4^th Annual Pocumtuck Homelands Festival was, in a single word, “Nice.” It was nice to be invited, nice to be in a place where Ceremonial Stone Landscape features are recognized and well known. Everyone I talked to was so very nice and almost everyone had a story or two (or ten) to tell about interesting and intriguing stones as I stood at a table with what looked much like somebody’s 6^th Grade Science Fair Project.

   And it was especially nice to meet Diane Dix - who I thought had a little twinkle of mischief in her eye as she directed some very nice people to move my designated spot under a tree to a more prominent place by the paved path, right beside the table set up for the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. It was nice to see Kevin McBride and talk just a little although I have to admit that I sort of didn’t recognize him right off since my mental images of both of us have much darker colored hair. I had the flyer for Doug Harris’ talk in Northampton the same day on the corner of my table and I recalled seeing a photo of him standing by that Killingworth CT stone turtle mound featured on the flyer. He told me it seemed just about impossible that anyone could look at it and not think “Turtle!”

   And it was nice talking with my other neighbor, Hawk Henries, finding we had a mutual friend who lives near him in Maine. Hawk makes beautiful flutes, so of course we also talked about music – and I even got to say to him, “I also have a Digeri-doo but when I play it people say Digeri-don’t, man.”

  

My neighbor Liz Charlebois across the path showed me some magic. She folded up a single layer of birch bark (like you would a piece of paper for a snowflake), put it in her mouth and bit it (sort of like flattening a porcupine quill but not), unfolded it and revealed a design much like the others she had on display.

   Eventually I did get to wander to other booths and tables, recognizing at one Mr. Evan Pritchard. We talked a while about stone turtles and more, even adding some details about the area where I live to some maps he has been working on.

  Even though the sky would turn the nicest shade of blue one minute, sunlight dancing on the River, the next minute the big white clouds would turn dark and the rain would shimmer and sparkle in the air in much the same way, dancing in the light of a sun shower.

  Late in the day, while Hawk Henries took the stage for a second time (all the music was good, a nice soundtrack for the Festival), a rainbow appeared in the east, seemingly touching where river met land, and as if on cue, a bald eagle flew for a time under it...

Thanks again to Diane and everyone involved - especially Joe, Bernard, Anne,Pam, Alma and everyone else who spent some time talking with me!!!

Be sure to visit the Nolumbeka Project website!