"Come over the hills and far with me,
And be my love in the rain."
From "A Line-Storm Song" by Robert Frost
Even though the weather lately has been less than summerlike, why not trek to one of the area's most historic spots for a literary stroll among the trails and woods, taking perhaps the same path one of America's most prolific poets once walked?
It doesn't require a sunny day to enjoy a stop at the Robert Frost Farm on Route 28 in Derry. It's one of my favorite places and could become one of yours, too. Just toss a great pair of walking shoes on your feet, don't worry about the weather, and head off for an adventure on the farm.
Frost wrote numerous references to the rain, the changing seasons, the snow, ice, storms, and damp meadows he might have traveled more often than not while spending nearly a decade living at his Derry farm.
He might have gone out to the pasture to be inspired by a cow, or a sea of wildflowers in the mist. It might have been the dampness of an early summer day that inspired him the most, who knows?
All we can do now is wonder about what inspired him for all those marvelous verses and take time to appreciate the spot he and his family once called home in Derry.
And we are all so very fortunate to have a place like the Robert Frost Farm so close. It's a wonderful gem to visit, to peruse, and to wander. As Frost most often did, we can stop, take a glance at the scenery, and be inspired in whatever way we want.
So this summer, why not stop by those woods on a summery evening, or take the road less traveled, skip that trip to the grocery store for one day and enjoy what nature has to offer and what it afforded Frost all those years he called that farm his home.
In addition to self-guided nature trails, tours of the Frost homestead are available as well as other special events and literary programs.
This summer, the free literary series begins on July 12, at 2 p.m. and features "Frost: The Derry-Lawrence Connection" offered by Dr. Mark Schorr of the Robert Frost Foundation, an educator at Cambridge College.
Other events through the summer include events on New Hampshire gravestones on July 26, the popular antiques appraisal event on Aug. 16 featuring Frost trustee and local antiques expert Hercules Pappachristos, and other poetry events planned just for a summer day at the Frost Farm.
The Hyla Brook Poets group also meets regularly at the Frost Farm, offering local poets and writers a spot for reading and appreciating each other's works. I'm sure Frost would have loved sitting in on this group during a daily meander around his property.
To find out more about the Frost farm's literary series of events and the poet's history in Derry, visit the farm online at www.robertfrostfarm.org. Summer programs are held in the Frost farm barn and are open to the public. Programs are made possible by the New Hampshire Humanities Council and are sponsored by Division of Parks and Recreation, the Robert Frost Homestead Trustees, and the Friends of the Robert Frost Farm. The site is a historic landmark located on Route 28 only a mile from Derry's traffic circle. Call 432-3091.
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Julie Huss is a staff writer for the Derry News. Her column focusing on the local arts scene appears weekly. To contact her, call 421-3847 or send an e-mail to jhuss@derrynews.com.
