Over the last several weeks - I have shared one of the reasons I love living in Denver - it is an awesome city with access to awesome destinations for day trips, weekends or just an afternoon that are all "MILES FROM DENVER".
This week I decided I would switch it up - and talk about a town 1,875 miles from Denver.... Granville, Massachusetts. This is the town that raised me, and I'm home for the holidays.
I spent most of my first 27 years there, and my parents live in the first home they bought. You can tell where my parents live because of a sign that the census or google noted. My dad had found an old "Johnson St." sign and placed it at the top of my driveway. When you look at it on a map - my driveway looks like a street! However, I did try to send mail there once and it was returned.
Some features of Granville that existed as I grew up - are still the same! There is one general store - established in 1935 and is still famous for their aged cheddar cheese. There is one church with the same interior from 1778. The EMS and Fire Department are still volunteers! There is a maple sugar farm, and plastic tubes or pails still hang on many maple trees collecting the sap. (A maple sugar candy is still one of my favorite sweets... there better be one in my stocking this year!) There is not one single traffic light. Wild turkeys live in the woods and visit houses that feed the birds - I think my dad actually "feeds the turkeys"! Black bears keep having cubs and visit houses to get into the trash that is kept in the back yards - until "dump days". The "Harvest Fair" is a three day event of local crafters and foodies - I realize now - not everybody knows what Fried Dough is! It is the best... comes with powdered sugar, cinnamon and sugar or pizza sauce with parmesan cheese.
I grew up next to an apple orchard which used to supply apples to Motts (I remember seeing the trucks!) There are other orchards that have peaches and plums. My first job was "scooping" wild blueberries. Wild blueberries are one of three berries native to the US, and they are smaller and sweeter than bush berries. Wild blueberries are grown close to the ground - and hand held rakes are used to scoop them off the clustered bushes. We were paid by the pound picked - and so I worked fast - but fast for me ended up with wet or smooshed berries - so I switched jobs and worked the belt. The boxes of blueberries were poured onto a conveyor belt and we (some of my best girl friends and I) sorted out the green berries and stems before they were placed in pints and quarts for purchase. I have vivid memories of all of this - including when the Schwan's man came with ice cream treats! Now there is farm made ice cream at the Gran-Val Scoop!
This morning I turned to a facebook group to ask for pictures and other people's opinions on why they live in Granville. Of course, in a small town most people are neighborly - so shared many pictures and memories. A few are below....
The Noble & Cooley Drum Factory was established in 1894, and is one of the oldest in the US. Phil Collins has used their drums on tour, and Taylor Swift, Green Day, Pearl Jam and others have recorded albums with their drums.
A house (on the street I grew up on) was built in the 1700's has a well in the kitchen and a Dutch oven fireplace in the front room. It was also part of the Underground Railroad.
There is plenty of water throughout Granville... three reservoirs, private and public ponds, and the gorge. Granville St Forest is also a place to fish, hike and camp. The 6th grade classes of Granville Village School used to camp there for 3 days 2 nights!
There is so much to talk about - even tall shadows - I could probably write a book - but this is enough for now!
WINTER - Sledding, snowmobiling, and cross country skiing!
SPRING - Bike rides, hikes, and fishing!
SUMMER - Ice cream at the scoop, camping and berry picking!
FALL - Harvest Fair, long drives to see the many changing colors, apple picking!
