Another Year...Another Trip to Nashoba Valley

Last weekend was one of our family’s milestones. We traveled to the Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, Massachusetts for the annual Brews and Bluegrass festival. It's annual not just for the winery but also for us. Jennifer and I have been attending festivals at Nashoba each year since before Maura was born and Maura’s first festival visit occurred when she was only three months old. She spent it in her baby carrier zipped inside my jacket for warmth on a miserably cold day.

This year the weather was dry, sunny and not too cold to enjoy being outdoors. I had a wonderful afternoon listening to the bluegrass sounds of Southern Rail and drinking a few tasty beers from Nashoba’s microbrewery. Between sets I had the chance to socialize with friends I rarely see and found time for lunch and to share a treat with Maura that was almost as delicious as the beer—caramel covered cider donuts. Except when it was time for food I didn’t see much of Maura. She spent the afternoon playing with other children but she seemed to be having a grand time

This year even the drive to and from Bolton was enjoyable. We always take the back roads when we go and the scenery along the way is beautiful. This year the fall foliage was near its peak of color and we avoided the worst of the traffic going both directions. Jennifer was driving so for me the ride home was relaxing, a good ending to an enjoyable day.

Our Annual Nashoba Valley Pilgrimage

Last Sunday we made our annual trip to the Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, Massachusetts. Circumstances were less than ideal for the trip this year—Maura had Hebrew School until 1:00, Jennifer was not feeling well and the sky was cloudy and threatening rain—and I might have suggested we skip this year if the trip to one of Nashoba Valley’s fall festivals wasn’t a long standing tradition in our family. Maura has been to a Nashoba festival every year of her life and Jennifer and I have been making the trip annually for even longer than that. We were also expecting to meet friends there and we don’t like to disappoint.

I was in a bad mood by the time we arrived. I’m a nervous driver and it was rather a long trip. Traffic was horrible considering it was a Sunday afternoon. Fortunately for me and my family my mood quickly turned around once we had parked the car and located our friends. A snack and conversation started cheering me up and the attractions of the festival finished bringing me around.

The festival we’ve attended the last few years is the Brews and Bluegrass Festival. It features the products of Nashoba Valley’s brewery and the bluegrass music of Southern Rail. I always enjoy both and this year was no exception. The beer is always good and this year I particularly enjoyed the Blueberry Porter. Southern Rail consistently gives a great performance and I enjoy hearing them every year. Someday I might go see them at another venue. Unfortunately their closest performance this year is at a bad time for me and I won’t be able to make it. I may have to check online for their spring and summer schedules.

Maura, as usual, had a great time. Of course she doesn’t drink beer so we’ll have to attend twelve more festivals before she can enjoy a brew with her father but Nashoba offers food and activities for kids. Our family favorite is the caramel covered cider donuts which are very much worth standing in line for. Maura also enjoys the music and playing with her friends. They danced to the music and ran at high speed through the crowd. This last activity did not meet with parental approval and earned Maura a reprimand.

Since we arrived late we stayed until Southern Rail finished their final set and then explored some back roads on the way home to avoid the bumper-to-bumper traffic. Despite the cloudy weather it was a very pretty drive through the countryside. The fall foliage was nearing its peak and the trees were aflame with bright reds and yellows. Perhaps next year we will go that way again, and maybe it will be sunny.

Blessed Union, Big Party

Last Saturday the Ellett family traveled to Nashoba Valley Winery. We have been there many times but this trip was special. We attended the wedding of our close friends Rebecca Tatum and Mike Long. I was privileged to be one of Mike’s groomsmen and all of us were honored to be guests.

The ceremony was beautiful. It was well thought out, simple, and went off without a significant hitch. The bride and groom made “the happy couple” more than a euphemism. The joy that showed on their faces illuminated the event even better than the bright summer sunshine.

The reception that followed the ceremony was a grand success. There was a fine meal. Wine and beer flowed freely without anyone seeming to be obnoxiously drunk. The many children amused themselves without ever becoming much of a nuisance. The guests danced, chatted, and danced some more. Only the most determined to be depressed failed to have a wonderful time.

It was Maura’s first formal party with adults present. She got to wear a new dress and her mother painted her nails with sparkly pink polish. She got to dance with her father and she behaved like a perfect lady, even when I accidentally stepped on her toe. That little incident aside I think she enjoyed herself as much as I did.

I love weddings. I wish I had the opportunity to attend more of them. Being present as other people celebrate their love for each other reminds me of how much I love Jennifer and Maura. Every time I’m at a wedding I feel like I am renewing and strengthening my own wedding vows. I wish Mike and Becca and all other newly married couples the joy and contentment I receive every day from my own family.

Our Annual Trip to Nashoba

Last Sunday we had our annual trip to the Brews and Bluegrass Festival at the Nashoba Valley Winery. It was Maura’s ninth trip to a Nashoba fall festival. Her first was when she was only two months old. As every year, we had a good time, though unlike last year it was just the three of us at the festival. That was just fine. We have fun either way. The less than perfect weather we had didn’t put much of a damper on our trip either. There were a few showers but we’ve been to festivals at Nashoba when the weather was far worse.


The Brews and Bluegrass festival has something for the whole family, which is one of the reasons we go every year. I think the highlight for me was the beer. I had a wonderful bourbon barrel porter. It was a really good take on a beer style I really love. I wish I’d picked up a six pack to enjoy later but the lines were long and I wanted to save a bit of money. It was popular and a limited edition so I don’t expect they have any left.

Maura had a good time getting her face painted and guessing the number of candy corns in a jar. I suppose she guessed wrong since we haven't been notified that she won. We all enjoyed our lunch and the caramel covered cider donuts we had for desert. We also had a good time stomping our feet to the bluegrass music provided by Southern Rail. They’ve played the festival for several years now and I always enjoy hearing them play. I can’t claim to know much about bluegrass but I do enjoy it when I hear it. Maura and Jennifer seemed to be enjoying it, too. Maura got both of her parents dancing a bit to the music they played on the PA between live sets. When the band played live I watched. I find mandolin and banjo picking fascinating to see as well as listen to.

While the festival itself was fun as always (and we’ll be back next year) the trip had its share of hardship. On the way to the festival we got stuck in traffic for half an hour because of construction on route 128 around Dedham. The traffic jam wasn’t the result of particularly heavy traffic but instead resulted from poor planning as traffic got shifted first one way and then the other and lanes were closed seemingly at random. We had worse trouble on the way home. The clutch failed on our Toyota when we pulled off the highway to pick up some dinner from the Whole Foods Market in Dedham. Things could have been much worse. We made it home thanks to a ride from our friend Andrew Tittler and the car was back in working order in time for the next weekend. Fortunately we have two but rarely need to drive both at once, so we can get by.

Travels Without Maura

Last weekend was a rare opportunity for Jennifer and me. We had a weekend to ourselves without our daughter and were able to go away for a few days alone. While we missed our daughter from time to time we enjoyed the time spent alone together immensely.


We spent our time camping in Pearl Hill State Park. The campground was very nice, with large sites. We enjoyed the privacy we had without Maura. We arrived on Saturday and enjoyed a quiet evening together in camp sitting by our fire and retiring early to our tent.

Saturday was our wedding anniversary. In the morning we took a long hike to Damon Pond and back. After lunch at camp we left the park for the evening. We drove to Fitchburg where we discovered the Fitchburg Art Museum, a very fine small museum. We spent several hours there taking in their permanent collections and special exhibitions. They have a particularly fine selection of works by Eleanor Norcross, who donated the original building for the museum.

After the museum we took a long drive through the towns west of Fitchburg looking for a good place to eat and something to do before dinner. We failed to find anything of interest to do along our route but we enjoyed our uninterrupted conversation. We did find an interesting looking restaurant, the Old Mill Restaurant in Westminster, Massachusetts. Occupying an 18th century building once used as a sawmill it turned out to be a good choice. We may eat there again if we’re ever in the area. The setting was enchanting, the food was well prepared and they had beer from the local Wachusett Brewery on tap. We very much enjoyed our meal there.

The next day we took our time getting back to the Boston area. We planned a stop at the Nashoba Valley Winery, one of our favorite spots which we visit at least annually. On the way we took a long detour looking for Davis’s Farm Land, and then got lost on the way back. We eventually made it to Nashoba where we took the tour of the winery and tasted several of their products including their newly released whiskey, which was very good. A romantic picnic in the shade of the wine shop patio finished our weekend trip.

Have no fear that Maura was languishing with some boring baby sitter while we went away without her. While Jennifer and I were off together she was having adventures of her own in Maine with my parents. She saw the chocolate moose, ate lobster and went sailing on a schooner. The best part of her trip was she got to spend it with her grandparents whom she sees only a few times a year as they live far away.

Fall Pilgrimage, Sunday, September 21st

With the school year in full swing and me working on Saturday, Sunday is our day for family outings. This week we headed out to the Nashoba Valley Winery and Orchard in Bolton, Massachusetts, for our annual fall visit. Jennifer and I have been going there every fall since before Maura was born and Maura has made the trip every year of her life so far. Besides having and orchards where you can pick apples and other fruits in season, Nashoba also has a winery that makes excellent fruit wines, a micro brewery and a licensed distillery where they make their own brandy. They also have a restaurant. Nashoba Valley puts on a festival in the fall each year. This year it was Family Day, with less emphasis on their alcoholic products and more on apples and children’s activities. We were joined on our trip by our good friends, Andrew and Julie Tittler and their son Peter.

The trip to Bolton from Weymouth took about an hour, with a quick stop in Dedham to drop off our contribution to the evening’s supper at the Tittlers’. We arrived in Bolton at about one thirty. We started our festival experience with lunch while we waited for the Tittlers to join us. We had hot dogs with shared sides of beans and red cabbage coleslaw. Everything was delicious.

Once everyone had gathered we headed out into the orchard to pick some apples. The apples had some hail damage so it was a challenge to find good ones. Maura played with Peter and picked mostly for the Tittlers’ bag while Jennifer and I filled ours. We picked a peck of Liberty apples, since they seemed to be the best cooking apples that were ready for picking. They make great apple sauce and are crisp and tasty for eating fresh as well. I haven’t made any pies but I plan to try this weekend.

After apple picking we took a rest at the picnic field. A bluegrass band played live and several kids games were set up around the field. Peter wasn’t feeling well so the Tittlers headed home, but we stayed a while longer to enjoy the music and to watch a juggler perform. We shared a fresh made caramel apple and enjoyed the nearly perfect weather.

The only downside to the trip for us came on our way home. We ran into a bad traffic jam on the highway. It took us as long to go five miles to the bottleneck as it had to drive all the way from Weymouth earlier in the afternoon.