Savoring Summertime Sloth –

Languid Locales For Lackadaisical Loafers

By Dottie Evans

Had enough of the daily grind?

Need a break from work, cell phones, traffic, laundry, errands, and shopping?

If only we could somehow, even for a brief time, interrupt the interruptions that tend to fragment our lives. There is a way available to us all and 19th Century American poet Walt Whitman sets the example.

We must take time out for the precise purpose of doing nothing. We, too, can slow down long enough to watch the grass grow.

To further this goal, The Bee editorial staff has identified several prime public loafing spots in town. These peaceful places fit the established criteria of being outside, as Whitman would have wanted, and they are readily accessible.

Certain indoor spaces may also be conducive to relaxation and escape, such as the Cyrenius H. Booth library reading room or the Newtown Youth Services parents’ corner, but they had to be eliminated despite the fact that they have air-conditioning. No matter the heat, we feel sure Walt Whitman would not have stayed indoors on a sunny summer day.

Back yards, too, were not considered ideal loafing spots because there is always some demand being made. There are weeds that need pulling, dogs that want a walk, children who must have our attention.

 So here is our loafing list –– short and sweet with a possibly apocryphal addition at the end. If you decide to visit any of these places, and if, in particular, you spy anyone hanging about in peaceful, preoccupied attitudes, please do them the courtesy of not intruding.

Get on with your own loafing and enjoy yourself.

Bench Atop Castle Hill

One could argue that this popular stopping place, at the top of Castle Hill Road on property owned by the Newtown Forest Association, is a bit exposed for truly anonymous loafing. But the view over Newtown and beyond to the hills of Brookfield and Southbury is nothing short of spectacular. There is plenty of mental privacy when you lose yourself in gazing at leafy treetops, towers, steeples, and rooftops. Clouds may be the only things that move unless you watch the hypnotic flapping rhythm of the American flag at the top of its Main Street pole.

Marvel at how green everything is. Thoughts like birds take wing and fly over such a space.

The Pleasance

Most townspeople know of this lovely in-town garden that is owned and maintained by The Newtown Bee at the corner of Main Street and Sugar Street (Route 302). But few realize there is a new section that has been created behind the more public garden containing the gazebo and fountain. It is a quiet corner where one may retreat for a bit.

Park in the unpaved area and follow the stone path that leads past the flagpole, the gardens, and a Russian olive that has been beautifully pruned to look quite elegant and exotic.

When you reach two granite benches at the far corner, you have arrived. Sit down and enjoy the gardens or turn away from the road toward the breezy grove and start loafing in earnest. Let the calls of cardinals and warblers or the mewing of a catbird in the nearby thicket help you forget about traffic on Route 302.

The shade here is delicious. And in five years, those white pines between you and Newtown’s most aesthetically unappealing municipal building will grow big enough to make a lovely shield. Already, they soften the view.

Taunton Lake Boat Launch

If there is a breeze to be had, you will find it here at the Taunton Lake Road Boat Launch. This shady shoreline park, owned by the Newtown Fish and Game Club, is only one minute’s drive from Route 6, just off Taunton Lake Road.

Stop here and enjoy the view over the water or look for butterflies hovering over milkweed flowers that line the banks.

Take a minute to read the plaque overlooking the lake dedicated to Bryan Victor Kerchal, who lived in Newtown from 1971 to 1994. Even if you never knew Bryan, you can appreciate why he loved this place enough for a marker to be set here in his memory.

Look across the lake to the far shore that appears heavily wooded and distant. While you are in full loafing mode, you might notice a few fishermen in small boats gliding into view. Perhaps a couple walking their dog will come by and head down the boat ramp to give the dog a swim. There is not a lot of activity here, just enough to keep the senses occupied while the mind wanders.

The Ram Pasture

These green and spacious acres along South Main Street in the middle of town are owned and maintained by the Village Cemetery Association. Long ago this place served area countrymen as a common grazing ground and we imagine it remains relatively unchanged to this day, though the grass is cut by machines now instead of by sheep.

From early spring to late fall, people can be seen here flying kites, taking picnics, reading under the willow trees, or just walking, sometimes in the company of dogs and children. For this reason, the Ram Pasture is a terrific place for the dedicated loafer to be alone –– but not lonely.

You have only to park along Elm Drive, hop over the low stone wall and you are there.

Sit under a tree or walk along Deep Brook that threads a meandering path down the middle of the pasture. Linger on the stone bridge overlooking Hawley Pond and watch the geese and ducks go about their business. Great blue herons often lurk in the shallow places.

 

Lake Lillinonah Park

As a loafing destination this park managed by the Parks and Recreation Department ranks high on the list because, while it is accessible by car, it is also out of the way. The park is a four-mile drive from the top of Schoolhouse Hill Road down to the very end of Hanover Road, so you cannot simply pull off Main Street for your spontaneous bit of loafing. You need to plan.

When you arrive at the park, you will find a sloping grassy bank under shade trees that looks out across a wide section of the lake to the wooded shores of Bridgewater.

Motor boats pulling water skiers sometimes disturb the quiet scene but they provide an interesting diversion, especially for families gathered at the picnic tables or around the cooking grills.

On second thought, recognizing the dedicated loafer’s need for quiet, we would advise avoiding Lillinonah Park on summer weekends. Instead, turn right off Hanover Road one mile sooner, into the well-marked, state-owned Pond Brook Boat Launch and park alongside the big rocks that line the entrance road.

Get out of the car and enjoy this quiet cove. Watch the small fishing boats, kayaks, and canoes as they set out for Lake Lillinonah. If you have a car blanket, take a nap under the shade of rustling oak leaves.

Chair Overlooking I-84

There is one more loafing spot –– perhaps the ultimate shrine to loafing –– that was at one time quite famous in certain circles, mainly because it was so unusual. You will not be able to visit it today, except possibly in memory.

This was a solitary kitchen chair of 1940s vintage that was placed high on a rock overlooking a certain stretch of I-84. The legs and back of this chair were reportedly shiny-chromed and curving with that stylized streamlining look that was peculiar to the era. A red plastic seat cushion with upholstery buttons and decorative ribbing seemed to invite the occasional loafer to tarry awhile, but no person was ever seen actually sitting there.

One wonders whether this chair had been placed in this particular spot for a reason beyond mere loafing. Was this part of a Department of Transportation study on highways? Or did it have something to do with UFOs and alien landings? Remember the flying saucers people were seeing in the early 1950s?

It could be that loafers who landed in the loafing chair were beamed up to some distant planet and never seen again. If anyone can tell us more, we would be most grateful.