Westfield snow

Most residents of Middletown are fortunate enough to live near open space, and a winter snowstorm offers a great opportunity to explore. In Sunday's snowstorm, my family strapped on snowshoes and skis and headed down a wonderfully quiet street in Westfield. We turned onto city-owned land and climbed around the base of one of the hills in our area. For awhile, we were on a Blue Trail, and it was a very peaceful, gentle climb around the side of the Mountain. Twice we flushed deer who had been nestled into small excavations in the snow.

We wandered off of the blue trail and traversed across a large hayfield at the edge of the city-owned land. Farmers typically do not mind snow shoers and skiiers on their fields, which lie dormant in the wintertime. In the far distance was a farm with its tall silo only occasionally visible through the swirling snowflakes, it was a scene of bucolic farmland in winter. A stream flows gently through the field, draining water off of the mountain. Two ducks flew off, no doubt startled to see humans in their private paradise. The scene could have been in Northern Vermont, or even in Wyoming, but it was right here, within 3 miles of downtown.