When we turn the minivan off Route 2 and start to climb uphill into the village of Rowe , Jonah, 9, asks “Are we almost there?” Zachary, 7, shushes him. He wants to hear the exact moment himself, not of approaching our destination, but when we will get high enough that the radio and cell phone signals disappear. We will relearn how to entertain ourselves by interacting with others—and ourselves—in new ways. My 11 year-old daughter sighs as she begrudgingly accepts the demise of her Hilary Duff tune. When we all pause to listen and breathe at the roaring brook waterfall, even my daughter lets the excitement fill her. We are here! We’re at Rowe’s Holiday and New Year’s Vacation.
Being a single parent isn’t always easy. And finding ways to take a vacation that meets both the needs of my three children, and me—and one I can afford—has been hard. Fortunately, Rowe Camp & Conference Center meets the challenge.
Picture me sipping tea in the octagon-shaped dining room, a tasteful addition to the rustic 1776 farmhouse. Watch me as I admire the balance of architecture and craftsmanship. Sigh with me as I appreciate that my children are here, too (right now are off doing crafts with an art instructor or playing in the snow). What is it that works so well here?
I have a long relationship with Rowe. My first conference, as a twenty-something, involved drumming; the next was about natural herb remedies. Years later, as a single mom, I came to the Thanksgiving for Singles Workshop. Like so many others, I have been searching for a way of life with more meaning than being a cog in the consumer-driven, rat-race wheel.
Since that time, I have returned with my family for several weekends. Rowe’s Holiday and New Year’s Vacation has become our winter family camp experience. We have enjoyed hilarious jaunts on snowshoes, sledding, walking the double stone wall path, and yes, catching snowflakes on our tongues. There’s always a wonderful intergenerational New Year’s Eve party where the whole family gets to dance and play and see who can stay awake to ring in the New Year.
Rowe brings our family together in ways no other place does. Even when we choose separate activities throughout the day (there are great activities for kids), our shared memories of the place, our enriching flavor of our time here permeates our lives, becomes the glue that binds our shared experience.
I will never forget the time Zachary spent several days perched on top of a table, scraps of sticks and yarn surrounding him, completely absorbed in creating G-d’s eyes. When I, in typical embarrassed mother fashion, apologized for Zack having made nine large g-d’s eyes, the art workshop leader scoffed: “Are you kidding? He made my week!”
Toward the end of the day, while the magnificent vegetarian dinner is cooking, people arrive in the Farmhouse living room from their various activities. Jonah and Zachary are playing a board game; Sabina is entertaining us at the piano. It’s so comfortable. Maybe the healthy living my children experience at Rowe helps me to relax with them. Maybe they are too tired from all their activities to engage in their usual bickering. I don’t need to figure it out. I sip my tea. I notice the woman I met at breakfast sitting down next to me, taking out her knitting. We smile and begin to talk. It’s that simple.
At night, listening to the pine, fir, and deciduous trees creaking in the wind, my kids are cuddly and warm in long johns and wool socks (soon discarded as the woodstove cranks in our cabin). I’m a nature freak from way back and this woodsy life has been part of Rowe’s appeal from the beginning. After checking the dark night from each fogged window, the kids settle into their sleeping bags in their bunks, eyelids heavy, while I sit by the glowing stove reading them a story.
Life at Rowe is something I hold as vital: good healthy cooking, simple shared chores as volunteers—like setting and clearing the tables with others, (instead of paying someone to wait on us), hiking in the wilderness, joining in music, song, and dance, sharing ideas, insights, stories—even a disagreement or two. I value so much, year after year, sharing these experiences with my children.
Parents need time away with our families, as well as time in adult company, and time in solitude. Nestled in the hilltowns of the Berkshires, this vibrant community, this place, Rowe Camp and Conference Center, provides all of these needs and more, nurturing community and creating a place where all are welcome, all are free to enjoy peace.
Rowe’s annual Holiday Vacation Program runs from December 28-January 3. Click for details.
Elizabeth Land and her children live in Great Barrington, Mass.
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