Let Sleeping Raccoons Lie

After a dirty, scrappy, miserable loss to a rival team on a cabbage patch of a soccer field, the Monagraham 5 went with our close friends and neighbors to Weir Farm in Wilton. Just the antidote, my friends. Communing with nature fills you with light and life, getting kicked all morning by stinky 40 year olds doesn’t.

They call this joint a farm because, well, that’s what it once was. Nowadays you won’t find a chicken anywhere on its rolling, rocky acreage. What you will find is unspoiled forestland, lakes n ponds, a stream or two, mysterious stone walls, swampy, reedy plateus and trees, trees, trees. Millions of gorgeous trees. 

This is what I love about CT, gorgeous freakin trees. 

So the Weirs turned their summer residence into an artists’ refuge. Today, everybody can take part in plein air painting and sketching. To be honest, I didn’t know what plein air was, but basically it’s you and your uncoordinated hand vs. nature. They give you a satchel full of watercolors or pastels and you go at it, recording what you see. You’re free to hike the trails, kick over stones, climb a tree, whatever you want—but they encourage you to paint and sketch like Sir Weir once did. 

The kids were all over it, tearing through sheets and sheets of paper. Showing off their creations, talking excitedly with pastelly hands and faces. Cam, Aidan and Kylie’s three different styles are quickly emerging. Aidan loves saturation. He will color with intense ferocity, making sure every square millimeter of negative space is filled big, bright, bold color. Cam is has a more delicate touch, allowing figures and shapes to float in space with light washes of color. Kylie prefers the abstract colorful lines weaving within and without each other. 

We hiked through the woods and found a 30 foot high ancient rock formation, the kids climbed all over it. The adults attempted to corral them. We also came across some wild life. I scooped up a painted turtle and let the kids touch it. The kids found a “sleeping” raccoon. I told them it was a good idea to back away, so as not to disturb his extreme slumber.