Warm up with friends

By Beth Sullivan

We have come to about the half-way point in winter. The days are actually getting longer which is so very encouraging. I like to find a spot out of the wind and in a bright corner to enjoy the increased warmth from the returning and strengthening sun.

However, we cannot let our guard down; we have weeks of winter to go and late winter storms and hard freezes are not unheard of. Despite a later start to winter, we have to remember back to the last years when the cold hung on longer and later than in the past. It often leads us to our own form of extended hibernation.

A hometown pot luck spread cannot be beat.

All of this leads me to our need to find warmth and companionship in other ways as we head down the home stretch. And right in time, Avalonia is hosting its all-time members’ favorite: Winter Gathering. Formerly known as the Winter Pot Luck, for years it brought members and friends from all the corners of Avalonia territory together to socialize and enjoy good food.

Avalonia Land Conservancy is almost 50 years old and this winter tradition is one of the longest held. While attendance has waxed and waned over the years, sites have changed and programs have evolved, the central idea is always the same. Now our need to join forces and voices to help protect our special places, is greater than ever. No matter what your politics, all members of Avalonia have the same concern for protecting our landscape, our natural resources and the wildlife that relies on them. Coming together in friendship is a way to join our common concerns and have fun doing it.

Some of the kitchen crew that did a superb job last year.

March 10 Winter Pot Luck

This year, our event will be held on March 10^th, a little before the vernal equinox and the beginning of spring. We will meet at the Mystic Congregational Church ( see poster for details) and for a few hours we’ll share fellowship, good food, and some fun. While the Pot Luck is the centerpiece, this year we will host a speaker: Russ Cohen, forager and author to discuss “Wild Plants I have known and Eaten”. ( Just in time for spring greens.)

Fiddleheads are sure to be a part of the foraging discussion.

There will be some informational displays about projects including a peek at Discover Avalonia’s Hike and Seek program to get kids and adults out and learning on our trails.

We will have a raffle of fun things donators can live without, and supporters cannot live without, and take chances on them. We will also have a silent auction of artistic and creative items generously donated by local artists, potters and authors to help raise funds for Avalonia.

Look for art and craft items to be the highlights of the silent auction. 

Please come out of the winter chill and enjoy the warmth of fellowship. Friends are welcome, and the price of admission is your pot luck item. Hope to see you there.

Photographs by Bruce Fellman and Beth Sullivan.