New Harmony

The Seven Bridges Road
performed by Dolly Parton
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There are stars in the southern sky
Southward as you go
There is moonlight and moss in the trees
Down the seven bridges road
I have loved you like a baby
Like some lonesome child
I have loved you in a tame way
And I have loved you wild
Sometimes there is a part of me
Has to turn from here and go
Runnin' like a child from these warm stars
Down the seven bridges road

There are stars in the southern sky
And if ever you decide you should go
There is a taste of time sweet as honey
Down the seven bridges road
There are stars in the southern sky
Southward as you go
There is moonlight and moss in the trees
Down the seven bridges road.
Down the seven bridges road...

Recently a short weekend trip, not far from home, found me at  New Harmony, Indiana. A surprise find to say the least! It was remarkable for a number of reasons. Despite the sweltering heat of the day, we were delighted by the cool, greenness of the place; the quiet hum of welcome, the 200 years plus longevity of the town, the creativeness of the inhabitants and the tranquility of nature herself, alive in this place.

Some would describe it as an artist's colony; some would say it is the result of a utopian society founded there nearly 200 years ago; others would declare it to be a spiritual ground brimming with the Spirit of Creation. Indeed there are artists there; there is a town  melding the old seamlessly with the new, and the spiritual with the creative.

However it appeals, to one or another, there surely is a lovely calm pervading, an encouragement for the creative self and a relaxing small, country lifestyle tucked away in the unending green fields of rural Indiana. But more than anything, it's a surprise waiting to be discovered in the lovely lodgings, the cafes, the small spa, the roofless chapel dedicated to the Spirit and more.

In visiting the place, the music of Dolly Parton who performs "Seven Bridges Road"comes to mind. It answers the small, country side that is Indiana and New Harmony which is just that surprise, all the seven bridges roads 'runnin wild like a child... if you should decide to go, a time as sweet as honey... loved like a child...'