My childhood neighbor Bill Russell passed away last year, so it was meaningful to memorialize him with our one of Locust Benches. While enjoying his later years on Long Meadow Hill Rd in Calais, Vermont, Bill and his wife Maureen allowed for the construction of a multi-use hiking and mountain biking trail which tours their property, near to the Robinson Ridge Trailhead.
It was a delight to go with Bill’s daughters and my brother and sister-in-law to install the bench this September. After some thought, we chose a location facing the Worcester Range, which were always so dear to Bill. While the digging wasn’t easy, we did manage to find enough depth in the location to install the two Black Locust posts.
While it was, of course, meaningful to honor Bill, it was also an exciting proof of concept. Coming in pieces, we were able to hike to the posts and bench assembly up the trail about four hundred yards. The Locust Bench, with some effort, is well suited to be taken and installed almost anywhere. — Timo Bradley
