we looked for a piece of land to have a small farm, a new adventure, build a house and homestead. Ideally not too far from town so we (and kids) could sometimes get places car-free. Nice neighbors and good schools would be a bonus. Not farther from family than we already were. Close enough to our old home to not lose all our old friends.
The geography put us in Western MA, and towards the end of summer 2019, living in the Pioneer Valley for the summer, we stumbled on an odd-shaped piece of land for sale in Amherst. Long and skinny, the last remains of what was one of the original European settler farms in Amherst, now chopped up into little neighborhoods on all sides. A long piece with a notched side on the road at one end going to a point at the other. Like a piece of cake, a wedge of cheese, a parsnip. Maybe a misshapen carrot.
