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ニューヨーク州北部の田園風景
雅子さんの住まいは郊外にあります。郊外といっても、団地やショッピングセンターが建ち並んでいるので、田舎というわけではありません。しかし、バーモント州との州境まで数十キロ車を走らせると、のどかな田園風景が広がります。雅子さんは先日、3連休を利用してドライブに出かけ、田舎ですごす時間を楽しみました。
Natural beauties of upstate New York
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ゆるやかに起伏した丘に点在する干草の塊。ロールケーキのような形で、なんだかおいしそう?!
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I live in a suburban neighborhood a little over a mile (1.6 km) from my workplace. There are many apartment complexes and shopping centers in the area, and I wouldn't exactly call it the countryside. Even people who live in single-family homes tend to have plots that are less than an acre (4,046 u) in area - often much less than an acre - and although one family down the street from me keeps one or two horses in the backyard, they don't seem to be farm animals. They look like pets.
Drive 30 miles (48 km) out, and the story changes completely. I recently spent a three-day weekend exploring the area, and I was enchanted by the beautiful scenery. My part of New York borders Vermont (from the French for "green mountains") and is quite agricultural.
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牛のいる風景
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Among the rolling green hills, I saw many red barns with cows lazing outside. I saw haystacks with my own eyes for the first time and it's difficult to explain the beauty of huge haystacks dotting large green fields. These haystacks aren't pyramid-shaped, as you often see in paintings, but they are neatly rolled, like a sleeping bag or Swiss roll. They are just piles of dead grass, I know, but they seem both calm and powerful.
But there's more than the scenery that's tempting. Many roadside stands dot the roads, offering fresh produce. I went to a goat farm and bought some fresh, unpasteurized goat milk, as well as some goat cheese. I rummaged through a refrigerator inside a shed on the farm, picked what looked good, and left money in a jar on a table. Another refrigerator contained cuts of organic meats, and a wooden table displayed the fresh vegetable harvest for the day. All purchases are made on the honor system.
I also drove several miles up a winding path to reach a garlic farm; I took a pound (454 g) of garlic stems from the refrigerator and left my money in a box. The stand offered free Bibles. I suppose those Bibles helped serve as a deterrent against stealing. At a different farm stand, I bought fresh tomatoes and radishes. I saw many green fields of corn along the way; come corn-harvesting time, I know that sweet, fresh ears will be sold at these stands. I'm looking forward to it already.
For three nights, I stayed at a B&B on the border of New York and Vermont, less than an hour's drive from my apartment. The B&B used to be a farmhouse, and the barn was still in the backyard. The owners had chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep and a duck. They also had a cat and dog as pets. I had the pleasure of eating freshly laid eggs for breakfast. The yolks were almost orange.
When the goats have babies, they are milked. I asked the proprietress whether they use the wool from the sheep. She said they give the wool to a local woman in exchange for her giving the sheep their much-needed haircuts. When the time is right, the sheep are slaughtered for meat.
She told me that she and her husband are both originally from an industrial town in Massachusetts and that they had lived in New York City before moving upstate. Apparently, it's not uncommon for city folk to move upstate to pursue their dreams of living off the land. She seemed very happy to have made the move. She said that one of the best parts is that it's not too far away from the conveniences of a more urban lifestyle, but it feels like a completely different world.
I've never really thought of myself as a country person. I'm still frightened of all animals, including rabbits and birds. But more and more I'm starting to understand why people choose to accept huge lifestyle changes in order to live in upstate New York.
Shukan ST: Aug. 15, 2003
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- upstate 〜
- 〜北部
- suburban neighborhood
- 郊外地域
- apartment complexes
- 団地
- single-family homes
- 一戸建て住宅
- tend to 〜
- 〜する傾向がある
- plots
- 土地
- down the street from me
- 私のうちから通りを下ったところの
- backyard
- 裏庭
- farm animals
- 家畜
- Drive 〜 out
- 車で〜行くと
- exploring 〜
- 〜を探索して
- was enchanted by 〜
- 〜に魅了された
- scenery
- 風景
- My part
- 私の住む地方
- borders 〜
- 〜に接する
- agricultural
- 農業の
- rolling
- なだらかに起伏した
- barns
- 納屋
- lazing
- のんびりしている
- haystacks
- 干草の山
- dotting
- 点在する
- pyramid-shaped
- ピラミッド型の
- paintings
- 絵画
- neatly
- きちんと
- sleeping bag
- 寝袋
- Swiss roll
- ロールケーキ
- piles of 〜
- 〜の山
- dead grass
- 枯れ草
- tempting
- 魅力的な
- roadside stands
- 道端の売店
- produce
- 農産物
- goat
- ヤギ
- unpasteurized
- 低温殺菌されていない
- rummaged through 〜
- 〜をごそごそ探した
- shed
- 納屋
- jar
- 瓶
- cuts
- 切り身
- organic meats
- 有機農産物で育てられた動物の肉
- harvest
- 収穫物
- purchases
- 購入
- honor system
- 自己申告制度
- winding path
- 曲がりくねった道
- stems
- 茎
- deterrent
- 抑止力
- stealing
- 盗み
- radishes
- ラディッシュ
- come corn-harvesting time
- トウモロコシの収穫時期が来れば
- ears
- トウモロコシ
- B&B(=bed and breakfast)
- 民宿
- used to be 〜
- かつては〜だった
- farmhouse
- 農家
- duck
- アヒル
- freshly laid
- 産みたての
- yolks
- 黄身
- 〜 are milked
- 〜の乳がしぼられる
- proprietress
- おかみさん
- in exchange for 〜
- 〜と交換で
- When the time is right
- 時期が来れば
- are slaughtered
- 食肉処理される
- Apparently
- どうやら
- city folk
- 都会人
- pursue 〜
- 〜を追い求める
- living off the land
- 自給自足の生活をする
- urban
- 都会の
- (am)frightened of 〜
- 〜を怖がる