Final 2 Days in the Berkshires

 August 28

     We had an easy morning. Mark went to the hot tub for a bit and Barbara went to the sauna for a bit. We drove to High Lawn Farms and got chocolate milk. We went to Guido's for coffee and some lunch things and ate lunch at 'home.'       

  We went to Edith Wharton's 'The Mount' for a jazz concert by MI-5. We got there early enough to sit on the terrace in perfect weather. When Jim came, we got food from the food truck. Pizza, wings, fries and a lobster roll for Barbara. The group consisted of a vocalist, Dominique Eade, a drummer, bass player, saxophonist and guitarist. They played traditional jazz like Charlie Parker etc. It was quiet and mellow. About half-way through, Nan joined us from having gone to stay with Zach during a hand operation. It was a very pleasant evening.

August 29

   We started our day early with doing a last laundry. Then- a trip to the jacuzzi and to the sauna. 

      At noon we went to Nan and Jim's for a caprese salad lunch with delicious tomatoes grown in their garden.

      Then, they drove the four of us to the Clark Museum, which never fails to inspire us. The exhibit was: A Room of Her Own: Artist-Activists in Britain, 1875-1945. It included 25 women from the era. They struggled to be recognized or accepted to art schools. They were restricted from painting with nude models. We learned a lot and found it thought-provoking.  The Clark gathered the works from all over.

     Afterwards we went back to Pittsfield for a delicious dinner at Sibarita's, Italian restaurant. Mark had lasagne; Barbara had eggplant parmesan, Jim had a pasta with shrimp dish and Nan had cacio a pepe. All were great and we finished off with two gelato dishes. It was a great day - the weather was perfect, the art was fantastic, the food was delicious... all in the company of great friends.

Evelyn de Morgan The Field of the Slain painted in protest of the useless deaths in WWI

      

May Morris who designed a lot for her father's wallpaper etc. This is an embroidered design. But, she worked in other media, including stained glass designs. 

A May Morris painting

Another May Morris, this time embroidered

An engraving by Clare Leighton

Tulips, on loan from King Charles. Painted by "Gluck,"  born Hannah Gluckstein.

Van Gogh

Renoir - self portrait

Winslow Homer

A Day with Jim in the Berkshires, August 27

 August 27

    Nan had to go to Saratoga today to be with Zach who was in surgery. 

    We did some more paperwork for the car accident with Mark taking photos for the insurance company.

    We had a quiet morning; Mark went for a dip in the hot tub, and Barbara for a spell in the sauna.

     Jim came over and we went into Stockbridge and ate in the garden of the Red Lion Inn. We got desserts at the nearby patisserie and brought them back to the timeshare to eat on our porch.

     Then, we had a fun game of miniature golf, with the men tying for winner. Jim had two holes in one and Mark had one. 

      

      

Mid-Week in the Berkshires, Aug 26

 August 26

We had a quiet day today. Nan was babysitting with her "grands." The weather was a little chilly- 72 but a beautiful day with periods of full sun and then lovely clouds.

 We drove to Dalton to see the library where Janet Forest is head librarian. We should have texted her to see if she would be in. But, we didn't...and she wasn't. However, we had a nice tour of it anyhow. A beautiful old stone building with lots of wood and some enormous windows. You could see Janet's influence on all the activities she has added to their repertoire.

  We drove to the Berkshire Bakery and Mark got a free loaf of pumpernickel bread. It wasn't open, but the baker gave it to him.

    Then we went to Lee to Let's Do Lunch restaurant where we went last year. It is run by a retired couple who decided to open a restaurant to keep them active. It is open M-F for 4 hours; they moved here to be with their grandchildren, so keep the weekends open. Anyhow, we had delicious lobster rolls - full of lobster and no mayonnaise unless the customer adds it. We had onion soup as well. Yum.

   After our meal, we went for a walk along the Housatonic River in Stockbridge.

    We spent the afternoon at the resort - doing a load of laundry and playing miniature golf which Mark won handily. And, we ate "in."

Taming of the Shrew and Beethoven's Ninth. A bit of drama en route

 August 22, 23

    We decided to get Jenae a croissant at Pain d'Avignon before heading to the Berkshires. Well, after getting the croissant, we were hit at an intersection by a young woman who crossed lanes. Mark braked heavily and avoided what could have been terrible damage. But, it was enough. We had to stop and call the police. The young woman admitted it was her fault and, after a while, we were on our way with body damage, but a driveable car. But, it was definitely unsettling.

    We had a slow drive as there was a long (28 minute) traffic jam around Worcester, but we got to the Spruce and Oak timeshare. The room was not ready, so we went to a little farmer's market in S. Lee and got some honey and..a hot dog...for Mark.

     We are on the other side of the pool in an area we've never had before.

     We went to Nan and Jim's for a wonderful dinner - halibut, corn on the cob, pie from Taft Farm. 

     Then we were off to a provocative production of The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare and Company. It was a play-within-a-play. A drunk, wealthy man who made his money from crypto, wanted the troupe to perform the Shrew in its misogynistic form. The company did and it was uncomfortable as Petruchio really made Kate submit. At the end, the company took the check. We all discussed at length with Nan and Barbara thinking it needed at least a sentence in the end to take away the sting of Kate's submission. But, after discussion, we agreed that it worked. The arts are being starved for cash, so the troupe did it for that - but not happily. 

    The next day, we all met for the finale of Tanglewood with Beethoven's Ninth with full chorus. We had great seats on the lawn right behind the shed and with a jumbotron screen close by. The program opened with the premiere of a choral piece by Carlos Simon which was a tribute to 4 ministers in his family. It was beautiful. Words and Prayers of My Fathers. Simon is the composer in residence at the Kennedy Center until 2027. (If the present administration does not let him go; but, he's also teaching at Georgetown University.)

     And, the Ninth was superb and moving. The four guest singers were from Italy, the U.S., Puerto Rico and Samoa. There was a HUGE crowd that sat in silence and awe making us all feel a sense of community and the need for beauty. 

Afterwards, we met Andrew Cromartie and Janet Forest at Mint for a meal, the same place we met last year. They both seem so happy in their jobs and with their move to Dalton. 

August 23

    Today we went to Taft Farm to get some produce and came back to our apartment and had a vegetarian meal. 

    We also went and sat by the pool for a little bit. It is not especially warm, but we enjoyed it and Barbara went for a short dip.

    Later, we met Nan and Jim at the Berkshire Botanical Garden for an evening concert by the Rounders Revival, a folky-bluesy-country 4-person group. The weather was perfect and we had a great time with some cheese, baguette and turkey sandwiches.

To the Berkshires with an unexpected stop in Hyannis

 A tough start: August 22

     First, Mark got a bad case of poison ivy and had to go to Urgent Care the day before we were supposed to leave. A shot and some pills provided relief.

     Hurricane Erin made for high surf and winds for several days.

     Our 6:30 a.m. boat was cancelled a day ahead and we were put on standby at number 89. The boats were largely cancelled the day ahead which meant a lot of people trying to get off.

      All day on Friday we waited and kept looking as our number inched its way up. We thought we'd make an afternoon or early evening boat. Nope. But, we got a call to go to the 8:00 boat with no guarantee, at number 11, that we'd get on. But, somehow, we did!

     Mark had contacted Hotel Tonight for a last-minute room as we knew we'd be very tired to drive to Concord at 10:30 p.m. So, we got the Sunbird for a reasonable rate. As a bonus, a former Drama Club student works there and we got to reconnect with Jenae.