In the Berkshires

(that’s “Birkshires” and not “Barkshires” by the way)

Overcast and showery weather meant that we didn’t feel too bad about planning a day which was going to be mostly spent indoors.  We had a few ideas up our sleeve, for this area is packed with interesting places to visit and beautiful homes to see.

 

We began with somewhere we’d been before but were eager to see again.  The last time we were here, we knew little of Norman Rockwell’s work but were immediately captivated by his art and the insight it offered to the world at that time.

The museum is a fine, modern building set in parkland and from the minute we stepped inside, we remembered what made it so special.  There’s the same warmth about the place as emanates from the art on the walls and a feel-good atmosphere soon brings a smile to the face.

Of course, there are many familiar images on the walls here, including this one of Ruby Bridges going to school and during her introductory talk, docent Meg gave us an overview of Norman Rockwell’s life and work.

He frequently worked from photographs, taking care to create as near exact image as he could to prepare for the final painting.  I found it interesting to see the preparatory work and the features which didn’t quite make it to the last and final painting.

In some cases, pretty major changes were made to emphasise a point, make a statement or simply to strengthen the composition.

Above all, the observations and attention paid to every small detail never fails to amuse and I could spend ages standing and looking at each picture for that very reason.

Another side exhibition was showing in a couple of rooms.  Here, the unknown illustrations by Edward Hopper provided a contrasting style to the permanent Rockwell collection, depicting a rather more glamorous world of theatre and the arts.

Before we left, we wandered over to Norman Rockwell’s studio, in a barn which had been moved from its original site next to his former home in Stockbridge.  It’s always interesting to see such places and here the neat and tidy nature of the man shone through, even in his absence.

Our next stop was in Stockbridge for a spot of lunch and a mooch around the main street depicted in one of Rockwell’s most familiar works.  On this dreary, rainy day, sadly it wasn’t looking at its best, but the iris along the pathway to the library provided a glorious shot of colour and the friendly service in the village cafe made for a happy hour or so.  Later, buying a couple of things in the Yankee Candle store, the assistant pointed out the location of one of the paintings we’d seen earlier, because this shop is in what used to be the old town hall.  The window in The Marriage License is now the shop doorway and the shop assistants now stand where the young couple are shown in the picture.

Decision time now.  Should we visit the home of Sculptor Daniel Chester French, recommended by Jane and Allan?  Or perhaps visit Naumkeg Museum and Gardens, reputedly rather more than the “cottage” description we’d read earlier?  Or had we reached cultural saturation point for today?  Probably so.

Mary remembered passing the Crane Paper Mill yesterday, where the paper for US banknotes is made and where there was a small visitor centre.  We were there in less than half an hour and noting the very limited opening hours on the sign, counted ourselves lucky that on this particular afternoon it was open.

There was a small museum on site and a guided showing about the manufacture of banknotes, particularly focusing on the security features of the new $100 bill.  This family owned company, now run by the seventh generation has the monopoly on this business and though social stationery is still manufactured by them, the vast bulk of their work is the banknotes.

Examples of their products were on display in the museum and I found it interesting to read the kind responses sent to those who had written following sad events.  I liked the card sent by former President Johnson and his wife on their return “to private life”, though I doubt vey much that it was anything of the kind.

A small shopping opportunity here, a rather larger one on the way home at an outlet shopping centre and the day was done.  Just time for a couple of cups of tea to spill over the road atlas back at the hotel, for us to clear it up and dry the pages with a hair dryer before it was time to go out for supper.

There is never a dull moment on a road trip!

Mile Zero

We collected the hire car this morning and after a little faffing about, set out along I 90 west through Massachusetts.

The roads are good and the traffic light.  Our only hindrance was the lack of an EZPass in our Florida-plate hire car, which meant that at every toll booth we had to gather up our coins and pay in cash rather than sailing through the EZPass gate.  Never mind, if that’s all we have to worry about, then we’ll be just fine!

Our first stop was in Northampton, where we left a few dollars in Webs.  Such a great store, bustling with keen shoppers and helpful staff, we remembered it fondly from a previous visit when we were last driving through this area.

It’s a huge store with much temptation and many choices to be made.  I needed to focus and decided I would buy yarn to make a road trip project – something simple and relatively mindless to knit.  I browsed the patterns and then remembered, I had several in my Dropbox files that I could access on my Note.  I settled for the Honey Cowl and since there were some great colours in the Madeline Tosh yarns, all I had to do was to choose one.

A bit of umming and aahing later, I’d chosen an indigo blue from the bottom row.

Choosing knitting needles isn’t easy either, for there is so much choice and many brands I was unfamiliar with.  Square needles anyone?  (Marion, I wonder if you’ve tried them?)  Carbon Fibre, perhaps?  Eventually I chose a good old Addi Turbo Rocket – well, I do want this thing finished, after all!

Resisting the chance of buying a ball of the most lovely glittery sock yarn, I made my way to the till and, prompted by the sight of weaving supplies nearby, I asked if they might possibly have a netting needle – of course they did!

Time to go.  Time to drive a little further on into the Berkshires, taking a small detour via Amherst where we had identified another interesting place to visit.

Emily Dickinson was born here and her home is now a museum which looked pretty interesting, even to those of us who knew nothing about her or her poetry (me!)  We were fortunate to have a great guide, David, and with just four of us in our group (the three of us and a young woman from Asheville, North Carolina) we had more or less a personal tour.

We learned a lot about Emily herself and her family, some of whom lived next door, here at Evergreens  We also learned about her poetry and what makes it remarkable; enough to inspire us to find out more.

Her poetry featured on all kinds of signage around and about the place, including this poem which begins:

“Alone and in a Circumstance

Reluctant to be told

A Spider on my reticence

Assiduously crawled”

That it hung on the wall of the loo reveals a little of the personality of the place – not at all stuffy or forbidding, but genuinely interesting and with a real sense of spirit.  We were so pleased we came!

Tonight, we are in Lenox, where there is little going on and the hotel manager’s recommended restaurant was surprisingly (but thankfully) empty when we turned up feeling hungry.  We’d missed lunch somehow, so a plate of asparagus followed by a bowl of delicious pasta hit the spot perfectly.

Pudding was found on the way home, too.  It’s been another great day!

Quilts and Color

The chance to see an exhibition like this was not to be missed.  I had anticipated having a chance to see some quilts in Ohio, where the tradition is well established and there appears to be a strong heritage.  But this came as a surprise and we were all happy to take the train a few stops up the line and spend the afternoon in the Museum of Fine Arts.

We were hungry and thirsty, though, so had a spot of lunch in the courtyard American Cafe first.  Dorothy would be envious of the view from our table, I knew: That’s Dale Chihuly’s Lime Green Icicle tower there, just feet away from us and we all love it to bits!

As soon as we’d finished, we went on down to the basement, where the quilt exhibit was on show.  Not too busy, most of the visitors were small groups of ladies quietly and thoughtfully viewing each quilt in turn, standing well back to admire the overall composition and allowing plenty of space for everyone to see.  A well disciplined bunch, then!

Most of the quilts were from the late 19th century and made to traditional designs.  The point of the show was the use of colour, of course, and each grouping was placed to illustrate a particular point.  Here, we have some detail of one of those in the complementary colour corner, beautifully made and exquisitely quilted.  Actually, this one was a contender for the one I wanted to sneak into my bag and run away with.

This group of quilts was hung on grey walls, allowing the bright colours to shine out and we felt them to be surprisingly contemporary in the pattern and use of colour.  Each quilt was clearly labelled with details of the maker and the pattern, together with collectors’ notes.  Here’s the information which was beneath the blue, red and yellow quilt on the left of the picture above.

Further on around, there was a group of Amish quilts, hung on rather paler grey walls.  Though these were beautifully made, somehow the larger patterns were overshadowed by those with more detail.

The quilting was exquisite on these pieces too, needless to say.

Just opposite was a firm favourite of many of the visitors; a quilt which was creating a lot of interest mostly because it had been created by a woman in her late 80s.  Fine pieces of carefully chosen silks, stitched in a log cabin pattern with a small embroidered motif in the centre of each one.

Sadly, another visitor was in the way of my photograph, but you’ll get the overall effect of that beauty, which must have taken forever to sew.  By hand, of course.

On we went, past deceptively simple quilts, where the skilful maker had used colour to excellent effect.  Many of these quilts included the same fabrics, identical blue, red or green patterns which were very popular of the time.

Each corner had breathtaking examples of the finest needlework, tiny quilting stitches and perfectly pieced tops.

Each one illustrated a point – this one was with a few optical illusions, created by skilful use of colour and pattern.

The was the poster quilt; the one chosen to illustrate the cover of the exhibition catalogue and to hang on the outside of the museum on huge banners.  Strikingly colourful, it appeared to follow no rules at all, but to use the colours with exuberance in a great pattern, all hand stitched.  It had been made by an unknown African-American maker, probably in the 1940s.

Though I could admire the marvellous needle skills on show in this Baltimore Beauty,  actually preferred many of the others.  It was remarkable for the sheer quantity of work which had gone into it, however, and would probably take the majority of us ordinary stitchers a lifetime to sew.

We took another quick look around to make sure we’d missed nothing, spent a while in the gift shop where our favourite quilts were sadly not those chosen for postcards and decided to move right along.

After all, we couldn’t leave without paying homage to our favourites, could we?  The Singer Sargent collection hangs directly above the quilt show, so within seconds we were standing in front of this beauty.  Actually, I will admit to a little eavesdropping on the ladies sitting on the sofa, too – they were discussing Downton Abbey plotlines and their thoughts were quite amusing!

Last but not least, on this warm, sultry afternoon, I said hello to the boys in the pasture, so wonderfully captured by Winslow Homer.  We have a postcard of the painting, bought on one of our early visits to this gallery and which sits on a shelf in our guest bedroom.  On every subsequent visit, I’ve come to check it’s still here and looking good!

Time to go then.  To catch the T back to the hotel and to take a short rest before dinner.  The clouds were coming in quickly and we feared it was going to rain, so fingers crossed that we’d reach the hotel before it did.

About half an hour after we got back, we watched as the storm clouds gathered and the rain began.  We timed it just right!  What a lovely day we’ve had here; what a great city it is that can offer so much within such a small area and still provide much joy and ample reward on repeated visits too.  Tomorrow, we’ll move on, begin our road trip proper and leave the city behind as we go off into the Berkshires.  It’s going to be fun!

Ay! Oh! Let’s Go!

The words of the Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop have Red Sox associations, and the large yellow poster on the wall of the station was the rallying call for today – after we’d gone back for sunglasses, dropped off the broken ipad at the Apple shop for recycling and had a bite to eat for breakfast that is.

Actually, whilst Mark scuttled along to the Apple store, Mary and I dropped into the Public Library, just opposite our hotel, where this peaceful courtyard would surely be a great haven of peace on a warm summer afternoon.

The whole building is beautiful; this ceiling is in the entrance hall and though there was no time for an art and architecture tour on this occasion, our library docent friend recommends it for a future visit.

There were cute buttons in a bowl labelled “please take one”, so we did.

 

Then, with Charlie Tickets in hand, we caught the T downtown to Park Street, from where it was a fairly easy walk to the State House, the Massachusetts State Capitol

passing one or two pilgrims on the way, each with a tribe of youngsters following behind, because this turned out to be a popular place for school visits.

Though we’ve been here several times, we’ve never made it inside the building.  This was a first for all three of us.

We were none too sure about using this particular entrance though.

Once inside, we made our way around, negotiating the space with a variety of tour guides and usually coming off worse.  Occasionally, we’d listen in and glean some insider knowledge, an example being the statue above, which is in the Nurses’ Hall.  As she brought a group of young schoolchildren through, the young woman emphasised the importance of understanding that the figures are representative of all nurses in the civil war and not one particular person.  Was that really the most important piece of knowledge to take away from that corner of the State House, I wonder?  We moved swiftly out of her way and continued through to the elevators and up to the House of Representatives.

Here, the entrance was roped off because they were in session, we read on the sign nearby.  But as we turned to walk away, we were called back and invited to join a group of youngsters who were going to sit in the chamber with their teachers. “Just tag on the end of that group”, said the chap who appeared to be in charge.  So we did.

But any thoughts of watching lively debate and the democratic process in action were soon dispelled because the only procedure appeared to be a kind of rubber stamping and winding up of issues previously started and a single chap at the front rattled off the necessary terms and conditions so quickly, we couldn’t even follow what he was saying.  We didn’t stay long, but snook out the back door at the earliest opportunity.  As we did, a security guard asked “Oh, were you not with the school group?”  We beat a hasty retreat before she could see our blushes.

Next stop was the graveyard.  We’d passed it by before, but with time to spare, we thought we’d pay our respects to Boston’s Mother Goose 

Here too were the costumed guides leading groups of tourists and schoolchildren towards the grave of Paul Revere.  We left them to it and made our way back out onto the street.  A short walk back through Boston Common and on through the Public Garden meant I could drop into Paper Source for a couple of things – and to enjoy their air conditioned bliss for a few minutes, too.

Earlier in the day, whilst waiting for the T to take us downtown, we spotted a poster on the side of a train which prompted the question, “have you been to the Museum of Fine Arts, Mary?”.  She hadn’t, and similarly attracted by the promise of “quilts and color”, that was where we decided to spend the afternoon.

I’ll tell you about it in the next post.

Tuesday morning

The streets of Boston are ready and waiting for us.  It’s a bit overcast and the forecast is for showers later but we are in holiday mood and the weather isn’t going to stop any of our fun.

At five o’clock this morning, we were awake and feeling great.  In no time at all the bed was a bit of a journalling zone, with bits of ephemera and my art kit strewn over the sheets.  My hero bravely turns a blind eye to such things, thankfully!  Anyway, the first couple of pages are done and I’m in the groove.

I’ll admit to my mind being somewhere else this morning though, as it’s ten years today since I flew to Cyprus following the news of Daddy’s fatal heart attack.  Whenever we are in the Sofitel at Terminal 5, I smile when I see the night/day map on the wall there, because the same thing hung on the wall at the Four Seasons in Limassol and from the minute he saw it, it attracted his interest.  He found the same program to use as his screen saver on his computer at home and of course, that association will always stay with me.

Ten years, eh?  The years have passed so quickly and I can be grateful for many happy times to remember.  Grateful too, that I can carry on in the same way thanks to the choices he made and the encouragement he never failed to give me.