The Berkshires

We will be spending a week in northwestern Massachusetts.  On our way the first evening, we went to Jacob’s Pillow, a world renowned dance venue, to see a most “unusual” performance, definitely not on our usual agenda.  The dancers were very good but the show was not what we expected.

We drove the narrow, dark roads of Mass. to our AirBnB in Chester. The house is over 170 years old.  The next morning we went to a Farmer’s Market in Great Barrington.  There Anna Lee had one of those weird coincidences.  She was buying a necklace from a jeweler and one thing led to another.  She mentioned where we lived and then where she was originally from. This young woman was from Denver, lived in South Denver and graduated from East High (all facts from Anna Lee’s life).  The world is small and charming sometimes.
 

In the afternoon we went to the Norman Rockwell Museum.  We have been here before and it is worth a return visit.  The featured exhibit was a collection of fantasy adventures from the early days of the character up to  recent times.  The works are excellent and the stories they tell have meaning in the past as well as in today’s times.  As always, the Four Freedoms Hall is the centerpiece of the museum.  In the middle of the hall was the jacket worn by the model for Freedom of Speech.\

 

Rockwell left The Saturday Evening Post to work independently.  He was involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s and chose to portray Ruby Bridges integrating a Southern School under escort of Federal Marshals.  Rockwell used several models for the child, finally selecting a neighbor of his.  A video in the exhibit gave the true background story including that Ruby was in a classroom alone, ate alone and could not play with other children.  Another work depicts a black family moving into a white neighborhood.  The children have no problem playing with each other but a face in a window in the corner of the work tells a different story.

We wanted a taste treat and got a bonus.  A copy of Rockwell’s painting The Runaway is in the outdoor café.  We had fun placing ourselves as if in the picture.

The trails near the museum is filled with Land of Enchantment, a sculpture garden.  We wandered about interacting with the pieces.

Bennett wanted to try out Zadie's camera so he took this picture of a rare Rockwell landscape (Rockwell was not a landscape painter).

The painting is of the Hoover Dam and that its construction took land and resources from the Native People.

Heading Out on an Adventure

On Friday we left Saranac Lake to head for a week in the Berkshires.  First we had to collect Cheryl who was working that day.  This gave us a chance to see more of ADKX.  After sharing lunch on the patio overlooking Minnow Pond, we returned to the excellent WWII in the Adirondacks exhibit.  The stories and items from those who served and those who aided at home were personal and touching.  Bennett completed a Scavenger Hunt of the exhibit and won a token prize.

We were given a sneak peek at the Mohawk art exhibit that was to be opened the next day.  Artists from the local tribes displayed their amazing work.

 

 Bennett took time to feed some trout.

He is fitting better into the oversized Adirondack chair.

Football

 On Thursday evening, Dave & Jerry took Bennett to football practice.  This is non-contact flag football, not quite what they do in the NFL.  The evening started with the coach giving the boys a talk on teamwork and supporting your teammates and tried to apply that to family relations.  He did a good job.

After the lecture, the boys ran a few patterns then played catch with the football.  

They did generally well in the game of catch and had a lot of fun which is the important thing.

Hopscotch

The Wild Center is a nature center with a bit of a twist.  In addition to displays with both living and mounted animals, it has a walkway up into the trees.  We have shown this in a previous blog.  They have a unique new addition, a Stickwork by the sculpture Patrick Dougherty.  He was recently featured on CBS and PBS.  We were at the opening event.

Hopscotch is a large work of twisted branches with windows that visitors can peek into

and doors to walk through

 

It is intertwined with trees so that it appears to be a part of nature.

Paul and Carol

Our friends from RVing and NY came to Saranac for a visit.  Paul grew up going to camp in the Adirondacks.  It was fun listening to him share his memories while visiting the museum known as  ADKX (you know, where Cheryl works).  

The Boats and Boating exhibits took Paul back to the days of being on the waterways.  He filled us in with personal touches added to the displays.  We wandered through the buildings talking both of the past and present.  Actually, the four of us spent a lot of time just sharing and talking.

Paul took a turn at rowing a guide boat.

He also tried to break up a logjam.  

The next day we enjoyed a beautiful boat ride on Lake Placid.  The breeze made the warm ride perfect.  We had a great guide who told the history of the great camps.  The camps are LARGE homes with boat houses housing several boats.  

 Many are accessible only by water and the owners port their supplies in and out during the season.  Owners consist of heads of major companies such as Citicorp.  Some hones are rented, others for family use only.

Paul, Carol and our family had a unique evening.  We attended a Storytelling at the Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center.  We sat around a glowing campfire from dusk to night as Mohawk storytellers told us eerie origin tales of the peoples who first lived in the area.  

 

The Center is small but has a collection of pre-and post-contact items from the Haudenosaunee peoples. 

One feature was an original meeting house.

Though our months-long travel days are over, it is a treat to reconnect with friends we have known throughout the years.  Our conversations always pick right up.

 

Albany, NY

Our trip to NY started with a day in Albany.  To entertain ourselves while Jeff was doing orientation at SUNY Albany, we went to a museum (of course).  One of the State Museums is presenting  Michaelangelo–A Different view.  

 Paintings from the Sistine Chapel were scanned and reproduced with an audio interpretation accompanying each painting giving M’s interpretation.

 Arranged for safe-distancing and yet close access, the exhibit is a unique perspective.

The Chapel ceiling was reproduced life-size on the floor in a series of vertical panels made of special fabric webs. 

These too were interpreted as if in M’s words.  Guests simply entered a number on their cell phones to listen to M explain the art.  The close proximity of the art work enables visitors to examine and enjoy the work of this Master.

 As if in M’s words, each section of the ceiling is explained first by the Biblical terminology then M’s interpretation.  For instance, Adam, Eve and the apple are shown in stages from their purity to how their bodies aged and diminished after eating the apple and they were cast out from Eden.

We had to abbreviate our visit and hope this exhibit travels to the SF region so we can again enjoy it.