Witch City - Salem, Boston

Another beautiful Massacusetts day. We had drinks with Uncle Richard last night before he went off to the rehearsal dinner for Keith and Meghan's wedding. We took the ferry from Salem to Boston and Paula got only slightly seasick on both legs of the trip. Lunch was at Fanueil Marketplace at Durgin Park. We had eaten there more than 30 years ago. the clam chowder was still excellent. Today we are spending the day in Salem town. Slightly off the beaten tourist traps of witch t-shirts and mugs, we have found a huge consignment/thrift shop, a bead store, a needlecraft store, and some other crafty-stores. Kelly and I know where we will be spending our day. Bob is not invited.

Vermont's Green Mountains

Thursday was a driving day. Luckily the weather was PERFECT! We stopped at Vermont Teddy Bear and took a clever factory tour. Then it was off to Burlington, VT to walk around town. The pedestrian mall was deserted at 10:30 AM when we arrived. Restaurants were putting out tables and chairs and I thought they would be empty for lunch since no one was around. By 11:30 AM every table was taken and the streets were packed. It was such a lovely day that everyone must have decided to head outside. Then it was off to Ben and Jerry's Factory for a tasty tour.

So last night we had drinks on the porch of the Red Lion Inn. Very civilized. No ghosts were spotted. Then we wandered around Stockbridge and had dinner at the site of the famous (to those of us who remember the 60's) Alice's Restaurant (You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant) - but now it is Teresa's Formerly Known as Alice's Restaurant. This area was cetainly monumental to the music of the 60's (James Taylor, Arlo, Woodstock kind of nearby). This chilly morning we headed over to the house and studio of Daniel Chester French, the sculptor of the statue of Lincoln at the Lincoln Monument. He had railroad tracks put inside and outside of his studio so that he could work on the sculptures inside or outside and check in the effect of lighting on the sculpture. Then this afternoon we went to Edith Wharton's home. She designed the house, the gardens, was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize and volunteered on the front of World War I. She wrote 40 books in 40 years. She wrote short stories, fiction, books on travel, gardens, architecture and interior design. The most fascinating fact is that she wrote reclining in her bed from 6 AM to 11 AM everyday. She did this because it was the only time of day she was not trussed up in a tight corset (as was the fashion of the day) and she could write in comfort. She is my new idol (sans corset). As we left The Mount (the name of her estate) we talked to the gardeners who were busy cutting down hundreds of large ferns that surround the path and quarter mile road to the house. They said that with fall coming it was time to clear out the gardens. We even saw a maple tree with a few branches of brilliant red leaves.

Georgia O'Keefe and Crane Paper

Georgia O'Keefe (bottom pic) was influenced by the works of Arthur Dove (top pic) . Who knew? Dove was a painter before O'Keefe was. Dove and O'Keefe knew each other and kept in touch through Steiglitz. They influenced each others styles throughout their lives. Great exhibit. Then we stopped at Bob's Country Restaurant in Lanesboro for lunch. Apparently Bob is Polish because they had kolbasi and stuffed cabbage rolls (golomki)on the menu - and it was good. In the afternoon we went to the Crane Papermaking Museum and had a great tour. Crane makes all their paper from cotton - no trees are killed. Crane also makes the paper for the US Mint. So we saw how to tell if a bill is real or not. Also, we saw how 6 ladies handpaint the color borders that are on Crane notecards and paper. I now have an appreciation for why Crane paper is so expensive. It is very labor intensive. The day beautiful - not a cloud in the sky and it's NOT HOT, NOT HUMID. It's wonderful.

Norman Rockwell and Berkshire Botanical Gardens

Yesterday Blogger refused to acknowledge that I had an account - so I couldn't post this picture of Val Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt's retreat and then retirement home in Hyde Park. This is the out-of-the-way place where Franklin could go swim without the press watching. We toured the Norman Rockwell museum. I had always thought of him as a rather stodgy old illustrator. However, as he aged, he used his artistic talents to make many social statements against racism and for peace in the world. I think his painting "The Golden Rule" is my favorite. Then we went on to the Berkshire Botanical Garden. It had wonderful installations of kinetic sculptures by Tim Prentice in the garden. As luck would have it, there was a good breeze the whole time we were there - so we saw and heard the sculptures in full motion. Check out the artists website to see his works. http://timprentice.com/index_framev2.html Food notes: we ate at Joe's Diner in Lee, Mass.

On sunday, as we drove past Joe's we saw people lined up outside waiting to get in. Yesterday we found out why. The diner has 4 tables and 8 stools at the counter. In fact, it may have been the setting for Norman Rockwell's painting - The runaway - where the policeman sits at the counter beside a litttle boy who has run away from home. Cheeseburgers were $2.95 and my delicious grilled ham and cheese sandwich was $3.95. The onion rings were outstanding. We took extra lipitors that night.Then we had dinner at Berkshire Harvest a restaurant that serves only local produce, meats and cheeses. Turkey dinners with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce seem to very popular here now. Of couse, you can see the leaves starting to change and there is a chill in the morning air - so it does seem like time to start thinking about fall foods.