Lee and Stockbridge
Yesterday afternoon, my sister said, "You need to be ready to leave the house at 9:30 tomorrow morning." And thus began another of Kef's surprise outings to wrap up my birthday week. She loves doing this sort of thing... loves keeping secrets and surprising people with the most perfect kind of unexpected, amazing day.
We headed East toward Massachusetts, and my only clue of something major was that we continued past East Greenbush. Which means we weren't staying local. At first I thought we might be headed to Holland to see the Horn-Eldreds, but we took the Pittsfield/Lee exit. So then I thought we might be going to one of the museums that I'd mentioned that are over here. There are several.
As we turned onto the main street in Lee, I was immediately in love with this picturesque little town. It is very typical of New England, of course, which is why I adore this area. I haven't been through a town in the Berkshires that didn't have great historic buildings and homes to admire and envy. We parked behind an old stone church (which I found used to be St. George’s Church and is now Spectrum Playhouse), and walked back toward the main street. The sun was radiant, the temperature mild (70's), and there was a cool breeze coming from the West. We walked past the Salmon Run Fish House (which I'm sure we'll come back to another time) and Finders Keepers (an antique store) on our way to our destination.
As we walked in to the Starving Artist Creperie and Cafe, Kef began looking around, as if searching for someone. So, I followed suit and immediately spotted Shannon's smiling face on the far side of the dining area. Instead of going to Holland to see them, they had met us for a birthday brunch! Tim, Shannon and Emma were accompanied by Shannon's life-long friend Cecilia, who I've heard so much about over the years but never met. Although she had a heck of a travel day lasting from Saturday through early Sunday morning, she was still awake enough to come along for this special surprise! What a gift!
We always love a good crepe, and each of us found one to suit our tastes. Mine was salmon and dill, Kef's was called the "Bee's Knees" (ham, brie, raspberry, walnuts, honey), Shannon chose meat lovers, Emma "green eggs and ham," Tim had beet and feta, and I honestly can't remember what CC ordered. But all agreed that they were great.
We were entertained by the live music of Tumo-Kohrs, a supremely talented duo that covered a wide variety of songs that were lots of fun!
When we got ready to leave, Tim made a comment that had everyone at the table laughing, but they wouldn't share with me what the joke was... which could only mean that they were still keeping secrets. I took that to mean that we didn't need to say goodbye yet, as we were all going somewhere else.
We drove through the stunning Berkshire countryside, pointing out house after house that I would love to live in. Our route led us through Stockbridge and back out into the country. We passed old farmhouses with the very-modern addition of solar panels on their roofs, and couples out for a ride on their bicycles built for two (yes, more than one of them). Soon, we were pulling into the entrance of the Norman Rockwell Museum!
I had commented on wanting to go visit this museum because I had applied for a job there. My mother tells me that she's been there before. I don't know if that means I've been there before too, or if she went at another time when I wouldn't have been along. But, either way, the museum is now in a different place. It used to be in Rockwell's home in Stockbridge, but they purchased a beautiful piece of land and moved it there for better access for visitors. They also picked up his studio and moved it in its entirety to the new location, preserving the inside so that visitors can see exactly how it looked when Rockwell was alive. He was quite the "neat nick."
Inside the museum, we admired the original oil paintings of many of Norman Rockwell's most famous works. I have always thought of him as simply an artist, but he is in actuality an illustrator. Nonetheless, his work (to me) is much more than commercial... it is, indeed, art. I saw the original of "Girl at the Mirror," which made me think of Jenny Davidson who used it as an illustration in a Chrysalis talk. I was also reminded of several other works that I had quite forgotten were Norman Rockwell's. And I was reminded of the collectible plate that Aunt Mae gave me that is called "The Ship Builder." Rockwell's images are so much a part of American life, and it was amazing to see the societal changes over his lifetime as evidenced by his subject matter.
Today was a special day in the life of the museum as they were hosting a talk by Abigail Rockwell, Norman's granddaughter. A new edition of the book "My Adventures as an Illustrator" has just been released, and she was signing books. Her father (Norman's son) was also there. Tim actually stuck around and got his book signed!
The grounds surrounding the museum were beautiful, and Emma was immediately drawn to an area where kids were playing with balls and hula hoops. Kef went to check it out with her, and both displayed their considerable hula skills.
Our last stop was to the gift shop, where I purchased a jigsaw puzzle that features a collage of several of Norman Rockwell's most famous paintings. It will be a fun project for later!
All in all, a beautiful outing and a perfect birthday gift!
We headed East toward Massachusetts, and my only clue of something major was that we continued past East Greenbush. Which means we weren't staying local. At first I thought we might be headed to Holland to see the Horn-Eldreds, but we took the Pittsfield/Lee exit. So then I thought we might be going to one of the museums that I'd mentioned that are over here. There are several.
As we turned onto the main street in Lee, I was immediately in love with this picturesque little town. It is very typical of New England, of course, which is why I adore this area. I haven't been through a town in the Berkshires that didn't have great historic buildings and homes to admire and envy. We parked behind an old stone church (which I found used to be St. George’s Church and is now Spectrum Playhouse), and walked back toward the main street. The sun was radiant, the temperature mild (70's), and there was a cool breeze coming from the West. We walked past the Salmon Run Fish House (which I'm sure we'll come back to another time) and Finders Keepers (an antique store) on our way to our destination.
As we walked in to the Starving Artist Creperie and Cafe, Kef began looking around, as if searching for someone. So, I followed suit and immediately spotted Shannon's smiling face on the far side of the dining area. Instead of going to Holland to see them, they had met us for a birthday brunch! Tim, Shannon and Emma were accompanied by Shannon's life-long friend Cecilia, who I've heard so much about over the years but never met. Although she had a heck of a travel day lasting from Saturday through early Sunday morning, she was still awake enough to come along for this special surprise! What a gift!
We always love a good crepe, and each of us found one to suit our tastes. Mine was salmon and dill, Kef's was called the "Bee's Knees" (ham, brie, raspberry, walnuts, honey), Shannon chose meat lovers, Emma "green eggs and ham," Tim had beet and feta, and I honestly can't remember what CC ordered. But all agreed that they were great.
We were entertained by the live music of Tumo-Kohrs, a supremely talented duo that covered a wide variety of songs that were lots of fun!
When we got ready to leave, Tim made a comment that had everyone at the table laughing, but they wouldn't share with me what the joke was... which could only mean that they were still keeping secrets. I took that to mean that we didn't need to say goodbye yet, as we were all going somewhere else.
We drove through the stunning Berkshire countryside, pointing out house after house that I would love to live in. Our route led us through Stockbridge and back out into the country. We passed old farmhouses with the very-modern addition of solar panels on their roofs, and couples out for a ride on their bicycles built for two (yes, more than one of them). Soon, we were pulling into the entrance of the Norman Rockwell Museum!
I had commented on wanting to go visit this museum because I had applied for a job there. My mother tells me that she's been there before. I don't know if that means I've been there before too, or if she went at another time when I wouldn't have been along. But, either way, the museum is now in a different place. It used to be in Rockwell's home in Stockbridge, but they purchased a beautiful piece of land and moved it there for better access for visitors. They also picked up his studio and moved it in its entirety to the new location, preserving the inside so that visitors can see exactly how it looked when Rockwell was alive. He was quite the "neat nick."
Inside the museum, we admired the original oil paintings of many of Norman Rockwell's most famous works. I have always thought of him as simply an artist, but he is in actuality an illustrator. Nonetheless, his work (to me) is much more than commercial... it is, indeed, art. I saw the original of "Girl at the Mirror," which made me think of Jenny Davidson who used it as an illustration in a Chrysalis talk. I was also reminded of several other works that I had quite forgotten were Norman Rockwell's. And I was reminded of the collectible plate that Aunt Mae gave me that is called "The Ship Builder." Rockwell's images are so much a part of American life, and it was amazing to see the societal changes over his lifetime as evidenced by his subject matter.
Today was a special day in the life of the museum as they were hosting a talk by Abigail Rockwell, Norman's granddaughter. A new edition of the book "My Adventures as an Illustrator" has just been released, and she was signing books. Her father (Norman's son) was also there. Tim actually stuck around and got his book signed!
The grounds surrounding the museum were beautiful, and Emma was immediately drawn to an area where kids were playing with balls and hula hoops. Kef went to check it out with her, and both displayed their considerable hula skills.
Our last stop was to the gift shop, where I purchased a jigsaw puzzle that features a collage of several of Norman Rockwell's most famous paintings. It will be a fun project for later!
All in all, a beautiful outing and a perfect birthday gift!
Comments
Post a Comment