The day dawned grey and misty. The local weather forecasters said it would clear, and although I should know better, I left my poncho and light jacket at the motel. Technically, I did not need either, but I should know better.
I timed my departure to get me to the Normal Rockwell Museum http://www.nrm.org/ about opening time. I took the very indirect route of I-91 South and I-90 West, getting off at exit 2 in Lee, and driving on local roads for just a few minutes. It took the expected 1.5 hours, and arrived just a few minutes after opening time.
I spent 3 hours at the museum, longer than I had anticipated, but it included 3 video presentations and 2 live presentations. I was going to eat lunch, but the cafe was on the terrace. Although it was tarped over, it was damp, and I did not want to bother to eat a cold sandwich in those conditions.
So, I headed to the Hancock Shaker Museum http://hancockshakervillage.org/, some 20 minutes away. I realized I should have probably started with this museum, because it closed at 4, and then I could have gone back to the Norman Rockwell museum, which was open till 5. But, I would have lost that extra travel time to arrive at opening, as to do so, I should have left the motel a half hour earlier.
Anyway, I paid for the self guided audio tour, and realized if I went by geographic location of the buildings, and not by the numbered recordings, I could be more efficient at seeing the museum. I often read while I listened to the audio presentation, but it all made sense to me, and was very, very interesting.
One thing that I did not realize about the Shakers was that they were progressive: They built a sluice to use water power for milling and to cool their dairy house. They used automobiles, and electric sewing machines. They updated their store building to make them more attractive so people in the world would want to do business with them. They produced goods for the world that were more elaborate and decorative than for themselves, to promote trade. They were about increasing productivity and efficiency.
In that vein, the museum has set up a solar panel farm to power the museum. As they explained, the Shakers built their buildings with thick brick, and south facing windows to capture sunlight and heat. It makes sense to me.
It began misting as I was finishing my self guided tour. I was glad I got to see the museum, most especially the round stone barn. When I was young, my favorite thing of the Franklin County Fair http://www.fcas.com/index.html was the Round House (agricultural exhibit.) The rides made me sick, I could not win at the games, I ate some junk food, and as I grew older, I liked the demolition derby, but I do not believe they do that anymore. But I was always fond of the Roundhouse. I recall as a young adult even attending plays in that venue. So, touring the round stone barn had a special significance for me.
Anyway, by the time the museum closed at 4 PM, it was really misting.
I had thought to stay in the area and attend the Pittsfield Suns http://pittsfieldsuns.pointstreaksites.com/view/pittsfieldsuns game. However, I did not bring my rain gear, although they were selling ponchos at the Shaker museum. And it was cool. And they are not a team affiliated with the Red Sox or the Yankees. And, I was tired. And the prospect of another late night drive dissuaded me.
I decided not to head back to the interstates, though, and went on local roads. What I made up in distance, I lost in time.
I had added the Crane Museum of Papermaking http://www.crane.com/about-us/crane-museum-of-papermaking onto my list. It is only open from 1 to 5 PM in Dalton, Ma. The Crane Paper Company http://www.crane.com/about-us/history is the company that produces most of the paper for the United States paper currency and passports. If you look at their websites, you might not be able to detect that. But it is true. They are very low key.
Well I arrived in Dalton well after 4:30 PM. While I would have loved to see the museum, I thought it would be in bad taste to show up at that time. They are only open Monday through Friday, 1 to 5 PM, so maybe, another time.
I had not eaten lunch, so I was looking for a nice looking local establishment that might have some atmosphere. I like places with maple captain's chairs and old time decor. Well, I passed a couple of places that did not look promising, and made it into Williamsburg http://www.burgy.org/Pages/WilliamsburgMA_WebDocs/about. This is apparently one of many Western New England towns that demonstrates by its atmosphere, signage, lack of large box chain stores, predominance of locally owned businesses, that it is resisting the "homogenization of America."
I ate at The Brewmaster Tavern http://www.thebrewmasterstavern.com/. It was just what I was looking for. They were advertising a clambake on Saturday, July 12, mid-day. If I was not obligated to a family reunion at that time, I would have bought a ticket, and returned. Oh well.
While investigating the history of Williamsburg, I have added two books to my reading list: In The Shadow of the Dam by Elizabeth M. Sharpe, and American Phoenix by Sarah S. Kilborne.
I had a few errands to run before I was ready to return to the hotel, including fueling the rental car, and getting a couple of things at the grocery store. I got to the hotel at about 8 PM. What was I thinking of! Instead of planning to watch a baseball game in Pittsfield, I have access to watching the Red Sox on NESN http://nesn.com/. It was in the third inning by then, but I was able to watch the win! Go Red Sox!
No comments:
Post a Comment