October 1-8                              North Kingstown, Rhode Island

Our journey back to Rhode Island had been a pleasant experience as we continued to go through small towns and large expanses of tall trees whose foliage was beginning to change to red and gold.  Wickford greeted us with sunny, warm weather which belied the storm which would soon envelop us.

Saturday through Tuesday brought torrential rains and high winds—often more than 25 mph.  The bay was showing white caps on the water. This abrupt change was due to Hurricane Ian which had moved northward.  Fearing we might fall on slippery docks; we chose to remain on board. 

Delightful sunny weather and blue skies returned on Thursday and many of the large boats began to leave the harbor.  Probably heading south for the winter months.  We prefer to keep The Bottom Line in Wickford with winterizing and shrink-wrapping protecting the it from the winter elements. 

Preparations have been made, bills have been paid and we are planning a farewell dinner with John and Maria at a favorite Italian restaurant in East |Greenwich.  We leave on Saturday to return to Fort Worth.  Once again, we have had a wonderful five months on The Bottom Line and sincerely hope we will be able to repeat it next year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 27-30            Massachusetts

We enjoyed very much spending two nights at The Williamstown Inn, a lovely new building which houses a hotel established more than one hundred years ago.  We gave it a five-star rating. 

We traveled only a few miles to North Adams to visit MASSMoCa, an awe-inspiring collection of contemporary art exhibited in several renovated factory buildings.  One of the largest museums of its kind in the country, it attracts major installations from many known artists.  Several galleries are devoted to the intricate wall drawings of Sol LeWitt and a huge gallery contains a complex work with LED lights by Jenny Holzer.....

I research museums and David researches restaurants.  At Lenox, he found The Portico at The Wheatley.  Located in a magnificent country setting, The Wheatley is the former home of the wealthy Cook family of Boston.  It is a lovely Mediterranean style mansion now a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.  They graciously accepted our last-minute request for lunch and we dined in splendor!  A reservation was made for dinner on the following evening.

Stockbridge was our next destination and the Red Lion Inn, a former stagecoach stop, was our hotel.  It was old (naturally) and quaint with a birdcage elevator dating from the late 1880’s.  Another modern one was available but less convenient. With roses on the wallpaper and a tall, four-poster bed, our room was small and shared noise with the traffic on the street below.  Nevertheless, I found it charming; David was far from thrilled.  Stockbridge is the quintessential New England town with tiny shops, large impressive churches and tall trees.

The next day was busy.  Our first stop was The Mount, the lovely country home of Edith Wharton, the renowned author.  Located on acres of magnificent wooded terrain, the house still maintained its grandeur after being neglected for many years following the exodus of the author and her mentally deranged husband (they divorced).  The grounds held a large collection of contemporary art (for sale) and was worth a visit.

The Norman Rockwell Museum of Illustrative Art is near the artist’s former home in Stockbridge and is a favorite tourist destination.  We joined the crowd to view his many oil paintings meant for magazine illustrations as well as more than 280 framed actual covers for The Saturday Evening Post and other magazines.  It was a sentimental experience for us.

We were impressed with a large exhibition (sponsored by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas) depicting Black people in illustrations through the years.  Who did not know Aunt Jemima or Uncle |Remus? Of course, Rockwell’s depiction of the little Black girl accompanied by Federal marshals in New Orleans was the show stopper.

Our final evening was a return to The Wheatley for a special prix fixe four course dinner with several amuses from the chef.  Presentation, service, food and ambiance were outstanding.  It was a memorable evening and a great climax to a wonderful trip.

 

 

 

September 13-September 26               Rhode Island and Massachusetts

Lovely Fall weather brought more boats into our marina and so the boat parade continued.  Many boaters are now heading south to Florida and the Bahamas.  A beautiful Fleming ’60 is docked beside us and will soon be leaving.  The owners (much younger than us) have sold their home and will liveaboard for several years as they journey up and down the east coast.  He will maintain business interests from his office on the boat.  We hope to see them again next year here in Wickford.

On September 26, we began our long-planned road trip to the Berkshires in northwestern Massachusetts.  Shannon came again to care for Pretzel.   Both were happy to reunite.  

 We tried to avoid the Interstate Highways and travel the state roads which took us through the smaller towns on our route.  We were amazed by the vibrancy of the downtown area and modern construction ongoing in Worchester. Northampton, home of Smith College, was postcard perfect with large trees, rolling hills and many large, stately homes.

Williamstown was our destination.  Williams College dominates the small town with a wide-ranging campus that reflects its origin in 1793 to the present.  The enrollment is less than 2,000 students, the endowment is greater than Baylor University and its alumni list is very impressive.  We visited their small Museum of Art in a beautifully re-configured building that provided ample space for their contemporary art collection.

On the outskirts of Williamstown nestled into a large hilly site bordered by the magnificent foliage of the Berkshire mountains, the Clark Institute of Art resides in an imposing white marble building.  

Several years ago, Tadeo Ando, the renowned Japanese architect who designed the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and additions for the Morgan Library and Gardner Museum in Boston, designed the incredible addition to the Clark.  Seen only from the rear of the main building, the addition provides an impressive entrance and numerous amenities which leave the main building for exhibiting their expansive collection of art.

Many of the Clark’s Impressionist paintings were shown at the Kimbell Art Museum during the construction of their addition.  I especially enjoyed leading tours focused on lovely paintings by Renoir and Monet.  I was eager to see them again.  

The galleries (also renovated) were beautiful and the collection was exceptional.  The Clarks were literally at the right time, in the right place and had the funds available to acquire magnificent paintings.  They loved their art so much that when the original building was completed, it held an apartment for them next to the galleries.  Their ashes are buried beneath the front steps.