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.