Les Flâneurs

On to The Clark and then Vermont

Susie and I lounged around D & D's until about 9am when we packed the car, said our goodbyes -- briefly, since we'll be seeing them again in Michigan later next month -- and hit the road. We headed back to the Mass Pike (I-90) west and, with the exception of one brief stop at a service plaza, reached our exit about 80 miles later. Traffic was surprisingly light for this part of I-90. We then turned north up Route 20 to the connection with Route 7 that would take us first to Williamstown and then on into Vermont, ending this leg of the trip in Rutland.

Our only stop en route was at The Clark art museum in Williamstown. We had been here twice before and were determined to revisit one of the cultural gems of Massachusetts. Given the pandemic restrictions they are seriously limiting the number of people in the museum at any one time so we purchased our timed tickets a week before leaving Michigan. That said, one consequence of restricting the number of people is one can spend more time and get closer to the artwork. Indeed, they limit the number of people in each gallery (based on the size of the gallery) which allowed a greater sense of freedom to explore and examine, no jockeying around large groups, that sort of thing.

I had been informed before we left on the trip that some of the galleries might well be closed for remodeling but we found all of them open.

As expected we enjoyed ourselves immensely, revisiting Winslow Homer, Edgar Degas, James Tissot, Edouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, John Singer Sargent and many others we had forgotten were here. The Clark also has a very large selection of Renoirs as well. On an earlier trip we discovered the incredible work of Giovanni Boldini and this time we were surprised to come across several pieces by the portraitist Raimondo di Madrazo y Garreta.

Woman in White, c. 1880 by
Raimondo di Madrazo y Garreta

If you're interested in seeing some of what we were fortunate to experience, I've posted a large selection of photos from the inside of the museum, consisting mostly of individual works of art right here.

Leaving Williamstown a little after 1pm we headed north into Vermont and recalled at once the truly spectacular scenery: Vermont is indeed a very green mountain state.

We passed through Manchester with an eye for a stop at Northshire Bookstore, one of our favorite haunts so many years ago. Again, we were not disappointed to find them alive and seemingly thriving.

After browsing we each found something special to take away and returned to the car just as we got hit with our first burst of rain. It wouldn't be the last one of the day either.

Returning to Route 7 we continued our drive north to the land of old but oh so pleasant memories. We found our hotel just south of Rutland and checked in, taking a break before heading off to the home of Jack and Pat Facey, part of the old Rutland Wine Group.

A little before 5pm Susie and I drove into town, past our old home on West Ridge Terrace and then north to Mr. Twitter's to make sure they were still there (they are). We then drove back into town and made our way to the Facey home.

Jack and Pat had arranged a pizza party with a wine tasting (of course). We began by sitting out on their patio around a toasty fire-pit sipping Orvieto white before moving to a warming red and sharing stories, catching up on all the news since we left here so many years ago. The saddest news was to learn that Dan Foley had passed away. A reminder that time was slipping away from us all.

With the faltering light we moved indoors to dinner and tasting three reds: a Barolo, a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and a red from the Maremma area that the Faceys had brought back several years ago. Delicious wines to be sure but for me the Maremma red, a simple IGT produced in the vicinity of Scansano, stole the show.

Good food, lots of banter and stories of times gone by but fondly remembered, all had to come to an end. We said adieu to Jack and Pat and made our way back to our hotel.

museum entrance

cafe level

the Reflecting Pool

Susie

Colette and Karen

Jack

Ron and Scott

Jack and Scott

Pat and Karen trying Long Road's Nocino

Artwork at The Clark

Here is just a small sampling of the incredible artwork you can experience at The Clark in Williamstown Massachusetts.

Children playing cards, 1631, by Dirck Hals

Bust of a Young Woman, c. 1802, by Jean-Marie Nogaret

Confidences, c. 1870, by Raimondo de Madrazo y Gazzeta

The Messenger, 1815, by Martin Drölling

Autumn, 1786, by Francisco de Goya

Presumed Portrait of Mademoiselle Thévenin in her Room at
the Villa Medici, 1819, by Jean Alaux

Chrysanthemums, 1874-76, by James Tissot

Young Woman in a Pink Skirt, 1845-50, by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

The Mythen, c. 1871, by Alexandre Calame

The Sailboat (Seascape), 1869, by Gustave Courbet

Frigates, 1850-55, Johan Barthold Jongkind

The Scene at Argenteuil, 1892, by Gustave Caillebotte

Terrace in the Luxembourg Gardens, 1886, by Vincent Van Gogh

Memories and Regrets, c. 1874, by Alfred Stevens

Reverie-The Letter, 1870s, by Raimondo di Madrazo y Garreta

Crossing the Street, 1873-75, by Giovanni Boldini

Woman in White, c. 1880, by Raimondo di Madrazo y Garreta

Bacchus and Ariadne, 1894, by Jules Dalou

The Bath, c. 1875-76, by Berthe Morisot

Woman Crocheting, c. 1875, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Portrait of a Young Woman, c. 1874, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Child with Red Hat, c. 1904, by Mary Cassatt

Carmen, 1881, by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec

Dancers in the Classroom, c. 1881, by Edgar Degas (detail)

Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, 1879-81, by Edgar Degas

Wood Gatherers: An Autumn Afternoon, 1891, by George Inness

Dismounted: The Fourth Troopers Moving the Led Horses, 1890, by Frederick Remington

Undertow, 1886, Winslow Homer

Quick trip to Maine

It was only day four of our eastern road trip and yet I feel as if we've seen so much and, more importantly, reconnected with so many faces from our past. With more yet to come! Amazing.

The four of us - Dick, Dorothy, Susie and myself - left Douglas, Mass. about 9am and headed north for our rendezvous with Joyce and Avery in Maine. With Dick at the helm and Dorothy along with Siri were navigating, Susie and enjoyed being passengers for a change, free from the stress of traffic and worry about such things and where and when to turn.

We stopped briefly for a leg stretch and bathroom break at the New Hampshire Welcome Center in Seabrook. It was a short run through NH before finding ourselves in Maine. After 40 minutes or so from the border we were in Portland and pulled into the Panera parking lot near the Maine Mall. Joyce and Avery were waiting for us, standing outside.

After long overdue hugs and handshakes the six of us found a table outside where we spent the next hour or so enjoying a tasty lunch and catching up on all the news from the various strands of the VB family groups.

We said our goodbyes and left Portland about 1pm for our trip back south to our meetup with Uncle Frank in Quincy.

A little after 3pm we found the Atria part of the Marina Bay complex and Uncle Frank was waiting at the front door. He suggested we drive to a nearby boardwalk overlooking the bay where we could stroll. and so we did. We found a place in the shade to sit and chat, enjoying the lovely weather.

Susie and I hadn't seen him for probably three years so it was a real treat for us to be able to shake his hand once again.

After driving Frank back to Atria he asked if we'd like to see his room and of course we said yes! We had to check in with the front desk but it was mostly a formality and after peeking briefly into the dining room we took the elevator to the 4th floor and popped in to his studio apartment.

After the second round of goodbyes that day the four of us headed back out into the traffic snarls of the great Boston area and (often slowly) made our way back to Douglas for a quiet dinner and a good rest before moving on to Vermont on Sunday.