LANESBOROUGH AND THE CLARK

 

I stayed in a cabin at the Lanesborough Country Inn.

I started out and went to the Clark.  The unpacking made me quite tired, but I still had a good hour or so and saw many of my favorites.

https://www.clarkart.edu/museum/collections/browse-collections#/

Catching me particularly this time included Winslow Homer's Bridal Path. I've always loved it, but on different days, different paintings strike an aesthetic note in my being.

I liked seeing the small Goya, but as always am disappointed in how small it is compared to the others in the Prado.

Renoir's women with flowers caught my memory.  The Buffalo Evening News used to print them on a calendar which my mother hung next to the kitchen stove.  So, I often saw them there.  She had no particular liking for them.  For her, they were just calendars.  But I was often enchanted.

Renoir's nudes are wonderful. This time "Bather arranging her hair" was just such a delight.

His onions seemed such an odd subject, but I like them as well.  I'd like them in my kitchen.

I'll have to study up on 

DOMENICO GHIRLANDAIO

ITALIAN, 1449–1494. 

I've often enjoyed the Portrait of a Lady.  So pure she looks.

I loved 

CAVALIERE D'ARPINO (GIUSEPPE CESARI)

ITALIAN, 1568–1640

PERSEUS RESCUING ANDROMEDA

1594/95

AS I ALWAYS DO.

Such a beauty

The Women of Amphissa is a wonderful sexy, drunken painting.  Despite these two cities being at war, the women of Amphissa allowed the women from Phocis to fall asleep in their marketplace and stood guard throughout the night to ensure the men of the city caused them no harm. As seen in this painting, the women of Amphissa also provided them with food and care the next morning.

Followers of Bacchus, the god of wine, awaken in the marketplace of Amphissa, Greece, where they have wandered from their home in Phocis during a night of ritual dancing.

I revisited Musical Group

Here is a discussion:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAy-8B6i83g

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After looking for a while, I grabbed some chocolate pretzels and a seltzer and went to sit by the pond in the sun.  It was very nice, but I had not brought sun glasses and had worn too heavy a shirt.  

Then next to me (but socially distanced)  were two women who at first I thought were talking about painting, but were talking about buying the right rugs.  Then they moved to cats.  I swear one woman never took a breath and went on and on and on and on about her cat until I realized that I had  but two choices.  Drown the woman in the pond, or drive to find my cabin.  

DAY 2

I slept well, cooked a breakfast of lamb and mushrooms.  I burned the pita bread and had to air out the cottage to remove the smoke.

I headed out to the Clark again before the crowds might come.  It was a rainy day, and I expected there would be more than there were for my first day of unseasonable sun and warmth.

I did not photograph any art because in past times my photos have come out very poorly.  Any paintings I mention can easily be searched.  The entire collection is able to be viewed here.

https://www.clarkart.edu/museum/Collections/Browse-Collections#/

Today I was again caught by Mary Cassatt's  bullfighter.  So different from her other work.  

I looked again into the eyes of the models for Gainsborough, brother and sister, Elizabeth and Thomas Linley.  Fascinating.

Horrifying was the painting of the court where Brutus' sons were beheaded for treason.  Brutus wanted the end of monarchy, and they undermined him.  Amazing to think that he would sacrifice his sons to his ideals.

George Inness has a painting with a boy using a cane pole, some wonderful cattle, and a very feint sense of a girl just across the water. 

Winslow Homer's Sleigh Ride was there.  I like it, but often I find folks rave about it as the best of all paintings they have seen.  I just like it.

https://www.encore-editions.com/sleigh-ride-by-winslow-homer/

I have misplaced some of my notes.  I do remember seeing a landscape scene painted on a painter's palette.  I'm missing the painter's name.  It was interesting.

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I visited Guido's in Pittsfield to stock up on Italian Volcano lemon juice. I save about three dollars a bottle compared to Amazon prices. It was senior citizen discount day, so I also got a ten percent discount.

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JOSH BILLINGS GRAVE

Just down the road from the cabin, in the Central cemetery is the grave of Josh Billings who was born in Lanesborough under the name of 

Here is the way it looked years ago

Here are my photos:

The graveyard was small, but full of really old stones.  The first I saw was this one.  I thought having a wife named Desire was pretty racy, but I suppose it was pronounced De sa ree.

This was the Josh Billings gravestone.  It was a huge rock.  Pretty amazing really.

These two plaques were on the top of the rock.  Billings was born in Lanesborough.  He was Henry Wheeler Shaw.  He later adopted the Josh Billings pen name.

It was Veteran's Day, and one of the veteran flags was on the ground with the flag holder pulled out.  I repositioned the holder and added the flag.  My veteran's day gesture.

I later went to Dalton where I took a rainy walk to see this waterfall at the 

Wahconah Falls State Park

Because of the rain, I did not want to use my camera.  Here is a borrowed image

My own experience was of a much less vibrant stream, but the pond looked relaxing and I was there alone.  There was practically no hike to get from the parking lot to where I could view the waterfall.  What there was was very pleasant and easy even for an old guy.  

Dewey's Pub in Dalton.

I had looked forward to this place, but it was nothing special.  The cauliflower pizza was good, but they did not put double cheese on it.  I had chicken wings that were fine.  However, I paid for this meal all night with indigestion.

No one seemed surprised that my name was Dewey.  They did not have tee shirts or cups for sale.  

I had napped for an hour in my car in the rain outside as it did not open until 4:30.  

The drive home was a challenge.  In the dark.  In the rain.  And then a cop pulled out and followed me for a while, so I thought I might get a ticket, but nothing came of it.

Across the street was a less natural, but more powerful waterfall.

I did not sleep well my last night there, and so decided not to try another Clark visit, but just pack up and head home. It was a delightful ride, again most of it was along 43.

I was glad because I got plenty tired unpacking and did not really get my strength back until the next day.

I tire so easily.

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HERE IS THE REVIEW FOR THE LANESBOROUGH COUNTRY INN WHICH I WILL SUBMIT TO BOOKING.COM

I stayed two nights in a queen bed cottage. My wife decided at the last minute not to go with me, so I had the room to myself.

PRO: I could cook my own meals on a countertop plug in dual electric burner. The cottage itself was isolated from any road traffic noise as it was set in the far back. I don't do stairs well, so it was fine just to have two stairs for my unpacking and repacking.

Parking was fine for one car. I think a second car could be accommodated. I saw some folks park a truck along the road.

I only needed to go to the office once, and probably could have skipped that as the key was under the mat. I checked in a little early and it was no problem.

Cleanliness was well done. Everything was very clean.

There was a huge full refrigerator with a full freezer, so the foods I brought from home could well be accommodated. The coffee maker was one in which many cups could be make. If I had brought my own coffee and round coffee filters, I could have skipped their coffee. But their coffee was very tasty. It was a bit weak if made by the package instructions.

There is no one in the office full time these days, but when I had difficulties loading the wifi and getting the television to work, the owner's sister stopped in and set everything up for me.

A nice ceiling fan aired out the room with plenty of fresh air, getting rid of cooking smells and the smoke from my burnt toast. A toaster oven was provided, and a microwave.

They had a fry pan and a sauce pan and a few other pieces. There was adequate silverware and some fine sharp knives. There were dishes and bows. I brought my own pans and used them as well as a few utensils.

There was a shared grill outside that could be used for cooking as well.

Overall, the place did for me what I intended, gave me isolation from people to lower covid risks and a pleasant place to stay.

There was a lake that could be walked to. It was too rainy for me to do that.

It was 12 minutes from the Clark Art Museum on easy roads to drive. I wanted to be close to the museum so as to attend in early morning before it crowded up.

Not far down the road was the Central cemetery where Josh Billings the writer is buried under a huge gave.

It was twelve minutes to Dalton where I visited the Wahconah Falls State Park and has supper at Dewey's Pub.

Overall, it satisfied me

CONS: I slept well, but the beds' mattresses were rather flimsy. The bedding and pillows were fine. Others might not like them. Lighting was poorly planned. There was a long comfortable couch, but no lighting at night to read by. I'd suggest a pole lamp in the corner.

Bathroom lighting was also limited to the one overhead light. There was no light over the mirror, and I shaved in my own shadow.

There was no separate eating table and chairs, just two stools for the same counter I cooked on.

There were no spices, not even salt and pepper. Checkout time was pretty rigid, eleven or extra payment. Most places allow a complimentary extra hour.

I would probably go back again, especially if I went while covid is still raging. But even afterwards, it is a very comfortable thing to wake up in the morning and cook my breakfast the way I like it, avoiding extra carbs and sugar and cooking it free of any added salt.