Travels with George #4

Today is the second full day in Pittsfield. Yesterday, we saw Mt Greylock (highest peak in Massachusetts at 3491 feet), visited my old house and talked with the owner. He told me all the names I knew at the surrounding homes were all different now. No surprise there, but the homes were much the same. They just seemed smaller; don’t you know! New homes in the area completed what had been started when I last lived here. A great new neighborhood extension.

Visited Lake Onota, which is nearby, Hillcrest Hospital which is where I lost my tonsils but is better known for the mansion it once was high above Lake Onota and the luxury homes on Tor Court. Out west of the city toward the state forest, were the new community college, and homes of old family friends. Then we traipsed to other familiar haunts.

Today we visited Stockbridge, Norman Rockwell’s Museum, Tanglewood and Lenox, MA. Stockbridge is the home of Norman Rockwell and his museum. It is also home of one of the most iconic colonial New England towns. The homes are old, close together, quaint and spacious. The shops and business center are cute and beautiful. The eating places are great and unique. Cuisines are tasty and very professional. Other visitors present today were from New York (city and state), New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire and Boston. Very diverse but sophisticated audience.

Interesting note for Norman Rockwell fans, my brother was selected by Rockwell to pose for a Post Magazine cover. Sherm was spotted at the high school looking lanky and distinctly under groomed. Rockwell exclaimed, “That’s the guy.” And so it became.

Sherm posed with Rockwell at his Stockbridge studio four times. The cover came out in March of 1957 while Sherm was in Army boot camp. It made him a sensation. We were pretty impressed, too. Rockwell’s Post covers were all the rage in those days. Many of you may remember them as well. I grew up on them. Sherm’s original painting by Rockwell sold a few years ago for $22.5 million. Not bad. Seeing his painting in the museum was an emotional moment. We have pictures to share of that moment.

Now, about Tanglewood, please recall that Tanglewood is the summer home of the Boston Symphony, which also includes a massive music arts education program to boot. We entered the parking area of Tanglewood today but could go no further. Closed for the season. We could drink in the ambience of its location and natural beauty. It took me back over sixty-three years. A lot of emotion of events long past but exceptional performances.

In that same area - Stockbridge and Lenox - the Gilded Age lived large. wealthy families from New York, some from Boston, build huge estates. Some homes were more than 40,000 square feet. Enormous and unbelievably beautiful. These homes mostly served as summer getaways, but later became home to schools, institutions and now resorts or small private hotels. Although many of those homes have been razed, many remain to amaze and awe. 

I wish to mention the Red Lion Inn of Stockbridge. it was across the street from Norman Rockwell's home and studio. It still is an inn with wonderful dining facilities. We often ate Sunday afternoon dinner at the Inn when we wanted to feel special. Wonderful memories of a quaint New England town center, too. 

We returned to the hotel for a well-earned nap before venturing out for a calm and tasty dinner. Tomorrow, we start the return trip home. This time we will travel the southern tier of New York state and then drop down into Pennsylvania to Youngstown. We will stay there overnight.

November 18, 2023

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