My ordeal at work has seemed to drag on for the past two weeks. I know that my job is secure, but what the reprimand will look like is anyone’s guess. It’s kind of like that feeling of waiting for my mother to decide how many swats, and what type of switch she would use, when my brother and I received a spanking as little boys. Regardless of what will happen at work, there is too much of New England to see to let a beautiful weekend pass by.

This weekend we drove the MassPike through Springfield and into the Berkshires. The Berkshires is a mountain range in western Massachusetts and Connecticut, and known for it’s abundance of art, music, and recreational activities. We’d been there a couple of years ago to see a VanGogh exhibit in Williamston. I’ve read a lot about the area since then and know this will not be our only return trip.

Janet’s brother, Steve had mentioned that he’d taken Jim and June to the Norman Rockwell Museum and suggested we go as one of our adventures.  I don’t need to be told twice, so I began making arrangements. As you’ve read before, we love gardens. My research indicated that the Berkshire Botanical Gardens were less than two miles from the museum, so a great day was in the works.

We began at the gardens, which were wonderfully in full bloom. Janet’s favorite flower is a type of lily known as alstroemeria, and the garden was filled with lily lined paths everywhere we turned. An exhibit of colorful playhouses and a couple of waterfalls also filled out the park. The gardens aren’t very big and took less than an hour for us to tour, but it doesn’t take that much to please us.

 

The Norman Rockwell museum doesn’t look like much as you enter the parking lot, but looks can be deceiving. Mr. Rockwell was a very busy artist, with hundreds of works to his credit. Many of these works are displayed in the large galleries of the museum, including his famous paintings; Freedom of Speech, Golden Rule, and Freedom from Want. I was amazed at the progressive tone in Rockwell’s paintings. I’d always considered his work to be conservatively nostalgic. But these paintings demonstrated an inclusive mindset that inspired people to accept others for who they are.

During our visit, an exhibit of Andy Warhol’s works was also on display as a juxtaposition of American commercial art in the mid-20th century. Bringing the two artists together was also a few works by Warhol’s nephew, James Warhola, who had been inspired by Norman Rockwell as a child. In a downstairs gallery, every cover he illustrated of the Saturday Evening Post is on display covering an entire wall of the room.

Outside the museum, a trail led to Rockwell’s studio. This was truly fascinating as the place has been preserved as if the artist had used it just yesterday. Visitors are allowed to walk through the workshop, that resembles a remodeled barn, and see where he spent countless hours creating his masterpieces. The trail ended near his house, which appears to be lived in, and not open for tours.

After visiting the museum and gardens we took the scenic route home north to Williamston, and then east again along the Mohawk Trail. I still fret about work, but flowers and art are a great way to make sure I keep my priorities straight.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller