Breather

Gateways Inn - Lenox Massachusetts

Gateways Inn Main Staircase

Beer Geek Breakfast

 

 

Norman Rockwell Self Portrait

Rockwell's Golden Rule

Rockwell's - Freedom from Want

Based on FDR's Four Freedoms Speech

Downtown Stockbridge

(still trying to figure out the camera on the new phone)

 

I'm sure you've heard of Alice's Restaurant

 

Berkshire Botanical Gardens

 

Hiking in the Woods

Brewery in Great Barrington

All this watching the house building on vacation was wearing me out to the point of approaching burnout so my better half and I took off for a few days to the town of Lenox in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. We stayed at the Gateways Inn (www.gatewaysinn.com) and had a perfect room down the end of a hall on the second floor. We were between rushes like the calm before the storm of Labor Day weekend so it was relatively quiet with no lines no matter where we went.

Only problem was I was knocked off my feet with a stomach bug and spent the afternoon that we arrived sleeping. My better half headed out to the local shops to see what they had to offer. I wonder if she slipped something in my water?

 

Later we went out to a light dinner at a tapas place named Brava (https://www.facebook.com/BravaBarLenox) where the bartender recommended a beer named, ready for this, Beer Geek Breakfast. It was an oatmeal stout made with coffee and while strong still did a good job of sort of settling my stomach. It helped me sleep anyways. Joined with a perfect pizza and we had the right place for a nice night of relaxing conversation.

 

The next day we traveled a short distance to the Norman Rockwell Museum (www.nrm.org) in Stockbridge, Massachusetts where they have many of his famous paintings on display. I’ve always been a fan of his work so it was a perfect place to spend time viewing his work. They also have his last studio on the grounds (it was moved from its original site) and you can walk through and see how he had everything set up and ask questions of the guide. A trip to the Berkshire Botanical Gardens which is just up the street followed and later a trip into downtown Stockbridge completed the day of lazing off. Dinner, while with good company, was unremarkable and the service even more so.

 

But here’s a note to anybody that works as a wait staff – when you know folks are on vacation and have to ask for bread and then have to ask again for a refill of the original three pieces and are never asked how our meals are or if we would like another drink, then expect that your tip will reflect the level of service you have provided. You’ll not get stiffed because we don’t do that, but we’re a generous tipper if you at least make our night nice and not distracted with lousy service.

 

Walking back to the Inn, we passed a yogurt place (the latest food fad) and I asked my better half if yogurt would be good for my ailing stomach. She replied “it will be no worse than the beer you had last night.” I thought she’s right. So I passed on the healthy food and we went back to Brava and ended the night with another Beer Geek Breakfast beer. I’m a new fan.

 

The next day on the way home, we stopped and hiked to Ice Glen in Stockbridge which is a small gorge in the woods that holds ice even in the summer. Unfortunately, at summer end the ice is all melted but it was a nice hike in the deep woods where you could see a lot of old growth forest.

 

We had a late lunch at the Barrington Brewery (no there is not a theme here) and then headed home.

 

Being away is always nice. Being home is always better. Coming home and finding work being done on the house is priceless.

 

Enjoy your day.