Where are we now?

Well according to our blog we are just leaving Boston but we are actually just packing to leave Wales after five weeks of extraordinary experiences... singing in London & Barcelona, catching up with family and exploring the Gower Peninsula.

So a Gala Performance for Grenfell in London and then hold onto your hats as we set off for Crete. 

Farewell USA

A race back to Boston.  Quick final pack and then its Amtrak train to New York.....A fun packed stay in USA.  Thank you Marilyn for sharing your beautiful apartment.

I wonder what London, Swansea, Barcelona and Crete have in store for us!  

Tantalising Tanglewood

Off to Tanglewood. Its early in the season and so we experienced a festival just coming to life.  

Unfortunately that meant that our hotel "The Apple Tree Inn" had not quite come out of hibernation and so we were given a room that reeked of damp and mould.  There was not much surprise when we complained.  To compensate they gave us the whole the main house - 30 bedrooms plus dining and reception areas!

As the rain and hail thundered down, the 30 roomed house trembled and shook and we did our best to make ourselves "at home."


The next day the rain eased and we were explore the town.  For many years Lenox has been the summer home for the rich and famous.   Mansions and Art Galleries litter the streets.   We visited one which was derelict but has been lovingly restored.   Our hearts loved some of the artworks but sadly our pockets didn't!

And so to Tanglewood.  Summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra this is an incredible place.  Every summer thousands of people come to hear jazz, classical music, watch dance, take part in workshops and see their favourite performers.   The list of It is huge.  Set in wonderful gardens and surrounded by the Berkshires it is a stunning destination.  If you have time take a tour here.


We were there to see the Mark Morris Dance Group and we were not disappointed.   See a video here.  

It is such an unusual performance space.  The whole back wall lifts up so that people picnicking on the hill at the back can watch the performance.

Such an uplifting performance and nice to be only 5 minutes away from our own 30 roomed mansion!

Life in the Woods

A picnic in the rain starts off our trip to Concord.  We plan to walk around Walden Pond, made famous by Henry Thoreau in his book Life in the Woods.  

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.

— Henry David Thoreau

We start our walk at a replica of his cabin in the woods.

Incredible to think of all those famous writers, scientists and artists crowding into the room.  Not quite the world of solitude I imagined when I first read the book.

At the beginning of our walk we passed these stone sculptures.   There were so many of them...How on earth had people managed to get them to balance?   I made a very small 3 stone sculpture - even that wasn't easy to balance. 

The walk around the lake was gorgeous - calm waters, birds and wildlife.

Of course travelling with Roger there is no time to dally... onwards to Tanglewood, via Emily Dickinson's House!

Sadly it was closed but it was interesting to walk around the garden who were excavating the garden in the hope of finding some Dickinson treasure.  On this day they spent most of their time covering up and ducking from the rain.

And so to Tanglewood...

Two days to pack...

We have two days to pack and just enough time to squeeze a couple of visits to Boston, including the amazing Boston Museum of Fine Art.  Here are some of my favourites...

We spent most of our time looking at some really weird instruments.  Would have loved to hear them.

I hadn't really heard of Flat art, apart from modern design but here it was... complete with an ad...

And of course there had to be Tiffany!

This sculpture was in the main hall... exquisite!

Portuguese Festival Provincetown

We had loved Provincetown or P'Town the first time we had visited and so resolved to go back there one more time before we left.  The Portuguese Festival with its blessing of the fleet and parade seemed an ideal time.  We booked the ferry but not the weather!

It poured and poured.  We took refuge in a restaurant for an hour and then the for an hour the rain stopped and we walked exploring the gardens and artworks.



The gardens were just delightful.  Loved  Suzanne's Garden, which is still preserved today.  Tranquil and beautiful - open at all times to anyone who wants to enjoy it.

P'Town has a long history of culture and art .  Along the main street are an abundance of plaques which celebrate the many famous writers and artists who live(d) here. Check out this article.  

Many writers and actors spend their summers here.  John Waters to name one, but here are some other famous residents past and present. 

Jack Kerouac -- In 1950 he wrote part of On The Road holed up in a dune shack on a secluded beach in Provincetown.

Kurt Vonnegut -- The writer first moved to the Cape in the 1950s and it has been a primary residence ever since. 

Jackson Pollock -- A true beach-loving artist, he spent time and painted in Provincetown before his move to the Hamptons.

Norman Mailer -- The writer, filmmaker and Village Voice co-founder consistently spent time in Provincetown from the 1940s until the end of his life in 2007. 

Norman Rockwell -- Synonymous with picturesque Americana, the painter spent time studying his craft in Provincetown.

Anthony Bourdain -- The culinary king had his humble beginnings as a dishwasher in a Provincetown kitchen and he was inspired by local chef Howard Mitcham to pursue a grander culinary role. 

Michael Cunningham -- The Hours author currently still summers there and may be seen out and about with Waters. 

Ryan Murphy -- The mind behind Glee and American Horror Story got married in Ptown, where he also owns a home (apparently purchased from Marc Jacobs' executive, Robert Duffy).

Loved all the architecture and the art works... such a fun place.  Sorry the sun didn't really shine but lots of fun!

No 34?

The train was packed with people of every age, size and shape.   Most of them wore RedSox T-shirt emblazoned with  34 Ortiz.  As the crowd swirled and carried us to the ground I couldn't help but notice banners, badges, caps and posters - all with 34 or Ortiz.   

The crowd was electric from the moment we arrived... eventually going crazy when the great moment came when David Ortiz walked onto the field.   Unbeknown to us - a very special night when the no 34 was to be retired in honour of this "famous" player...... to think we just came for the Fenway Frank...(furter that is!)   Read all about it

Something fishy here

Portland had heaps of great restaurants... loved Scales - a new one right on the wharf!

Oh What a life!

Our hosts told us about this place to have lunch that had free parking so that we could go for a wander along the coast....  We imagined a bit of burger joint on the beach... No... So wrong.  It was a classy hotel complete with white table cloths, rosedendrams, waiters and champagne!  So what could we do... but make the most of it! 

 
The best bit though was walking along the coast, meeting and chatting with people... and boy what a coast it was!

Here's to American Entrepreneurs

What a canny man!  Captain Lemuel Moody that is.  An ex sea captain he worked out how to make a fortune... build a tower in the middle of town that commanded a view out to sea.   When there were no ships around, he charged people to come and look at the view.  When ships were on the horizon, he would raise a flag so that the shipowners could organise the workforce.  

Oh! Roger has just reminded me of the most amazing fact... the tower has no foundations... just ballast!  It has survived all of the tornados, fires and tempests that the region could throw at it!

Loved the fact that at the top a group of Brits sat and chatted about... James Cook and Whitby!!!!

Coasting along to Portland

Quite a relief to reach Portland ... Lovely B & B... built at the same time as Marilyn's place in Boston and so felt strangely at home.... 

Dinner at a local Italian...Hosts emphatic about where we should eat and where we should go, so glad our choice of restaurant met their approval!  

Breakfast interesting ... more desert than breakfast.   I think they were a bit offended when I said the apple cinnamon bake was a bit too sweet for me... luckily they had an egg florentine that did the job!

Prince Whipple of Portsmouth

Our next stop was Portsmouth   The cloud was lifting and so we wandered along the Port, stumbling on a an elegant 18th-century mansion and garden built by William Whipple.

I'm amazed that this hasn't been made into some kind of TV Drama... First guy, William Whipple makes his money from slavery and trade.  Calls his servant Prince Whipple and together they go off to Washington to sign the American Declaration of Independence.

This inspires Prince Whipple and another slave Windsor Moffat "natives of Africa now forcibly detained in slavery" to petition for their freedom.  The New Hampshire legislature were amused by this petition but needless to say did not grant them their freedom.

The Whipple -Moffat family then went down the path of many others of their ilk with family rifts, alcoholism, gambling the inevitable court cases... until finally the property was sold to the Ladd family for $1..... Told you it was a good TV drama!

Coasting along...Rockport

Its a bit of a gloomy morning but we can feel time ticking away and so we make an early start to avoid the traffic jams and set off along the coast road.  Rockport, Portsmouth, Manchester by the Sea and Portland beckon.
.  

Our view of Rockport was cloudy.  It cleared later though and we were able to walk among the early morning fishermen.  

We get to wondering "Just how many lobsters are eaten each day?"  There are lobster pots as far as the eye can see and every little restaurant or cafe advertises "Lobster Rolls".  We chat with fishermen and find they have the same problems as food producers world wide.  They are getting paid less and the job is just getting tougher. 

Spectacular Sea Glass

Boston ferries to the rescue once more... off to Spectacle Island to stretch our legs.  Great to see the Tall ships on our ride over.

Spectacle Island has an incredible history.  Starting off as a garbage dump for the indigenous peoples who created a huge midden of shells. It became at various times a farming community, a quarantine hospital, a glue factory, a holiday resort and finally a garbage dump. 

Apart from the occasional warning about asbestos it is hard to imagine that this beautiful spot was until fairly recently "a stinking mess" 

The "Big Dig" came to the rescue. City leaders had decided to demolish an overhead road and put it underground.  They needed somewhere to put the fill and also a way to solve the garbage problem on Spectacle island.  Solution dump 3.7 million cu. yds. of soil  so raising the island’s height by approximately 55 ft and  creating the beauty spot we see today.

One of the delights of the walk was to discover all of the Sea Glass and washed up wonders.  Reminded me of the Queen Charlotte Islands in Canada where we discovered thousands of thongs (flip flops).

You can read all about the transformation of Spectacle Island Click here.  

Battle of Bunker Hill Day

A misty morning where the Tall Ships emerge on the harbour and bugles announce marching armies celebrating the Battle of Bunker Hill day.

Its a strange feeling living in an area that is so focused on the nationalistic and the past.  American flags on every second house and people fervently covering their hearts as they sing the National Anthem.... and they do sing it often.

Tall ships on the harbour are of course, magnificent.

Cinquento, Magnifico!

A complete contrast to the previous evening.  We loved Cinquento... Fascinating audience too... Harvard types in boaters and blazers.  

Magnificat...not

Jordan Hall ... an amazing venue.  A very strange experience though.  The audience who had purchased tickets, were asked to line up in a corridor for 15 minutes and then ushered in... just in time for the performance ...  Sadly a passionless performance.  Disappointed, we left at the interval.  

Crabby times

Back at Brewster Inn, we did one of those crazy things.  We followed a map to do a coastal walk.  Yep! We got it all wrong and found ourselves 40 minutes later outside our B & B at the beginning of the walk.   No matter it was fantastic through woodland and along the coast.  Loved the squirrels and the tiny crabs that were there one minute and got the next!