The Berkshires, Kelli Rae, a grave in Vermont and home

Our quick trip out east was fast coming to end. Saturday morning we packed up, said our goodbyes to D & D, and with Dor's sandwiches stocked in our cooler we headed back west and eventually home. 

The plan for this penultimate leg of our return trip was to swing up into northwestern Massachusetts, cruising through the Berkshires as we made our way to The Clark museum in Williamstown and then to Mass MOCA in North Adams. We had recently learned that an old friend, Kelli Rae Adams was going to be on site at her exhibition at Mass MOCA so we thought we'd pop by and surprise her (we did).

Traffic was tolerable on I-90, the infamous Mass Pike, and we made good time to I-91 where we turned north. At Greenfield we left the interstate and got on Rte 2 west. Also known as the Mohawk Trail the road climbed and wended up through the mountains, along Allen Brook, and past dramatically gorgeous scenery enhanced by the autumn colors. 

(In fact, most of our return trip would be one wonderful, long color tour, something we really hadn't expected.)

Passing through North Adams we found Mass MOCA but since it was a bit early to try and meet up with Kelli Rae we drove a few miles on into Williamstown and The Clark.

We strolled the grounds taking in the lush beauty of this incredible space after which we had a picnic lunch of Dor's sandwiches (and Cape Cod chips, of course). 

Leaving Williamstown we made our way back to North Adams and pulled into Mass MOCA's parking lot. For those of you who have not had the opportunity of visiting this enormous space it is really quite overwhelming, and while contemporary art is not even close to the top of our list of interests, the artwork here is fun, engaging and certainly impressive, in scope and size if nothing else. 

entrance, just one of several buildings in the complex

Anyway, we soon found Kelli Rae and thoroughly enjoyed the look of surprise on her face when she spied us, especially Susan. 

Surprise!

Kelli's latest project "Forever in Your Debt" about the student debt crisis

Kelli and Susie

Back in our Providence, RI days Kelli used to come into Susie's shop in Pawtucket and even worked there for a short while. She always brought a sense of calm with her and a focus on the task at hand. Quiet, self-effacing and full of effervescence, she and Susie became fast friends.

The three of us spent too little time catching up but she was there to be available for the public to talk about her exhibition and we had "miles to go before we sleep." We hugged, said goodbye and promised to try and meet up again sooner than later. 

From North Adams we headed north up Rte 8 to Rte 9 in southern Vermont and then west to Bennington where we picked up Rte 7, the main north-south artery in the state. 

The sole reason for the Vermont leg of the trip was to pay our respects to one of Susie's dearest friends, Lena D. She passed away in July and, while Susie was able to attend her memorial service in Wallingford, she never got to the gravesite. We hoped to rectify that on this trip.

Unfortunately, our efforts to find the grave were in vain. Saint Patrick's cemetery, located on a bluff overlooking Green Hill Cemetery at the southern edge of Wallingford, was small to be sure but our searches on foot came up empty. Still, we were close by her and the location of the cemetery (as you can see from the photos) places her in a beautiful location over the Otter Creek Valley below.

From Wallingford we returned south down Rte 7 skirting Bennington and on to Troy, New York, where we picked up I-87 south. We left the highway near Crossgates Mall outside Albany, where the Northway (I-87) becomes the Thruway (I-87 south and I-90 west). We spent the night close to the mall and had a very nice meal at the 110 Grill, part of a larger food an entertainment venue connected to the mall.

The next morning we were on the road early and pretty much zipped through the fog-shrouded Mohawk River valley. Although the state is in the process of rebuilding some of the service plazas, we experienced no problems along the route. And, aside from stopping once for gas and then again to top off the oil, we made good time and were across the border by about noon. 

Once around Hamilton we left the 403 for the 401, stopping at the Onroute service area near Woodstock for gas and a short break. We then pushed on to the 402 and the US border, Susie driving us across into Michigan. Since we had Global Passes (Trusted Traveler Program), we crossed the border using the Nexus lane, allowing us to bypass the numerous cars waiting in other lines. Whew!

We arrived home a little past 6:00pm local time, unpacked, and sat with a glass of wine debriefing ourselves about the trip.

The time was short but reconnecting with old friends, visiting with family, enjoying new experiences and passing some of the most beautiful autumn colors the likes of which we hadn't seen for some time made the trip eminently worthwhile.

I wish you could've been there. . . Oh, and if you haven't seen enough images so far, you might find the next few items of interest

PS. For a tres cool example of the whimsy you can find at Mass MOCA listen to the singing hallway:

PPS. Two poignant dying sentiments and one curious tragedy:

James S. Cole, front

rear

Victoria Cole-Wilbur, front

rear

And right next door in Green Hill Cemetery:

Clara Congdon

Visiting family

The rain continued throughout Thursday night and on into Friday morning making our commute into Quincy, MA, even more interesting than normal. The plan was to bring coffee and Dick's homemade apple muffins to Uncle Frank and spend a little quality time catching up with my mother-in-law's sole remaining sibling. 

We left 52 Linden a little before 9:00 am and headed off north. The rain persisted but it didn't stop us, although it had caused at least two accidents along the way, one of which appeared quite serious.

Nevertheless, Dick knew the way and before long we pulled into the Atria assisted living part of Marina Bay in North Quincy. Frank was waiting for us and after grabbing our picnic breakfast from the back of the car, he led us to the 3rd floor cafe sitting area where we spent the short hour chatting and catching up.

the usual suspects: Steve, Susie, Dor, Dick and Uncle Frank

After we said our goodbyes the four of us returned to the car and headed back to Douglas. where we relaxed until our next family meetup later that evening.

Dor, Mallory, Dick and Susie

About 4:30pm niece Mallory returned to D & D's and the five us piled into our car and headed off on the backroads to Connecticut. Our objective was the new Macdonald home in Glastonbury to be followed by all of us going to dinner at Max Fish near the new MacD homestead.

Traffic was slow going through the countryside but the drive through rural Connecticut was lovely. Once onto I-84, we moved a lot faster and traffic picked up, too. But drive along this stretch bought back memories of the many times we came down this way when we lived in Vermont to visit the Bergman family. 

Anyway, with Dick's assistance -- and that of the woman inside his phone -- we found the Macdonald house with little difficulty. Hugs all around was the first order of the day followed by a grand tour of the new space. Just a couple of days before they had received the last delivery of their personal  belongings and the house looked ready for the next phase of their life: Glen's retirement from the army and his new job adding to the large stock of changes awaiting them all.

After a tour and a glass of wine we followed Glen and Christina to the restaurant (the kids were relieved that they could stay home and not be bothered by the adults). We settled in for the evening, enjoying wonderful service, very tasty food (Glen and I each had the local fish, Tautog), and lots of warm conversation.

Glen, Dor, Dick, Mallory and Susie

Dor and Dick

Christina and Glen

Tautog with Hoisin sauce and Jasmine rice

Exiting the restaurant into the cool night air there was one more time for plenty of hugs to go around before we said au revoir. 

The day had been a good one to be sure: We got to see not one, not two but three parts of the extended family: Uncle Frank, Mallory and the MacDonald clan. Pretty good indeed.

Tomorrow we begin the return trip home stopping in the Berkshires to meet up with another old friend and slipping across the state line into Vermont to find a very special grave.

Oh, and in case you wondered, the Tautog:

Color in Massachusetts and old friends

Thursday we relaxed in Douglas, which was just as well since it rained off and on for much of the day. Of course, relaxing for some meant working in the garden at 52 Linden preparing it for a nice long winter sleep. Susie was up for that challenge and pitched in with gusto. 

I, of course, remained indoors. . . But the colors around the home eventually pulled me outside.

Susie and Dor cleaning pots

Brother and sister taking a break

Gracie the family cat

That evening we braved the rain and headed south to Providence and dinner with some old friends at Persimmon Restaurant. Back in our Providence days we had eaten at Persimmon, chef-owned and operated by Champe Speidel, when they were located in Bristol, RI. Sometime after we departed for Michigan in 2015 they moved to a location on Hope Street not too far from Brown University. The food, unsurprisingly, is still excellent and the service superb.

We arrived at the restaurant a bit early but, not long after we were seated, we welcomed friend Lee Forbes and soon after Andrea Feldman and her mother Barbara. Lee and Susie worked together at Susie's shop at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket; Andrea and I were colleagues at Johnson & Wales university and many a dinner she and her mom shared with us over the years we lived in Rhode Island.

it was a wonderful evening of swapping stories, catching up on each others' lives and enjoying a wonderful meal together all washed down by some delicious wines. 

The evening, as all must, came to an end and after a round of hugs we went our separate ways. Until the next time. . .