New Artwork!

New paintings over at my art blog - if you're interested!  Come see!

http://southlight-myartblog.blogspot.com/

24x30  "Dancing Poppies"

We Gather Together...

Enjoy this traditional song...

YouTube

As you and yours gather this Thanksgiving Season, remember from Whom all blessings flow.  Love you all, dear blogger friends and I pray His richest blessings on you all...

photo taken at Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA, in October, 2012.  Vickie Fears

Stockbridge, MA, and Mystic, CT

Okay, People --  We're back for more vacation pics.  Aren't you excited?   Well, I'm not going to say much so you can  just scroll through quickly  IF YOU'RE INTERESTED ~~~

We left off at the end of the White Mountain Foliage Trails in Western New Hampshire and now we've crossed into Vermont.  We meandered a bit into the state and headed south to wind up in Stockbridge, MA, in the Berkshires.  (I love saying that - sounds like we've got money and I'm name-dropping.  Cue - Robin Leach on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous").   We did see alot of money walking around.... The Berkshires - a lovely area in western Massachusetts.  Lovely foliage, lovely little towns with beautiful cottage and New England homes.  We're here for the Norman Rockwell Museum and Studio tour!  

OK,  Now we're in Stockbridge at the clock tower...

SWEEEEEEET little eatery between these buildings!  We had the most delicious MAPLE BUTTERNUT SQUASH BISQUE!  Another First for us both!  It was Delish!  I believe it's now on our Thanksgiving menu at our Thanksgiving!

This beautiful place is now a lovely (expensive) Inn.  Norman Rockwell, they told us, used to rent rooms on the right end of this establishment (I believe).  We also saw a long panoramic painting that he did of the buildings in the little town to Stockbridge.  They are mostly all lined up on one side of the street.  The other side is lined with homes, churches, etc., some of which have been turned into a very few store fronts.

In one of the galleries the walls were covered with magazine covers from the Saturday Evening Post - it was So cool to see them all together!!!  There were some that I'd never seen.  Rockwell  started illustrating at a very young age!

His bicycle...

Rockwell's studio - he actually had several in different locations, but this was his last one.  

This was his view from the studio.  Think I could paint better if I had a view like this!!!

Hope some of his inspiration will rub off on me!!!!

This old house was also on the Museum property - it was over a hundred years old and it was being used as an administration building.  Can't you imagine this as a neat haunted house at Halloween???

Leaving Stockbridge, we headed down to the coast of Connecticut and arrived at Hammonsassett Beach.  Another little piece of ocean and Long Island Sound awaited us.  There was cold wind blowing off the water - we didn't stay too long, but we did meet a really nice lady named Pat that gave us some really nice tips about the area.  We did a little walking up and down...

Now we have arrived at Mystic, CT.  This little town must be neglected in advertisement.  We found it charming and delightful.  Neat as a pin harbor, immaculate New England homes and tree lined streets.  It was beautiful!  The harbor was full of boats both new and historic and there were also renovations going on  on a schooner named the Morgan in the shipyard.  Tony and I went aboard to check it out.  It was kind of dark, so my pictures didn't turn out so good.  I know people were shorter back then, but I think even those guys must have had to duck to go below deck!  I'll just let you look at Mystic here and not bore you with too many details...  If you ever have a chance to go - this was one of my favorite stops!

Thanks for hanging with me!  Sorry this post is so long - it was hard to select photos!  Next stop - Cape Cod!  See you next time, and for Pete's sake...

Keep your dress down!

We Interrupt This Program...

Sorry for the hiatus in my New England trip, but ....

WHAT'S UP WITH THIS???

Got a couple of girls that are moulting and everybody is off with the shorter days.  This is egg is about an inch long and perfectly formed. 

Guess I have a slacker in the group...

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

The White Mountains of New Hampshire

The next leg of our journey took us west from Maine along the foliage trails of New Hampshire and on into Vermont.  Route 302 was a perfect smallish highway to wander through the White Mountains National Forest.  You could drive around the whole mountain range, but we followed the southern route and saw plenty of peaks and valleys, small villages and towns and LOTS OF COLOR!  Have a look ....

Above - ski slopes!

After we got on into Vermont (and snacking on some goody-licious whoopie pies that Vee gave us) we meandered through the country-side avoiding major highways.  We found this sweet little farm stand. 

It was SO cute - I talked to the owner, and she told me that they have apple and pear orchards, and they grow all their own produce.  It was just exactly what I'd love to do someday.  Their produce looked great, too!  Below - they had this cute little red shed in the midst of their apple orchards.  Isn't it great?

I do believe Vermont had some of the most brilliant reds and oranges that we encountered on our trip!

There are so many little churches in New England - each one picture postcard perfect!  And so ends another day of trekking through New England.  We got out several times to walk around and even drove by the HUGE Yankee Candle place - an all-season shopping place. I really wanted to stop but we really needed to get on down the road.  Didn't know where we were staying yet that night.  We did like we did in Cali last year - rented a car and just winged it!  (or wung it - whichever...)  Just drove til we got to a place we wanted to stop and stayed there.  It's fun being spontaneous and not having a schedule you have to keep!

Thanks for following along!  More next time - Stockbridge, W. Mass in the Berkshires!