blog @ Applegate Inn B&B

There is currently a truly fabulous and beautiful exhibit at the Mass MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art). The piece is called “Being Here is Better Then Wishing We’d Stayed”. The exhibit is about the Miss Rockaway Armada, a group of travelers, adventurers, artists and  musicians whom spent the summers of 2006 and 2007 floating down the Mississippi on “junk boats”. The Armada consisted of people from all walks of life from all over the nation. The Armada describes itself as being united by the desire “to create; to demonstrate different ways of living and moving that are friendlier to the environment and to each other; to indulge the urge to make something out of nothing.” I have always enjoyed art made from found objects, and this art exhibit will certainly be whimsical and enthralling. Being Here is Better Than Wishing We’d Stayed is a site-specific, interactive installation in the Hunter Center Mezzanine through March 1, 2009. I guess during the opening, the Miss Rockaway Armada gave a performance in the vein of the impromptu circus/theater performances they staged in towns along the Mississippi.

I wish I could have seen that! What a wonderful Berkshires Activity!

The group sights their inspirations as Johnny Appleseed, traveling medicine shows, nomadic jewel box theater, the long tradition of river raft-builders and of course Mark Twain. The crew set out to meet new people and exchange ideas, art and inspiration. The collective was motivated in part by a desire to reclaim

The Miss Rockaway Armada Afloat on the Mississippi

and reinvent the age-old longing to roam this vast, mysterious country. In their words, “We still live in a country that fights wars so it can consume more. We are taking the urge to flee and heading for the center.” With that in mind, the Mississippi River seemed like the perfect avenue for the artists to explore. “We suspect that there is something wildish about seeing the stars night after night from the grand old Mississippi. Yeah sure, the Colorado is prettier, and the Rio Grande is its own divide, but the Mississippi has always been the main artery of this country. We wanted to start where the blood flows straight from the heart.”

At MASS MoCA the Miss Rockaway Armada will transform the Hunter Center Mezzanine — a place where students and other visitors gather to eat lunch and discuss their museum experiences — into a dynamic, interactive space. Using wood and other materials salvaged from MASS MoCA’s campus, the group will craft an environment that exudes the aesthetic, vision, and essence of The Miss Rockaway Armada’s experiences on the Mississippi River. Their idea was to build a “new, fantastical environment that inspires a sense of possibility and wonder”. As one Miss Rockaway crew member explains: “Let’s treat our MASS MoCA experience like a small-town stop on the way down the Hoosic River. Let’s make it current and as much about mutual inspiration, doing the impossible, building something new and crazy, cultural exchange, and direct interaction as the original Miss Rockaway voyage.” The environment includes tables and chairs for groups to gather and eat lunch, as well as ‘individual idea’ stations, where visitors will have opportunities to record their thoughts and stories and contribute to the installation.

Like I have said so many times before, living in the Berkshires is a gift for me. The Berkshire cultural events and other Berkshire activities make this area so wonderful to visit year-round, and for those of us that live here, we are truly lucky!

For 4 more days, a wonderful performance is at the Unicorn Theater in nearby Stockbridge.

Very appropriate for this exciting election time, and personally engaging for me around issues of gender, the one-woman play “Eleanor” was a wonderful production.

Written by Rhoda Lerman and directed by Stephen Temperley, the play was about the inner growth of

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt. It focused on the years immediately following World War I, as recalled by Eleanor looking back from 1945. It is a very personalized, intimate portrait that carefully avoids political issues directly, but maintains the importance of certain important political ideals.  In the voyage of this woman from self-doubt to confidence, her youthful ideals are challenged by gritty realities, and, instead of the bitterness or cynicism that might have resulted, we witness the tempered, reinforced idealism that emerged in Eleanor Roosevelt.

It is exciting to think of the future of the role of the First Lady. I wonder when, if ever, there will be another woman that has done as much with the role as Eleanor did.

I didn’t know that Eleanor struggled with her husbands infidelities for many years, and also her own insecurities. It is amazing to think that great people like that also struggled with self-confiedence.

There was a wonderful Berkshires crowd there, many with silver hair - those that remember Eleanor clearly! Just another great example of what the wonderful Berkshires area has to offer!

One of the things I LOVE about the Berkshires and Massachusetts as a whole is the great array of cultural events to entertain. These plays, conversations and art openings become increasingly more important to me as the darkness of winter closes around us and we spend more and more time with our toes by the fire.

I am looking forward to some nice upcoming events at the Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Located in Great Barrington (about 8 miles from us) the college has some interesting art on display I hope to go see.

A local artist by the name of Karen Arp-Sandel has an exhibition called  “Conversational Collage Chronicles”. It seems that her work is founded in the gathering of mementos, like postcards and travel diaries, to make a

Karen Arp-Sandel, watercolor collage

narrative. The art is already hung, but there will be a reception on Nov. 7 from 5 pm – 7 pm at the Atrium Gallery at the Alumni Library. Art openings are always full of fascinating people, great conversation, and usually pretty nice wine!

Another exhibit currently on display at Bard College is called “Home, Otherness and Memories”. Anaele Adis Iroh, the artist, is from the Center for Transcultural Research and Media Practice at the Dublin Institute of Technology! She (I think?) works in mixed media to examine and explore the concepts of home, otherness and memories. The exhibition will be on display in the lower lobby of the College’s Daniel Arts Center.

I often feel privileged to live close to a college campus. They are still such centers for arts and culture, and I like to be able to visit and take advantage of their resources.

The other exhibit on display is a faculty show by a gentleman named William Jackson. His work is titled “Formations and Transformations.” According to the artist, the exhibited works include “diverse visual and tactile vocabularies of deformation, re-combination, and hybridization. They explore possibilities that bridge two - and three-dimensional expressions, but also embrace digital and analog methods.” Wow! Sounds pretty amazing! The Gallery is located across from Bard College at Simon’s Rock’s main campus, and is open 12-5pm daily. I think I will try to go to the opening but come early so I can see the other exhibits also.

I hope some of my guests at Applegate will want to come with us to the art opening, or get a chance to check out this fine work when they come to stay with us over the next couple weeks!

It has been a wonderful theater season in the Berkshires.  Last year, we didn‘t go to the theater as much as we would have liked. We have been determined to see the best that is being offered this summer season.  The first thing we saw was at Shakespeare & Company.  The performance was of “The Ladies Man”, a French farce. It is a funny, convoluted story packed with smart dialogue and lots of physical comedy.  Shakespeare & Company is very adept at pulling off this style of play. The production reminds me of a cross between Marx Brothers and Noel Coward. It runs through August 31st.

Our next treat was a Barrington Stage.  Straight from a long run on Broadway, “The 25th Annual Spelling Bee” was a masterful performance.  Years ago, we were treated to this show in workshop form as it developed. The Berkshires is its first stop on a regional tour. It is a very fun musical. We will be going to see “The Violet Hour” tomorrow night at Barrington Stage.

We have also seen a variety of interesting pieces at The Berkshire Theater Festival, including “Candida”,” Pageant Play” and the thought provoking “The Book Club Play”. You can check out the other plays the Berkshire Theater Festival will show for the summer at their website: http://www.berkshiretheatre.org/.

We are all eager for the Tanglewood Jazz Festival coming up on Labor Day weekend! You can already feel the excitement in the air around here. I have been getting reservations for Labor Day weekend as soon as Tanglewood announced their line up for the Jazz Festival. If you are planing to come, be sure to make reservations ASAP as rooms are filling up for this  busy weekend: http://www.webervations.com/magic-scripts/resbook.asp?memberid=applegateinn . The program sounds fascinating. Starting on Friday August 29, there will be a Colombian Harpist named Edmar Castaneda who is bringing a vibraphonist named Joe Locke. I don’t even know what a vibraphone looks like!

On Saturday there will be a live taping for NPR as well as a rocking show with composer Donal Fox and trumpeter Christian Scott starting around 8 p.m. It gonna be the place to be on Saturday night!

Sunday sounds amazing too. As well as music throughout the day, composer Terence Blanchard will be preforming his “Requiem for Katrina” that night to close the concert with a thirty piece orchestra!

The complete lineup for the show is below, and we hope to see you there!

August 29 Friday 8PM Ozawa Hall
Edmar Castaneda Trio with special guest Joe Locke
Eliane Elias
“Something for You”
A tribute to Bill Evans
August 30 Saturday, 2PM, Ozawa Hall
“A Celebration of Marian McPartland”s 90th Birthday with special guests. Live taping for ‘Piano Jazz” on NPR
8pm, Ozawa Hall
Donal Fox: Scarlatti Jazz Suite Ptroject
Dianne Reeves
August 31, 2PM,  Ozawa
Eddie Daniels Quartet
Mark O’Connor’s “Hot Swing” with special guest Jane Monheit
8PM, Ozawa Hall
Terence Blanchaard’s “A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina)”
See you at the Jazz Festival .

I have been kayaking throughout Berkshire County for the past three years.  I have come to enjoy this sport with several friends.  We use an Appalachian Mountain Club guidebook to help us discover new places each week. I’ve also gotten a lot of tips about where to go from the Berkshire Outfitters, http://www.berkshireoutfitters.com/. We have a few favorites that we go back to but are eager to find new venues.   Last week, we returned to Goose Pond which is close to the towns of Lee and Tyringham.  It was a wonderful spot!  There were only a few other kayakers on the smooth, clear water.  The reflections of trees on the surface of the pond were enchanting. We eagerly paddled across Lower Goose Pond observing some changes in the homes along the shores.  We approached the channel  which connects the inhabited Goose Pond to the undeveloped Upper Goose Pond.  The shores of this channel are lined with Birch trees. We could see fish swimming in the channel.  The Upper Pond is surrounded by the Appalachian Trail and some cabins for the hikers.  We claimed a tiny island in the middle of the pond as ours for the day. After beaching our kayaks on the island, and went for a swim in the crystal clear sparkling water. Afterwards, we ate fresh blueberries and relaxed on a large rock.  Paradise.

Len and I have recently been visiting some of the art galleries in the Berkshires.
The Berkshires has a dynamic mix year round of contemporary art through its world-class collection
of galleries.
It is the home to an exciting array of living artists working in both abstract and representational styles to create sculptures, paintings, prints, photographs, new media, fine crafts ,and design.
Whether you are interested in being the first to discover emerging artists or being inspired by the many renowned artists and artisans who make their home here, we encourage you to enjoy the visual feasts found in our galleries and take home an artwork that speaks eloquently to you and your time spent in the Berkshires. Read the rest of this entry »

Flat Stanley came to the Berkshires this winter to have a look-see and it turned out that his blitz would hardly touch the surface of what is going on here.
He came from New Jersey. courtesy of our grandson Aaron, who was assigned to send the little man off somewhere. We were chosen as the target.

For those of you who have not met Flat Stanley, he is an ageless boy of 44, born to author Jeff Brown in 1964 and is now flourishing as a way to teach geography and get kids thinking outside their own little boxes.
His traditional form is a small cutout, perhaps 8 inches tall, arms outstretched and legs likewise..
In a bygone era, we’d have called him a paper doll, but his clothes don’t come off.
They’re
colored right on the cutout by the child in charge.
Read the rest of this entry »

On the window sill of one of our guest rooms, a robin has built her nest. Last week, four tiny eggs hatched into four tiny birds. The mother comes and goes regularly bringing them food.

Spring has arrived early this year in the Berkshires with consistently good weather and temperatures in the 70’s.
Len has even played golf 4 times already.
But mostly we are very busy at Applegate preparing for summer.
Gloria has set up the porch with some new furnishings and lighting and the gardens have been cleaned up and are starting to sprout.
The pool is even open now and will be ready and heated for swimming in a few days.
John, our handyman and Len have been roaming the property in our golf cart cleaning things up from the winter.
Several of the summer cultural venues have announced their schedules and it looks like it will be an exciting season.
We have gotten our tickets already for Tanglewood and Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival.
We are studying the Barrington Stage and Stockbridge Theater schedules and will be getting those tickets soon as well. The Williamstown Theater looks very interesting as well and we may go there for a couple of plays.
Mostly though, Spring is a miracle of rebirth and regreening of the landscape.
It is something we love and look forward to each year.