Friends, it has been a long week. I’m on the tail end of a sinus infection, work has been busy, and I’m just plain happy to see that we have made it to Friday.
I tell you that to say this: I’m out of words for today. Here’s a pretty picture to remind you that that sometimes the picture is worth a thousand words and that it’s ok to shut up and let the photos do the talking.
This is at a small botanical garden near Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Happy Friday y’all!
We had been out adventuring and were gradually making our way back to the hotel to enjoy a quiet rainy evening. We were looking for the Guthrie Center and we were talking about finding apples to take home.
And suddenly, there it was, the granddaddy of roadside stands. Taft Farms has a wonderful year round market where they seek fresh produce, baked goods, plants, and more.
We spotted it at the same time, gasped and whirled right into the parking lot where we found ourselves in a pocket of fall.
They had pumpkins, gourds, apples, mums, and all the things you need to kick off fall decorating and baking.
I picked up some Honeycrisp apples because I know I like them and some Zestar apples because they were recommended by an employee. Both were good, I also grabbed some jars of preserves so I can have a taste of vacation this winter when I’m home being cozy.
This quick stop was a feast for the senses and I was so glad to be there. They’ve been around for over fifty years and are know for their pesticide-free growing. Want to go? Get the details here!
If you ever find yourself in downtown Lee, Massachusetts, look for the friendly bear statue in front of Ben’s on Main Street.
He’s holding a box full of chalk so you can pause and draw something on the sidewalk. How fun!
Sadly, it didn’t even occur to me to snap a photo of the art folks have left behind but I do really like the idea of giving kids and adults the open invite to be creative.
By the way, Ben’s is a clothing and shoe store for all your outdoor needs. Check it out if you’re in town!
The Norman Rockwell Museum tells the story of Rockwell’s life and work through his paintings. There are three large floor to ceiling walls of framed magazine covers. So many that it’s almost overwhelming.
A film tells his life story.
There’s also a full gallery of his paintings including some that seemed kind of obscure to me and others that are almost infamous.
One of the reasons I like Rockwell’s work is that he had a way of telling stories of everyday life with only imagery. You can tell what they’re thinking and feeling and you don’t need a card next to it on the wall to know exactly what’s happening. It’s a study on the beauty of life.
This is one of my favorites. From November 1945, it’s titled “Thanksgiving: Mother and Son Peeling Potatoes.” He gives us a seemingly simple scene. They’re in the kitchen, chatting while he helps her prepare the meal.
He’s a soldier, freshly home and still in his uniform but he’s wearing civilian shoes. He seems content to be back in the warmth of his mother’s kitchen but the chair he’s perched on looks too small.
He has outgrown it somehow but he sits with feet up like a little boy would.
Look closer.
He has creases in his forehead and lines on his hands. The time away has aged him. The young man has returned home a soldier. Look at how natural and realistic his hands are. It’s almost like a photo.
Now consider his mother. This is the face of a woman who has spent many a sleepless night praying for her son. In this moment, she can scarcely believe he’s here. Look at the way she gazes at him as though she wonders if this is a dream.
Their surroundings tell a story of harvest and abundance with a pan of cranberries and a pumpkin on the floor. Is that a bushel basket of apples? A mixing bowl, preserves, a couple of oranges and that bright pop of red in the tablecloth tell a story of country folk who will use what they have to make this the best Thanksgiving they’ve ever known.
But her soldier is home so it will be the very best even if the potatoes turn out lumpy.
This is true Americana and it really is one of my favorite paintings of his. But there are so many more.
Like this one of a lineman in 1947.
And a coal miner in 1944.
They both look like they could step off the canvas and set down the road toward home.
Of course, everyone clamors to see this fifties era view of Stockbridge, his adopted hometown. It’s one of his most requested and recognizable works.
He used models. Often the models were folks right there in the county. Some he used more than once.
His paintings tend to tell the stories of the small towns and the dying ways of the people who made this country great with their heads bowed in prayer, their hands grimy from hard work, and their eyes raised up in hope for the future.
He made a series called “The Four Freedoms” based on President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s declaration that the U.S. would fight for:
Freedom of Speech.
Freedom of Worship.
Freedom of Fear.
And Freedom of Want.
So, friends, this was the inspiration for our trip to Stockbridge, Massachusetts and I am so glad we went.
There are many more paintings I could share with you today but I’m thinking we may hold onto a few to revisit some winter day when we are all itching to hit the road.
Want to visit this museum? Click here for their website.
Several months ago I read a story about the town where Norman Rockwell said he found some of his best inspiration. The story promoted a quaint New England town and a Norman Rockwell Museum where visitors could get to know more about the man and his work.
While Norman Rockwell has become something of a cliche to many, I tend to think his storytelling is genius and that our society could benefit from a good dose of small town innocence.
So, off we went to Stockbridge, Massachusetts in the Berkshires. This town of 2,000 residents is a year round attraction known for access to outdoor activities, small town charm, and a handful of famous folks who once made their home here.
Rockwell’s first Stockbridge studio was in the upstairs of a building that now is home to a cafe (also the same building that was home to the famed Alice’s Restaurant). He moved to the area and set up shop here when his wife came to Stockbridge for medical care.
It has north facing windows on the second floor that overlook the Main Street and would be quite the window out on the world. What I wouldn’t give for a morning of writing and people watching from that space! While he rented this studio space, he set out to have renovated an 1830s carriage house in the yard of his home in town.
This would be his creative space beginning in 1957 until his death 21 years later. He adopted Stockbridge as his hometown and said some of his best work originated here. Most of his important social commentary work was done here in this studio.
The studio is no longer located in Stockbridge. That’s because it was loaded onto a flatbed truck and moved to the campus of the Norman Rockwell Museum in 1986.
We toured the studio before we went through the museum and had a wonderful tour guide.
He shared with us that the museum looks much the same as it did when Rockwell worked here, aside from the fact it is now perched on a rural hillside instead of in town. His easel is set up as though waiting for the master to return from lunch. His paints and brushes are on the table.
His radio and phone too.
Rockwell was a fastidious housekeeper who our tour guide said cleaned his studio several times a day. This seemed odd to me given how messy most artists are but fitting giving how squeaky clean his storytelling was. The space is light and pleasant and I can see why he said it was his best studio of all the twenty or so he worked in.
I lingered at the end of the tour and remained for a moment after everyone else had filed out. It was easy to imagine that Rockwell had just stepped out and that I might be able to perch on the couch while he began his next painting.
The property has walking trails which we didn’t take advantage of and a world class museum that we enjoyed thoroughly. I’ll take you to the museum next time.
