Storming summer

Yesterday's quiz photo was taken in Stockbridge the other day. The whole town seemed to be taking part in a sculpture exhibition, every front yard and open space adorned with large pieces of artwork. Some more impressive than others. The fallen tree sprayed silver (that's what it looked like anyway) had an asking price of $5,000. Damn, we really missed a trick there (and well done Exile for making the same link).

Mum and I drove out to the middle of nowhere to another quilt shop today, where we were then stranded for quite a while as a storm broke around us - very enjoyable. This afternoon the Boy took his grandparents model train shopping again, while the Girl and a friend hung out in the pool during a sunny interlude before the wind, rain, hail, thunder and lightning resumed.

Pool resources

Another lovely sunny day. We had an impromptu pool party with most of the Exiles and their guests and another couple of friends who happened to phone at just the right moment. Lots of splashing and floating around on inflatables and general fun, and thank you, Exiles, we enjoyed the cherries.





By the way, any ideas what this is (and, for a bonus, how much do you think it would set you back to have it for your very own?)

Big joy

The radio weatherman this morning promised us a perfect day, and he was right - sunshine, warm but not too hot, and for once not even the threat of rain.

The morning was taken up for some of us watching the Wimbledon men's final on a live internet link - great match, who did you want to win? Then in the afternoon we made good use of the pool before heading over to the beautiful garden across the road for an ice-cream party with all our nearest neighbours. The kids had fun catching frogs in a small pond - the same frogs, we realised, that often keep us awake at nights with their strange plunking croaks.

The Boy was very thrilled today when his Grandpa presented him with a rather lovely old model railway engine, 'Big Boy'. He keeps opening the box just to look at it because, as he says with sighs of happiness, 'I love to admire it!'

Happy Fourth

The Man and I spent this 4th July back at the Mohonk Preserve in the Catskills, this time minus the children who prefered to stay at home with Grandma and Grandpa.

So we went for a more ambitious hike, which for a large section involved scrambling over and under rocks and through narrow crevices - a trail called the Labyrinth. It was pretty challenging, but worth it for the moment we emerged onto a plateau of rock so high up we could look down on a hovering hawk.

From there we went even higher, up Sky Top, a stone folly, from the top of which we could (said a notice) see four states.

A weird moment happened part way through our hike when we'd been walking a couple of miles or more mostly through quiet forest with just a few other hikers to say hello to. Then suddenly we were in the grounds of a grand hotel, in the middle of a 4th July parade with a band and a fire engine and people dressed in stars-and-stripes shorts.

'Ark at that

Half an hour ago I was reading the Boy to sleep, but unfortunately the person who ended up asleep was me (which is not unusual after a chapter or two of any Animal Ark story, it has to be said). So I'm a bit groggy now, although the Boy is still going great guns.

It has been another day of dodging showers, though we all managed to get wet in the pool over the course of the day, too. In the evening we went over to Five Rivers and had enough time to get ourselves round the Beaver Tree pond before the rain came down again. We saw several frogs, some enormous snapping turtles and (first time for me) a real live beaver - albeit from a distance.

Tonight it is hot and muggy, and there are a lot of banging and crashing noises going on outside - for once not thunder, but fireworks being set off ahead of some date they like to celebrate here around this time of year.

Cultural exchanges

What I forgot to mention about the Berkshires yesterday is that the area is the cultural hub of New England - theatres, galleries, music and dance venues at every other turn. It seems that a couple of our Exile friends made the most of one of these artistic resources last night, so hats off to them (though a ballet to the music of Radiohead sounds like an experience well beyond my pain threshold, I have to admit).

It has mostly been a rainy day here, though it dried up enough to entertain a couple of neighbours out on the deck for an hour or so this afternoon. My mum had baked scones, which we served with butter and jam, and though our guests couldn't quite bring themselves to drink their tea with milk I think they enjoyed this little 'taste of Britain'.

Tonight it has been our turn (some of us at least) to be the 'foreign guests' - at an Indian feast hosted by friends at the Hindu Temple in Albany. Meanwhile the rest of the family have been to the cinema where they've no doubt sampled plenty of traditional American popcorn.

Haven-ly lunch

Mum and I set off today on a trip to the Berkshires (pronounced as it looks, not as in the English Barkshire). It's a rather wealthy region of Massachusetts - splendid New England houses standing on spacious well-manicured lots, lush greenery everywhere, picture-perfect little towns, and the Berkshire hills as a backdrop to the whole scene. All very lovely, but slightly unreal.

We started off at Stockbridge - Norman Rockwell's town - and drank coffee at the historic 18th Century Red Lion Inn. Then we explored the art and craft and gift shops for a while before moving on to Lenox.

Similar shops here, plus several holistic/yoga sort of establishments, and many cafes and restaurants. Someone recommended the Haven for lunch, and it was very good indeed: low-key and reasonably priced, serving fresh, locally-sourced ingredients tastily prepared in not-scary-sized portions (which left room for a delicious cookie or two to follow). Top rate reviews from this customer - seek it out if ever you are in Lenox.

We toured a bit more, then on the way home back through Stockbridge we stopped and looked around the Berkshire Botanical Garden, which I've been meaning to visit for a while. It was smaller than I expected, rather English-looking, in many places not unlike the lovely garden of our neighbour opposite in Linton.

The temperature was comfortably warm, but most of the day we felt in imminent danger of a soaking. Luckily in the end the rain (and thunder, and lightning) only really set in as we were heading home, so we managed to stay dry after all.