Frances had done her usual great research and found us a place to stay at what we remember as the old North Side Hotel, right across the street from the Williams College campus. That venerable property is now the Magnuson Hotel and while it wasn't exactly five star status, it was clean, warm and perfectly acceptable, especially at $59.00 per night.
We checked in and then drove a short distance to The Clark. We've visited many times in the past but always find fascinating new things as well as old favorites at this beautiful art museum. The current exhibit is a showing of etchings, wood cuts and engravings :
The strange world of Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
The Clarks built the marble museum building shown on the right in 1955 to house their extensive and exquisite art collection. Over the years, the museum expanded with the large building shown at the left.
For us, one of the best things about this museum is the use of windows in most of the galleries. It is wonderful to see a priceless Gainsborough or John Singer Sargent right next to a window looking out over the Clark's untouched 140 acre campus.
(Frances' favorite is John Singer Sargent's
Fumée d'Ambre Gris, 1880)
Fumée d'ambre gris was Sargent's major souvenir from a trip to Tangier in the winter months of 1879-1880. The painting's non-narrative structure and monochromaticism, as well as its mysterious ambiance, ensured that it was repeatedly singled out for praise at the Paris Salon later that spring.
With this representation of a North African woman infusing her robes and senses with the musky perfume of ambergris (a resinous substance extracted from whales and considered an aphrodisiac as well as a guard against evil spirits)
One surprise was Gilbert Stuart's iconic portrait of George Washington which is owned by the museum:
We spent the afternoon at The Clark and then did a quick tour of North Adams in a dark and gloomy snow storm. No problem with the roads, though. The folks in this part of western Massachusetts really know how to keep the roads clear and safe.
With cocktail hour upon us, we returned to our room at the Magnuson. OK, the drapes need work but it was a very cozy spot on a cold night. Mysteriously to us, the photo of the burgundy gauze curtains doesn't show the same horror in the picture as in person...Interior decorating notwithstanding, there were no errant hairs on any of the linens, and no rodents or bugs...We would recommend as long as ambiance is not a concern. (Warm and clean!)
We went to the hotel desk to get the location of the ice machine only to find that it had been disconnected for the winter. The manager, an Indian gentleman whom we immediately named Patel, asked if we needed ice to keep our medication cold. No we, told him, we just wanted to make some cocktails and knowing that, he gladly emptied his refrigerator's ice supply and gave it to us. That ice was perfect for our kind of "medication."
Patel also gave us a menu for the Water Street Grille. Frances checked them out by phone, made a reservation and we were all set for dinner. This is a college town and Williams College was in session, so dinner reservations, as it turned out, were necessary.
We were getting a little silly after a long day and decided that for this trip we would rename ourselves Manny and Rhoda Silverton. Somehow, our new names seem to fit perfectly.
Manny and Rhoda had an excellent dinner at an extremely reasonable price and we left the Water Street Grille right before a party of about 30 was to be seated. Just in time!
We slept very soundly and neither Manny nor Rhoda dreamed about the next or current boating project, so this weekend break was well worth it.
On Sunday morning, we went next door to the Williams Inn for breakfast, after which we loaded up and began the ride home down Route 7. A few miles down the road, we stopped in the driveway of the Mount Greylock Regional High School to take this picture of what the local kids see every day on their way to school.
A little farther down the road Frances, er, I mean Rhoda, took this shot of fences in the snow in front of a farm.
We arrived home and soon the boat project began to creep back into our lives. As we wrote this blog, Rhoda was in the next room, busy refinishing the swim platform steps.
Next weekend, Manny and Rhoda Silverton become a fond memory as Bill and Frances go back to wrap up the boat toilet project. It was a great weekend, however, and it gave us new energy, ideas and almost too many laughs and half_snaps!
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