Visiting New England

We seem to be drawn to New England ... Maine in particular. We just got back and thought I would share some of the places we enjoyed. It was a bit early for fall colors, but it wasn't cold either! In fact, the temps were in the 70s and 80s for the whole trip.

We started at Brimfield, where we spent a few days at the Brimfield antique market. This is a BIG market ... or actually a grouping of a dozen or so markets. The booths this year seemed to be dominated by Americana, architectural salvage and primitives ... things we could not bring back with us on the plane. But we found our share of treasures.




The next stop was a weekend in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. It was our first visit and we found it delightful. The towns are really small villages, with no more than a few streets. The area is known for its farm to table cuisine and numerous good, small restaurants.

We stayed at the Inn at Stockbridge, which is a wonderful inn with comfortable accommodations, excellent breakfasts and a very friendly staff.

The Inn at Stockbridge
This is the "Barn" where we stayed
The Mount is close by in Lenox. It is the home of Edith Wharton, Pulitzer prize winning author of Ethan Frome and Age of Innocence, among others. The house was closed the day we went (for a wedding) so we sauntered about on the estate grounds which are beautifully landscaped with formal gardens and sculptures.

The Gardens at The Mount
View of The Mount
"Condominium" Sculpture
Fruits of Fancy 2, by Philip Marshall

A fun side trip was a short 30 minutes north to Williamstown for a visit at Cricket Creek Farm. This is a real farm! They have a small herd of cows and make some wonderful cow's milk cheeses. They also sell meat from the pigs they raise. A real glimpse of America's farm roots.

Cricket Creek Farm
The Pigs ...
A calf ... there were six of these little tykes
They even NAME their cows here!

The Cheese, which is quite good
We finished our New England adventure with a leisurely shun-piking trip up to Kennebunk, Maine, where we stayed at our favorite inn ... Bufflehead Cove Inn. Fabulous just as before. Aside from antiquing the shops and markets of southern Maine, we spent a day wandering the cobblestone streets of Portland's Old Port neighborhood on the waterfront. 
 
Kennebunk meadow
On Bufflehead Cove
Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth

Portland Waterfront
Old Port in Portland
Old Port Exchange Street

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