Tanglewood, Herman, the Minuteman, and a Pillow

We met Maureen and Rich Meyers and their two children at the campground. They live near Boston and have invited us to call them when we get to the Boston area. Both are teachers who spend the summer traveling the U.S. with their children. What an inspiring family. They were full of information for us.

Susan and I decided that we needed to have a girls night out. She suggested a dance performance - something we've done many times before. We went to Jacobs Pillow. I didn't have any idea what I was going to see. The Pillow is a 77 year old institution devoted to dance that has been designated a National Historic Landmark. It is housed on 161 acres of historic property and buildings that was part of the Underground Railroad in the 1800's for slaves escaping to Canada. There are performance stages, rehearsal studios, restaurants, a bookstore, housing for resident artists, a dance archive, a wetlands trail, and more. They present all manner of dance.

We saw a hip hop performance. Nothing like anything I expected. The music was jazz based and the hip hop style was presented with beauty and excitement. It was wonderful! And the after performance chat is called a Pillow Talk...

I, of course, had left my camera in the RV. Jacob's Pillow does have a lovely website...

Tanglewood is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It's a magical venue that draws the very best the music world has to offer. The Boston Pops just happened to be there this week and I got to check another item off my list - hear the Boston Pops on their home turf. And what a beautiful turf their summer home is. Susan joined us for the evening and was our guide, picnic chef, and all around good company. (It's so wonderful to be spending this time with her!) Here we are on the way to the box office.

And here's what I got at the box office. I couldn't believe I had them in my hands.

We began the evening by selecting our spot on the lawn. The pavilion is the Koussevitzky Shed (known as The Shed) where the covered seats face the stage. There were thousands of people on the lawn. There's a large screen ourside (you can see it) and two more under cover. It's sort of like watching live t.v.

There was a prelude concert at the Seiji Ozawa Hall. We took our appetizers, settled on the lawn there, and enjoyed a chamber concert with a South American flavor. This hall is known for it's perfect acoustics - and it's beauty.

Another view of the happenings:

And a look at the grounds from our spot at the chamber concert.

We walked back to the Shed to enjoy the rest of our picnic before the Pops concert.

Ed took this photo during the show. That's Keith Lockhart in the dark shirt.

Ed was in heaven: They did a tribute to Benny Goodman, and Ed jumped and bounced in his seat through the entire first half. It's a pretty good orchestra...

The second half was devoted to Chris Botti. He's a jazz trumpeter. His band is comprised of amazing musicians and he's amazing himself. A great show. You can see the two inside screens in this photo and the one overhead.

And, like every Boston Pops evening...they concluded with Stars and Stripes Forever. Wow!

What fun night! We were so fortunate to have an evening without rain.

Just a thought: We've attended Boston Pops concerts when they are on the road. They are so much better on their home turf. Maybe it's a if-its-Tuesday-it-must-be... thing.

Our next sightseeing stop was right in Pittsfield.

Melville actually lived here for part of his life - in this house. He moved there in 1850 and remained for 13 years. He wrote his most famous works there including Moby Dick. The house remained in the family until 1920.

Another view:

There's a spot near Pittsfield called Monument Mountain where Melville met Nathaniel Hawthorne at a picnic. We heard that Ralph Waldo Emerson also attended , but I never found that in writing.

Before leaving Massachutes, we stopped in Concord to visit the Minuteman National Park. This is the visitors center.

This place was very interesting for a couple reasons. First, it is the exact spot where the shot heard around the world was fired. And second, because it is the Daniel Chester French statue, and we had just visited his studio.

This the North Bridge. You can see the statue to the right of the bridge and beyond the bridge is a home known as the Old Manse.

There was something really exciting about being here. We approached the monument from the rear. 1775 - before we became a nation. It was dedicated 100 years later and the dedication was attended by President Grant.

It's a beautiful work. French was only 19 when he was commissioned to do it.

This is the placque on the front. Well worth reading...

The Old Manse was built in 1770 by Rev. William Emerson, the patriot minister of Concord. This is the front of the home.

From the rear, it looks over the North Bridge and the Minuteman which stands on the very spot where the first shots were fired. Can you imagine witnessing the beginning of the American Revolution on April 19th, 1775....and seeing it from your home?!?! Finn got in a little tree climbing before we left. Just that last look at the North Bridge and the statue.

We're heading North into New Hampshire to spend some time in the White Mountains. Then on into Maine and some lobster!