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I visited the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown MA once before, back in 2018. I did it again, this time with Marlene accompanying me, during our 9-day stay at the cabin. I like the museum but I also enjoy the ride through the Berkshires. This time I also got to explore Williamstown a bit. And we came back via Vermont – Marlene’s first time in that state. It was a fair amount of driving – over 160 miles – but I like to drive, it was a beautiful day and it is a scenic route.
Entering Florida
One of the towns that we went through was Florida MA. So of course we had to get a picture of the “entering Florida” sign. We sent it to Marlene’s brother, telling him that we had a big fight and I immediately drove her to Florida.
Ha ha, right?
The Clark didn’t disappoint. It had a special exhibit of (and I am quoting from their website) “Caribbean-born artist Guillaume Lethière, a leading neoclassical painter who has been all-but-forgotten today.” We liked his art but we also enjoyed the rest of the museum. I am a big fan of the impressionists – Degas, Monet, Cassatt, Van Gogh – and Marlene loved their furniture and silver. We both enjoyed the sculpture (especially the Remington) and the lovely grounds.
Upon exiting the museum we were admiring the beautiful granite wall at the entrance. A gentleman overheard us and informed us that he was a geologist and not only was the granite beautiful, but it was also the oldest rock ever found in the United States. Who knew?
Remington statueDegas’ “The Dancer”Fine furnitureMarlene at the reflecting pool
No trip with Marlene would be complete without some shopping so we stopped in downtown Williamstown – which consists of one block – and browsed a bit. This is a college town – the home of Williams College – and it was the first day of class. When we stopped a young man to ask about a building there he replied “I am a freshman; I don’t know anything.”
Williams has a terrific shop selling second hand books, CDs and audiobooks. We bought 10 CDs and one audiobook. We will leave some of the CDs in the cabin as a gift to Ray and Kim but will take the rest of the CDs and the audiobook with us on the trip south.
Williamstown has many lovely buildings on the Williams campus. There are two beautiful churches as well as very striking dormitories and classrooms. It seems like the quintessential New England college town.
Downtown WilliamstownA churchAnother churchCollege buildingFunky art
I chose to return to the cabin via VT. This added a few minutes to the travel time, but gave us different things to view and gave Marlene her first entry into VT. It also allowed us to stop at the Wendy’s in Brattleboro as we were both craving a Frosty.
New Salem MA is a town that is large in area and small in population – less than 1,000 in the 2020 census. It borders the Quabbin Reservoir that provides drinking water to the Boston area. It is remote and beautiful. Bucolic. A good place to rest and relax.
We spent 9 days there, in a cabin owned by brother-in-law Ray and his wife, Kim. We were in their house in Worcester while they were in the cabin and then, on the Friday before Labor Day, we swapped dwellings. They needed a few days in their house to prepare for a month in England. That was fine with us – both dwellings are more than adequate. It just put us further from Boston, so our list of planned activities had to be revised.
The cabin – frontThe cabin – rearThe cabin back yardThe cabin – inside
Winsor Dam
On the trip out to New Salem Marlene and I had a conversation about the reservoir and dams in general. So Friday afternoon we trekked down to the Winsor Dam in Belchertown. The Visitor Center there describes the history of the dam, including the taking of 4 towns by eminent domain in the late 1920s and the levels of water in the reservoir over time. It is currently 92% full.
After the dam we got groceries and fuel, then went back to the cabin. It was chilly so we build a fire in the woodburning stove (the cabin has no other heat source), had a drink and watched a movie on DVD (no TV reception but, thankfully, good internet service). The internet service is a relatively new thing – there was NONE about 4 years ago on Verizon. T-Mobile service was minimal then. Now both are quite good.
The next day – Saturday – we drove to Amherst MA, home to the University of Massachusetts. This is a large public university on a sprawling campus. We did a driving tour of the campus then did some shopping at Goodwill (a pair of walking shoes for Marlene) and Aldi (chocolate for both of us) and had dinner at Applebee’s. Riblets for me and a shrimp dish for Marlene. Pretty good. And we used the balance that remained on the gift card we had purchased back in May.
We traveled again on Sunday, this time to Springfield MA. My intent was to show her the statue of The Puritan (Samuel Chapin – on of Jett’s ancestors and a founder of the city) and then go to the MGM Casino. But it turned out to be much more interesting.
First we saw a very nice cathedral which was finishing its Sunday service. We thought it was a Roman Catholic cathedral but were surprised to learn that it was All Saints Cathedral, the primary Episcopal church in Massachusetts.
All Saints altarAll Saints pulpitAll Saints interior
We left the cathedral and headed to The Puritan. But on our way there we walked through the courtyard near the several museums in Springfield and were surprised to discover some very cool Dr Seuss sculptures.
Marlene and The Cat in the HatMarlene and HortonMe thinking of green eggs and ham
We went into one of the art museums but it was closed. But we ran into a couple of nice men from Africa. We did, finally, get to The Puritan. The, on our way back to the car, we saw some nice buildings, including the central library and the federal courthouse.
Marlene and her new African friendsThe PuritanCentral Library
We were at the MGM Springfield Casino for over 5 hours. I held my own for 4 hours but lost $95 in the last hour. Marlene also did well for a time but ended down. But the monetary loses were secondary to an incident that left a bad taste in our mouths. When we arrived we got the cards that we could use to accumulate points (and which Marlene wanted as a souvenir). We asked if there was any new member promotion and were told that we would get a gift if we accumulated $2 in “SlotBucks” – basically points earned for playing slots. Marlene pretty quickly got more that $3 – we saw that she was over $4 when I was at $1.71. But later, when she looked, the amount had dropped to $0.71. We went to Customer Service to ask how that could happen and got no satisfactory answer. But no big deal – I was nearing $3 at that point.
When I finally got to $3 I asked how to get the prize and was directed to a bar in the middle of the casino. I asked the bartended how I get the prize and he pointed to two people in the corner. I approached then and was informed that the promotion ended at 7pm. The time was 7:20. No one had ever told us that the offer expired. I was annoyed. Marlene was furious. she found a manager and they mollified us by putting $50 on her card that could be redeemed for a free dinner. We ate well – fried seafood and some very good chowder – but we never did get the prize (a cooler).
Marlene continued to play after dinner. We got back to the cabin after 2am. We rested on Monday. On Tuesday we climbed a mountain. Mount Monadnock, to be specific. I had not climbed Monadnock in nearly 50 years, but I remembered it as a nice walk in the park – not strenuous at all. I told Marlene that it would be an hour to drive to the trailhead, an hour to the top, an hour back to the car and an hour to drive home.
Ah, memories. How faulty they can be. The hour to get to the trailhead and the hour to drive home were pretty accurate, but the walk in the park and an hour to the top – not even close. This was a brutal comeuppance for me. We climbed for 3 hours and didn’t make it to the top. The trip back to the car was “only” 2 hours. But I was so exhausted that my knees nearly buckled. And I fell twice. NOT a walk in the park.
Starting the climbNot so easyNOT a walk in the park
But we did get some nice photos.
Getting highOverlooking New HampshireAbove most of the trees
Getting down was every bit as difficult as getting up. My thighs were burning. Marlene did some of the trip down on her butt.
Falling behind MarleneScooter buttGetting near the bottom
Wednesday was a much-needed day of rest. I had a few leg cramps and felt fortunate that I could walk at all.
Thursday was a trip to the Clark Art Institute, which I will describe separately. Friday featured a trip to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville CT. We both lost again, but not much. Saturday was a day of preparation for the trip south (TS_10).
While in the cabin we didn’t see any exotic wildlife, but did enjoy the hummingbirds. It was a very pleasant 9 days. We also watched some good movies on DVD and ate well. Thank you Ray and Kim!
Harlan Coben is one of my favorite mystery authors. His plots are intricate, and his characters are fully formed. He keeps the reader guessing and usually ends with a shocking surprise. That is all true in No Second Chance.
The book opens with Marc Seidman, a surgeon, waking up in the hospital, recovering from a gunshot wound that nearly killed him. He learns that his wife was killed in the attack and his infant daughter is missing. He soon receives a ransom note and, with his father-in-law’s generous help, pays a $2M ransom to recover his daughter. But Seidman, in violation of the kidnapper’s demands, involves the police. The kidnappers get spooked and make off with the money without returning the daughter. A subsequent phone call tells Seidman that he will get “no second chance.”
That is almost the case. But 18 months after the failed ransom drop, he receives a phone call giving him that second chance – for another $2M. In those 18 months the police have developed a theory that Seidman was responsible for his wife’s death and that the ransom demand was just a way to extract money from his father-in-law. They lack proof but they are suspicious. For this reason and others Seidman does not involve the police in the second ransom. Instead he contacts his old flame, Rachel, an ex-FBI agent, to assist. Things go badly again. Both Marc and Rachel are injured, the money is again lost and his daughter again is not returned. But the police uncover evidence that Rachel is involved in the murder/kidnapping. Who is Seidman to trust?
This is a deep plot with many twists and turns. But all of those twists are very plausible. A well-conceived plot in a well-written book. Classic Coben.
We ended the trip north (TN_10) late Wednesday. Thursday was a “get rested and get organized” day. We stayed in the home of Jett’s brother and his wife, alone while they were in their cabin in New Salem MA so we had the run of their beautiful 3-bedroom house in Worcester. But we traveled to New Salem on Friday for dinner and an overnight stay. A pleasant evening.
Kim and Marlene in Belchertown
The main event on Saturday was the HUGE yard sale in Belchertown MA. We went to this event last year and Marlene got a very nice backpack for $5 that we have used well on our cruises. This year I found a large Tommy Hilfiger suitcase that is an exact match for the little carry-on piece that I have had for years. The price was $15 but Marlene talked them down to $10. This set will be used on our long cruises in 2025.
Wild turkeys
On my way out to get sandwiches for dinner I encountered a large group of wild turkeys. This is not something one sees in Florida, so I had to get a photo.
We went back to Worcester Saturday night because we had a full day planned in and around Boston. The main Sunday event was a memorial service for one of my fraternity brothers. There were 14 of us in the pledge class in 1967 and now 3 are gone. Not too bad, I think, considering that we are all over 74. It was a nice event and 9 of the surviving members of the pledge class attended.
Mt Auburn chapel
On our way to the service we stopped at the Mt Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge MA. I like cemeteries in general and this is one of my favorites – huge, beautifully maintained and a de facto arboretum as all of the trees are labeled. It is a great place to watch birds too. A number of famous people, including Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science and Robert Gould Shaw, Civil War hero, are buried there. It has some nice crypts and chapels too. If you are ever looking for a nice cemetery to visit, try this one.
After the service we met up with my son Frank for dinner. We exchanged gifts and had a nice meal. Or at least Frank did – Marlene and I were still full from the meal at the memorial service.
Against my better judgement we finished the day at the Wynn Encore casino in Everett MA, near Boston. This is a beautiful casino with a breathtaking lobby. The slot machines are pretty good too – Marlene won about $300 and I broke even.
We got back to Worcester around 2am.
Us in the lobbyLobby greeneryMarlene and a large vase
Monday was a catch-up-on-rest day. On Tuesday the main event was a tour of local thrift shops. Marlene found some nice stuff at the Salvation Army. On Wednesday we roamed about Worcester, found some activities downtown then drove out to a mall for more shopping. So not a lot of activity Monday to Wednesday.
But Thursday we went to Kimball Farm, an ice cream place which also has a great seafood grill, a tap room, a gift shop, bumper cars, an arcade, a driving range, a pitch-and-putt golf course, a batting cage, a zip line and a stage for musical performances. A group called Word of Mouth. They were very good. We danced. We also did the zip line. A fun evening.
We headed out to New Salem Friday morning and will be there until we start the trip south (TS_10).
This was a quick trip north with just one night in a hotel. The weather was good but there were some very long travel days. And a bit of car trouble. It was unique in that the entire CV2 Carnival Vista cruise occurred between Hops 1 and 2.
By the numbers:
5 days, 4 nights (including 1 “night” for the CV2), 4 hops, 1,471 route miles (368 miles per hop).
41 extra miles, mostly in Brunswick GA looking for a tire shop.
41.7 gallons of fuel consumed (36.3 miles per gallon).
Total fuel cost: $132.44 ($3.18 per gallon).
One night in a hotel at $72.80.
I didn’t tabulate toll costs but it was probably around $30.
Highlights:
Seeing my stepsons – Jett’s sons – and their families. I love them all and they are always very hospitable.
Playing my step-grandson Zachary to a draw in a game of chess. I hadn’t played since my visit last year and I made a bonehead move early on that cost me my queen. But I fought back. And Zachary played well.
Lowlights:
The failure of my front right tire in GA. This was a Cooper tire with plenty of tread left. There was no reason for it to fail. But it didn’t blow out and I was able to drive around Brunswick GA to find a tire shop that was open on a Sunday and could replace the tire. The new tire added an unexpected $115 to the travel cost of the trip. I now am unable to trust both Goodyear and Cooper tires.
The hotel that I booked in advance for the overnight stop in Florence SC – the Baymont by Wyndham – was a hot mess. We had to move next door to the Super 8 by Wyndham.
Hop 4 traffic in DC and NYC. I hate stop-and-go and there was a lot of it on Hop 4.
Planned and actual routes:
TN_10 planTN_10 actual
There were a few differences between the plan and the actual:
Hop 4 took the toll route. That saved some miles and some time.
We switched hotels in Florence SC.
We had to divert Hop 2 into Brunswick GA to get a new tire.
I have lost track of how many cruises I have taken. Must be approaching 20. The CV2 cruise, on the Carnival Vista, is in the running for the worst. Certainly bottom 3. But there were some good things about the cruise. Let’s get those out of the way first.
Highlights:
We got to spend an entire week with Marlene’s son and daughter-in-law.
The Vista Rockband was quite good.
The few shows in the theater that we saw – the comedians and the 80s rock show – were quite good.
My meal at the Cucina del Capitano was very good.
Some of the staff were very helpful.
Lowlights:
The wholesale change of itinerary – replacing Aruba and Curacao with Nassau and Freeport – was beyond disappointing. And the manner in which Carnival handled it – waiting until everyone was on board before breaking the news and then offering a paltry $400 per stateroom compensation – was unforgiveable. My opinion of Carnival took a big dive with this cruise. We didn’t even leave the ship at two of the four ports – Princess Cay and Half Moon Cay – and both Nassau and Freeport were uninspiring. The loss of Aruba and Curacao ruined the cruise.
The food in the buffet and the dining room was mediocre. Even the “fancy” meals – Beef Wellington, prime rib, filet mignon – were not as good as we have experienced on previous Carnival cruises.
The casino wasn’t kind to me but was very kind to Marlene. The improvements to the Vista since our last cruise on that ship were mostly positive. Embarking and debarking were smoother and the lines at the buffet disappeared. The IMAX theater was added too but I found it to be not much different than a standard small theater with stadium seating
440 miles via I-95, I-895 through Baltimore, I-95 again, the New Jersey Turnpike, I-95 again across the George Washington Bridge in New York City, CT 15/Hutchinson Parkway, I-91, I-84, I-90 and I-290. Auto miles: 447. Cumulative route miles: 1,471. Cumulative auto miles: 1,512.
This was a LONG day. We departed at 7am, stopped for gas on our way to I-95, made one bio stop in MD, then drove non-stop to MA. Traffic was brutal around DC (no surprise – it was the morning rush) and again in NYC at noon (again no surprise – the George Washington Bridge is always backed up). But the weather was fine and there were no unexpected slowdowns.
I usually try to avoid I-95 when traveling between VA and MA, both because of the heavy traffic and the heavy tolls, but we wanted to get to MA in time to meet up with brother-in-law Ray, so time was of the essence.
We arrived at 4:02pm, so total travel time was almost exactly 9 hours. And we didn’t have to refuel again before arriving, but the tank was nearly empty (driving range: 0) when we got there. I refueled after unpacking the car and catching up a bit with Ray.
Our home for two nights was the home of my stepson Devin and his wife Mary. Also the home of my step grandson Zachary. Zachary just turned 14 and is growing up quickly. He immediately challenged me to a chess match. I was doing fine until I made a bonehead move and lost my queen, but recovered to play him to a draw. He played well. He might beat me next time.
We were treated to dinner out both nights, with the entire family and my other stepson Joshua and his wife, along with Mary’s brother Will who was visiting from Florida.
372 miles via I-95 and VA 234 with one bio break. Auto miles: 381 (extra miles mostly in Florence getting gas and a birthday card for my grandson). Cumulative route miles: 1,031. Cumulative auto miles: 1,065.
This was as easy as expected. No tire failures, no accidents, no bad weather. Simple. I like that. Especially after a disappointing cruise and a stressful Hop 2.
The only difficulty on the trip was the road construction. I-95 is always under construction, but there is more than usual now. I estimate that 80% of I-95 in NC is under construction. I think another lane is being added, which will be good when completed but is a PITA now. A lot of SC is under construction as well.
Our home for the evening – as mentioned in my previous post – was the Super 8 by Wyndham. It was every bit as nice as it seemed at first. A nice bed, a nice bathroom, a microwave, a mini fridge, and a TV with some good cable channels. The free continental breakfast was basic and the coffee was barely adequate, but they had frosted flakes. Can’t go wrong with frosted flakes.
We did a bit of shopping in Florence before heading to VA. I had to find a card and some wrapping paper for my grandson who had a birthday Sunday. We also needed gas and were fortunate to find regular gas for $2.82 per gallon at a nearby Sam’s Club.
466 miles via I-95 and a bunch of local roads in Brunswick GA. Auto miles: 479 (the extra miles driven in Brunswick GA looking for a tire – see below). Cumulative route miles: 659. Cumulative auto miles: 684.
This was supposed to be an easy hop – just a straight shot up I-95. But sometimes a simple hop becomes an adventure. And Hop 2 was certainly an adventure.
The trip was uneventful through Florida. We stopped for gas and coffee at a Loves Travel Center north of Jacksonville. But shortly after we entered GA it seemed that the road started getting rough. At first I thought nothing of it. But it got worse. The steering started to pull to the right and the rough ride soon became a thumping. I thought I was getting a flat tire. But when I stopped to check I found that the pressure in the front right tire was just fine. But something was clearly wrong. My theory: the tread was separating and the tire was going “out of round.” That is a precursor to a blowout. So, with some urgency, we exited I-95 in Brunswick GA and started looking for a tire shop. On a Sunday. Yeah. Good luck.
We traveled to 3 places without success, but each time getting a suggestion for a place to try next. We eventually found a tire shop – Mavis – that was both open and had the right size tire in stock. But they couldn’t fix it until Monday. Next try, Walmart. Same story. At that point I cancelled our hotel reservation, thinking that we most likely would have to stay in Brunswick overnight. But we persisted. We found a Firestore tire center that could look at it if we could just wait a bit. Marlene put on her best “damsel in distress” act and they got the car in pretty quickly. The technician took a photo of the tire and showed it to us – it was, indeed, bulging and on the verge of a blowout. They installed a new tire and we continued on our way. It was a 3-hour delay but not a full day delay.
I tried to recover the reservation at Baymont by Wyndham in Florence, without success. So we just traveled there hoping they would have a room available. They did, but it was on the second floor, no elevator. Our bags are very heavy and it had been a long, stressful day. I asked for a first floor room. The clerk found one but seemed uncertain. He gave me a keycard and said “take a look.” I did. It was far from ideal but I figured it was just for one night. So we took the room, moved our luggage in and, I thought, would settle in for the night. But no. After Marlene had a chance to fully absorb how awful the room was – especially the disgusting bathroom – we decided we couldn’t stay there. So we put everything back in the car, I returned the keycard and got a refund, then drove next door to the Super 8 by Wyndham.
Which was very nice. And for just a couple dollars more.
Same hotel chain (with different brands), same location (literally next door to each other), almost identical pricing, but vastly different quality. Go figure
We unpacked for a second time then went to the Cracker Barrel on the other side of the Baymont and had a nice dinner.
Our last full day of this very disappointing Carnival Vista cruise. We started with brunch which was nice but not spectacular. We then headed to the other end of the ship (from aft to fore for those of you into ship lingo) to attend the “reunion” – a by-invitation-only get-together for the most dedicated (i.e. Platinum and Diamond) passengers. We got to see all the officers. But the real draw was free drinks. Several of them.
After the problems on this cruise I was expecting the captain to get booed. But he got applause. Tepid applause but applause.
Several awards were given to passengers. The most interesting one was the youngest Diamond (the highest level of cruising – over 200 days on Carnival) passenger – just 5 years old. His parents must live on Carnival cruise ships.
Captain and officersAward winners, including the 5-year-old Diamond
Marlene on the last night
Against my better judgement, I accompanied Marlene into the casino after the reunion. But to my great surprise I won. At one point I was up $300 but ended the day up $230 (down $570 – $270 after credits).
We decided to try out the new IMAX theater – added since our last Vista cruise. It was a 45-minute film about the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Because it was about cool science I liked it a lot. Marlene – not so much.
Dinner was very good – prime rib for me. After dinner I got my free $5 of candy (Jelly Belly jellybeans) then we danced a bit and went to the comedy show. Three comedians, the best being Just June.
