A one week timeshare exchange at Vacation Village Hancock Massachusetts
https://vacationvillageresorts.com/vacation_village_berkshires/
Summertime and the living is easy
https://www.vvberkshires.com
Overnight stay in Fair Haven NJ with Thom and Carol, friends we made/met on the trip to Norway
21 August
A stop and stock up at a wonderful bakery. In business since 1901!
Crossing the magnificent Hudson River at Newburgh
Overnight stay in Hartford CT with Steve’s brother David and his wife Maureen
Enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Dave & Maureen’s home in South Windsor CT. They cooked a meal which they recently learned to cook at a Sur La Table cooking class
And Birthday Cake!
22 August
2 PM- Arrived. Checked In, Unloaded & Unpacked
Tonight’s Entertainment Meeting Dave & Maureen at Tanglewood
23 August
Breakfast..Thank You Costco
Cheers!
Today’s Adventures
This 48-acre architectural masterpiece is, at its heart, a family home. In 1884, Joseph Choate, a prominent New York attorney and U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain, and his wife, Caroline, hired the famous architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White to design a summer retreat. The result was a 44-room shingle-style home, where several generations of the Choate family lived until daughter Mabel Choate bequeathed it to The Trustees in 1958.
Hinterland Hall
Hinterland Hall is an artfully restored historic stone church from 1836 nestled at the foothills of Mt. Greylock in the Berkshires. No longer a church, the “Hall” is available to rent for weddings, rehearsal dinners, musical performances, private dinners and overnight accommodations.
The St. Luke’s Episcopal congregation was established in 1767 on the Bradley family farm and is the oldest Episcopal parish in western Massachusetts. The present church was built in 1836 for $3,600 on land given to the parish in 1785 and is one of two surviving Gothic Revival churches (of four built) in Berkshire County. The tower was struck by lightning in 1856, and its bell dates to 1891. In 1858 the congregation commissioned a 450-pipe, hand-pumped tracker organ constructed from walnut by William Johnson, who was a famed organ maker from Westfield, Massachusetts. Two stained glass windows were installed in 1858 and in 1891, and the famous bell atop the belltower was purchased and delivered by Meneely & Co. Bell Company from West Troy, NY — hoisted into position by horse carriage.
In 1972, the Old Stone Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and soon after underwent a major renovation effort that saved it from deterioration.
Dinner Time
24 August
A Morning At The Clark Art Institute
The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, commonly referred to as the Clark, is an art museum and research institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. Its collection consists of European and American paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs, and decorative arts from the fourteenth to the early twentieth century.
An unsuccessful attempt of visiting a hard ciderey. 🙁 Closed
A Tour Of “The Mount”
The Mount (1902) is a country house in Lenox, Massachusetts, the home of noted American author Edith Wharton, who designed the house and its grounds and considered it her “first real home.” The estate, located in The Berkshires, is open to the public. The property was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971.
Dinner
25 August
Today’s Adventure- A Daytrip to Manchester Vermont
The town was one of several chartered in 1761 by Benning Wentworth, colonial governor of New Hampshire. It was his custom to name new towns after prominent English aristocrats of the day, hoping they might adopt a patronly interest in their namesakes. Wentworth named Manchester for Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester. First settled in 1764, the town was laid out in 1784. The land was better suited for grazingthan tillage, so by 1839 about 6,000 sheep roamed the pasturesand hillsides.Manchester is located in north-central Bennington County, lying between the Green Mountains to the east and the Taconic Range to the west.
https://www.manchestervermont.com/
Seconds Sale Found two vases to take home 😊👍
More Shops
Whiskey Tasting
Vermont Artists
Picnic Lunch In Town Park Next To A Waterfall Left Over From An Old Mill
Manchester Notables
Marble Sidewalks
Gas $2.77/gal
Home of Orvis
Dinner Time. Grilled Burgers, French Fries, Baked Beans and Sliced Tomatoes
A lovely ending to another great day
26 August
Mt Greylock- Highest Point In Massachusetts
Berkshire Botanical Gardens
Stockbridge
Dinner
27 August
Lunch with Wendy (niece) in Hudson NY (Steve’s Hometown)
Hour & Half Hudson River Cruise
28 August Our Last Full Day
1st Stop Today – Lenox
Next Stop- Dairy Farm
Lunch
Last Stop Of The Day. Hancock Shaker Village
An Incredible Barn
29 August- The LONG Drive Back Home
Last stop of the vacation. The Walkway Over The Hudson in Poughkeepsie NY
The Walkway over the Hudson (also known as the Poughkeepsie Bridge, Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, Poughkeepsie–Highland Railroad Bridge, and High Bridge) is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York, on the east bank and Highland, New York, on the west bank. Built as a double track railroad bridge, it was completed on January 1, 1889, and formed part of the Maybrook Line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford
The bridge was removed from service on May 8, 1974 after damage from a tie fire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and its entry updated in 2008.[2][3] The bridge was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2009.[4]
It reopened on October 3, 2009, as a pedestrian walkway, and part of the new Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park. The New York State Bridge Authority owns and is charged with maintaining the bridge structure (as directed by the Governor and Legislature in July 2010). The park is operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.[5] In 2017, the walkway hosted 593,868 visitors.[6]Connecting the Hudson Valley Rail Trail in Highland to the Dutchess Rail Trail, the span forms part of the Empire State Trail.[7]
Vacation Summary 😊👍
❤️ Highlights ❤️
Steve and Sallys Travels 