Indoor Getaway

Pouring rain sending us indoors, we took the opportunity to get a look at Mt. Holyoke College's art museum recently...



There's an exhibit of famed photographer Lisette Model and her disciples (going on until Dec. 13th), that I'd been wanting to check out. Model was famous for her dead-honest, 'warts and all' style of photography of otherwise un-noteworthy folk. Her work and teaching spawned a whole culture of like-minded photographers in the early and mid 20th century.

I made sure that photos could be taken before I went in, and the girl at the desk said sure. There's no real charge, but a suggested donation of 4 bucks is, well, suggested...

The museum surprised me with all the stuff it has; way more than I was expecting.



There's plenty of fantastic artwork and artifacts from across the globe and across the ages, set up in a multitude of differently themed and colored halls.







Classical jewelry and adornments...



Wall murals, direct from ancient Roman villas...



...and a room over, a huge glittery piece from Andy Warhol...



Away from the artifacts, the museum opens up into the painting halls. Again, items from all places, eras and religions...





There's some gorgeous landscape painting to be found here, making me already miss the passing of the season...



And some of the landscape work is from the local area.



Like these cool paintings of the beloved Mount Holyoke range, rendered in simpler times...



Beautifully captured long before the dawn of the mega pixel, or even colored film. A couple of them very faithfully represented...



...or leaning to the abstract, if you prefer.



In another room, the second main exhibit is going on; themed Dance & Dancers. There's some stunning photography of said subjects in action...



...as well as a deliciously macabre collection of dance-themed pieces, timely and in keeping with the coming Hallows' Eve...







...also some carvings, very old and not so old, but no less bizarre.





Next up, I spied the Model exhibit in an adjacent room. As I lined up to take this photo below, the curator-guy, (who I had a feeling was watching me the whole time and waiting for the opportunity), immediately chirped that the Model exhibit was off limits to photography...



Ok, got it... (hmm, that's kind of ironic....)

So I had to holster the camera and keep those viewings to myself leaving you Oh, faithful readers, to go there and check it out for yourselves.

You won't be disappointed...

McCray, I Say

We headed out for a couple of rare sunny hours on Sunday afternoon...



Rolling along leaf peeping without really having a destination in mind, we came upon McCray's Farm in South Hadley...



With so many farms struggling these days, some intrepid farmers like the folks at McCray's have diversified by opening up their farms -and more importantly a bit of the 'farm life'- to visitors. This particular farm, already known for it's ice cream stand during summer, also has a neat little petting zoo for big and little kids.





It's small but set up nicely with some interesting specimens of peacocks, llamas and billy goats, alongside more livestocky fare like ponies, calves, pigs and hens.



On the other side of the landbound animals is a pond where the waterfowl roam, within feeding distance of the visitors...







The animals were very kid-friendly and eager to entertain as we waited for the wagons that would take us out into the fields, where we can select our own pumpkins.



(There were plenty of prime selections on display out front, but after all, what fun is that?)



We hopped aboard the next wagon ($3 each - bloggerettes ride free), and were soon putting broad acreage behind us; jostling along in the breeze...





McCray's is positioned perfectly near the nexus of the Mt. Tom and Mt. Holyoke ranges, with perfect views of both bordering the horizon to the west and north...



After a nice sunny jostle, we reached our designated pumpkins patch, and were set loose on the countryside, spreading out in search of conquest.



There is much to deliberate, when considering the perfect gourd.



Fortunately, the young don't bother with rumination too much and are prone to make quicker decisions...throwing ripeness to the wind.



(That's where a little parental guidance and experience can come in handy, and a more orangy choice can be negotiated...)



There was no rush and the crowd took their time before reboarding the wagon with their selections. The tractor driver took the long way back passing through the rougher parts of town, where the fields are done up for McCray's famous, night-time-scary, Haunted Hay Ride...



...it's another ingenious, and profitable, use of their farm land; during the slow months between farming.



It was a fun time; the weather was perfect, and we wound our way back home under blazing foliage...



Such a beautiful season...I wonder if New England can get any New Englandier...

Cloudburst

With all the attention being lavished on the lavish changing foliage lately, here's a quick honorable mention to that other unsung source of color and magic:





The ceaseless teamwork of sun, sky and cloud...



...striving to cap off every afternoon as spectacularly as possible, whenever possible.



The trio quietly and tirelessly working at their art, whatever the season...

Columbus Past

(A little late on this Columbus Day Weekend post, but since we're still in the throes of autumn -eh- still pertinent, I'll hazard...)

Kelly and the baby were up in Maine visiting her BFF that weekend. Not content to just hang around until they got back; the kid and I decided to venture out on our own mini road trip, and look for some color on that particularly bright Sunday. Wrestling him off of the computer and lashing him into the vehicle, we were off to see what we could see...

Bare mountain resembled a box of crayons...



...and the Notch just below was jammed packed with hiker-peepers.



I don't remember ever seeing this much traffic at the Notch. It appears the cat is out of the bag on this prime fall weekend locale...

Looking for something a little less clamorous we continued on in search of less-peeped foliage, or anything else that might peaceably soothe the sight and senses.



Pretty soon we were bumping along the scenic back roads and farmland of Sunderland.



The kid usually has plenty to talk about, if you know how to wring it out of him. Spending time and chatting with him is always worthwhile and sometimes, even rewarding...(and not to mention; always a good way to learn about and/or stave off foreseeable troubles coming down the pike...)

We followed a farm road until it came to a dead end, and were turning around when a biker came by, dissapearing into a trail in the woods beyond. We had to check it out and find where the trail led to.



...it was short, and went directly into a dip where a set of train tracks cut through. We waited a little for that rumble in the distance, but unfortunately no trains were forthcoming.



The trail went up the other side and reconnected with the another road. Not exactly a voyage of discovery, but still: Now we know. At any rate, we were all the while taking in some crisp autumn air,



...and were soon heading off again to find some more untapped color.



You can't get that from a keyboard.



Pretty soon we found ourselves at the outer reaches of Montague, where the fabled Bookmill can be found, if you can find it...



We checked in there, exploring the different rooms and lofts and hanging out for a while browsing and reading...





Then we were on the way back home with the setting sun...



Definitely a little more refreshed for the coming week... and hopefully, that much more connected with the kid...