Managing My Berkshire Expectations

When my kids were swimming competitively, there was a tshirt that read: "If I have but one day to live, please take me to a swim meet because they last forever."
That has kind of become my motto this summer. If I were facing the end of my life, these days in the Berkshires stretch interminably in front of me.
How many are left?

But who's counting?

What did I think it would be like spending the summer in the Berkshires? Well, I knew it would be cool (as in the weather), and it has been. 

I guess I pictured the Berkshires like the Catskills or the Poconos. The kind of places you see on television from Dirty Dancing or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. 

A scene from the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in the Catskills

Perhaps there'd be dinners out and boating and games. 

I didn't plan for no cell service and the closest neighbors being not close at all. 

Don't get me wrong. I know some people would adore being isolated in the woods, maybe people with high-stress jobs who just want to get back to nature. 

And it is beautiful here in places, not unlike where my parents grew up in Kentucky.

The tiger lilies bloom later up here 

We have had some ventures into towns. I would say nearby, but truthfully, the closest towns are 45 minutes to an hour drive.

Last week we drove to Northampton, having no preconceived notions about it. Why did we go there? To work in a Starbucks. (I know, Theresa, but we all make compromises sometimes) My writing has stalled and I hoped that by returning to a coffee shop, I might jump start it. 

Instead, a man sat down at the communal table with me and Earl and began telling us his life story. 

Still, Northampton is an interesting town. The most liberal town in Massachusetts, where Smith College is located. 

Luckily, I wore an Indian designed top so felt right at home amidst the tie-dyed shirts and bright colors.

A shop window in Northampton

There were lots of people asking for money on the street and several musicians busking, even on a weekday afternoon.

Best of all, there was a candy shop called Sweeties. I took a picture and sent it to my friend Derrick. Sweeties is what the Brits call candy and I'm trying to make his niece and nephew learn American English so they have to ask me for candy instead of Sweeties. 

Jelly beans, fudge, chocolate, runts...

We also found a book shop, so the trip was definitely worth it.

On Sunday, we traveled two hours to Saratoga Springs, New York. Earl has a friend there that he went to Ohio State with in the journalism department. I had never met Barb and her husband Jim, but now I regret all those years we didn't know each other. We had a delightful time. 

A beautiful copper roof on the new building. The original building was built is 165 years old. 

The horses sweaty after a race. 

We went to the racetrack and spent about $20 betting on horses. Earl won $10 and my horses sometimes were limping so I was very bad at choosing.

Afterward we walked downtown. It's a very civilized town and even had an Aveda shop, which I've been searching for. I bought some new moisturizer and felt like I might be able to survive the remaining days in the Berkshires.

So, it's a lot of driving to get to anywhere, and most days, we don't leave our big, but cluttered house with the old dog and two mischievous cats. I've been walking every morning after I teach. I've managed to run down hill some, but I'm still having pain in my ribs from my fall so can't push it uphill because of that thing.. oh, yeah, breathing. It hurts to breath too deeply. 

We plan to go tubing, maybe Friday or Saturday. Apparently, there's a reservoir that lets water into the river on Wednesday, so the river is not high enough for tubing early in the week. Some things are still a mystery to me here. 

There's also kayaking for another day. And we even spotted a zipline. 

We're spacing out our fun activities so we always have something to look forward to. 

The "Bear" Necessities Require Closing the Door

I blame my husband who just yesterday was lamenting that he never saw any wildlife when he was hiking.
That day as we were walking home from the mailbox at our rural Berkshires (Massachusetts) housesit, we saw a fox in the middle of the road, and he got nervous because the cats were out and about. We had left the back door open during the 20 minute walk so the dog could go out if she needed it. But I shrugged off Earl's worry about the fox. I had seen two foxes the week before on an early morning run in Florida. They were young and they both stopped in the middle of their playful games to stare at the lights on my shoes. 

A fox that stopped to check me out during a predawn run in Florida

So last night, we gathered the animals in around 8 p.m., as we usually do. Jenny the arthritic dog, and the two young cats, Kepler, black, sleek and obviously a hunter, Tanna, a bit chunky mottled color and satisfied to lie around and be petted.

The dog and two cats followed me on an attempted run up the mountain yesterday. 

We closed off the cat door and pushed the back door closed  without latching it. 

The owners had already told us that the dog could push inside the back door since it doesn't close well.
Earl and I were sitting at the kitchen table when I saw a black and brown head appear in the window of the kitchen door.
A bear!

Just checking things out. Not really afraid. 

I jumped up and ran to the door, wondering what I would do if the bear pushed the door open before I got there. Could I get away from it? Why wasn't my husband running to protect us from the bear?
That's when I heard him.
"Wait! You'll scare it! I want to get a picture."
Are you kidding me? I wanted to scare it.
He had hesitated to grab his camera so he could record the event.
He was right that, thankfully, I did scare the bear. It went lumbering across the yard, but not at a fast pace.
And the picture of the bear slowly peeking into the glass of the back door will remain etched in my mind -- like a scene from Goldilocks, but opposite. The bear was just checking to see if we were home.

The backdoor view from the kitchen table. I will forever picture a bear's face in the bottom right. 

When we took over this housesit, the owners told us they left the doors open all the time (not unlocked, but open) and they weren't even sure if there was a key to the house.
That same day, we had driven an hour away to a grocery store and simply left the back door open for the dog to go in and out. I wondered if the bear had been by earlier casing the joint.
So we locked the door last night, the only way to latch the back door.
This morning though, the door is open again to let the fresh 80 degree air in, and the front door is wide open too.

An open door leading to peaceful woods for all mosquitoes and wild animals to enter. 

Hopefully, the bear won't return, but if it does, I'm afraid it might find an open-door policy. 

As Promised, More Pictures

On Sunday I posted some pictures of this castle that sits above Sax, Spain. The view at night is impressive.

View with some electric wires

As Earl and I prepared to go into town for dinner at 9 pm, we stopped to take this shot of the Moorish fortress in town. This is the view from the house where we’re staying. 

It’s hard to get a good shot of lights on an iPhone at night.

A closer view

Here’s a closer look that turned out well as we were driving home from dinner at 11 pm. 

See this could work as a diet plan. By 9 pm (they don’t start serving dinner until 9:30 usually) I’m tired enough that I might just curl up with a book and skip dinner. 

But the castle is beautiful at night. 

Last night, we just made omelettes around 7, but I taught 9 classes and was wiped out. 

Still, the full moon peeked through the window at me. 

Full moon through iron bars