A break in the Berkshires

We spent the last week on vacation in Sandisfield, Massachusetts in the Berkshires (population ~820). We rented a 1772 farm house that was once a part of a blueberry farm, the Underground Railroad, and a foundling home. Choosing to rent an entire house was the best decision we could have made, because we were able to spread out with both kids and have a full kitchen at our disposal.

For the two weeks prior, we kept telling A about all the fun we would have on vacation. She had been counting down the days. The biggest thing she had been excited about was that she would have a big yard in which to run around.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon and found that the yard was inhabited by absolute swarms of bugs, much to our girl's dismay. She then declared that she wanted to go on vacation. When we told her we were on vacation, she said she wanted to go home. Thankfully, after playing a new I-Spy board game she was back on board with our Berkshire trip.

At first, we were worried about policing Avonlea Jane in someone else's vacation home, but she listened every time about what she could touch and what was off limits. She loved the home's piano and having new spaces in which to play hide and seek.


Even though we were still cooking and doing dishes throughout the week, it was nice to take a break from the rest of our normal household duties. It was amazing the amount of time we spend picking up all of Avonlea Jane's toys or cleaning up after the cats. We also aren't able to leave out A's crayons or projects overnight at home, because one of the pussy cats will knock everything over or sleep on it. She was thrilled to be able to start a craft before bed and pick it up where she left off after breakfast.

The privacy the house afforded was great as well. We've always had the kind of house people just drop by unexpectedly, and even if we don't have guests, our home is almost always on display. Our house is about ten feet away from all of our neighbors, and one side is flush with sidewalk. We almost always keep all of our blinds up (minus our bedrooms), so anyone walking by can see right through the house.

Odd? Yes, but when strangers can see into your living room, it's a great motivator to keep everything picked up and to always wear pants. Needless to say, we could be more lax this week about keeping A's books and games out and with our pants status.


Even though the house had four bedrooms available to us, we all slept in the same room with Avonlea Jane on a futon mattress on the floor. We were thrilled that she didn't have any problems going to sleep in a new environment. If anything, we had problems sleeping due to how quiet it was in the country.

Dressed for braving the insects at what she called "The Bug House"

She could only handle about ten minutes outside at a time.

Checking out tadpoles in the pond

The house we rented was in the absolute middle of nowhere, and not even the roads were paved. Our GPS at one point led us down the above road. Yes, that's supposed to be an actual road, not a dry creek bed. We spent quite a while driving in reverse to get out of that mess.

The first place we explored was the town of Great Barrington. We were told it was a sizable town (population ~7,500); it made Salem look like a metropolis.

We ate lunch at the notable pizza parlor Baba Louie's. We seemed to be the only people in the restaurant not from New York. The same was true of all the cars on the street. It was amazing we were even in Massachusetts still.

After walking around the two blocks of downtown, we were lucky to find a story time.

Avonlea Jane ran around the toy store with a raven puppet crying, "Nevermore."

On the Housatonic River Walk

Trying to sniff a bouquet of dandelions

Watching Avonlea Jane make a craft

Making bugs in honor of The Bug House

One of our favorite day trips was to The Mount, Edith Wharton's house in Lenox.

Avonlea Jane couldn't be bothered to eat anything other than sea weed, which she shoveled into her mouth.

Ventfort Hall in Lenox, another Gilded Age mansion

Flower picking

When we were relaxing in a park in Lenox, there were birds in a tree next to us chirping. Avonlea Jane kept calling to them, "It's okay, birds. Calm down."

She was thrilled with her crown and ran around telling everyone she was a princess.

The Otis Poultry Farm had a ton of signs on the road boasting about their number of chickens. When we arrived to visit, we found out they no longer kept chickens there. A bit of a bummer.

We did go in search of real chickens and enjoyed the When Pigs Fly Farm in Sandisfield.

We also explored the town of Stockbridge and the Norman Rockwell Museum, where Avonlea Jane was happy to make some of her own art. This museum was a great choice for her, because almost all of the pieces had children or pets in them, which really held her interest.

We're grateful to the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, because we have going to an art museum with A down to a science. We always go on animal hunts in galleries. We were lucky that one of the galleries at the NRM was currently dedicated to children's illustrations, and she really enjoyed them. She was even complimented on, not only her good behavior in the museum, but on her interest in the pieces and ability to identify what she saw in a picture or what may have been happening in it.

Enjoying a picnic outside of the museum

Linwood farm house at the Norman Rockwell Museum

Rockwell's (relocated) studio

The postage stamp-sized town of Stockbridge

The gingerbread house of Tyringham

Having fun at the Tyringham Playground (It was funnily enough marked as being for residents only. We clearly ignored that posting, and none of the town's ~350 residents came to stop us.)

David found a bird's nest

Will's first time on a swing

Avonlea Jane ruled the roost at Snow Farm, where she enjoyed visiting pigs, sheeps, and chickens.

Putting her teddy bear to bed

Saying goodbye to The Bug House

On our way home from Sandisfield, we drove north through Williamstown to visit the Clark Art Institute, a formerly private collection full of Homer, Remington, Rodin, Monet, Renoir, Cassatt, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Matisse, among many others.

Avonlea Jane was very well behaved and again impressed docents with her ability to interact with the art by identifying shapes, colors, and animals. She also kept declaring that the nudes must be getting ready to get in the bath. We were most thrilled with her when she was looking at a Monet up close and couldn't tell what it was. We had her move further back until she said it looked like some kind of building, maybe a big factory. While it was actually the Rouen cathedral, we were so proud that she was able to interpret an Impressionist piece at all.

After the Clark, we went to a state park museum in North Adams about the the town and the Hoosic railroad tunnel, where our girl enjoyed seeing the train exhibits.

Leaving the Berkshires