Arlo Is Home in the Berkshires 11/19

Quinn says: My tail is wagging happily because I know that my friend Arlo

(I once sat inhis lap for several hours) will be home for Thanksgiving!

The Guthrie Family is home for Thanksgiving again, and at the

Colonial Theatre near Birchwood Inn.

Lenox MA Bed and Breakfast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Illustration above by Jesse Lefkowitz)


They are the first family of folk with deep Berkshire roots. With the

holidays coming, it was not too big of a surprise when the Berkshire

Theatre Group announced Arlo Guthrie and his family had reserved

the Saturday before Thanksgiving for their annual appearance.

The Guthrie Family Rides Again, which has been on the road, is

coming home to The Colonial Theatre on Saturday, November 19 at

8pm.

 

“He’s becoming a beloved Thanksgiving tradition,” said Artistic

Director and CEO Kate Maguire. “We are so fortunate to have Arlo

return again to our Colonial, with the whole Guthrie family.”

Like most Americans, the urge to return to their Berkshire farm,

and their family roots, is strong. The family travels much of the year,

and coming home to a dining room table piled high with some of

their own produce makes the week around Thanksgiving especially

nostalgic. Dad and Grandad Arlo had to give up the livestock

when it became too much to properly maintain along with an

intensive concert schedule.

 

Tickets for the Guthrie concert are $15–$55 and VIP tickets are

$65 (premium seating). Tickets may be purchased in person at the

Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street near our Berkshires Inn or by calling

(413) 997-4444 or online.

The Ticket Office is open Monday–Friday 10am–5pm, Saturdays 

10am–2pm or on any performance day from 10am until intermission.

 

A Legendary Family

Arlo Guthrie was born with a guitar in one hand and a harmonica in

the other, the eldest son of America’s most beloved singer/writer

Woody Guthrie, Arlo has made sure to pass on this passion for

music to all the generations of Guthries that came after. Arlo Guthrie

carries on the Guthrie Family legacy as he travels to communities

far and wide sharing timeless stories and unforgettable classic tunes.

A celebrated artist in American music, his artistic ventures help bridge

an often-divided world through his powerful spirit of song. With

songs like “Alice’s Restaurant,” “Coming into Los Angeles,” and “City

of New Orleans,” Arlo’s music has proved itself sustainable

throughout the years.

 

“The Guthrie Family Rides Again” brings his singular voice as both a

singer-songwriter and social commentator to the stage alongside his

beloved children and grandkids.

This Family concert spotlights three generations of Guthries including

Arlo’s son Abe, who has contributed keyboards and backing vocals to his

father’s live shows since the ’80s. His daughters Cathy, Annie and

Sarah Lee Guthrie, all of who have their own bustling music careers,

will support by singing songs and accompanying on acoustic guitars.

Even the youngest generation of Guthrie kids will join in the fun on

select songs.

 

 

Posted in Berkshires, Concerts, Events, Fall, Holidays, Quinn, Thanksgiving, The Berkshires, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , |

Hot Time in the Old Lenox December 9, 10 & 11

Lenox Bed and Breakfast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quinn says: Lenox, MA, in the heart of The Berkshires, has been

compared to a Currier and Ives sketch. This is especially true during

the December holiday period. And there’s nothing that says New

England better than Lenox village dressed in holiday-style.

Catch the spirit on the weekend of December 10 when the village hosts

the Lenox Caroling Festival. The festival is a gala weekend, a

Christmas stocking filled with holiday events. The celebration

of seasonal songs begins on Saturday, December 10. Thirty or more

of the Northeast’s finest choirs and choral groups have been invited

to lift their voices in a day-long songfest and competition, 10 am to

noon and 1:30 pm to 4 pm throughout the village (in case of

inclement weather, the festival will move to indoor venues).

During the weekend you can also tour many of the village’s renown

bed and breakfast inns, including Birchwood Inn (Our Lenox Bed and Breakfast is

offering holiday special rates this weekend — and throughout most

of November and December as well) and sample holiday treats from

our special local restaurants (Quinn notes that this is her favorite event,

ever optimistic that there will be some cookies that drop on the floor!)

Lenox’s unique shops and restaurants will also be featuring festival specials.

On Saturday, from 6 pm to 7 pm, enjoy the Carolers’ Reception,

award presentations, and sing-a-long at Shakespeare & Co. For a

great feel-good experience, moreover, see David Sedaris’ “Santaland

Diaries” 7:30 pm on Saturday as well as two matinee performances,

Friday and Saturday at 2 pm.

Trinity Church invites everyone to its Holiday Fair and Silver Tea

on Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm.

And what are the holidays without a gingerbread house? The Lenox

Library hosts the annual Gingerbread Contest on Sunday, 10 am to

3 pm.

This is a most special weekend, for sure, but everyday is special

in Lenox during the holidays. Come and celebrate the season of

lights with us at our Lenox MA Inn!

Posted in Berkshires, Birchwood Inn, Events, Festivals, Food, Historic Homes, Holidays, Lenox MA, The Berkshires, Travel, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Do Bears….?

Says Quinn: Yes, they surely do! I’ve lived in the Berkshires at Birchwood Inn for more than 11 years and I learn something new everyday. For instance…
There is ice in Ice Glen (Stockbridge) for 9 months a year although it is possible that ice can be found there in July, August, or September.
Nathaniel Hawthorne called Ice Glen “the most curious fissure in all the Berkshires.” It certainly is unusual. The streams run south to north instead of north to south, and the fissure itself — a long-dried-up glacial pool — runs east to west rather than west to east.
Ice Glen is canopied by trees at least 170 years old, which ensures that the rocky terrain is in shade most of the year, a cool spot on even the hottest days. The floor of the glen is dotted with boulders that form caves throughout the gorge, making Ice Glen a great place to explore!

And there are bears in Beartown State Forest (in the towns of Lee and Monterey). This area is “bear aware” country. Do not feed or provoke the bears.
Bears have acute hearing — seven times more acute than a dog! — and can smell food more than a mile away. They are curious, resourceful, and have one of the best memories of all animals. They can run up to 35 mph and climb a tree faster than some primates.
If you encounter a bear, don’t startle it; make noise, and give the bear plenty of room.
I know about bears from personal experience! We have had bears visit every once in a while. The first time I met up with a bear, I thought it was a big dog and wagged my magnificent tail. I think I should have barked!

Lenox MA Bed and Breakfast

Bear Aware

Posted in Berkshires, Hiking, Quinn, Recreation, Stockbridge MA, The Berkshires, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , |

A Memorable Day on Mount Greylock

Lenox MA Bed and Breakfast

Meandering through Greylock's forests


Quinn reports: Janice (Ellen’s great friend since 2nd Grade), Ellen and I were on our way to Williamstown the other day to celebrate Ellen’s birthday and to take Janice to the Clark Art Institute‘s Pissarro’s People exhibit. It was a beautiful Indian Summer day, so we left Birchwood Inn and took the scenic route via Mount Greylock.

Greylock, at 3491 feet, is the highest point in MA. But it is also so much more! 12,500 acres. Mountains. Forests. Valleys. Streams. 70 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, back country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. At the summit you can find Bascom Lodge and the Veterans War Memorial.

Lenox MA Bed and Breakfast

A view from the summit

But that doesn’t begin to describe the Greylock experience. In fall, the air is crisp, the foliage vibrant, the light streaming through the trees inspiring, the tranquility soothing, the only sounds are of trickling streams and inhaling the fresh tree-scented air. In the spring experience nature bursting and awakening from the long winter. In summer savor the leafy shade. And the views are awesome year-round. From the summit you can see up to 135 miles in the distance and 5 different states — MA, CT, NY, VT, and NH.

Of course we weren’t the first nor the last to savor the experience. Native Americans hunted and traveled through the Greylock area. The Machicans’ travels created a traditional footpath through Greylock, now known as the Mohawk Trail.

Lenox MA Inn

Standing at an Appalachian Trail marker

Another historic footpath runs through the Greylock area, the 2100-mile Appalachian Trail, which follows the Appalachian chain of mountains and hills from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katuhdin in Maine. 11.5 miles of the trail wend their way through the tranquil wilderness.

Greylock has been a Siren, luring hundreds of those seeking to savor the experience, including Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes, William Cullen Bryant, Thoreau and Melville.

Lenox MA Inn

Where the only sounds you hear are trickling streams

Melville could see Greylock from his writing desk at Arrowhead in neighboring Pittsfield, and it is said that the fall snow on Greylock inspired his description of the white whale breaching the waves in Moby Dick.

Even driving the newly restored roads, up to the summit from just north of Pittsfied, and down to North Adams, is a heady ooh-aah experience. We meandered around one corner and “oohed” at the view and then turned another corner and aahed.

Please note that the grass on Greylock is quite tasty!

We never did get to The Clark, but what a magic day Greylock shared with us before we headed back to our Lenox MA Bed and Breakfast.

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It Was the Best of Times

Says Quinn: Despite Irene’s unwelcome end-of-summer visit, this was one of the best of my 12 summers at Birchwood Inn.

Ellen and I have created a Top Ten Best of Summer 2011 list:

# 10 -Best play we missed: “Sylvia” — about a dog of course — at the Berkshire Theatre Festival

#  9  -Best Tanglewood Concert we missed: “Porgy and Bess”

#  8  -Best book read this summer: “The Greater Journey”

#  7  -Best exhibit: Pissarro at The Clark Art Institute (until Oct. 6)

#  6  -Best new Lenox food experience: Berkshire Gelato next door to Prime

#  5  -Best new breakfast recipe: Peach Croissant French Toast Panini

#  4  -Best breakfast fruit course: Honeydew “Gazpacho” and Bircher Muesli

#  3  -Best food blog: Eight Broads in the Kitchen at Bed and Breakfast Foodies

Lenox MA Bed and Breakfast

8 Broads... and a Dog

#  2  -Best park for hiking or walking a dog: Kennedy Park

#  1  -Best summer weekend: James Taylor and the annual 4th of July Party Time at our Lenox MA Bed and Breakfast!

Posted in Art, Berkshires, Birchwood Inn, Commentaries, Dining, Events, Food, Lenox MA, Quinn, Recipes, Recreation, Summer, Tanglewood, The Berkshires, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Daisy Hill Puppy Farm

Says Quinn: Remember when Snoopy returned to Daisy Hill Puppy Farm for a reunion?

Earlier this week I had a similar experience.

When I was a puppy, my brother Dakota and I went to NEADS, the National Education for Assistive Dog Service, based in West Boylston, MA. From there we went to the prison in Portland, ME, as the first puppies in Maine’s Prison Pup Program to be trained as service dogs. Once a week a trainer came to train the inmate who would then train us.

When I was nearly a year old, I went back to NEADS for further training to be Ellen’s Hearing Ear Dog. My trainer was Brian, and I love him but he worked me hard!

Lenox MA Bed and Breakfast

My trainer Brian and me

After several weeks of learning to respond to the alarm clock, stove timer, smoke and fire alarms, doorbells, and the name “Ellen” so I could alert Ellen. Then Ellen came to NEADS to train and bond with me.

That was 11 years ago. Ellen and I have been the best team.

Over the past 11 years, I’ve done a lot of traveling all over the US and Canada, made hundreds of friends, enjoyed concerts, festivals, theater, movies, and baseball games, and scomped up some gourmet food people happened to drop on the floor. (Sitting under the cheese table at cocktail parties is the best spot for this!)

I’m in really great shape, if I do say so myself. My hearing, however, isn’t what it used to be. So soon, Ellen is going to need a new Hearing Ear Dog and I get to stay with Ellen at Birchwood Inn and become her pet.

This week we drove to NEADS to talk about the new dog. I recognized NEADS right away and jumped up and ran to the door when I heard Brian’s voice for the first time in 11 years.

So I am going to retire. Oh, not yet! It will most likely take 9 to 12 months to find the perfect dog for Ellen. And when the new dog arrives at our Lenox Bed and Breakfast, I’ll get to sleep in, roll in the snow and lie in the sun. I’ve had a good run.

 

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Dog Days? I’m Insulted

As a most fine and upstanding canine, I am not at all happy that these miserably hot days in the Northeast, with unheard of temperatures in the 90s and humidity that even curls my hair, are called Dog Days. Dogs are cool!

Here in Lenox, in the heart of the Berkshire Hills in Western Massachusetts, there are gentle breezes in the garden and on the front porch at Birchwood Inn.

Lenox MA Bed and BreakfastThe leafy hiking trails in Kennedy Park across the street are very pleasant. There is plenty of shade under the ancient oaks at Tanglewood, and fortunately the air-conditioning is working mighty fine at Shakespeare & Co., Jacob’s Pillow, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Barrington Stage Co., The Colonial, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. I also love taking a cool respite at The Norman Rockwell Museum, The Clark Art Institute, and MASS MoCA.

And there’s nothing more refreshing than a swim in one of the many nearby mountain lakes.

Nothing doggy about it. Why not the Cat Days of Summer?

And that’s the way I see it. Quinn

 

Posted in Art, Berkshires, Birchwood Inn, Commentaries, Events, Festivals, Lenox MA, Recreation, Tanglewood, The Berkshires, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Jolly Good Time

We have been announcing: The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming! Well, they came, we saw, they conquered!

The first annual (we hope!) British Motor Car Festival at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA, has been a smashing success this week. The very London-like drizzle stopped just in time for the block party on Friday night. Residents and guests strolled the village streets, enjoying the classic cars from Minis to Rolls lined up at the curbs while a band played Rolling Stones hits to set the English tone for the weekend.

Happily, more than 2,000 people were in awe of the 310 cars participating. And everyone was in a festive mood. Very civilized.

Sunny Saturday, the cars showed off at Tanglewood and competed in their categories. A number of our guests brought and showed their cars in the competition, and we are very proud to have hosted a very grand winner, Pat and Joe Marchione, from NJ. Their 1959 Lotus Elite 1096 Series took first place in their division, Concours Post WW II sports car. We were honored to have this beauty in the parking lot at Birchwood Inn!

 Rm 4 Winner

1959 Lotus Elite

Sunny Sunday the Rolls and Bentleys competed for the best picnics.

Among the numerous classics was this awesome Austin Healy. This gem belonged to owner Nancy’s father. After he died, the car was garaged for 30 years until Nancy had the car restored in all of its glory.

Austin Healy

Beautifully restored Austin Healy.

What a wonderful Berkshires weekend!

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I LOVE NEW YORK… IN SMALL DOSES

According to Quinn.

Bloggers are supposed to blog about what they are passionate about. Ellen and I are both passionate about baseball!  The game is the great equalizer — a cab driver is often found sitting next to a Fortune 500 CEO.

Last week we savored the joys of New York. It was so exciting to be among crowds of people after the tranquil Berkshires! The noise. The traffic. The energy. We love them all!

One of the New York pleasures is Yankee Stadium, unless you are an old Brooklyn Dodger fan! The Yankees were playing Ellen’s old favorite team (she used to go to 32 games a year when she lived in Toronto), the Blue Jays. The new stadium is missing some of the tradition of the old stadium, but it’s great nonetheless.

The New Yankee Stadium

The New Yankee Stadium

We just HAD to take advantage of the photo op. Unknown to us, at the same time we were being filmed by NBC News for the following day’s 6:00 pm show on the high cost of tickets for sporting events!

New York fro mthe Berkshires

Quinn and Ellen at Yankee Stadium.

Yankee Stadium, by the way, has the greatest popcorn. I know because I got to eat all of the popcorn Ellen spilled … accidentally on purpose.

Quinn loves popcorn.

Did someone order popcorn?

Ellen was elated for 8 1/2 innings as the Jays were winning. Alas, as frequently happens, the Jays broke her heart in the bottom of the ninth, but it was a great game! Personally, growing up in Massachusetts, I’m a Red Sox fan, so when I had to wear a Yankee cap, I wasn’t too happy.

Quinn loves NY but not the NY Yankees!

The following day I romped in Central Park with hordes of other very well-behaved dogs, rolling in the cool grass. Then onwards to lunch with old friends of Ellen’s from early childhood and then Broadway. My friend Sutton Foster lit up the stage in “Anything Goes.”

The next day we returned to the Berkshires, where we could unwind from our New York adventures. We realized once again how peaceful and refreshing our hills are. There’s no place like home when you live in the Berkshires!

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Berkshire International Film Festival: The New Sundance East??

Couldn’t get to the Sundance Film Festival this year? Then come visit our Inn in Lenox, MA and head to the 6th annual Berkshire International Film Festival from June 2nd-5th. Seventy feature-length and short feature films and documentaries by independent filmmakers from the US and abroad will be shown in Great Barrington and Pittsfield over the 4-day festival.

Andrew Rossi’s documentary “Page One: Inside the NY Times” opens the festival on June 2nd and the festival closes on June 5th with the Sundance Audience Award-winning “Buck,” Cindy Meehl’s documentary about real-life horse whisperer Buck Brannaman (also being shown on June 3rd). Other highlights include a special screening of “A Letter to Elia,” a documentary about Elia Kazan, and a series of films from the Human Rights Film Festival.

“And,” Quinn adds, “there will be some of the best popcorn east of Sundance. I know because I eat the popcorn off the floor!”

Sorry! Robert Redford will not be in attendance, but guests at our Berkshires Inn are sure to have a great time and enjoy some memorable films and discussions.

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