Norman Rockwell Exhibit at Sugar Shack & Bennington Museum (Bennington, VT) – May 2015

PART TWO (4 May 2015):  NORMAN ROCKWELL & BENNINGTON MUSEUM

We saw a brochure for this at one of the kiosks where we were, and it sounded like a good place to check out.  The name on the flyer called it the “Sugar Shack,” but it was alternately known as “Battenkill Gallery.”  This was a small roadside attraction location off of 7A, just north of Arlington.  Sugar Shack was a small country store with t-shirts, coffee mugs, and other touristy items, as well as things native to Vermont (like bottles of pure maple syrup).  There’s also a small restaurant next door, known as Jonathon’s Table, but we didn’t stop in to eat.

This was a roadside gem because of the number of works by Norman Rockwell which are displayed here.  This small gallery displays many of Rockwell’s works from his work on the Saturday Evening Post to paintings done for the Boy Scouts (which were the ones I liked the best due to my years in Scouting).

A short film details the number of years Rockwell spent in Arlington, hence the location of the gallery.  This is open between April and December, and the entire exhibit can be viewed in about an hour.

Since we were in the area, my Mum had suggested stopping to the Bennington Museum.  I thought about it for a moment, and then had to respond in a sheepish manner all the times I’d driven over this way in the last couple years, I’d never actual been there.  I’ve been to the Bennington Battle Monument a couple times, and concluded perhaps the museum had been already closed for the day (or close to it) when I’d been there earlier.  And since I’d lived not far from here for years, there really was no excuse for not having gone in the first place.

 [I seem to recall back in the 1980’s when we’d make the drive over to Uncle Earl’s place in Deerfield (MA, north of Amherst, where Earl was a professor for U Mass.) for the annual Labor Day picnic, we’d drive past the museum.  There’s a Friendly’s in downtown Bennington we’d stop for ice cream either on the way there or back.  Going over that way on a future visit, just to get the view from the “hair-pin turn” on the Mohawk Trail (also known as Route 2), would be nice to do.]

The museum is nestled on top of a hill over-looking the city of Bennington, and right next to the graveyard which contains the grave of author Robert Frost.  The two story building contains a number of items of local history as permanent exhibits, as well as some changing displays.

There were some interesting pieces of sculpture sitting out front.  Mum knew there was something missing from outside of the museum, something she’d seen recently.  She mentioned there used to be a catamount standing next to the sign by the road.  I think I vaguely remember seeing it.  Whatever the situation was, the kitty cat had slinked away.

The showpiece of the museum is the gallery of works by Grandma Moses, which captured aspects of rural life at the end of the 19^th Century.  I recall seeing someone of her work before, but it was never something I thought was all that great.  Art is to each their own.  The style I like is different and a bit more complex, but I was still glad to see the gallery of her simplistic style.  While no flash photography was allowed in the museum, this was the only area where no pictures of any kind were permitted.

For me, the most interesting exhibit was the one about the Battle of Bennington.  I remember hearing the basics about the engagement (which took place in August 1777), but didn’t recall the full aspects of it.  The displays were small, but very thorough, and showed tactical maps of how the battle unfolded.  That made some excellent reading for a history buff like me.  I chuckled at how the actual battle took place a few miles west in present day Washington County of New York State, as that was considered part of Bennington at that time.  Weapons and some other artifacts of the time were also featured.

The museum was designed to have many rooms, each with its own display.  Some rooms displayed works from regional artists, pottery, and artifacts from 19^th Century life (in the Church Gallery), I really enjoyed seeing the aspects of the Gilded Age (which included the 1924 Martin-Wasp Touring Car).  I would’ve liked to have seen a larger display on this time period, as the post-WW1 pre-Depression Great Gatsby ear is extremely interesting because of how society was changing.

One of the changing exhibits which I thought was very informative was on alcohol in Vermont.  This showed the rise of the temperance movement, the effects of Prohibition, and ultimately the lifting of the laws which made the modern craft breweries possible.

I was running low on camera battery, so I didn’t take a lot of pictures here.  And I had more fun reading the note cards about the “Stages of Alcoholism” and the “Temperance Pledge,” but that’s because I have twisted humor.

This was a good way to spend the afternoon, and we were able to finish up before it closed.  If I hadn’t already done it a couple times already, I would’ve gone over to the Bennington Battle Monument to soak in the view of the landscape.  But there was a suggestion Mum had made, so I wanted to do that while I was here too.  We went to the old church nearby to visit the grave of Robert Frost.

Inside the Bennington Museum was a picture of the interior of the museum, where instead of pews the congregation sat in cubes with the pastor on a balcony over them.  That picture looked familiar, so I wondered if I’d been over here before on a Humanities field trip during my senior year of high school.  It seemed like a place we would’ve gone, and now I wanted to locate my journal from that to check it.

The church was closed, so we couldn’t get in.  We were able to walk behind the church, and followed the markers to our target destination.  The marker had not only the names of Frost and his wife, but a number of their descendants too.  There were coins all over the gravestones (which laid horizontal on the ground, instead of standing vertical), and apparently that was a way to honor him.  Not sure why, but when in Rome….  I placed a quarter there.

An observation about the graveyard in general here.  While Frost’s grave, and some of the newer ones, were in good condition, many of the older gravestones weren’t.  I expect weather to wear things down over the decades (or, in some cases, a hundred years or so), but I sadden at the broken markers I saw.  It wasn’t vandalism, but things which just broke over time.  It made me wonder who, if anyone, maintains the graveyard.  Do the families of the interned visit these graves, and would they pay to have the stones refurbished?  Or do the people buried there no longer have family living and/or in the area, so these have simply forgotten about?  I have no answers, just a topic for conversation as we drove back to New York for the evening.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

Sugar Shack (Battenkill Gallery):  http://www.sugarshackvt.com/about-the-sugar-shack.php

Norman Rockwell:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Rockwell

Arlington (VT):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington,_Vermont

Bennington Museum:  http://www.benningtonmuseum.org/

Bennington Battle Monument:  http://benningtonbattlemonument.com/about.html

Mohawk Trail:  http://www.mohawktrail.com/

Deerfield (MA):  http://www.deerfieldma.us/Pages/index

Amherst (MA):  https://www.amherstma.gov/

Grandma Moses:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma_Moses

Battle of Bennington:  http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/107bennington/107bennington.htm

Robert Frost:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Frost

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Hildene – The Lincoln Family Home (Manchester, VT) – May 2015

4 May 2015:  HILDENE

Back in Senior Year in high school, I had a “personal enrichment” class called Humanities which had field trips to a number of historical and culturally significant areas in the region.  Hildene was one of the places visited.  Of course the memories of those trips are fleeting due to age and the raging hormones of youth disrupting all normal brain activity.  Nevertheless, this was on the list of places I’d been wanting go back to.

During one of the visits to the area when Lee was still with me (I think this was when we’d gone to the Clark Museum or the Bennington Battle Monument), we’d passed a sign that mentioned it, and Mum mentioned that she’d never been there at all.  I noted that was place to go on a later visit.  Sure it was a little later than planned, but when I was preparing for my yearly visit, I told Mum that Hildene was on the top of my list.

As we traveled south on Route 7A to reach Hildene, we passed the Equinox Resort.  While that seems like a trivial comment now, we learned later that’s where the Lincoln family was staying when Robert Todd Lincoln (the only son of President Abraham Lincoln to survive to adulthood) became enamored with the area.  The short film at the Visitor’s Center provided that info, as well as Robert Todd Lincoln’s connection to the Pullman Car Company, so be sure to watch those first.  (As a quick aside, the Pullman Car on the premises was a recent addition, thus something I wouldn’t have seen on my first visit.)

The tour starts with the main house, and the downstairs contains the dining room, kitchen, and sitting room.  Because the house was occupied by Lincoln’s descendants up until the late 1970’s, there were things which have been updated.  That is most notable in the kitchen and bathrooms.  Beyond that, the house has been restored to what it looked like when Robert Todd Lincoln lived there.

One room on first floor was the servant’s quarters.  What was amusing about it was the edges of the floor were only finished, so the rest of the bare wood was covered by an area rug in the center.  As most of the rooms have ropes across the entrances, you can only look into them, as opposed to being able to manipulate any of the artifacts inside.

The foyer has an old-style pipe organ which plays tunes off of paper rolls.  This was placed in here when the house was designed, as the pipes could be found on the landing of the stairs up to the second floor.  Our host let the organ play for a few minutes in order to give us an idea of how the house was filled with sound.  The small couch at the landing (between the pipes) was a wild place to sit and listen to the music.  See, even back during the Gilded Age people had hearing damage due to loud music.

Upstairs were other bedrooms, including the parlor of his wife Mary, and the room dedicated to Mary Lincoln Beckwith (who was the last surviving member of the family, and the last person to live in the house).  Mary Beckwith was an avid painter, and had other interests like photography and aviation.  The upper levels have more of the “updated” feel, as opposed to the ground floors which have the “original” décor.

At the rear of the home was where the Formal Gardens were.  The pattern was clearly visible, even though no plants had bloomed yet.  It had just begun to warm up, so it’d be a couple weeks before those were out in full bloom.

Off of the Garden was a section which overlooked the fields and wetlands along the Battenkill River, and was where a large portion of the 400 acres attached to the home were.

A gate (which I expected to be locked) yielded an interesting little surprise.  It lead to some stairs to a small cliff with a viewing area overlooking the valley.  While I’m sure when this was still a residence a small breakfast table was set up here, but for me today, it was a place to have some fun.  Look at me holding up the rock over-hang.  >grin<

Also on the grounds was a gazebo, which was a short walk from the main house (and really wasn’t that impressive), and a small observatory.  I’d venture to guess this was constructed for Mary Beckwith’s use, as the interior was very similar to Lowell Observatory I’d visited back in Flagstaff, AZ.  The telescope inside was small, but I’m sure the small amount of light pollution in the area.

I happened to notice a path which went off into the woods, and I took a quick moment to check it out.  What I discovered a set of stones erected to be the Hildene Award Honors.  As the trail continued on, there was a marker (made up of a pile of stones) to show the recipient for that year’s award.  That’s a hidden gem you’ll only locate if you explore off the main areas of the property.

Robert Todd Lincoln spent many years associated with the Pullman Car Company, and even served as their Vice President.  With that in mind, the group which maintained Hildene wanted to find a Pullman Car, and make that part of the museum.  That was done in 2011, when a car was located in the southern United States, restored, and transported here.  From the visitor’s center, it’s a short walk to where it rests now.

This car was known as “Sunbeam,” and dates from 1903, so it’s a fitting addition to the museum.  It sets in an area designed to look like a train stop where this type of car would pull up to.

Inside was spacious sitting areas which converted to sleeping spaces for those affluent people who were able to travel across country during the late 1800’s.  The front of the car had a small gallery where two servants would prepare meals, and they had bunks there too.

During this period, those who could afford to travel used the train for longest portion of the trip.  Their days were spent socializing, drinking, smoking cigars, playing board games, and looking out the window.

This was very interesting to see, from the way the seats converted to bunks to the hand-carved wood ornate trim inside the area.  What was even more amazing was the restoration of the “Sunbeam” was done using the same tools and techniques utilized when it was originally built.

From there, a shuttle will take you the Rowland Agricultural Center, which is technically part of the museum complex.  Here is a small goat farm, where their milk is harvested to make a variety of cheese products.  Everything needed to create the cheese is on the premises, and the building is self-sustaining with a large number of solar panels on the roof to provide power.

Those are the major areas of the grounds, and what could be seen within a couple hours.  As the site covers over 400 acres, that means there’s miles of hiking trails which cross-cross the area.  Exploring all the pathways could take an entire day, so have a picnic lunch handy.

This is one of those places which was so close to me when I lived in the region, it never occurred to me to take an afternoon drive back over.  And even on subsequent visits to the area (after I moved to another time-zone), there was always something else which was higher on my list to see.  My recommendation is spend the day exploring the Green Mountain region of Vermont, and this is a good place to start the day.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

Clark Museum (Williamstown, MA):  http://www.clarkart.edu/

Bennington Battle Monument:  http://www.benningtonbattlemonument.com/

Hildene:  http://www.hildene.org/

Equinox Resort (Manchester, VT):  http://www.equinoxresort.com/

Lowell Observatory (Flagstaff, AZ):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowell_Observatory

Hildene Award Honors:  http://visitmanchestervt.com/events/hildene-award-luncheon/

Pullman Car Company:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_Company

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Mount Bonnell (Austin, TX) -- April 2015

Mount Bonnell -- 19 April 2015

After we left the open house at Camp Mabry, the weather was nice, and there was still time left in the day, so I recommended to my friend that we go up Mt Bonnell.  She’d never been up there, and this would be my fourth (each time with different people, for those of you who know the myth).  A lot of others apparently had a similar thought that day, as there were quite a lot of cars in the area.  Another reason why I wanted to make a return visit because on my previous visit I remembered seeing the monument at the summit damaged, and I wondered if there had been anything done to address that.

One of the first things I noticed which was new was the informational plaque next to the base of the stairs.  It looked like there was a restoration project going on.  My friend and I decided to race up the steps for fun.  My longer legs allowed me to take two at a time and I quickly reached the top with a great workout.  My friend threw in the towel after the 20^th step, and slowly came up the rest of the way.

The reason why there were so many cars became clear as a couple had chosen the top to be the location for their wedding.  I thought that was really nice.  What I also so was nice was the monument had been encased in a wire cage to prevent further damage from being done to it.  It hasn’t been repaired, but there was a picture which showed what it used to look like.  I attached one from my 2007 visit for comparison.

Since it had rained recently, some of the observation points where you could see the city skyline were a bit muddy, but it didn’t ruin our enjoyment of it.

Once we’d come back to the main area, the main phase of the wedding had passed, so we were able to look out the southward view without being obtrusive.  Looking at this section of the Colorado River, you wouldn’t think we’re under a drought condition (as evident by the low levels a short distance upriver at Mansfield Dam).  I did point out to my friend that this was a section of Austin where the “money” lived.

As we moved to the section to the right of the stairs, the view upriver became clearer.  I pointed out the crescent bridge of 360 which crossed the river.  In addition to the wedding guests, there were a number of people who were out enjoying the view on this nice day.

I showed my friend that instead of taking the stairs back down, we could walk the longer trail which paralleled the river, and eventually brought us back to the road.  From there it was just a short walk back to the car.  For those wishing to ascend to the summit in a less-intensive way, this might be a good option.

If you haven’t been, you get off Mopac on 35^th Street, and go west past the entrance to Camp Mabry.  You’ll see sign for Mt. Bonnell Road which, obviously, you’ll take.  Accelerate as much as you can past the water treatment plant, because after you make a hard turn you’ll be heading up a very steep hill that will tax your engine.  You have been forewarned.  When leaving, if you go the same way, then you’ll want to be in low gear, as not to ride your brakes all the way down.  Alternately, you could drive northward past Bright Leaf Preserve and come out on 2222 near St. Theresa’s Church.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

            Mount Bonnell:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Bonnell

Bright Leaf Preserve:  http://www.brightleaf.org/

Camp Mabry Open House (Austin, TX) -- April 2015

Camp Mabry Open House – 19 April 2015

Every year Camp Mabry hosts the Texas Military Forces Open House, and my friend had never been there.  Due to the threat of rain on Saturday, we passed on going that day.  (The rain held off the entire weekend, by the way.)  It was still overcast Sunday morning when we arrived right as it opened at 10am, but that soon burned off to be a bright sunny day.  Like last time, we had to flash our ID’s at the gate, and there were enlisted personnel directing traffic to the parking lot.  Since we got there early, I was able to grab one of the few shady spots.

Because I’d spoken to most of the vendors near the parade grounds the previous year, I didn’t stop and talk to them (other than the booth for the Austin Fire Department).  Also, there weren’t too many people present, so I knew this was the best time to go over and see the helicopters.  Once the crowds got too thick, and it got to the hottest part of the day, we could go inside the Texas Military Forces Museum to get out of the sun.

There were a few ground vehicles (like a Humvee and mobile rocket launcher) we went by to reach the helicopters.  The Blackhawk had its side doors open, and visitors were allowed to climb inside the back (not the pilot section), sit down, and strap in.  The safety harness had five buckles which slid in easily to a central lock, but the amusement was to see how easily you could get out of it.  I knew it already, but my friend had a little difficulty.  I jokingly asked the officer if we could go for a ride, and he said if it was up to him he would provide them.

We then headed over to the Apache sitting next down the path.  Once again the cockpit of this attack helicopter was secured so we couldn’t go inside.  Since I’d seen someone sitting on the edge of the cockpit, I decided to climb up to do the same.  There were foot and hand-holds for pilot to get in, and I used those.  I also figured out that once I’d get to the desired position, it’d be difficult to get down.  I decided to hang off the edge instead.

My friend figured out a better way to climb up so she could sit the edge, like I tried to do.  She also then had some difficulty in figuring out how to get down.  It took a few extra moments of “Now put your foot there” before she was back on the ground.  She then commented she knew why I didn’t go all the way up.

The dual-bladed transport C-40 was the next piece of flying hardware there.  We entered in the rear of the vehicle, and walked up to the cockpit area.  One of the pilots had his tablet with him, so he could show video of this helicopter in action.

On the side of the parade field closest to Mopac is where there’s decommissioned items permanently on display, like a Sabre jet or a Huey.  This was also where the Memorial Wall had been set up.  This was divided up by each conflict (World War I, Gulf War, etc.) showing the names of National Guard members who perished in the line of duty.

What I liked was the “battlefield grave marker” made up of the helmet sitting on the rifle embedded into the ground, flanked by the boots.

After we rounded back to the side of the parade grounds we started at, we checked out some of the light arms which were available to be inspected.  While visitors got to hold unloaded rifles (without an ammo clip in sight), we allowed to dry-fire some of the .50 caliber weapons.  It was enough to get an idea of what the recoil would be like had it fired a real round.

There were also some Jeeps and small vehicles near there too.  While my friend laughed at the desert-colored military bicycle…

…I laughed at the “survival kit” for the WWII-era troops going into France, which included a bottle of wine.  I took a picture of that for my Mum.

We briefly looked at the tanks and APC’s (Armored Personnel Carriers) located at Artillery Row, and then went over to partake in some of the Earth Day celebrations which were going on.

We raced solar cars, tossed bean bags for a chance to win a water bottle, and then painted a fish to make a take-home print.  Since the paint was wet, these were hung up to dry, and we’d come back for them later.  I took a picture of mine, and texted it to Henry, to let him know his daughter would be getting this.  (As a side note, when we did come back at the end of the day, someone had taken my fish picture, thinking it was theirs.  Bummer, no real loss, but it would’ve been nice to follow through on the promise to Caitlin.)

Next we quickly ducked into the actual Military Forces Museum to get out of the sun.  A guide in the museum mentioned how the 36^th Infantry Division (the unit which this museum was dedicated to) was made up of both Oklahoma Territory and State of Texas individuals during World War I, and used the Indian tribes to communicate with each other to confuse the Germans.  This was the forerunner of the Code Talker program used during WWII.  It was only after the conclusion of WWI, when Oklahoma gained statehood, that the unit then became completely comprised of Texans.

We didn’t stay in the Museum proper for much longer, only because that’s something which could be visited at any time.  There were events scheduled to happen outside, and we wanted to watch those.  After grabbing something to drink from one of the vendors, we went back to the parade grounds, where we were able to watch some parachuters descend in.  And a few moments later, the C-40 lifted off.

A Blackhawk was part of two additional demonstrations.  One was it being used in a rescue operation, which a person being lowered down by winch to target, secure them, and reel them back into the helicopter.  This is the technique used to retrieve people suck out on the water, flood zones, or remote areas.

A second demonstration had a couple police cars chasing a truck to a stand-off.  As the Blackhawk hovered nearby, a small tactical unit repelled down a rope to move in, and secure the target.

Since the next outdoor event was due to start over an hour later, and was over at the “small pond area,” we stopped by my car to grab the umbrella.  Because I knew what to expect, I recommended we head down early, so we could get a spot on the limited bleacher space available.  We were able to get a nice centered area on the highest bench, so we’d have the best view of the action.

A gentleman who was part of the reenactment group explained how this would be a representation of a battle between the advancing US forces and the defending Germans during the Italian campaign.  It was going to be “time compressed” for the demonstration, as the real thing would take over a few hours (and cover a wider area).  Still, even with the blank rounds going to be used, the audience was told how loud it would be.  Earplugs were handed out to everyone.

The demonstration had been choreographed and practiced, but that was done so the majority of the action took place on the side of the hill facing the audience.  The German troops were dug-in, and we got to watch American tanks shell provide cover fire as US G.I.’s rushed the positions.  The battle climaxed with the disabling of the enemy tanks and capture of a German officer.  The whole demo lasted about thirty minutes or so, and it was enough to give an idea of how an actual battle would unfold.

The open house would last for another or two, but we decided this was the time to leave, before the traffic got too heavy.  We’d seen the major events which were only being done that day, and knew we could return on a weekend in order to finish exploring the actual museum.  Even though it ended up being sunny and hot today, it turned out to be a great day to enjoy the experience.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

Camp Mabry:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Mabry

Military Forces Museum:  http://texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/about-us/

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