About the previous post

John's post talks about the ongoing restoration of the Berkshire Athaneum, and how it was designed by an architect named William A. Potter (no relation to my partner), who also designed an auditorium named Alexander Hall at Princeton. It looks like a close cousin of the Athaneum based on the photo in John's post.

Well, when I was an undergrad, and I'm told the rumor still makes the rounds today, the story was that a student had submitted the design of Alexander Hall as his senior thesis in Architecture, and that he had been failed and flunked out. The story went on that he had gone on to become a wealthy something or other and then gave the University a pot of money on the condition that it be used to build an auditorium according to the donor's specs. The donor hired an architect to act as the "front" and the building was built according to his F-grade senior thesis, and only when it was done did he reveal the true provenance of the design. Not true but it fueled a few late night bull sessions.

Equinox and Full Moon

Look out.  Weird things happen.  So far, not yet.  Fall means we wake up in the dark, it means the first frost this week, it means leaves and apples, it means breaking out the long sleeve shirts and sweaters.  What it should mean as well is that the cat should let us sleep in a little, that the grass should stop growing, that the garden should be done.  None of that has happened yet.  We are getting a bumper crop of tomatoes, after good crops of lettuce, beans, zucchini and cucumbers.  We even have some small peppers, and potatoes and carrots.  

As I sit down writing, Mary is on her way back from a weekend in DC, with Joe, Margaret, Andrew and Annie.  It sounded like a great time and I am sorry to have missed it.  I heard there was pizza, brunch, a walk through of the Mexican Cultural Institute.  When Mary called I actually did hear a fair amount of laughter in the background.  That's all good.

The big news from down there is it looks like Joe is moving.  To London.  How cool is that!  Book your rooms now.  It could happen fairly fast, but with all the paperwork, and then the the threat of government shutdown, the timing is up in the air.

I was unable to go because the UMass history class was coming to Pittsfield and the Berkshires.  I showed them around Herman Melville's home and then we traveled to Edith Wharton's Mount and the WEB Dubois Homesite.  I had not been to either of the other two, so it was nice to take in two more places. Still a lot to go.

Here's a weird thing, but I am not sure it was connected to the full moon.  I have turned a request to document a restoration project in Pittsfield into a Masters thesis.  The building being restored is the old Berkshire Athenaeum, the library, right on Park Square in the center of town.  My initial exploring into the background was the discovery that the architect who did the library (in 1876) was the same one (William A. Potter) who designed the Chancellor Green Library at Princeton.  Some of us grew up with the lore of that building, where Pop first met Grandma.  So, how does something like that happen?  The architect also did a few other buildings on the Princeton Campus - Alexander Hall and Witherspoon Hall, among others.

I guess another weird thing did happen.  We've been a little late renewing the registration of our cars.  Both had emission issues, and we had to get those fixed before the inspections.  When Mary finally took the Mitsubishi to the inspection, they told her she was driving a dangerous car, that the wheels could fall off, due to faulty "Tie-rods"?  Well, that happened the day before Mary was to drive to DC, so fortunately Johnny let us borrow his car (he's in Florida) and we got through the weekend.  Thank you!

Next weekend looks to be a fun one.  David called to say he and Paula were coming over for the Hancock Shaker Village fall fair.  Spontaneity is alive and well, as Peter and Janet  are also coming up.  More grist for the weekly letter!  David and Paula had been in NYC, for meetings but also went to see Jersey Boys which they report is well worth it.

Unfortunately, Andrew was unable to come, but they thought about it.  The good news is that next weekend is Bill and Jen's due date.  So, they are going to stay put.  Other news from Dundee comes by way of Facebook, with a photo of Daniel looking a little like a movie star.  

We love the change of seasons.  But we also love summer, and we'll be happy when you return.  Fast forward, and we can imagine all kinds of changes before then.  Wonderful.

Love from up here.  

Deja Vu all over again

Sunday we took Annie to New York City, and it seemed like a long time since we had been there.  In fact, it was just one month.  A lot happened in that interval, but driving into the city reminded us of heading down the first time to take Annie and a little worried about Johanna.  (She's on the rebound, back to work.)  Annie moved out of her apartment and into her dorm room, but grateful for Johanna putting her up for the month.  Annie took the train home Friday before Labor Day to pick up the rest of her stuff, and that explains our second trip down in a month.  Annie's dorm is new and very nice.  Greg came by to help unload the car, and then we went out for lunch before heading home.

Joe is back from Manila, and seems not to recommend that city for anyone's list of places to go.  Other places in the Philippines, perhaps, but he did not have time to go there.  Anyway, it took him a while to get over jet lag, but not that long to host a welcome home party for himself (we hear.)  

We got a message from Margaret this weekend from her perch at the Wolf Trap stage, where she and Andrew had gone for the Sound of Music sing-a-long.   Sounds like fun.  

Fun is also how we spent a couple of days in an off-the-grid part of Vermont for a few days this week.  I must say it feels very odd to be unreachable, even if for a couple of days.  Our friend Charlie has a rustic cabin on a lake about 10 minutes from Canada.  The only cell service is through Canada, actually.  We hiked and biked and canoed and swam, took naps, read and even pack in a nap or two.  Out canoeing one day I saw the biggest bird I have even seen, probably because it was perched on a tree fairly close to the ground.  We looked it up and it seems it was a young bald eagle.

Last weekend, Mary had stepped in to host her girl cousins for a picnic lunch.  As usual for these kinds of events, there are photos passed around, and the one here came with the assurance it was of Mary.  Her reaction?  "I have the same haircut!"  However, we later learned it was not of Mary at all, but of her brother Johnny!

One of Mary's games is to dream about what she wants to be i her next life.  This week she asked me after we dropped off Annie, if I were to go back to school, what would I want to take.  I reminded her I AM BACK IN SCHOOL!  Ugh!  And it starts this week.  But not just for me, as a few Dicksons are back in college: Annie, Margaret, Sean and Claire.  If I remember correctly, I will be coming up for air, probably around mid-December.    

We talked to David, who was coming over to Albany for a little work.  Unfortunately, that was when we were headed to Vermont.

The days are getting shorter, and we see leaves changing colors, and not just in northern Vermont.  We love the change of seasons, but we will miss summer.

Love from up here.