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We took a trip up to Field Farm in Williamstown a few weeks ago.
Field Farm is 300 acres of fields, woods and wetlands owned and operated by the Trustees of Reservations of Massachusetts. The path winds around the property for about 2-4 miles depending upon which loops you take.
There are two modernist homes on the property: the one on the right is the Guest House you can stay in for $200-300 a night. The Folly, on the left, is open for tours June – October.
It was pretty quiet the day we were there – only one other family walking, and one car at the B&B.
This fall has been spotty up here; the color was stalled on some trees and on others the leaves fell before they could turn. So by mid-October, a third of the trees had color, a third were still green, and a third were completely bare. Now it’s November and we got a foot of snow last week.
I guess that means we better get mulching.
More on Field Farm here.
More on the Guest House here.
Almost four years living upstate and we’d never been to Mt. Greylock.
We picked a perfect day to make our first visit.
Next time, we’ll bring our hiking boots.
Two weekends ago, I popped into a new store in Lenox called Local. Local is filled with beautiful items handmade by local artisans including jewelry, pottery, knitwear, art, kitchen linens and more. The displays are tasteful and the store is well curated. Each artist gets a little card noting where they live/work, a short bio, and their contact information. You really get the feeling owner Michele O’Hana cares as much about showcasing the artist as she does the art.
Here’s a few pics I found on their website – I’ve got my eye on some Lauren Mundy pottery and a pair of Naomi Blumenthal hosta earrings.
Antler candlesticks, Michele O’Hana, Lenox, MA
Porcelin tableware, Michele O’Hana, Lenox, MA
Letter press cards, Beech Tree Studio, Old Chatham, NY
Glass tumblers, Tom Stoenner (Rhinebeck, NY)
Jewelry, Naomi Blumenthal
The store is not in downtown Lenox, it’s on Route 7 in the shopping center where Pine Cone Hill used to be. I hope they get the foot traffic they deserve. It’s a great spot for holiday gift shopping.
More Local here.
If you live in the area and like to shop local for the holidays, this weekend is your kickoff. Typically I scoop up my Christmas gifts from etsy, but this year I’m going to see what I can find in my own backyard.
Here’s what’s going on this weekend. Now I just have to decide which events to hit.
-
Germain’s open house in Great Barrington (vintage and industrial home goods)
- Ferrin Gallery’s Small Works and Print Fair in Pittsfield
- Berkshire Grown’s Holiday Market in Great Barrington and Williamstown (foods from over sixty local farmers and food producers)
- IS183 Art School’s annual sale in Stockbridge (ceramics, fine art, photography, jewelry, textiles, etc.)
- Pittsfield Contemporary’s screening of the street art prankster documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop in Pittsfield.
Okay, so this isn’t holiday or shopping related, but it’s happening and I’ve been curious since the slate.com culture gabfest discussion this summer.
Yay! My design world meets my real world in this design*sponge post. They did a pretty great round-up of places to eat, visit, and stay in The Berkshires. I left a little note in the comments giving a shout out to a few places mentioned – most of which you can find right here on my blog. I love to see the area generate excitement among young like-minded folks, especially savvy d*s readers.
What did they leave out? Any comments of your own?
We should campaign for a Columbia County guide next. Hudson alone deserves a guide.
I’ve rounded up some recent shout-outs to Columbia and Berkshire County.
There seems to be a Pittsfield/Hudson-as-Brooklyn trend growing. I don’t know if I’d go that far, or even that direction. But it makes a good pull quote, I suppose.
- Time for a place in the country? (NYTimes, October 1, 2010)
- “According to the New York State Association of Realtors, the number of resales of single-family homes (which includes primary residences as well as second homes) in Columbia County was up 36.3 percent the first half of this year compared with the first half of 2009, and prices edged up 4.1 percent during that period.”
- Davistudio on remodelista. Anuj and I unintentionally drove by davistudio a few weeks ago. I think I squealed when I saw the sign.
- Musicians find Hudson: “Just a smaller version of Brooklyn” (Where Bands Feel at Home, NYTimes)
- Pittsfield: “The Brooklyn of the Berkshires” (Financial Times, September 11, 2010)
- Stylist Peter Frank’s Hudson Home (House Beautiful, October 2010 – I will be posting more pics of this amazing house soon)
Homesteaders 