I barely know where to begin! So I will take it in
chronological order.
When I left off, I was bemoaning all the rain. Fortunately,
it ended in Sharon on Friday evening, so we were not drenched going to Dina and
family for dinner. We awoke Saturday to the beginning of what was a beautiful
day. After synagogue, we had lunch at the home of some friends. This was not
just a lunch, but a celebration known as Sheva
Brachot. The traditional Jewish wedding is much more than just one big
party; it is a week full of parties! Every night for the first week after the
wedding, friends and relatives gather to enjoy a festive meal and repeat the
seven blessings that are said as part of the marriage ceremony – seven blessings
for seven days. To be fair, it is an exhausting experience for the young couple
who is going to every one of the parties, but it is great fun if you just go to
one, because rather than the 300+ guests who attended the wedding in a large
hall, this was in a private home with only about 30 people, all of whom, except
the bride’s parents, we have known for years. A few friends had prepared an
amazing feast that was both creative and delicious. There was singing and
lively conversation. We were honored to be included and so glad we could be
there to celebrate with our friends.
If that wasn’t enough fun, after lunch we headed over to
Dina’s house to pick up Ella and bring her back to our apartment for some play
time, dinner, and a sleep-over. Neither Barry nor I had realized until Ella
pointed it out that this was the first time she slept over at our apartment by
herself, without her big brother, but although she expressed some trepidation,
she did just fine. We embarked on a new 695-piece Lego set we had bought
recently, completing a little less than half of the construction. Then we had a
light dinner, we read, we played a few games, and she finally went to sleep
around 9. The next morning Barry made pancakes. Ella is such a charming and
easy-going person, always a joy to have with us. We hope to do this again soon.
On Sunday, Dina and Aaron took the children on a family
bicycle ride, Simmie and Ronen and children had gone up to Cedarhurst for the
weekend to visit with Ronen’s family, and Barry and I had tickets for a concert
at Tanglewood. The weather was just amazing – bright sunshine and comfortably
warm with low humidity. It was an all-Beethoven program:
The Boston Symphony
Association of Volunteers Concert
Boston Symphony
Orchestra
Christian Zacharias,
conductor and piano
ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM
Coriolan
Overture
Piano
Concerto No. 2
Symphony
No. 6, Pastoral
We packed a picnic lunch and arrived at Tanglewood early. We
had bought seats in what they call “the shed,” but the weather was so beautiful
that we ended up just sitting out on the grass in the little lounge chairs we
usually take to the beach. One of things we enjoy most about going to
Tanglewood is watching the amazingly elaborate picnics that some of the
concertgoers bring on carts from the parking lot. They can include such
niceties as glass wine goblets and flowers in vases set on little tables (with
linens) they bring and assemble. It is a whole huge production! If we went more
often I could really see us accumulating such things. Unfortunately, it is sort
of in the middle of nowhere, and although we like to pretend it is “on the way
home” to New York, in fact it adds quite a lot of total driving time.
Besides the perfect weather and the fabulous music, one
other thing went really well this time. When we go to concerts at Tanglewood, we
usually stay over after the concert in a hotel or bed and breakfast rather than
trying to do the whole drive in one day. The traffic back towards New York on a
summer Sunday evening can be quite exasperating. But short of spending half the national debt,
and even once when we did, we have not been all that happy with the places where
we have stayed. Barry recently read some good reviews on Trip Advisor of a Hampton
Inn in Lenox, just a few minutes from Tanglewood. We were fortunately able to book
a room when we called on Friday (by Saturday night when Barry tried, just out
of curiosity, they were fully booked), and this place was quite a pleasant
surprise. It was clean and roomy and not too outrageously expensive. I am
hesitant to tell you all about it because the next time we may have a harder
time booking a room on short notice! But it is always tricky with Tanglewood,
because although there is the shed, it just is not all that much fun to go when
the weather is dreary.
This morning we got up, had some breakfast, and began the
trip home to New York. It was another glorious day, and we just did not want to
waste it. So we drove somewhat out of our way to Hyde Park, NY to visit the
home of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the museum and library there. We had expected
this would be an hour at the most. Well, nearly four hours later we were still
engrossed in the exhibit but we had to tear ourselves away to head home. It is extremely
well done, with different rooms for different periods of his life and
presidency, many short films to watch along the way, and a wealth of historical
detail. This, like Tanglewood, is a bit of an out-of-the-way place, but if you
find yourself driving north from New York along the Hudson River, Barry and I
highly recommend it. It will be a wonderful place to take the grandchildren
when they are a bit older and can appreciate the history.
One last thing before I close this posting. My friend Joanne
called today, excited to tell me that she heard the results of the recent Money
Magazine’s survey of the “Best Places to Live,” and Sharon, Massachusetts was
#1! Check it out at
Meanwhile, have a wonderful week!
Love,
Rebecca
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