Dollz and thingz

Weekend contrasts....

We were off to the Berkshires again this past weekend. We found ourselves high up on a mountain road with a steep descent through the woods. It was dark and primeval with many waterfalls, tall pines and a reservoir--beautiful but very remote. My husband will always chose a country road over a highway and I was glad that he did.

When we emerged from this road, there was a lovely old church surrounded by a huge field that was bathed in sunlight. It was quite a contrast from the woods! There were only two or three farms nearby in the extremely rural neighborhood with it's wide open field at the base of the mountain.

These artistic and pretty windows were a serendipitous find. Once can only imagine the expense windows like this might have been in a rural farming community in the late 1800's.

This mural, on the other hand, is in right in the middle of Northampton, MA, which in busy college town with a huge population. The sidewalk cafes and restaurants were filled with people enjoying the very warm Sunday morning on the sidewalk.

This was painted in the 80's, a hundred years after that rural church was built. The mural was restored a few years ago and celebrates women.

This what makes new England so interesting: the juxtaposition of the very old and the new. I never tire of the contrasts or taking photos of them.

Today there will be no traveling or photo taking....but I will have these sights to remember and keep me company as dig through mountains of housework and laundry and other domestic stuff. Women's lives have changed a great deal in a hundred years, but I think laundry and housework are with us for perpetuity.

Enjoy this spring day.