Spring Fling 2026 - Day 44: More History Enroute to Friends in Vermont

We left the RV at Otto's place in Jaffrey, NH and drove the Honda CR-V the 3 hours or so north into Vermont.  

Enroute, we visited a few places.

First was the Saint-Gauden National Historic Park.  Run by the National Park Service, the site is dedicated to the Gilded Age sculptor: Augustus Saint-Gauden.  I'll be the first to admit I'd never heard of the man, but I do like his work!

The realism and sense of motive created in his work is quite striking and one can see why he acquired the fame and following he enjoyed.

Admiral Farragut

"Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead!"

Across from the admiral above, there's a small reflection pool with Golden Turtles acting as water fountains.

We toured Saint-Gauden home, very nice.  Sorry, but nothing eye-catching to me within.

Next was his studio, here's the long bas-relief mural over the entrance:

Diana of the Tower, a smaller version of the original sculpture that once stood atop the tower on the Madison Square Garden, in NY.  Diana was the Roman Goddess of the Hunt.

Victory, this winged statue was originally conceived as part of the Sherman Monument in New York City.

Saint-Gauden Studio

One of his more famous, and to me, striking works:  the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, he commanded the 54th Massachusetts Regiment in the US Civil War.  One of the first African American Regiments.  

We next headed over to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Historical Park.  The site seems to educate the visitor on the birth of Nature Conservation and Preservation for future generations.  

The land was once exploited for its lumber resources, as was most of Early America, and the damage through erosion and such inspire the early efforts to repair and learn to balance the use of resources with future conservancy uses.

The 1885 version of the mansion

The efforts of Marsh (diplomat), Billings (Lawyer and namesake for Billings, Mt, and Laurance Rockefeller); all tied together by sequential ownership of this land, helped educate and pave the way for similar efforts nationwide along with such regulations as the Clean Water Act which came much later.

The mansion's interiors showcased the wealth which allowed the conservancy efforts:

Sunset in Yellowstone 

Next stop was a farmer's market were we picked up sandwiches and sodas for lunch at a small town park nearby. 

After lunch, we went to the Simon Pearce Glass Blowing Workshop in the town of Quechee, VT.  Along The way we saw a couple of covered bridges:

I believe part of the large power demands of the glass furnaces is provided by a generator that is powered by the waterfall next door.

Simon Pearce back in the beginning....

The offerings of glass items were nice but a bit pricey for us.  Once we were finished with the glassware place, we headed to Adamant, VT to visit with friends who have moved there from Colorado.

Will be in Vermont for the next two nights, returning to New Hampshire on Saturday evening.

Spring Fling 2026: Days 41 - 42 Visiting Friends in New Hampshire

Monday, Jun 8

We got to the small town of Jaffrey, NH shortly after noon after Martha perused the contents of the Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield, MA.  (I didn't go in, electing instead to repair a broken wire in the tow lights).

I've known Otto B. since the summer of 1981 while we were both ROTC cadets at the University of Miami, FL.  He and the lovely Joanna live in a gorgeous old home that was built in 1864 and which has been refurbished by them.

Tuesday, June 9

Otto guided us in the Honda CR-V to nearby Temple, NH to check out the offerings of Ben's Sugar Shack.  Specializing in New Hampshire Maple Syrup but also quite the foodie destination!

You can check out some of the distilling? machinery used to convert sap to sugary syrup:

Samples of last year's and this year's "crop" of maple syrup:

Maple Syrup and such were procured for eventual comparison to Vermont Maple Syrup.

Next was a short drive to the Miller State Park, New Hampshire's first State Park and what used to be the highest motorable road to the top of Pack Monadnock Mountain. 

It was a short but steep drive up a narrow paved road, the Honda CR-V was working hard.  Still, the top was achieved with no issues.  It was a hazy day so this is the best picture I could get of Mount Monadnock in the distance.

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We climbed to the bottom of the observation shack (it was locked) to look around but the haze made pictures not worthwhile.

We would also spend time perusing the shops and a nice bookstore in Peterborough, NH after a nice lunch at the Irish Pub located there in.  The town is apparently a popular weekend destination for New York City dwellers and according to Otto, highly yuppiefied 

Later, after naps back in Jeffrey, we motored to the town of Keene where Joanna works to say hi and have drinks.  

No dinner, just snacks at two different bars as we were still full from lunch. The second bar had a cool " speakeasy" theme.  You had to pick up the public phone outside and then gain entrance to the "Shoe Store".

The inside was a cozy, nicely decorated bar with a couple of friendly and highly skilled bartenders.  

Photo by Martha 

Photo by Martha

We were all tired and so retired soon after returning to Otto's home in Jaffrey.

Spring Fling 2026 - Day 40: Norman Rockwell Museum

The plan was to drive to Stockbridge, MA and tour the Norman Rockwell Museum.

No issues driving along the NY Thruway and then onto the Mass Pike.

We got to the NRM, Norman Rockwell Museum, shortly after opened at 10:00 a.m.  after disconnecting The CRV so I could back the motorhome into a bus spot, we went over to the new museum:

Martha and I are fans of Norman Rockwell, so be warned, lots of pictures of his artwork follows: 

I believe this is the first cover he did for the Saturday Evening Post:

Boy with Baby. Carriage 

He illustrated I believe 323 covers for the Saturday Evening Post over his career, these are the ones that caught my eye: 

Hero's Welcome

He showed America's fascination with automobiles:

Speeding Along

Little Spooners or Sunset

Doctor and the Doll

Blank Canvas or Deadline

Package from Home

Willie Gillis in Church

Some soldier is in trouble:

Double Trouble for Willie Gillis

Disabled Veteran 

Willie Gillis Generations

Homecoming Marine

The Homecoming 

Coming and Going

I like the embarrassment evident in the son's face as he gets "the talk":

The Facts of Life

The Runaway

Family Tree

The last cover....

We then wandered through the rest of the museum which was showcasing mostly his artwork but also some other artists as well.  It was also the second day of a special exhibit related to the 250th anniversary of American Independence.

Again, here is the artwork that caught my eye: 

Painting the Fence

Yankee Doodle Sketch

The New Tavern Sign

Home from Vacation 

Stockbridge Main Street on Christmas 

Visiting Hours by

Amos Sewell

Audibon Observing the Passenger Pigeon 

The following painting by Rockwell really resonates with me:

Glen Canyon Dam

FDRs famous Four Freedoms speech inspired Norman Rockwell to depict them thus:

Freedom of Worship 

Freedom of Speech

Freedom from Fear

Freedom from Want

The Lineman

Veterans of Two Wars

United Nations 

The Golden Rule 

Refugee Thanksgiving 

Outside in the museum's lush grounds, is Norman Rockwell's studio, transplanted from its original location to its present site:

We didn't have a tour appointment of course so we just peeked in one of the windows:

A tour of Stockbridge's main street ended with us finding more of Norman Rockwell's artwork within:

Voyager

The Collector 

Shuffleton's Barber Shop

After we picked up the motorhome again, We headed over to the town of Westfield, MA to the Harvest Host location we are overnighting in: Bright Ideas Brewing Co.

Dinner was pizza and beer:

Tomorrow, New Hampshire!