Once again up and breakfast at Yankee Inn. Today sausage instead of bacon, but otherwise all the same. Deb enjoys her bagel and peanut butter while I add a hard boiled egg to the mix. All 21 of us seem to have survived the evening and are rarin’ to go at 9:30 for our penultimate day of the trip.
We head out on a sunny morning towards Naumkaeg, the family home of the John Choate family, located in Stockbridge. Choate was a very high powered attorney and eventually Ambassador to England at the turn of the 20th century. He was received in Great Britain by Queen Victoria, attended her funeral and also the coronation of Edward in his diplomatic position. His brother was the founder of the famous Choate boys school.
This shingled cottage was completed in 1903 but it’s current state, both of the home and the fabulous gardens, were the result of the care of his daughter, Mabel Choate. She owned the “cottage” for 38 years and is responsible for all the preservation. She had the foresight to deed the property over to trustees prior to her death in 1958 and her bequest included all the furnishings and contents of the home, together with the grounds and a $1,000,000 endowment.
Consequently, this home is preserved as it was left in 1958, including all of Mabel’s collections from her world travel and all the decorative touches and furnishings she treasured. All is well preserved, and the home looks as if it is still occupied. Quite a feat. The grounds and gardens are also stunning, being designed by Mabel and her garden designer Fletcher Steele. Steele actually served on the Board of Trustees for years following Mabel’s death and so was able to preserve his designs for posterity.
We leave Naumkeag and stop at a Brewery/Restaurant for a lunch of a burger and a pint and then head into Lenox to view The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home. Wharton designed this home herself and it was completed in 1902. Whereas Naumkeag was a 44 room shingled “cottage”, The Mount is a balanced whitewashed stone mansion somewhat reminiscent of a balanced federalist style home.
In this instance, Wharton only lived here for 11 years before moving to France and living the last 26 years of her life there. As she sold the home and it was eventually tenanted by a girls school, all the furnishings and appointments on view are recreations. Even so, it is a marvellous, light filled mansion of unusual layout. Again the gardens and grounds are stunning, even though the season is changing. The view over the lawns to the pond is dramatic, and a walk through the garden “rooms” very delightful.
We hop back into the coach and return to the Yankee Inn for a clothing change, a cocktail in the bar (which the hotel opened just for our group as it is normally not open except on the weekends) and then back into Stockbridge to dinner at the Red Lion Inn. This hotel and restaurant has been on site at this coaching corner of Stockbridge since 1797. Although not the original structure, due to a fire in the late 19th century, it continues as a prime example of Berkshires /Adirondack hostelry. There is a wide porch surrounding the 100 room structure with rocking chairs filled with guests.
The restaurant was very good, and meals such as braised lamb on rice, mussels on wild Indian rice, scallops with Fargo large and peppers, and trout on a bed of rice. Wine was fine and evidently the desserts were a treat. We assemble again for the quick trip back to Lenox and Yankee Inn, sated, sighted and ready to rest for our final day.
