Drive from Boston to Provincetown

DRIVE from BOSTON to PROVINCETOWN, MA

A. Paul & I headed back to the Cape late afternoon after taking care of some business in Boston.  The late day sun created deep shadows amidst the city's buildings and spectacular illusions with the blanket of clouds in the west.

As we drew closer to the Cape, the familiar landscape, bridges, and light of the sky created a warm welcoming feeling for our return home.  The sun was setting as we passed through Wellfleet, capturing a spectacular show of color reflecting off the water. 

We rolled into Provincetown just as the last light of the sky was reflecting across the Cape Cod Bay with the town's skyline in the background. The lights of the Pilgrim Monument acted as a beacon across the familiar landscape.

Tomorrow, I will share my last closing thoughts and provide some information on the Art in Provincetown, the oldest continuous art colony in the country, in an effort to share our small part of paradise to those who shared yours with us.

 I leave you this evening with images of our drive and the beautiful color we experienced during our ride to Provincetown, MA



DRIVE FROM BOSTON to PROVINCETOWN

Good Morning from Boston

Thank you to those of you who have sent messages acknowledging the approaching end to the Art Tour Across America. 

Please look for one or two more posts--Art in Provincetown and conclusion remarks and images that close our tour.  We thank those who have gone the distance with us on our travels; your comments are and were so appreciated as it kept us feeling as if our friends were traveling with us.

Have a wonderful day and hope you will take some time to check in with the blog later.

Saratoga to Boston, MA via Albany, NY

DRIVE from SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY to BOSTON, MA

Hudson River & Albany, NY

It was a gorgeous sunny day for A. Paul's & my drive to Boston, MA.  The approach to I-90 (Mass Pike) provided a wonderful view of the Hudson River with a glimpse of Albany's skyline. 

Along the interstate, the landscape was waking up from a long winter, with remants of cascading ice floes frozen to the side of the road.  The sunlight casting through the woods created abstract shadows beckoning to be photographed.

The short 3 hour drive from Saratoga Springs, NY to Boston, MA permitted us to arrive in Boston with the city illuminated in afternoon light.  The view of two sailboats in the Charles River was almost too perfect against the city's skyline.



"The Fog Warning" Winslow Homer
artwork in Art of the Americas wing at MFA

Though we would like to stay and explore the city further,tomorrow, we must head to Provincetown.  Until then,  I leave you tonight with the link to Boston's Museum of Fine Art which is a definite must see when planning a visit to historic Boston.  http://www.mfa.org/  The newest wing, the Art of the Americas Wing, has rave reviews and is on the top of our list to see when we next return to Boston, but you can read more about this centerpiece expansion and its collections at http://www.mfa.org/americas-wing/?q=thenewmfa.



Boston Museum of Fine Art



 Beyond the MFA, Boston offers an array of visual and performing arts  when visiting the city.  To explore the many sides of Boston's historic and contemporary venues you can visit http://www.cityofboston.gov/visitors/ or http://www.bostonusa.com/visit .



DRIVE from SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY to BOSTON, MA

Arts in Saratoga Springs, NY

ARTS in SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY

More commonly known as Saratoga, Saratoga Springs, New York hosts some of the best attended art venues in the Capital Region of upstate New York.

The permanent settlement of Saratoga occurred in 1776 after a British soldier, fighting in the French Indian Wars,  was brought by Native American Indians to the healing springs of Saratoga. It was not long before a vibrant trade business and hotel trade began to develop around the infamous springs, starting with the first hotel built by Gideon Putman still in existence today. With the progress of trade and infrastructure the settlement grew into a formal township and, in 1819, Saratoga Springs was officially established. Not long after, in 1863, the country's first horse track was built in its current location providing the basis for further growth of the town. Today, the racing season in August brings multitudes of  horse afficiandos to Saratoga Springs. 

SPAC amphitheater

Saratoga also offers a host a number of diverse entertainment venues other than its race track, such as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), located in the park,  and Saratoga Arts Center, located in downtown.   SPAC, founded in 1961, hosts live performing arts and festivals such as the jazz festival, symphonies, ballets, and contemporary music concerts throughout the year. http://www.spac.org/   

Organized in 1986, Saratoga Arts Center offers its community diverse workshops, art education, art placement programs, a gift shop and exhibit gallery and is a core sponsor for events such as Saratoga's New Years First Night festival  http://saratoga-arts.org/    In addition to the Arts Center, the main downtown street, Broadway, offers four additional galleries featuring the works of local, regional and international artists.

Beekman Street Gallery

A more recent development in the arts of Saratoga is nearby Beekman Street's Art District. Beelman's Street turn-of-the-century homes have been converted into Saratoga's art district with several bistros, artists coops, and artist studios to offer its visitors along with a calendar of events such as Arti Gras (April) and first Saturday Art Walks. http://www.saratoga.com/HotSpot_Beekman-Street.cfm 

Throughout Saratoga are several museums.  The Saratoga Museum houses historical relics and documentation of Saratoga's founding http://www.saratoga-museum.com/.  The National Museum of Dance located in Saratoga is the country's only museum solely committed to the history of dance http://www.saratoga-museum.com/   There is also the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame http://www.racingmuseum.net/  ,  the New York State Military Museum http://dmna.state.ny.us/historic/mil-hist.htm and Saratoga Auto Museum http://saratogaautomuseum.org/. 

At nearby Skidmore College, one can attend numerous lectures and view special exhibits at the Tang Teaching Museum http://tang.skidmore.edu/index.php/ , which I had the pleasure of attending the opening of the Alumni Invitational exhibit this afternoon.  The exhibit incorporated innovative pieces such as welded coin functional furniture, mixed media collage works, and photography.  The upstairs level housed a special African themed exhibit showcasing works that explored the interrelationship of humans and their impact upon their environments.

Though Saratoga was once considered a "summer town", it has over the years developed the foundations for being a more year round destination with a host of activites, outdoors and indoors, to offer its visitors.  It is definitely a town worth putting on your "must see" list when traveling to New York state.

Tomorrow, A. Paul & I head to Boston then, alas, Monday we arrive back to Provincetown.  I leave you this evening scenes of Saratoga with a few images from the opening exhibit at the Tang Museum.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY

Drive from Jamestown to Saratoga Springs, NY

DRIVE from JAMESTOWN to SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY

A. Paul & I set off on in the morning with Jamestown covered in a layer of ice.  The temperature was 27 degrees and the sun struggled to break through a layer of clouds as vast as a sea. 

As we continued our drive towards Corning, NY, the sun finally broke through casting light across the freshly snowcovered landscape.  Snow clung trees in pristine fields of snow provided us a winter wonderland for the remainder of our drive, especially enhancing the small town of Corning's downtown main street where we made a brief detour.

Corning is home to the Corning Museum of Glass which showcases one of the world's largest glass collections depicting over 3500 years of glassmaking. http://www.cmog.org/  In addition to its historical coverage of glassmaking, Corning also showcases new, innovative glassmaking in its Glass Innovation Center and an extensive contemporary glass arts gallery.  It is definitely worth creating a visit to Corning to see the town and the museum.

We continued our drive on to Saratoga Springs, NY, where long time friend, Dr. Olney, extended his hospitatlity for our next two days' visit to the area. 

I will continue to share links to the arts scene in Saratoga before parting to Boston on Sunday and home to Provincetown, MA on Monday.



DRIVE from JAMESTOWN to SARATOGA

Portage, Indiana to Jamestown, NY

DRIVE from Portage, Indiana to Jamestown, NY

A. Paul & I continued our drive through bucolic landscapes across Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and into New York.  At times, barns sat high on rolling hills, and other times amidst flat, vast fields. 

As we approached Cleveland, Ohio,  located along Lake Erie, the transition to growing congestion on the roadway and a fog cloaked skyline was jarring to the serenity of the past few days and our morning drive. The rain, which we finally caught up to, simply added a mystical quality to the flat light draped over the scenery.  Rain turned to snow as we approached New York just as the day's light was growing dim.  With the safety of the growing dark, herds of deer could be spotted in the far away hillside, taking advantage of the melting snow running through the fields.

With the last of the light of the day, we arrived into Jamestown, NY, home to lumber mills, Chautauqua Lake and several local museums,  one of which depicts the life of Lucille Ball, native of Jamestown http://www.lucy-desi.com/.  Should you plan a trip this way, another museum of  interest in Jamestown is the Fenton History Center http://www.fentonhistorycenter.org/   

The Prendergast Library, named after Jamestown;s founding family, is also of interest as it acts as one of the town' venues for art display and houses an extensive group of literature on the area.  http://www.prendergastlibrary.org/

Tomorrow, the snow is expected to stay with us as we continue our drive onto Saratoga Springs, NY and then onto Boston on Sunday. Until tomorrow's post, I hope that you enjoy our drive of the day.

From PORTAGE, INDIANA to JAMESTOWN, NY

Farms & Barns: Lincoln, Nebraska to Portage, Indiana

DRIVE from LINCOLN, NEBRASKA to PORTAGE, INDIANA

The day truly was a day of farms and barns with the exception of brief excursions around the bigger cities, such as Davenport.

A. Paul & I left Lincoln under gray skies and a forecast of thunderstorms & lightening.  The rain never materialized but the sky remained gray most of our drive with an occasional appearance of the sun casting light across the many freshly tilled fields of Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and finally Indiana.  As we drove past the many farms, it was impossible not to be captivated by the new and rustic barns that dotted the landscape; each with its own personality and unspoken history. Seeing all the tilled fields, it was easy to develop an appreciation for the farmers that dedicate their lives to the land and its way of life.

Upon our evening arrival in Portage, Indiana, we picked up literature on Northern Indiana's art scene which we will make sure to put on our next trip list.  It is unfortunate that these next days will be dedicated to driving but we will still attempt to share what we discover about arts in the areas in which we drive.

Northern Indiana's Art & Earth Trail encompasses  seven loops incorporating areas from Lake Michigan and the Indiana Dunes to inland lakes, past Notre Dame, and the Amish countryside.  You can visit the published guide to the arts across Northern Indiana at http://www.artandearthtrail.com/ .  It has been shared by one of our blog followers, who is also an artist, that Carmel, Indiana also has a strong dedication to the arts and is considered the premier Mid West Arts & Design destination.  You can find out more on the arts scene in Carmel at http://carmelartsanddesign.com/  

Tomorrow we continue our drive to Erie, PA.  Until then, I leave you with our farm & barn slideshow.

DRIVE from LINCOLN to PORTAGE