Inaugural Museums, Main Streets, and Meandering Tour

For the longest time, I’ve been daydreaming of a weeks-long trip into New England to see all the things I’d love to see in one swoop instead of running up and back any number of times. I have a short list of sights to visit, and started to map out possible hotels and B&Bs that could be home base for a few day trips. I’ve called it my Museums, Main Streets and Meandering Tour to capture that I want to take in a bunch of museums and historical sites (and mansions!), shop some lovely small-town Main Street galleries, and meander to appreciate the many natural wonders.

I got a test-run of that last weekend when I went to visit my cousin Gerri in Frederick, Maryland. Gerri was the consummate host, from having hotel-level touches in the guest room and bath, to scoping out great restaurants, to planning our activities. These consisted of a museum, a historical Main Street, and a lot of gorgeous fall vistas and hiking trails to meander.

Museum

We visited Glenstone, which is a philanthropic project of Emily and Mitch Rales and the largest private contemporary art museum in the United States. The artwork was modern and eclectic, and just as interesting, the galleries and sculptural artwork were scattered around a 230-acre property. We spent several hours enjoying a long walk and a lot of art-gawking.

The most amazing piece was one by Richard Serra, Four Rounds, Equal Weight, Unequal Measure, which displayed four cylindrical columns of differing height and width, but the same mass – all made entirely of steel and truly massive, 80 tons each (!!!). The docent told us that they were built in Germany, shipped to New York City for a display, then aged outside in New Jersey before being installed in the customized building on site. They are so massive that they had to close the George Washington Bridge (New York to New Jersey) when they passed over because the truck accounted for the maximum weight limit on the bridge.

“Everything we choose in life for its lightness soon reveals its unbearable weight.” ~ Richard Serra

I was struck by the fact that this artist had the kind of cache to require all these details for artwork that frankly doesn’t look like it should garner all that attention. I mean, it’s cool, but it’s four brown monoliths in a stark gray building. I’m afraid I don’t “get” modern art the way some do. (Emily told me once when she was young that I was just supposed to enjoy it, not try to understand it.) Since I’ve returned home, I watched the video that talked about his work and it was interesting to hear what was intended.

Perhaps not surprisingly, I am moved by the quotation from the artist that I posted above. I’m a person who appreciates words more than art, I suppose. The quote feels poetic to me and contains deep truth in just a sentence. The easy-at-hand things in life give deep meaning and purpose – my family and friends; the wonder of nature – waves crashing, breeze rustling autumn leaves, sunshine lighting up puffy clouds; and the profound insight found in books, in their stories and in the ideas they capture and in the skilled use of language. These common experiences often exert a pull on me that won’t let go. Lightness yet weight. But I digress.

They also had an exhibit by Ellsworth Kelly, who interestingly was one of the artists at “The Slip” – the New York City enclave that bolstered a small group of artists in the 50s and 60s. I heard about that story at the History Book Festival in Lewes in September, and it’s the one book I took home (still on my shelf to read). Small world!

Four Rounds, Equal Weight, Unequal Measure, by Richard Serra || Glenstone walking paths on a gorgeous fall day || Giant chia-pet sheep with Gerri in front

Main Streets

I was so excited when Gerri suggested we go to Harpers Ferry! I have seen Harpers Ferry (West Virginia) perched up on the hills next to the train tracks during all my travels to Florida and it looked kinda cool – a bit of a climb, it would seem, but still a place I wanted to see. It is an historic town, especially renowned in the Civil War era. It was the site of John Brown’s raid on the US armory, and of such strategic importance that it changed hands many times during the war. The National Park Service has preserved the buildings which give it a bygone-days feel. We had a lovely lunch, and stopped in some of the little stores and the Catholic Church high on the hill as we walked around.

We also walked up to the overlook to see the meeting of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, which is beautiful. But that confluence is also the cause of devastating floods in 1996 which I recall hearing about on the news – and it interrupted train travel for a bit as well.

Harpers Ferry

Our Main Streets tours spanned from historical to revitalized. Downtown Frederick – the other “Main Street” we visited – is just charming. It has a shallow flood-control canal right through the center that is lined with wide brick walkways and trees. The surrounding buildings are all brick and quite colonial-looking. (Didn’t have my camera with me.) Quite the ambiance. We had a nice dinner there on Friday night.

Meandering

Gerri’s corner of the world is right on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains. It’s got great views of farmland, forests, rivers, and mountains – and many of these were still displaying some fall glory. Whether in the car, or hiking a bit on foot, I got to see Frederick’s environs and enjoy long conversations with Gerri. We chatted about all sorts of things, never running out of topics to talk about. Gerri and I have known each other her entire life, of course, and we have recently taken to chatting by phone and meeting up for lunch on occasion. But we’ve tracked each other’s lives through various family events and bulletins and actively reconnected in the last few years. It’s lovely to engage with each other as adults now (and semi-retired ones at that).

At Great Falls

And the pottery studio

Gerri and her husband are co-owners and operators of a pottery studio in Harpers Ferry which is beyond cool. Who knew there were so many different kinds of kilns? The studio also has workrooms, lots of supplies, and a large classroom building for initiating new crafters. And how energizing to have a small group of members to learn from each other and with whom to share your accomplishments! It would be cool if writers had such things. That’s why the Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild, of which I have become a member, holds free-writes and readings. We “creatives” like to hang with one another!

Dennis is the master potter in the family, but Gerri is getting into it as well. The studio has a small sales gallery that I wandered through. Funny that the mugs that caught my attention were ones that Dennis had made (and they gifted a pair to me)! He also made the bowls I have decided will be my new set of pasta bowls (custom made). I’ve not even moved into the condo, and I’m already getting new things for it!

A toast to the host!

All in all, I had a fabulous weekend, and I’m sure Gerri would say the same. (Dennis had a good weekend, too, but it was dedicated to running a kiln firing all night Saturday.) I will look forward to a return trip. And I can’t wait to host Gerri and Dennis at my condo. I’ll have to up my hosting game to do so properly; Gerri set a high bar.

Many thanks, Gerri! It was just the weekend I needed: perfect weather, fun adventures, great food, and – most importantly – fabulous company. Love you!