As easy as falling off a bicycle

There's a really nice bike trail on a former railroad track near Pittsfield. Chris discovered it last year and had been wanting to try it out ever since. Fortunately, we didn't have any bikes in Otis and the one Chris inherited from Scott, was safely locked away in the basement in NY. Safely, because she couldn't find the key for the impregnable Kryptonite lock (no, I did not throw it away!). I haven't had a bike since I was 12!

You can probably tell where this is leading; because after a recent, stay at a Inn in Rhode Island we encountered not only another rail trail, but a shed filled with bicycles! After an initial trial run, Chris embarrassed me into coming out for a ride with her. It was a lot of fun! Needless to say, after that it wasn't long before I was sure that I really needed a bike of my own! AND, buying a bicycle seemed like a good comprise given the other options of a kayak or a rather large rowing boat Chris recently fell in love with. So, I decided to take the plunge so to speak--nothing fancy mind you. Comfortable hybrids with big seats and shocks and the all important hand brakes.

With our cycles loaded on the rack this past weekend, we set off for the trail. We started out slowly (or at least I did) practicing starting, stopping and steering. Stopping seems to be my big problem. I just can't get the timing right and have a tendency to precarious dismounts. The first day I was doing fine until Chris stopped in front of me, and over I went in the gravel; on my knee. It looked worse than it was. Unfortunately, we hadn't thought to take a first aid kit; fortunately, we were only about a block away from the car. The next day we went out again. This time with gloves, helmet and the first aid kit. I carefully practiced the big three (above) and off we went. Four miles into the trip, we prudently decided to not overdo it and turned back. Although there are no cars to worry about on the trail, no one told us about the flocks of geese who, like some drivers, "think they own the road". In this case, they were blocking the path with no intention of moving despite oncoming traffic--both the wheeled kind and people on foot! My indecision about stopping caused me to spill over and ruin my other knee--OUCH! Fortunately, this time we were ready--we had the first aid kit. Unfortunately, the ride back to the car was a little over three miles.

It's taken only three days for me to be able to walk normally again and my scabby knees resemble the war wounds of an active 6 year old. Chris says I won't have to ride again for another week. I'll keep you posted.

Good News and Bad News

The last couple of weeks has provided us with a classic examples of how things can change and catch you off guard.

Two weeks ago we were in the Berkshires with Scott and Jory - gardening and installing "Scott's Folly", a 100 inch projection TV in our converted sun-porch. We were watching it last night, and it is the best TV picture I have ever seen. On the other, hand we had to convert the sun-porch into a "Viewing Room" with shades on the windows and skylights. We also upgraded our satellite to HD. We generally don't watch much TV but we are world-class for Wii-Bowling! Funny how a 'younger generation' can influence your environment.

Anyway, the weather was perfect and we went to one of our old standbys, Cafe Lucia in Lenox and sat out on the porch for dinner. We had a lovely table but the service was awful, and the food very ordinary. Christina put a note on the bill that service had been very slow. The next week Jim Lucie, the owner called to apologize. He was upset with our disappointment and offered to send us a gift certificate to try the restaurant again. We were very pleased by his quick and sincere response and will try it again before the summer is over.

Cafe Lucia

80 Church St. (bet. Franklin & Housatonic Sts.)
Lenox, MA

413-637-2640

On the other hand, Rouge Restaurant and Bistro in West Stockbridge had been one of our favorites since it opened a little over three years ago. It's owned by a young couple, William and Maggy Merrelle and their two kids, Luca and Arlo. He's the chef, she's the front of the house. We, and everyone else, had been through the start-up and establishment of the restaurant along with the two pregnancies. It's really a family affair. Early on, they made a decision to only be open only for dinner and only five days a week, closing for the month of August. I don't know any other restaurant that does that. We hadn't been there in over a year, following several bad experiences with slow and inexperienced service and leaden food. We were really disappointed because we like the place and the people. Well, this week-end after picking Scott up from the train, we decided to try it again on our way home from the train station. We were absolutely delighted by the food!

The menu is very short and laden with comfort foods. I can't think of another menu that includes both Escargot and Baby Back Ribs!. I started with a very nice Romaine lettuce with Sliced Pears, Chevre and Chopped Walnuts and a Raspberry Vinaigrette. Scott had the Escargot with Polenta and Christina the fresh grilled sardines (you may think this weird, but they are wonderful--nothing like those little smelly things that come in a tin). Both Scott and I had the Braised Duck with Balsamic Vinegar, Spinach and a Crispy Shredded Potato Cake. It was just about perfect, crispy and tender. The potato cake was a nice surprise. Chris had the Breast of Chicken which was done the French way with the small bone-in served with a Spinach Gratin. We were all delighted. We had a French red that Maggy recommended that I didn't know and can't remember.

This night, the service was better; but it was still early. The wait staff was much more knowledgeable and timely. On the whole a really nice experience and we'll be back soon - we hope for a tasty repeat!

Rouge Restaurant and Bistro

3 Center St. (at Hotel St.)
West Stockbridge, MA 01266
413-232-4111

A growing family of bears at Otis

BEAR SIGHTING IN OTIS!

We've been "part-timers" here in Otis for over 10 years, and in all that time have yet to see any real "wildlife". Our neighbors have pictures of bears on our porch; and there have even been moose sightings on Merritt Road but we have never seen any ourselves. The best we've seen is the flock of wild turkeys eating the berries in the back! So, you can imagine how excited I was to see two bear cubs attempting to climb the pole of the birdhouse outside our bedroom window! "Quick, come see the bears", I shouted and everyone came running. They were so cute, one on the bottom and the other standing on his backside trying to shimmy up that post. We had never seen anything like it and stood for a long time admiring the sight. It was a picture perfect moment. "This is probably the closest we'll ever come to bears in this neighbourhood", said my husband. "True, but isn't it great that we'll be able to see it every time we look out our window"!

We're delighted by this wonderful carving done by local artist Tyler Moore (Sheffield, Ma. Tel: 413-229-6075; e-mail: tyla_mo@yahoo.com) who had agreed to turn our 8 foot tree stump into something beautiful. There's another stump out there and we can hardly wait to see the results.

Christina del Balso

Otis, April, 2007

New friends visit us in the Berkshires

Multimedia message

New friends in the Berkshires.

Howard Fishman Quartet at Club Helsinki

This weekend we saw the Howard Fishman Quartet at the Club Helsinki in Great Barrington, Mass. with Steve & Lil Barker. The group is desribed as post-modern pop with music influences ranging from Hoagie Carmichael to Bob Dylan. In fact he has recent CD's focusing on both of them. Chris has originally discovered him from a small article in the Times a number of years ago, and we see him whenever we can. Note: He is currently playing at Joe's Pub in the Village.

The quartet consists of Howard Fishman playing a classic acoustic guitar (picture), a tuba, a violin and a trumpet. They played many selections from the Bob Dylan "Basement Tapes" collection, which they've recently released and original compositions. They also have a tribute to Hoagie Carmichael coming out later this year.

All four of us really enjoyed the show, which ran just under 2 hours (for a cover charge of $20). I have often complained about how hard it is to hear music in intimate settings in NY (for a reasonable price). The room holds 75 people and was sold out. We were sitting about three feet from the stage. This was a really pleasant surprise.

Club Helsinki is attached to the Helsinki Cafe Great Barrington and serves the same pseudo-Finnish food. Not bad, but not exceptional. I had Blini with Gravlax (cured salmon) and Chris had Gnocchi (one of her favorites). We both had the daily special Rosemary Roast Chicken. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but it's fine with a show.

Koi chinese restaurant in Great Barrington

We generally avoid Chinese Restaurants (actually, all ethnic food except Italian) outside of NY and China. However, Scott and Jory had gone to this newly opened Hunan Restaurant and recommended it. Even then, it took a snow storm to get us there.

The restaurant is in a large, standalone building on Rt 23 entering Great Barrington. The interior is traditional Chinese restaurant, but in orange. It looks like they tried for red, but it faded. Chris gave the restrooms an A+, not easily done.
We started with Shrimp Soong (served in a lettuce cup) and steamed pork dumplings. The lettuce was good, the shrimp tasteless. The dumplings frozen and re-heated. The wrapper soggy and limp.

We followed that with Tangerine Beef which was pretty good with a niced sauce. But they used the hard, thin beef slices. I prefer the more tender beef slice at Shun Lee in NY. The Roast Pork Fried Rice was tasteless except for the oil. Even chili oil and mustard couldn't redeem it.

We had Tsing Tao beer that was cold and delicious.

Koi
300 State Road (Route 23)
Great Barrington, Mass
413-528-5678

Snow Storm in Mid-March

This is the front of the house after the storm on March 15!

A BBQ Restaurant in the Berkshires

Chris and I don't usually indulge in BBQ, not because we don't like it, but because it's generally an invitation to over-indulge - comfort food extrordinaire - especially since ribs are among my most favorite foods. However, every month when we get our current issue of Berkshire Living we scour it for things to do - shows, exhibitions, sales and restaurants. Among the restaurants featured this month was a new BBQ restaurant, Route 7 Grill in Great Barrington.

We went Sunday at a little after 5 (we were at the movies). If we had been later our chances for a table would have been slim since it was a beautiful snowy weekend; and this seems to be a good stop for skiers on their way home and families with young children. The room is informal, with a fireplace and clean, well-spaced tables. We got there right after opening so had our choice of tables.

The menu favors local and artisinal producers (predominately Niman Ranch for pork). We were torn between ordering old favorites or trying some of the interesting new dishes. Predictably we did a little of both. I started with the special house- smoked pheasant with beans and shitake mushrooms. The Pheasant was OK (it can be hard to deal with on the bone) but the mushrooms and bean combination was excellent. I had to fight Chris for them. We followed with ribs. I had the 'Texas Beef Ribs' which were big and brawny but falling off the bone. Chris had the 'Baby Back Ribs' that were unusually meaty. I usually avoid the baby back ribs because they aren't worth the trouble but these were different and one order can easily be shared by two people with normal appetites. We had a selection of sides, coleslaw (Chris likes it without mayonnaise), Kale (yech, but Chris likes it), an unusual Baked Bean dish (good) and Mac & Cheese (outstanding). All washed down with a pint of ale.

All in all, a pretty good meal (and pretty cheap). By the time we left the place was filling up with families coming from skiing. We counted 9 children right around us, all under 10. Fortunately, they were exhausted and pretty quiet. I think we'll go back, but during the week (note: I tried to go back with our neighbors Steve and Lil Barker but they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays!)

Route 7 Grill

999 Route 7

Great Barrington, Mass.

413-528-3235

SpiegelPalais

This summer, we've ventured far afield to see what is available, not only in the Berkshires, but further afield. The results have been mixed, but with a few surprises along the way. Thursday night we headed to Rheinbeck to check out the entertainment at the Bard College Summerfest. The Fisher Center is a VERY modern stainless steel futuristic construction that is impressive when you come upon it. Our destination however, was the 'Spiegeltent' constructed for this summer's cabaret performances. The tent looks very like old fashioned circus tents with ballooning velvet canopies. Inside there's an ornate bar, posters and mirrored glass on the walls and intimate booths around the perimeter. The cozy tables facing the stage can be moved for the nightly dancing following the performance. The 'spiegelpalais' was popular in Europe in the 30's and gets it's name from the giant mirrored ball reflecting light throughout the tent. (Spiegel is the German word for mirror).

This night we were entertained by Maria Tecce, an American living in Europe, who was making her American debut. She was great--reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in looks and style with a voice that seemed influenced by Eartha Kitt/Marlene Deitrich. Her songs were both traditional jazz and original creations including a guitar solo in Spanish of 'Bessame Mucco'. We really like the intimacy of cabaret and go often.

The bar served beer and local wine (stick with the beer) and light food which turned out to be a tasty surprise. Both Paul's lobster roll and my softshell crab on a bun were fresh and delicious. The accompanying cole slaw and potato salad tasted home made and for the ice cream lovers, the local "Jane's" homemade flavours are available at the entrance to the tent.

Spiegeltent has been extended through the middle of August. It's a fun evening and there are lots of interesting B&B's if you want to stay over.

Communing with nature

Many of you know that Christina and I have different views of nature. When we're in Otis, Chris is most happy up to her elbows in the garden planting something. I am most happy in the screened porch watching her from a rocking chair. I see no point in getting dirty and bitten to plant something you can probably buy a whole lot cheaper. As a general rule, our paths do not cross during this time except for my occasional "very nice dear" from the safety of the porch. Somehow, the gardening gene so prominent in my father and sisters, missed me completely. I remember my father desperately trying to coax anything out of the small square of dirt in front of the house on Leland Avenue in the Bronx. He was never happier than when they moved to New Jersey and he finally had a small actual garden with flowers and shrubs. My sisters Pat and Joyce (and Bob) share that devotion.

However, this weekend something happened that had us seriously (?!?!?!) considering selling the house and hiding in the City - the invasion of the tent caterpillars! I can honestly say I have never seen anything so horrible and creepy - we were invaded by tens of thousands (I'm not exaggerating!) of large and small caterpillars that hatch and then fall from trees only to march across the lawn looking for a place to make a cocoon and 'morph' to the next stage. We know this because we came up a little later last year to find the house covered with firmly attached small white cocoons.

This year the numbers have exploded! When we looked down at the ground, along the roof line and on the siding, we faced masses of marching caterpillars. We tried blowing them off the house and deck but they just came back. Chris suggested "ShopVac-ing" them. At first I thought she was kidding, but by the next morning we stood shifts Vac-ing them up. At one point we had cleared the back of the house and went in to eat. When we came back out Chris Vac-ed up another 208! When we went to the theater in Pittsfield and parked on the street, we foolishly left the top down and when we came back the car was full (at least 50) of caterpillars. They also got on our shoes and clothing. On Tuesday, we left and stopped for dinner in Litchfield. When Chris went to the bathroom I heard a piercing scream. There was one in her pants. We've been dreaming about crawling things for days.

We've been asking everybody we see about how to deal with the caterpillars. The general consensus is "live with it, they'll be gone in three weeks". Other suggestions include cutting down all the trees or burning the nests (which are 50 feet up in the trees). It's not clear how much damage they will do other than leaving an unsightly mess and causing nightmares.

Ain't nature wonderful!