#1,825 NYC Family Vacation + Berkshire Exploring.

We got an early start this morning and I found our bunch sipping coffee by the fire in the lobby when I came downstairs ready to explore the Berkshires.

We started with breakfast at Martin’s, our favorite in Great Barrington. Their pancakes hit the spot every single time.

And the crayons at the table entertained me.

We kept driving around, past the old home they used as the orphanage in The Cider House Rules.

Through Lenox and Pittsfield, past the homes that remind me of The Family Stone.

And because Mallorie found a coupon in the tourist rack at the inn… We found the Pine Cone Hill /Dash & Albert wholesale headquarters… Where everything, even their fancy schmancy pajamas, are something like 70% off retail.

And they had the VERY quilt that was used to stage our house in the Flea Market Style story that I didn’t get to keep because it belonged to the antique mall. It was, ironically, outrageously expensive then. And now it’s a discontinued pattern, and still my favorite, and I left with the quilt and shams for a fraction of the price they were back then. I also got some shams, a gift for mama, some pajamas for me, and a Euro pillow. Mallorie only spent $90 and got 2 pairs of pajamas, 2 shams, 2 sheets, and an area rug. It felt like we were stealing when we gave them our 20% coupons from the inn. They laughed at how excited we were.

We kept driving along until we found the Shaker village nearby, closed for the season. There were these snowy fields and a tiny little cemetery for folks who passed away before the Civil War.

It was peculiar to find it tucked away in this nook beside these fields. And before I knew it…

The boys had started a war and were running into the field full tilt with icy snowballs in each hand.

While Mallorie was over there like “Hmmm… Look at these deer tracks.”

Then another war started up.

We’re such Southerners. I know. A little snow, and we become 5 years old. It’s magic for us. After a while, we headed back to the inn to warm up with cider by the fire, then drove back into Great Barrington to shop downtown and look for dinner.

Then I found Jim and Ben eating pastries at a French bakery. The manliest thing all day.

In the morning, we’ll be boarding a plane back home to the land of bacon grease and friendly neighbors. And as much as I love the big city and picturesque New England villages, there really isn’t any place on earth I’d rather be than south of the Mason Dixon.