It has been almost three weeks since the last post, and while the pace of fall lacrosse has slowed down considerably, life has not! Two weekends ago, Debi and I drove up to Western Massachusetts, primarily to visit my cousin Tim at his new house in North Adams. But first, we stopped in at my Aunt Ronni’s, in West Stockbridge. It has been well over a year since we had seen her, and though it was brief, I felt like it was a great visit.

North Adams is not quite an hour north of West Stockbridge, and a good part of the drive was scenic. Tim’s place sits atop a steep hill, just at the edge of the downtown area. It is a cool, old house with a nice front porch, with a view of Mount Greylock (the highest point in Massachusetts and along the Appalachian Trail). He has done a lot of work on it and it is really, quite nice (I regret not having taken a photo). We ventured downtown to visit Mass MoCA (Museum of Contemporary Art), which is housed in an old Print Factory, between the North and South Branches of the Hoosic River. While most of the art was not my cup of tea, the building itself is cool and I enjoyed checking it out.

We had a great dinner in town and then headed to a scenic overlook to catch the tail end of the sun setting behind the Berkshires.

Lacrosse practice during the past couple of weeks has only been twice per week. It coincided with Mid Term exams, so I am sure it was welcomed by most, if not all of the players. The practices were fine, nothing great, nothing really bad, just fine. Two Fridays ago, we ran a youth clinic in Seaford for about one hundred young laxers! It was a lot of fun, and good for our players to give back to the Lacrosse Community. I was impressed with the way our team handled the youngsters – I am sure there are more than a few future coaches, among them.

A few days later on Sunday, I drove to South Jersey to recruit Future Lady Lions at the Lax for the Cure Tournament. I made it down there in an hour and forty minutes! It was sunny but quite chilly, especially for those first couple of games. There were so many really strong players on very strong teams. It was a pleasure to be there, watching them. The drive home took more than three hours! But I still put the day in the plus column.

This past Sunday, Debi and I went to “Beyond Monet” at the Samanea Mall (the old Fortunoff’s Mall). It is an “immersive experience”, like the Van Gogh exhibit we went to in Manhattan a couple of years ago. It was a smaller space and not quite as nicely dressed up, but to stand in the room while Monet’s art moves across the walls and floor, is very cool. We were probably there for an hour and a half, in total, and I felt like it was well worth the price of admission ($40/person).

It has been a beautifully busy autumn, for me, and here we are, two days before Thanksgiving, a holiday I truly love. I will cherish the time spent with family and friends, and I will remain extremely thankful for the life I am living.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your families!