"Hello, I'd like to place an order please,....I'd like to have a bottle of Dom Perigon sent to the Unitarian Society of Northampton,....."

.....just a thank you note, please - no signature."



It's the details that matter, and the moment of truth came last Sunday - July 19th. Just the title itself has to be marked in time, "Beyond the nut-jobs". Lisa P's sunday sermon arrests attention. She's on the web of course: a successful children's author working her craft in Northampton, Mass.

For me, it all came together for brief moment; Northampton's celebration of diversity and a broad cultural bandwidth - along with this sunday sermon by Lisa P. entitled "Beyond the nut-jobs" - I fell into the abyss briefly before walking through Look Park.



Nut job Nation - hat's off to Lisa at last Sunday's pulpit chat.

Storefronts, art and cultural consciousness

The cinder block wall near the verizon switching station was adorned with a wide mural heralding the triumphs of women in Northampton and the pioneer valley. I should send this photo to Rush Limbaugh, it'll induce him to eat more pills.














Once upon a time, Packard's was preceded by a tavern named, "Zelda's". Prior to that it was a post war tavern that traded customers with the VFW on route 5. Zelda's was sort of a cultural phenomenon at the time; signaling the post war boomer generation that a hip name depicted a place where Knickabockers were displaced by exotic brews such as Heniken or Beck's beer.












The irony not mistaken, "the old book" store keeps it's lease here on this Northampton sidestreet - enabling strollers to sit and ponder, read, and drink latte's,...like it was the Rue de St. Germain.

Northampton Street fair in progress on friday, July 24th...

If you're looking for Berkeley California, you can find some of it in Northampton. With the street fair in full bloom; there's a pleasant - post apocalypse - cultural fair going on in the streets.

It's got a communtarian flavor; with street people - hair styles reminscent of the 1960's and some slack that would drive the "nut-jobs" into a patriotic rage.

Since Harvard Square is all but sterilized; Northampton has picked up the slack.

But here's the real trophy that Northampton can claim: there's a good mix of national retail and local retail; occupying 98% of the the main street storefronts. By the numbers, friday was crowded with on-lookers and shoppers and people from all over the valley and Berkshires taking in the sites. This was on thriving Main Street; cash registers were singing and people displayed their goods, their arts, and crafts in friendly form.

In your face Berkeley, I mean Weymouth!

July 24, 2009- Detour to Northampton, Mass to see what's going on....

Looking west from downtown Northampton -route 9 - there's a girl's school up this hill but I forget it's name.

MCLA gets a new exhaust fan for its kitchen grill.

Oh,,,.big deal!

The old train depot in Charlemont

Beautiful stone work - a work in progress right off Route 2 - go south on 8A and head for Hawley, Mass.

Don't forget to paint the barn....

Right opposite the Beaver Mill - across from the World Art Center.

North Adams - Eagle Street - Beach Party

Several tons of sand gets dumped on Eagle Street on a Wednesday afternoon - for the beach party of course. In your face Weymouth!

Berkshire sweet gold

Go here for details: http://www.berkshiresweetgold.com/

A gem of a town

Ask Felix Frankfurter about Heath he was a renowned Supreme Court Justice who was dogging out intense economic issues 73 years ago. Escape to Heath for those in authority.

Felix Frankfurter - according to the wiki - summered in Heath. A drive up route 8A through the rolling farmland and hillsides explains why. Not your ordinary tourist destination and far from the commercial side of American life; Heath Massachusetts is a pleasure to see. It rivals the best of Great Britain's countryside with it's rolling stone walls and barns situated right on the road.

Don't tell anyone, but Heath is a well kept secret - there's some fabulous structures back behind the trees and the solitude and peace must be maintained.

Have you seen the newly renovated covered bridge in Heath, Massachusetts?

It's called Bissele Bridge - property of the state - and it was a long process to get consensus for retaining heritage and improving structural loads. Bridge construction matters.

Why the steel arch?

It's either a gas pipe or an electrical conduit going over the Hoosac River - cheaper then going under it - if you were a utility company.

Time out for the tall ships

Huge crowds turn out for the tall ships.

North Adams Teachers College - first generation-post colonial - empire architecture - need we say more.

Neo Grecian - Roman details carefully restored.

Nice Ionic columns crafted in wood. No doubt the carpenters a century ago were taking their cues from William Ware's book (MIT) - the classical "orders". Wasn't the use of gold brick; another first- 100 + years ago- to distinguish it from the pervasive red?

Very clean and well kept,..thanks to the stream of enrollment cycling & annual tuition payments,....and state tax revenues.

The other "limited" (?) Western Mass watershed; revenue streams.

Why did they change the name from North Adams Teachers College to Mass College of Liberal Arts? Dukakis? King? Weld? Romney? Which Governor approved this symbolic makeover?

I left my heart in Miller's Falls and part of it was broken......

.....I haven't recovered from the sliced and diced economic history of the Miller's Falls tool manufacturing Company. Tears of rage, and tears of grief; but it's gone and we're moving on,.so let's take a look at the town: Miller's Falls 2009.

Hmm!

Come'on folks, we've got some work to do. I pulled into the town square at 6 pm and couldn't find the coffee shop - there was none. There was a liquor store - a tavern that didn't exude invitations; a noble structure on the southwest corner that had to be the old dry goods store - but it didn't seem occupied.

There was a marvelous brick mill structure north of the river, probably 20% of the space occupied. There was a very interesting house and barn as you headed toward Amherst - right around the corner of the town intersection. I saw enterprise with this occupant; but it still needs to forge it's presence.

Unlike Turner and Shelburne Falls, Millers Falls is handicapped by the layout of the town. One cannot really access the river because it's 60 feet below the town center. The road that runs through the town bends dramatically and winds it's way up the hill abbreviating any perspective of town panorama that helps anchor and define a sense of civic space.

60 million dollars of new infrastructure and all these blemishes go away. If only. The town of Lenox, Mass was funded last week by the state - to help augment and develop the infrastructure. That's Lenox, Mass, not Colrain, not Mattapan,.....Lenox! Lenox knows how to play the game at Beacon Hill; come on Miller's Falls - step up to the plate and talk it up.

When's the next selectmen's meeting? Let's put architecture and urban planning studies on the agenda. Call me at 617-752-1109.



We did pause to watch some Canadian Pacific freight go by; going north no doubt. Canadian Pacific freight; economic nostalgia stepping in to the new century; rails be praised.

The Trolley museum in Shelburne Falls is hurting

Ok, so it's friday at 6 pm - what do you expect,...crowds?

Yes, but it is July - and revenues for this museum have to be next to nothing during the winter months. So it goes; a good idea - but competing with malls, monitors, television and internet is unfair competition.



Here's my old coach car rusting in the sun. Keep it for nostalgia or melt it down for I beams?



Technology preservationists weigh in please; these assets aren't generating any revenue and are losing value rusting in the sun. Send me a check for it's purchase and preservation and I'll keep it in escrow.

In Pownel VT, near Williamstown Massachusetts is the old racetrack and grandstand; a ghost of its former glory

Driving north on route 7 toward Bennington, you may spot the old racetrack and wonder,.......what happened? So I had to google it and of course the wiki provided:

Pownal was formerly the home of Green Mountain Race Track. Opened in 1963, the track offered both thoroughbred and standardbred horse racing until 1976, when thoroughbred racing ceased, being replaced by greyhound racing. One year later standardbred racing was discontinued, and the track thereafter featured only greyhound racing until closing altogether in 1992 amid increasing pressure from animal rights activists, who object to greyhound racing as cruel (Vermont banned the sport in 1995). Since closing as a racetrack, the site has hosted live events occasionally, including a rock concert in the Lollapalooza series in 1996 and antique car shows from 2005 to 2008. The 144-acre property has been purchased by commercial developers who have plans for it which have not yet been finalized, but are believed to include a mix of energy-efficient companies, a farmers' market facility, and facilities to accommodate large events.

What does the assessor project for this structure? "Won't last at this price?" Is it a fire trap? A code compliant nightmare? Is it structurally safe? How much money do you put into it to keep it going; especially when you fill it up 1% of the year and maybe 20% to 50% a few times in the summer? Is Pownell ready for a booze fest like the Kentucky Derby?

It probably hasn't gone down in price which is a shame; for that's what transformative economics is all about: someone getting it to move again.

The orange tile roof with the blue trim & broad overhangs, large glazed storefronts with vestibule: an identity-brand-name that we moderns can trust.

Urban studies and first generation food service supply chains?

How about useless perserverations number #271: wondering about the rise and fall of the Howard Johnson's restaurant chain and motor lodge puts me in a category I was hoping to avoid. Maybe I should try whittling.

Nevertheless.

It's 1965 and Dad has packed the big Ford Station wagon (the Country Squire)with all the nominal gear: beach chairs, coolers, fishing poles, the large thermos bottle and blue "transistor" radio. (Transistor radio's have to be a real kick for gen x, y & z).

We're off on vacation and this year we're going first class. Never mind Mildred's econo-cabins - the family isn't going to stay in that 100 sq ft. cracker box with the tiny fridge and the mouldy sheets: no we're staying at the Howard Johnson's motor lodge with get this,it has....."a swimming pool!"

Mom is happy because we're dining out at Howard Johnson's every night. What relief; because cooking in Mildred's econo cabins was challenging. She can manage the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but trying to cook a chicken dinner on the hot plate on the cracked formica wasn't much fun for mom. (Maybe those stinky cabins caused mom's drinking problem.)

Howard Johnson's. Who was Howard and where is his shrine? Did he ever meet up with Ray Kroc? Was he the first to systemitize a menu? He took it right to the details if I recall; even the candy was wrapped in his brand.

What am I thinking? I'd better drop some of this forgotten urban history and volunteer some time at the North Adams, co-op.

"We got twenty eight flavors my friend" said the chipped tooth vendor in the white hat,."hurry up cus I got customer's waiting."

Bennington, Vermont

Last week we crossed the borders and toured the lake region of NH. At 4:45 on thursday afternoon, we shot up route 7 from Williamstown, Mass to visit Bennington VT. Bennington is hosting the moose fest this month. The town was quiet since it's main industry has retired to summer recess. A few college students walked the streets; some tourists were gawking at window displays - not much was stirring on this thursday afternoon - making it all the more pleasant to look at classical architectural details - hand drawn - a century ago. That brick fenestration was build by hand in 1868. Pure charm.














Bennington thrives based on a successful economic driver: higher education.

The "Shunpike": Route 2's sardonic comment -roadside sign

Heading east - right before you get to Florida, Mass, there's a picnic area and this cast metal sign on the left hand side of the road. The Shunpike legacy forged in iron; the footnotes in Berkshire history tell us this -the toll issue has been around for some time. It suggests that this tax model has sustained itself for 200 years and well into our present political quagmire. The "shun" pike, as in "shun" - as in to "deliberatly avoid" - suggests there are more reasons to drive route 2. Is it myth mixed with satire?

Route 2 will be now referred to as the "shunpike". Once again, subtle signs of the love/hate fest that goes between the western part of the state and the "heavy on government" eastern counterparts.






The Hawks family cemetery is located in the same picnic area. Berkshire settlers laid to rest here off route 2. Right past Charlemont and right before Florida - going west - a nice stop right off the Deerfield river. Check it out.

Hawley, Mass

Hawley Mass. Nested in the Berkshire hills are some modest rolling farmlands which incur very limited automotive traffic. Hawley is chartered as a town; but didn't seem to have a town square. There were farms and houses along route 8A but I couldn't find the intersection that typified a town square - a way station for coaches, a train depot, or Church congregation that would bring the traveling public to rest.

There in lies its' true beauty perhaps. A faint spell of freedom knowing it was you who were traveling through and you were on your own. Your impelled to pass through; observe the wonderful scenery for those fleeting moments and get yourself further up on the main highway for supplies. Precious unspoiled land in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

If the congested suburbs around Boston jeer at this lifestyle than so be it; we know who really loses at this game of property valuations - "relative to what" - they say.

Route 2 West and the Mohawk Trail: free health care while driving.

Had enough of urban traffic?

Then try this route - Route 2 going west out of the pioneer valley into the Berkshire hills that marry the Appalachian trail.

For the urban rat; this is sanctuary and therapy. Knowing that nature still dominates this part of the state is relieving in so many ways. There's real life out here; new growth forests and subtle charms along the old settler's highway.

Live it and breath it; it's more restorative than your medical prescriptions. This is free health care vested in these hills. But keep it a secret; or it won't last.

Route 2 West and the Mohawk Trail: free health care while driving.

Steam boilers, Cleaver Brooks, power plants and controls: “you don’t hear of any steam boilers exploding anymore, now do you buddy!”

"Can't live without em".

Upper left: that's Paul's homemade model of a steam boiler he built from spare steel parts - "just for kicks" he told me. It's got the basic components, the holding tank, the condensation tank, the valves, it's fired by coal in the central oven and blasts the flame forward and backward in the holding vessel to optimize heat and transfer to the water. There's the basic steam boiler theory manual as a reference in the power plant. Don't forget, you need a third class or second class fireman's license to stand guard with these boilers. Peterson's school of Engineering in South Boston will help you pass the test.

Then there's the outer jacket of the Cleaver Brooks steam boiler: it was cleaned last week; washed with water with all the rust particles swept out. Any corrosion on the gas jets are cleaned; inspected with a state license and assured of satifactory operations as the heating season kicks in on October 09.






Someone suggested to fire it up now: it was 50 degrees this morning - July 7th.<

The Getty Station in Rochester, New Hampshire and the first class proprietor named Michael.

Michael. Don't know his last name,...so it was Michael during the 48 hour automotive ordeal from Friday - the 3rd of July's - trek up to the lakes of New Hampshire.

After bitching about a half hour stop and go delay to get past a toll on 16 in NH (stalled in traffic for a fifty cent toll - toll collection is not good economics) the real crisis came when the power steering went down; and the temperature gauge shot up and we could smell burning rubber coming through the air intake from the engine. (What kind of Jack_ss would hold on to a 97 Explorer,....!)

The rotor to the water pump had seized, shearing the fan belt, and knocking out the power steering pump and the AC. Fortunately we were able to get off the highway and pull into Rochester NH. But then there was the down pour and the 20 minute wait to just look under the hood. The belt was shredded and the rendezvous to the lakes was beginning to look like a bust.

It's 6 pm, July 3rd 2009 - the thought of a "service station" a gasoline station that actually diagnoses and fixes automotive vehicles seemed like a remote possibility; the era of roadside service stations is gone.

After a quarter mile hike; there's a Getty station with it's garage bay doors open and a mechanic working on a Subaru. The guys name is Michael.

Michael is Lebanese. He was born in the US but has been back and forth to visit his father who still resides in Lebanon. His father is a high ranking officer in the Lebanese army and Michael mentioned that one Syrian faction made an attempt on his life about 10 years ago. His sister has her Bachelor's degree and a law degree and works in DC. One of his brother's is a doctor; his other brother has a professional degree in science and works between academics and government research.

His younger cousins are still in school pursuing master's degrees. Michael has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice as well.

He owns the Getty station and began fixing cars in his spare time in college.

"I like working here; I like owning the station and it's fun for me helping people for a living. I get to meet all kinds of people in this job."

The tendency to box in an individual to fit a certain profile is a common flaw of the mind. Every time we went off subject, Michael would shoot back with some observation or some comment about life, education, small business, or taxes: he knew more about life at 27 then your average US Congressional rep.

"I'm getting married in September,..Scottie,....she'from Russia; she is an excellent cook and once married she wants to open a restaurant in America."

Michael scrolled through his I phone photo library and there she was; smiling somewhere from a kitchen 10,000 miles away. The technology and the intimacy were driving the worrisome problems aside; the Friday night episode began to transcend the motor vehicle crisis stage and morph into a pub conversation. I had to grab at the good will and plug it into my holiday journey. The downside was turning upside and the stress waned a little. What would happen next?

The explorer had to sit it out in the Getty station over the weekend; but that didn't prevent Michael from calling me Saturday morning - the fourth of July - to explain that he found the problem and would fix it as soon as the automotive parts store opened on Monday. "Scottie, I will guarantee you,..it'll be done by Monday morning,"..he said to me on the phone,..as the parade in Wolfsboro had just come to an end. "Trust me man,..I'll take care of you."

Trust me man! I looked at the stars and stripes flag bunting on one of Wolfsboro's gift shops. "Trust me" said the stranger.

On Monday,..the sun in full bloom; the Getty station was buzzing with activity. Michael was cordial and beaming as he consoled a few beleaguered travelers; the vehicles sitting in the cue waiting for his assistant Tony's diagnosis.

"Scottie, I'm going to charge you 2 hours labor." "Your kidding, I said,...Michael, you're a business man,..you were dealing with this junk box on Friday night, you were working on it Saturday, you called for parts today and you fixed it in the last hour,...I figured a day,..or at least a four hour minimum."

"Nah,...it was only two hours to fix it,..I told you I would take care of you man,...I will charge you for parts and two hours labor."

"Michael, give me your address, this isn't the last time your going to hear from me."

We were back on the road at 10:30 am on Monday the sixth - traveling south on 95 - only to be diverted again by a gas tank trailer roll over on 95 south. Such is fate.

Fourth of July 2009 - there are hero's on the bottom of America' great economic grid; hero's that can rival angels with spirit and intent. If only the media could look down and see who's keeping it all together.

I'm going to send this guy something; help me out - I don't want to get too corny. What should I send him?

Turners falls needs some work on the main boulevard; it's coming up and it needs to be trimmed out with the hand of a good urban planner.

The Main Street "boulevard" in Turner's Falls has things that other communities don't have. It has a Thorton Wilder Main Street; a main street framed on both sides by big glass windows trimmed in red brick and Asher Benjamin's classic American mouldings; the universal language of Main Street's most popular architecture. It is authentic as well; not the details of nostalgic reproductions but the real thing. Clearly one can see a town's robust evolution as the falls began to shape the town's destiny by introducing hydroelectric power over 100 years ago.

There had to a be surge of construction for a few of these antiquated years; when the town imported immigrant labor to work the mills that finally had a free utility to drive wheels and pulleys at full capacity. The dry goods store expanded, the cotton goods were displayed, fresh eggs and poultry featured in the windows and a barber shop to push past the sweat and grime and option pride and fashion among the newcomers to the new world.

So what happens 100 years after the industrial expansion recedes? We know the story; the money runs dry and the equity stagnates for a while; before it finds a spark of rejuvination. Turner's Falls has brushed itself off; but it's far from being complete.

Call in the urban planners but this time; get them to live there. There's a bunch of things that could happen to upgrade Turner's Falls and it can be driven from different directions. Excellent school systems could induce new development money indirectly but that doesn't exclude a good amount of civic brainstorming to look at it's overall layout and begin to cultivate it's future.