Fall in New England

September 10-12, 2021

Now that the family festivities are over from last week, we loaded up the RV for a short trip to Dorsett, VT where we camped with Judy and Gary last year. It is a small park only 2 hours north and Fall is in the air. They have plenty of tick-eating free range chickens and we enjoy watching them.

The names of the streets are cool - Chipmunk Lane, Squirrel Road, Bunny Trail, and Raccoon Way. 

We stopped at Blue Benn Diner in Bennington for delicious Eggs Benedict. I am so glad that they are open. As we sat there, Rich was surveying the area with a bit of nostalgia in his eyes. This was very similar to his family’s Silver Diner of old.  

Last year they were closed and I was worried it was closed for good, but I found through research (Google) that a new owner took over in February 2021. 

The sign propped up in the parking space in front of Bennington's Blue Benn Diner reads, "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It!" And since new owner John Getchell left his home in Southern Maine to purchase and run the Bennington landmark, he has changed very little about it.

The blue-and-cream colored aluminum eatery was built in 1948 in New Jersey, in the railroad dining-car style, and was brought to Bennington and placed on the land where it still sits.

All the baked goods served at the diner are homemade. For Getchell, keeping the "comfort" in comfort food and honoring the familiarity of the long-standing Bennington restaurant is front of mind.

Other than adding in painted Plexiglas barriers and ensuring staff and patrons alike wear masks inside his establishment during COVID-19, Getchell hasn't changed anything else.

"The stars just sort of aligned in just the right way for this to happen." - John Getchell, owner at Blue Benn Diner
Brian Carpenter, the cook who learned under the helm of the diner's previous owner, Sonny Monroe, still arrives at 4 a.m. to prep for the day and bake homemade muffins, pies and donuts.

The waitstaff is full of folks who have worked for years and in some cases decades at the diner. "They are the faces that the patrons expect to see," Getchell said.

Monroe, who owned The Blue Benn since 1973 with his wife Mary Lou, passed away in 2019 and his wife and daughter took over the day-to-day operations until March of 2020, when the pandemic began taking its toll on small businesses and many local restaurants.

Rich made a name plate on a pallet for the camper which he attaches with velcro when we are parked. 

A classy gift from the Parsons. 

There was a Fall nip in the air but this 33-site park was quiet and enjoyable with the chickens pecking the ground as they wandered throughout the park. 

We left early on Sunday morning and went on to North Adams to watch Zach play football for the PeeWee league. He is doing great, especially for his first year playing. Jake is sitting on the sidelines with his mending broken arm. 

 

September 14, 2021, Tuesday

I think that if you put things out into the universe, there’s a good chance they will come to fruition. I have been thinking about how much better I would feel about being gone all winter if someone responsible was living in my home keeping an eye on things, while compensating me for heat, electric and rent. So I mentioned it to my friend, Joyce, whose son is running their home-building company. She does their books and has her hands into a lot of things, including being a landlord of several properties. Sure enough the very next evening she calls with a “situation” they had. They are building a house for a woman this winter and she has nowhere to live as of November 1!! One woman, no pets, no kids, non-smoker, same window of time - who could ask for anything more? So we arranged  to meet and show her the house and voila, everyone involved gets what they need. 

 

September 17, 2021, Friday

I am working 9-12 at Church on the Hill, Monday through Thursdays for the month of September while my replacement, Mark Farrell, is off making another movie as 1st Assistant Director. The name is The Secret Art of Human Flight and I always look forward to seeing what he is working on. I have already been an “extra" in three of his movies (Rich was in one too) and was thrilled when the Production Coordinator, Lizzie Aspenlieder, called and asked Rich and I to be extras as patients in a psych ward for one day for $100. Sounds right up our alley. We knew it would be a long day (8-4pm) but accepted the offer anyway. 

Lizzie Aspenlieder 


Mark Farrell 

The fact that they are so diligent about Covid makes it easy to feel safe - every member of cast and crew is tested beforehand and masks are worn when not eating, drinking or shooting. There is a person assigned to oversee that protocol is followed. Wardrobe supplied our outfits - white shoes, white long sleeved T-shirts, and white scrub pants - and were very accommodating about our comfort and flawless appearance on camera. Lizzie and the kind/caring Production Assistants supplied food and beverages for the day. They even provided chairs for us two oldies to use between shoots and scenes. The average age was probably 35 years old, leaving us out of the calculation. I can’t even describe the dedication all of these folks have for their passion - film making. They handle extremely heavy yet expensive and fragile equipment from setup to breakdown, shooting numerous takes for each scene. This can require several lens changes, lighting adjustments, sound adjustments, hair and makeup touch ups, and more. This was only day 9 of 18 of shooting this production and it takes another 2 weeks of editing, etc. to wrap it up. They must be so exhausted! We were blessed with perfect weather - the sun didn’t shine, the clouds didn’t weep, and the temp was a perfect 70 degrees. 

Rich in his insane asylum whites.

Speaking of movies - another movie we were in is “I’m Not Him” and I just heard from the director today that Amazon Prime has picked it up. So any of you with Prime members can see it for FREE until the holidays when they will switch it back to rental fee. We are in the very last scene...

https://www.amazon.com/Im-Not-Him-John-Pallandino/dp/B08ZD3RXSZ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=i%27m+not+him&qid=1617182879&s=instant-video&sr=1-1

September 18, 2021, Saturday

Daughter Shannon’s birthday today. 

 

September 25, 2021, Saturday

Whitehall, NY is Rich’s home town and they have a Sasquatch Festival drawing 2500 people and 90 vendors! So he registered for a booth to sell his art this year. It would be good to see people he hasn’t seen in a couple of years due to Covid and living in Lee now. His daughter, Nora, joined us with her cane and brand new healing knee. The picture of the original Silver Diner was a great talking point for many visitors who stopped by. Most remembered going there in the middle of the night after partying to have the real potato French fries and gravy. Three generations of Colombs ran the diner for 40 years (1941-1981) and they didn’t have a key to it because it was never closed! Even when Rich’s dad passed, they left the cook in charge so they could go to the funeral and came right back after. It seems that a LOT of people worked at the diner at one time or another - many folks came up to re-introduce themselves and talk about the good old days.

Skene Manor in the background, built by Judge Potter in 1874. Volunteers have tours and luncheons now. 

BIKERS AGAINST CHILD ABUSE (B.A.C.A.) exists with the intent to create a safer environment for abused children. We exist as a body of bikers to empower children to not feel afraid of the world in which they live. We stand ready to lend support to our wounded friends by involving them with an established, united organization. We work in conjunction with local and state officials who are already in place to protect children. We desire to send a clear message to all involved with the abused child that this child is part of our organization, and that we are prepared to lend our physical and emotional support to them by affiliation and our physical presence. We stand at the ready to shield these children from further abuse. We do not condone the use of violence or physical force in any manner, however, if circumstances arise such that we are the only obstacle preventing a child from further abuse, we stand ready to be that obstacle.

No child deserves to  live in fear…

When I saw the SADD sign on the booth, I assumed it was Students Against Drunk Driving. Two 17 year old Juniors were running the booth. They explained that Destructive Decisions is a much broader approach to the problem than Drunk Driving. They handed out a yellow ribbon and card to promote their cause. “This ribbon is a lifeline! It carries the message that there are those who care and will help! If you are in need and don’t know how to ask for help, take this card to a counselor, teacher, clergy, doctor, parent or friend and say: I NEED TO USE MY YELLOW RIBBON. 

Good for them! 

It was a gorgeous fall day with the sun shining bright. Sales weren’t plentiful - mostly cards and a few of my painted rocks! We stopped for Stewart’s ice cream on the way home - Yum.

 

September 26, 2021, Sunday

Both my daughter, Shannon, and my son, Randy, married Clarks (cousins) from Tyringham. My daughter had two boys and my son had two daughters. The Clark/Driscoll combo DNA works out pretty good and I just have to brag about the fetes of my 4 grandchildren:

 

Jacob finally got to play Junior football (receiver) and caught a touchdown pass in the end zone. I talked to him when he came off the field and he said, “That was nerve wracking - what if I dropped it?" Video attached in email. 

Zachary (QB) scored the two running TD’s of the PeeWee game. Lousy filming but it is hard to be a cheerleader and film-maker at the same time.Video attached in email.

Leanna scored a goal for the JV high school soccer team and in a game 3 days later she played on the varsity team and scored again resulting in her name being in the newspaper for the first time!

She also loves to swim…

And play basketball…

And garden…

And sing (right)…

Lily auditioned to be a Party Child in the Nutcracker this year and got the part! She has worked her way up from a reindeer…

…and wants to do point next!