Tuesday Oct 9, 2018

Map and road video – Franconia, NH to Springfield, MA

Today was mainly a day of pleasant driving, much of it on designated scenic routes, following the Connecticut River valley south to Massachusetts and crossing the river several times.

I think I’ve mentioned before on this blog that breakfast is very important to me and I was looking forward to a delicious meal at Polly’s Pancake Parlor, not far from my hotel, to start the day. I knew the place was popular but it is large, and this was a regular Tuesday, so I was astounded to find about 50 vehicles outside and a one hour wait to be seated when I arrived at 8:45. There was no cell reception to help me find somewhere else nearby so I just went on my way expecting to find a diner soon enough.  After finding nothing for 1½ hours I was about to go into a McDonalds only to discover a great local diner across the street and all was good.

I then headed to my first tourist stop which was Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, NH. Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) was a famous Irish-born American sculptor who studied in New York, Paris and Rome and became one of the best known artists of his time. His work encompassed everything from large statues, commissioned for public spaces in New York, Boston and Washington, DC, to a project initiated by President Teddy Roosevelt to redesign US coinage. His gold $20 coin was minted from 1907 to 1933 and the obverse of his design was reused on coins issued in 1996 and 2009. He moved to Cornish later in life and built a house and several large studios here. In addition to hiring and teaching many assistants his presence attracted other artists to the “Cornish Colony”. Duplicates of many of his famous commissions, some cast from his original molds, are displayed.

I also made a brief stop in Brattleboro, VT to see the Creamery Covered Bridge that dates from 1879.  This was a short detour for old times’ sake as I had spent a very enjoyable weekend here, attending a fun wedding, 10 years ago. From there I drove on to Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Saint-Gaudens house was open for public viewing but the enormous oak tree dwarfing it caught my eye.
One of several studios Saint-Gaudens built to create his massive works.
Saint-Gaudens spent 14 years creating the original of this work, The Shaw Memorial, that is located on Boston Common. However, even after installation he continued to refine his work and this casting was made from his last version. I took the photo from this angle to emphasize the depth and detail that he put into his reliefs. His original design for the coin was too deep for it to be struck in quantity.
The Creamery Bridge is the first one I’ve seen that has a separated pedestrian walkway.
No doubt that helped walkers enjoy the view in comfort.