From Vermont we drove south through the Green Mountains to eastern Massachussets, a rainy day but we pootled along country roads. As there are so many trees and houses are wooden each small village seems to have a volunteer fire service. Lenox is a tiny town just north of Stockbridge, made famous by the artist Norman Rockwell, which has made it very touristy for our taste. There is a museum of his work and the area has large houses which used to belong to the rich and famous to visit but as it was a warm bright day we drove back north to drive the Mohawk Trail, a road through the mountains once used by the Mohawk indians and were rewarded with some lovely views and colorful trees, although it must be really spectacular in peak season it would also have been more busy, so we feel we have struck a good balance.
Just north of Lenox is a wildlife sanctuary, an area of ponds and woodlands with walking trails where we finished our day. We saw a red squirrel and watched beavers swimming in the pond, never seen them before, magical.
Of course the walk gave us an appetite. The 'no dessert' rule bit the dust a while ago and breakfasts are getting bigger. Pumpkin pie, 'mile high' apple pie, key lime pie, blueberry pancakes the size of dinner plates, but we reckon they must count towards our five a day. In the interest of science we are seeing how much maple syrup a buttermilk pancake can soak up.