Tanzen and Makett in the Berkshires!

Brandon had a week off so we headed to the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. It felt strangely grown up to be taking our kids on a trip...we had a blast! It was incredibly picturesque-- quaint little towns with white picket fences and lush rolling hills with perfectly manicured gardens and farms. We discovered vacationing with babies is fun...not restful or relaxing, but enjoyable none the less!

Getting ready to go swimming...check out the manly physiques!

Makett and Tanzen LOVED the pool--we wished we'd gotten two floaty things. I didn't think that they'd like it, but they were content to recline in it all day!

Ready for a post swim nap...

We hiked to the summit of Mount Graylock--the highest peak in Massachusetts...a whopping 3, 491 feet above sea level!

There was a lighthouse at the top of the peak (no, no ocean in sight! I think it's the only lighthouse surrounded by land?) You can't fully appreciate it from the picture, but the stairs going up were very steep and narrow...which didn't help my extreme fear of heights! I had Tanzen on my back and was terrified that I would fall or he would somehow slip out of the backpack. We made it though, and while the view was beautiful, I'm not sure it was worth it. You could see 5 states from the top...try doing that in the west!

We were excited to go to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art...spent 45 minutes driving there only to find it's closed on Tuesdays! We settled for the Williams College Museum of Art, which was great and had the added bonus of being free.

We drove into Vermont and drove on some cool one way covered bridges...didn't make it to the Covered Bridge Museum though.

Brandon gave me a copy of Walden on our 2nd date...it's his favorite book and he aspires to be like Thoreau in many ways. Going to Walden pond was a great treat for him! This is the inside the replica of his cabin...

We dashed through the Freedom Trail in Boston...The boys were a bit tuckered out towards the end!

We toured a Shaker Village in Hancock...interesting, to say the least! It was beautiful. The round building behind Brandon is an enormous barn.

Tanzen was fascinated by the pigs...

The cows intrigued Makett...

Brandon got some great ideas for his garden...


















The sights were beautiful, the history was interesting...but the best part was being together...it was the most time Tanzen and Makett have spent with Brandon their whole lives, and it was awesome!