Bytes from the Bean by Joe Manning 4-25-9912:00AM / Sunday, April 25, 1999
On Thursday, April 15th, I took my final two-hour early morning drive from Torrington, Connecticut, to North Adams. No, I am not abandoning North Adams! I am moving. No, I am not moving to North Adams! My wife and I have sold our home and bought a condominium in Northampton, Massachusetts. We will move this Friday, the 30th. As a result, I will be only about an hour from North Adams, and that's very good news.
That last drive up Route 8 was a sad one. It was my 213th time in the past thirty-three months. The trip was a ritual that never got old, and I will miss all the landmarks. But I'll have another favorite route to explore and a new set of landmarks soon.
Many folks have asked me why I am not moving to North Adams. Well, it was tempting. I asked a lot of my friends in North Adams about it. They all seemed to share my misgivings about living in North Adams. I am afraid that I may fall victim to taking the city for granted, like most long-time residents are prone to do. My continuing love affair with North Adams is enhanced by my adventures as a visitor. It's a wonderful place to live, but my unique relationship with the city is based on my observations as an "outsider."
My wife and I love Northampton, too. One of my daughters graduated from Smith College last year. She is a jazz musician (alto sax) and plays in the area frequently. She lives in Amherst and is now a teaching assistant and a graduate student at UMASS, majoring in Composition and Arranging. It will be nice to have her close by. My other daughter is graduating from Brandeis in May; and she will live with us this summer and then set out on her (as yet to be determined) career. It will be good to have an extra hand with the unpacking.
I am writing this in a room full of boxes. Our computer is about the only thing we haven't packed yet. After thirty years of marriage and twenty-three years in this house, we have accumulated a lot of stuff. So I will have to cut it short this time. If all goes well, I should be headed into the Berkshires on my new route on Thursday, the 6th. Anybody know the shortest way from Northampton to North Adams? How about the most beautiful?
Visit Joe's website at: www.sevensteeples.com.
Email Joe at: manningfamily@rcn.com. |
