“How do you do?”

What could have been the weekend that many people dream of, turned into a postponement for this couple – and the acknowledgement of the real values of life: Pets come first!

Richard and Gail LaMagdelaine of Revelations Collies in Williamsburg, a breeder of collies, for which we have three – Jewel, 13, a sable and white; tri-colors Maddie, 12, and our boy, Levi T. Patterson, six months old, had agreed to take care of them while we were to experience a two-night stay this weekend at Blantyre – Luxury Country House Hotel, the value estimated to be, including tax and tip along with a Sommelier (wine expert) along with some wine.

Now that, my friend, is first class.

About 24 hours before we were to go, Mr. LaMagdelain called, saying due to the impending weather predictions of deep snow and the fact they had two females in heat, they were not prepared to take our collies. Wow! Not good news.

In preparation for this event, as the guest to the winner of a raffle, I rented a tuxedo and got a $35 haircut – tax and tip included – at Shear Design in Lenox.

My wife, Christine, who won the prize in a drawing at Ventfort Hall in January, 2012, was preparing for the elegant two-day holiday complete with The Paterson Suite, valued $1,400 a night.

This decision by the breeder sent us into a tailspin, finger-pointing to arguments as to who was at fault.

Friday morning, we called Blantyre to tell them of our predicament. Given the circumstances, they asked if we could let them know by 3 p.m. our decision. Agreed.

Next, we made several phone calls to find one who might come and stay overnight with the dogs. Even though Blantyre is less than two miles from the house, we wanted to ensure their safety and well-being as any parent or guardian does.

Bottom line: We were able to contact a few, but the plan was not satisfactory to either party. Timing, weather and/or no willingness to commit to an overnight stay at the house all were issues.

Thus, we cancelled our planned Saturday sleigh ride and the Paterson suite.

Needless to say, it was a stressful time.

***

After the phone call, I went to JoAnn’s Luncheonette in Pittsfield for breakfast/conversation and some laughs from some of the patrons.

In the back of my mind, I was thinking of the luxury time I was giving up… I was beating myself up as to why I had not planned better and did not have a secondary back-up plan.

Then I went to the Eastside Cafe, where I listened to Gerry Lee, former Pittsfield Police Chief, talk, for three-quarters of an hour, of different events and personalities associated with the changes in Pittsfield, including some “saintly” people.

I tried to put my own thoughts to rest, as I would do if conducting an interview. Finally, I was able to relieve the stress.

I went home asked my wife if she wanted to go out to eat – yes, was her answer, thankful in the back of my mind that we have the company of the dogs.

I put on my rented tux, which I had planned to return to Steven Valenti in Pittsfield earlier Saturday after cancelling.

Chris was dressed in red to the “nines.”

***

We drove to The Old Mill in South Egremont, noting to one another the “loss of a splendid weekend” but also noting we have a pretty good life.

Upon arrival, Chris walked in and waited in the hallway; I followed and hid behind the curtain that separates the open door from the parlor and the restaurant.

Enter Terry Moore, chef-owner/manager, who greeted Chris with some kind words and then turned to me with some expressions of “Oh no-not you?” until he spotted the tux… He was unsure of where the tux came from and to what purpose was its use.

Admittedly, it was an open greeting of joy, but perhaps not to the level of fanfare that Lee Lahey Stanfield, the late columnist for The Berkshire Eagle, would have received. But then again, she might not have been given the candor of remarks that we have come to expect after driving from Lenox to Egremont.

We entered the parlor/bar, where Adrian Holiday served us a couple of drinks next to the open roaring fireplace. We relaxed. We were home in our choice of a restaurant, fully cognizant of kind thoughts from Terry and Adrian. Some people might be amused by the candor and the conversation thought process.

The restaurant this night was full. It was an early crowd. Sometimes there are tables available, but this night we needed to take the time to reflect and thank our lucky stars that we could overlook the impending gift and regroup as a loving couple.

In between, people were walking in and Terry offered them a warm greeting from the miserable rainy weather outside: “How do you do?”

We sat, enjoying our cocktails. Terry popped over to tell us that he had a special table for us and that it would be a few minutes. What is time when you are with friends?

While the two men oversaw the restaurant and the bar, Ginny Fikins, general manager, was running the dining room. We have always enjoyed good service and good food at the Old Mill.

***

There is certain theater when one wears a tuxedo, which always gives one a presence.  A couple of cases in point:

Some people seated at a nearby table were celebrating a woman’s 80th birthday. They were there from Sheffield.

Meanwhile, a waitress came over from another table to inquire what we were celebrating. We explained in brief our dress and how we came to be at the Old Mill.

She said the people at a far table want to buy you both a drink.

We said yes and smiled that we were picked from the crowd by our dress(?). And we acknowledged them from afar for their generosity,…

After we were served our drinks and finished a shared dessert, I decided to say hello to the people from Sheffield, who have a connection to Howden Farm.

I went over and asked the woman how old she was.

“Eighty” was her reply.

I asked her if she wanted a kiss.

A kiss? With some apprehension on her part, she agreed.

I smiled and acknowledged her friends and family and in the spirit of the celebration, she warmed up for a second kiss – this time a kiss on the lips. Wow. Now this tux is working for me…

I welcomed them and offered my congratulations to the lady.

***

Then, I moved over to the table with the skiers from New Jersey, who were impressed with our formal garb. We wanted to thank them for the drinks and gave them a brief outline of why we were dressed as we were.

We again were grateful for the opportunity to explain the circumstances and thanked them for their generosity.

(Today, unlike days past, strangers don’t normally offer to buy drinks for ones in a celebratory mood. However, they did with no other thought than to share in the moment.)

We later bid farewell to Terry, Adrian and Ginny.

***

On the way back, we stopped at The Red Lion Inn for a nightcap. The inn and Blantyre are owned by the daughters of the late Jack Fitzpatrick and his wife, Jane.

Two things occurred: I went downstairs to The Lion’s Den, where I acknowledged a couple whom I had met earlier in the day at JoAnn’s. Small world?

They were surprised that I was running around the inn in a tux. I briefly explained the circumstances.

Finally, Chris and I sat in the lobby by ourselves for about 15 minutes, reliving the experiences of the night and wondering if in fact if God or some other being influenced our plans. We thought, too, of Blantyre and what might have been a special evening.

Our conclusion was that, in our own way, we brought some joy and entertainment to others.

On our way out, we stopped to pat Simon, The Red Lion Inn’s house cat, and then spoke with a couple from Sharon, Mass.

This led us to a half-hour conversation of sharing The Berkshires with a couple who had come for a visit and were staying at the inn. They were wondering about the area, etc.

Hopefully, we made them feel welcome, gave them suggestions for Sunday and shared in some of their thoughts and views.

Epilogue

While the day did not turn out as originally planned, perhaps we took a temporary postponement for ourselves and put some smiles of the faces of strangers as we shared in conversation and good tidings with them.

Upon reflection, Chris and I had an enjoyable time at The Old Mill, interacting with its guests and finding out that with a handshake, a smile and perhaps a tux, one can bridge the gap of differences and share in others’ well-being.

Our goal was to make their day enjoyable. Our day at Blantyre awaits our reservation and arrival. We look forward to sharing the event with others.

Posted by George C. Jordan III on February 28, 2013. Filed under Opinion,View from the Tower. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry