Some of the People in New Hampshire’s Far North
We have met many people up here in the far north of New Hampshire, people who as much as anything have adapted and grown to love this giant county so far far away from the rest of the world. Interstate 91 stops at Littleton, about 90 minutes south. That’s quite […]
In Coos County NH, Two Moose Crossed Our Path
When we met our host, Karl, here in New Hampshire’s North Country, he told us about the many moose that live in these parts. But he didn’t guarantee we’d see one, even though the sign on the highway warned that “hundreds of accidents” have resulted in people meeting moose with […]
An Unintended Night in Cool San Sebastian, Spain
I never anticipate travel delays. But lately, I’ve taken to relishing where they will take me. What adventures lie ahead if you’re willing to take the risk, and just go with what happens? I went to get my reservation for my train trip to Coimbra, Portugal and when I finally […]
Other Desert Cities: Family Secrets and Family Shame
New Century Theatre’s latest production, Other Desert Cities, hits hard. It’s like the worst of awkward family Christmas reunions, and from the very beginning it’s clear that Mom’s claws are still sharp and they can scratch you at any moment. Brooke Wyeth (Cate Damon) is out in Palm Springs, visiting […]
Commuter Rail Boosts Property Values
Around the country, many transit agencies are becoming land developers because every time they build a commuter rail system, the houses along the route and especially at the terminus become way more valuable. In a WSJ story yesterday, I read a story by Chelsey Dulaney about how land development is […]
Railroad Progress Moves Along
I watched this giant logging machine chew small sticks and move big logs around by the railroad tracks. The current project adding continuous rail track includes lots of tree removal. This guy had just finished his work and he swung the big six-wheeler right up over the tracks, the 3′ […]
Chef: Watching a Man Grow Up With His Boy on a Food Truck
I’ve been looking forward to seeing the new movie Chef since it first came out. But the reasons I liked the film so much were different than I had expected them to be. I love the inner workings of a restaurant, the people who together, figure out how to get […]
Scenes from a Coastal Journey
We are still a little rolling and rocking after our seven-day voyage on the M/V Grande Caribe up the New England coast. We can’t say enough good things about the company, Blount Small Ship Adventures, or our wonderful cast of fellow cruisers. To a person they were fun, well-educated, eager […]
Blount Small Ships Pack a Whole Lot of Fun into a Week at Sea
On whaling ships in the 1800s, captain’s wives often accompanied their husbands on the years-long journeys around Cape Horn, and there was a special flag that was flown to indicate a woman was aboard the ship. When another whaling ship passed, if they too were flying this pennant, the ships […]
A Few Days at Sea, with New Friends in Familiar Places
We have been at sea since Friday afternoon, and as I sit here we are docked at Vineyard Haven. It’s just about four am, and as has become my shipboard custom, I’m awake and in the big salon of the Grand Caribe after a bout of insomnia. Sleeping on a […]
Watching the Honda Dealership Get Demolished in ‘Hamp
Today my travels brought me down to Northampton and as I drove down King St on my way home, I swung into Foster-Farrar so I could get a better look at the demolition taking place at the former Northampton Honda. There have been so many times we drove past this […]
The Thick of the Summer, Before the Sleeping Gets Terrible
We’re in the thick of summer, but thankfully, we haven’t gotten into the mugginess and terrible sleeping weather that lies ahead of all of us. I just watched my neighbors walking by, holding a leash and being pulled along by their black mongrel. One of the middle-aged men was shirtless, […]
Green River Festival Only Gets Better, Even in the Rain
Another Green River Festival is in the history books, and this one was a great one, different in some ways, but the same in how it captured the essense of summer in the Pioneer Valley. Monte from WRSI said that from the stage, so much of what we all love […]
“The How and the Why” Answers Questions I Never Asked
Tonight I went to see the latest New Century Theatre production at Smith College, “The How and the Why,” by Sarah Treem. It’s a serious play about a mother and daughter who come together for a biology conference and find similarities in their adult lives after the mom gave her […]
Easthampton’s Co.lab Will Bring Creatives Out of their Silos
Last night a group of men and women who work at home gathered to hear details of a new plan to create a cooperative work space to Easthampton. Organizers Seth Lepore and Sita Magnuson offered their vision of a place that not only provides a place to work for creative […]
Have You Got Your Green River Fest Tickets Yet?
The Green River Festival has been on my calendar for many months. In fact, all throughout the year I make sure that whatever plans I have made for the summer don’t’ get in the way of attending both Saturday and Sunday July 12-13 so as not to miss any of […]
Summer Travel Plans on Tap: Hidden PA, Cruising and Tanglewood
I’ve got some exciting travel plans unfolding as we head officially into summer, and that’s what makes a life worth living. First off, I am heading off with my daughter and my two grandchildren to an undisclosed location in central Pennysylvania. This place is so great that many who live there […]