The other day at work, a person asked me if the water coming out of the water fountain was filtered. I was taken aback for a moment before I remembered that so many places in the world do not have good tasting water even with filtration. Boston, however, is incredibly lucky that our favorite beverage (no it isn’t beer! haha) comes from a special place called the Quabbin. In recent taste and quality tests, Boston’s water has scored either in…
Overlooking several mountains that make for wonderful hiking and skiing, the North Conway area is rife with places to dine and stay a week or a weekend. We fought the Boston traffic for several hours to spend a weekend at the Buttonwood Inn. Our room consisted of a huge sleeping area and a sitting area with its own gas powered fireplace. The hardwood furniture and blonde plank hardwood floor created an airy ambiance that was inviting and relaxing…
On Friday night, Eric and I watched and read the updates coming out of Paris with heavy hearts. It is always horrible to hear these stories, and even more so when you have been to that place of destruction and hurt. Add to that the attacks in Lebanon and other events unfolding throughout the world and it can seem like there is no hope. But, as we know, you must hold out for that little sliver of hope to survive…
Like many other people, we usually have an extra little Traveling Companion when we go out, especially hiking. Meet Larry the Pirate! We found Larry on The Cape in 2004. Since then, Larry has become a vital part of our hiking routine, accompanying us up several of the Presidentials, Mt. Flume, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Lafayette, Little Haystack, and several other mountains in the northeast. Traveling companions like Larry should have a few particular characteristics. First, they should be cute in…
Happy Halloween! Living in New England, we have the chance to be spooky almost all year round with our historic burial grounds scattered throughout the area (as long as the snow isn’t too high!). Here are some of my favorite photographs that I’ve taken at cemeteries this past month: The Death’s Head is one of my most favorite images in the world. Watching it evolve from the simplistic circle with two dead eyes and a long nose over to…
As Autumn breathes one last gasp here in New England, I’ve been chasing foliage every chance I have been able to find. Though it is past peak in many parts of Northern New England, Central Massachusetts was exploding with color this last week. Taking advice from my cousin, Joe, I wandered off to the Quabbin Reservoir to see if I could find anything worthwhile. I was pleasantly surprised by not only the beauty of Boston’s water supply (more on that…
If you live in the New England area and have not gotten out to see the leaves, stop and drop everything. They are amazing this year and you owe it to yourself to go and watch one of the most spectacular death scenes in the world. Throughout New England, there are beautiful old trees that produce amazing color just hanging out in the town green or some lucky (for now) person’s back yard. Personally, I hate raking so I’m OK…
By now, we all know that Etsy.com is the place to go when you are planning for a wedding. You can find amazing things there! I even bought my paper wedding bouquet and all our flowers from an Etsy vendor and they were amazing. However, did you know that there is a growing trend of travel gifts? I was just noticing this as I was starting my annual gathering of ideas for my large family. There are some amazing…
Whether they are of mice or men, they truly do often go awry unfortunately. For the past two years, I’ve been trying to get us out to Boston Light. This is an amazing site that is part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. As a cooperation between the National Park Service, Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Coast Guard, it truly is a unique site in America. Situated on Little Brewster Island, the Boston Light is…
One of my favorite things to do while wandering in various cities and towns, is to look at the art in it. Most of the time this means the statues that populate areas (we seem to have a ton here in the northeast) or the graffiti that hides in the open. This weekend, we went wandering through Gloucester, MA, a small town north of Boston in the Cape Ann area of Massachusetts. Homeport for the Gorton’s Fisherman and featured in…
