Author Archives: Marjorie

by | May 1, 2020 · 11:18 am

Bringing liberal arts study and life together

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Sharing stories between generations is magic, no matter the form those stories take

I was invited to comment on the benefits of obtaining a liberal arts education. Perhaps you are asking yourself this question right now. Below is my response, with the link to the article, which offers numerous other amazing responses to the same question. Enjoy!

I received my BA in History many years ago, and for quite a while wondered if I would ever put my studies to use. It was only ten years ago, when I came across the world of Personal Historians, that I realized my studies, my passions and my work were finally all coming together. Continue reading →

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by | April 27, 2020 · 2:29 pm

Biking during a pandemic, Myles Standish State Forest

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Woodland trail at Myles Standish State Forest

Each spring we eagerly look forward to getting out our adaptive tandem bike, which allows me to enjoy time on the trails far beyond how far my feet can carry me. Last spring we were in process of building our new bike, and were delayed in getting out. And this spring, well, there’s a pandemic about, if you had not heard. So beyond concerns about the days getting too warm for me, we have the added concern about whether we might expose, or be exposed to, anyone else who could make us deathly ill.

We decided, rather than visit one of the several local rail trails nearby, which we felt sure would be more crowded than we felt comfortable with, to head out to Carver, to the Myles Standish State Forest. Continue reading →

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by | April 20, 2020 · 3:29 pm

The Pink Princess

Julia in pink princess dress

The Pink Princess

We rarely get a choice of who we share a neighborhood with. Little did I know when I moved to Bellingham, to the little neighborhood at the top of the hill overlooking Silver Lake, that I would someday hit the jackpot of neighbors, just when I needed them most.

I was reminded of this last week when I was invited to partake in a virtual gathering of women passionate about books and reading, a sort of “Book club” if you will, initiated by Julia, who had grown up next door to me when my children were growing up. As each person introduced ourselves to the group, we explained how we knew Julia. I explained that I had known her since before she was born, the much anticipated daughter her mother had longed for. Somehow the Pink Princess story came up, and I told the group a very little about Julia becoming a pink princess, and some of my role in making this happen. Continue reading →

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by | April 20, 2020 · 11:51 am

Discovering the Heron Rookery behind Stall Brook School

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Long distance view of the heron rookery, Stall Brook

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

Four years ago I saw a drone video posted on our local Bellingham, MA Conservation Commisison Facebook page offering a glimpse of a great blue heron rookery near power and gas lines north of Rt. 126, somewhere near Stall Brook elementary school in Bellingham. I have since wondered if it was possible to get a view of the herons without climbing in a plane to do so. Continue reading →

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by | April 13, 2020 · 4:24 pm

A Passover and Easter like no other

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Raised garden beds, ready for planting.

Early last week we shared a family Passover service on Zoom. Typically the service happens in family dining rooms, and the focus of the service is around the dinner table. The traditional foods help to tell the story of the first Passover, and offer symbols of remembrance, of trials and deliverance. Part of the classic liturgy of the service asks four questions, and one question brought laughter as we gathered in front of our computers and were connected in a virtual envornment, “Why is this night unlike all other nights?” Why, indeed?  It was for sure a night unlike any other we had experienced up till then. Continue reading →

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by | April 11, 2020 · 9:08 pm

Sewing Memories

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Tools of the trade, and some finished face masks

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

Along with many others, I have pulled out my sewing machine, gathered my stashed sewing supplies, and found multiple videos and directions for making cloth face masks for ourselves and others who are in need of them during this health crisis we find ourselves in. I am not a sewing expert, nor an exacting sort of seamstress. Sadly, my sewing meets the standard of “getting the job done,” but then again, cloth face masks in the middle of a pandemic are not exactly fashion statements. Continue reading →

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by | March 30, 2020 · 4:26 pm

Hughes Property, Hopkinton, MA

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A wide path invites visitors to come and enjoy the trail through the woods

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

When I started resarching trails for my Easy Walks in Massachsuetts book series, I wondered if there would be enough open space for me to write about. Seven years later, I wonder if I can keep up with new trails being developed in nearby towns. I visited the Hughes Property in Hopkinton, MA several years ago with John Ritz, chair of the Hopkinton Hiking club, who described the area to me as having been recently donated to the town. Continue reading →

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by | March 29, 2020 · 3:10 pm

Skull Rock Lock, along the Blackstone River, Uxbridge, MA

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Upstream from Skull Rock Lock, along the Blackstone River

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

We looked for a smaller place to walk that might have fewer visitors to avoid in this time of physical distancing. While intending to head to one destination, we passed the small parking area on Rt. 122 in Uxbridge, Skull Rock Lock, south of the town center, that offered access to the Blackstone River. No one else was there. Just what we were looking for. Continue reading →

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by | March 27, 2020 · 2:59 pm

Along the Connecticut River

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View of French King Bridge from Cabot Cove, Montague

We recently visited friends who live near the Connecticut River and enjoyed getting out with them for some local walks. They took us to a spot underneath the French King Bridge, where we walked alongside the river and watched ducks searching for food in the frigid waters. We had often stopped at the bridge itself to gaze up and down the river, but we gained a very different perspective from down at river level. Continue reading →

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by | March 26, 2020 · 11:14 am

Powdermill Ledges, Smithfield, RI

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Boardwalk through potentially wet area in springtime, with stone walls along the way

We often spotted the sign on the highway for Powdermill Ledges, in Smithfield, RI, but had never followed through to track this open space down. I read that it was the headquarters for RI Audubon Society, so I was glad to finally get there (before the global pandemic, when everything was shut down).  It was an easy drive down Route 295 to Rt 44 west to Rt. 5. We were able to obtain a map from the visitor center, which was helpful. Continue reading →

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