Author Archives: Marjorie

Mercy Woods, Cumberland, RI

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

A perfect spot to sit and rest awhile along the trailMercy Woods in Cumberland, RI is a new property added recently to the Cumbland Land Trust outdoor spaces open to the public. 229 acres of open space with trails offers a great option for visitors to explore the trails. The trails are well-marked, wide, and relatively smooth. The landscape is hilly, and the trails offer a lot of elevation change. Continue reading

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French River, Webster and Dudley, MA

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Views of the French River from the trail

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

In this time of “all things virus-related” worries, we decided to explore a small trail in Webster last weekend along the French  River, the French River Greenway, site of the former Perryville Cotton Mill. Continue reading

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Staying close to home: Fort Nature Refuge

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Beaver pond at Fort Nature Refuge

We decided to stay close to home when we ventured out a few days ago. Searches in nearby towns turned up Fort Nature reserved in North Smithfield, RI, a short drive from our home just on the other side of the border in Massachsetts. This small (235 acre) property offers some nice variety of outdoor experiences. But you will find no forts here–the name refers to the Fort family, which donated the property to be kept as open space. Continue reading

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Sea, sand dunes, and marshes at Sandy Neck Beach, Barnstable

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Miles of beaches await at Sandy Point

We visited Sandy Neck beach on a mild winter’s day. We were not the only visitors. A number of others strolled the beach, but with 6.5 miles of beach to walk, it was not crowded. Unlike most beaches, Sandy Neck allows, with multiple conditions, motorized vehicles and horses on certain portions of this beach. It is not every beach that requires stop signs. Permits are required to access these trails with motorized vehicles. Continue reading

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Birds and More Birds in Winter

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Mute Swans sail out of Flat Pond, adjacent to South Cape Beach in Mashpee

We headed to the Cape on a gorgeous winter’s day and found birds–lots of birds, each place we stopped along the coast in Falmouth and Mashpee. We focused on Waquoit Bay, and found several places to take in the shoreline. Each stop offered views of migrating birds, some soon ready to fly north, and others just arrived from the south, much sooner than usual. Continue reading

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Winter Birding on Cape Cod

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Lots of eider ducks swimming in the canal, near the Bourne Bridge

We headed to the Cape during this mostly snow-less winter, and as we drove over the Bourne Bridge we spotted probably a thousand eider ducks swimming in a line on the north side of the canal, almost direclty below us underneat the bridge. Grabbing this chance to get some close up views of these large ducks that mostly live north of us in warm weather, we crossed back over the bridge and hunted for a place with easy access to the Cape Cod bike trail near the bridge. Continue reading

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Courtship, Marriage…and Murder: piecing together a lost portion of our family’s story

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My parents leaving the church after their wedding

As I worked with my dad to create a memoir for him to share with our family, we came to the year he spent courting my mother in 1949. Dad was more than happy to share the events of how he and Mom met, a story I had grown up hearing. But a significant event that occurred during that year before they married had been left out of Dad’s narrative.

Shortly before Dad’s memoir was to be published, my sister handed me a box that included letters my father wrote to Mom during that courtship year. In a few letters from my dad to Mom, Dad wrote some cryptic notes, including a comment that left me puzzled. Continue reading

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Jamestown and Newport, Coastal RI

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Moonrise over Newport

We headed for the shore in the aftermath of a substantial storm that downed trees and hit some coastal areas with near hurricane winds. We figured the waves at Beavertail State Park would be impressive, but we were a little surprised at how cold those winds made us feel. The temperature registered around 39 degrees F, but it felt so much colder it fairly took my breath away. Good thing we had down jackets and warm hats and gloves. Continue reading

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Easy Walks gets to Disney World, Orlando

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Yup, it’s Florida and there are alligators (and snakes!), even at Disney

A professional conference took us to Orlando in January, a welcome change from New England’s winter. The conference took place at one of the hotels near Disney World, and I found the area well set up for walkers and those hoping to use public transportation. Continue reading

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Winter bike ride, East Concord, Bruce Freeman trail

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Yes, the pond was frozen, but we got our tandem bicycle out to enjoy temps in the 60s along the Bruce Freeman rail trail in Concord

We experienced an unseasonable warm wave (not exactly heat wave, but still) in January, and people went out in droves to spend time outdoors. We realized we could even manage a ride on our tandem, so pulled it out, and got it ready. Where to go? We’d heard of a new section of the Bruce Freeman trail in Concord, so off we went to explore. Continue reading

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