Gooseberry Island in Westport covered in blooming roses
Summer means visits to the beach, but we don’t often think of riotous color when we think of beach visits. Our latest visit to Gooseberry Island, in Westport, MA brought the surprise of thousands of beach roses in full bloom. Throughout the island we saw rose blooms, daisies as well as sweet peas. Continue reading
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Suzanne was a one-woman cheering squad for riders venturing out on the trail
It was a day of joy as adaptive cycling came to the Blackstone River Greenway in Blackstone for those with special needs of many kinds. The event was in the planning stages back when snow was on the ground last January. That’s how long it takes to get this many moving parts lined up, making sure everything will run smoothly. And in fact everything did come together. Many of us understand the woman who came back from her ride and said, “My face hurts from smiling!” Indeed, others of us felt the same way from smiling all day. Continue reading
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
Getting ready to sign some books at “The Shed”
And what better way to let folks know you have a new book out than to host a Book Launch party with the folks of the Ten Mile River Watershed Council? Continue reading
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
Getting to the top of Beech Cliffs, with a little help. Echo lake is just below here
I’m always surprised at the people I talk to who live in Massachusetts and have never visited Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert in Maine. Yes, it’s a six hour drive from where we live (not including stops) and yes, I hear the area is pretty crazy-crowded with people in the summer. But there’s spring, Continue reading
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Greating ready to head out at the MilfordYouth Center
We have been hosting Make Your Own Storybook walks since last January, and I keep being surprised at how much fun participants have, regardless of their age or ability. We have had grandparents, babes in arms, (well, backpack carriers), little ones who have not yet learned to read, and school age children as well. We have had adults of varying abilities, parents juggling several children, and my buddies who are visually impaired (or VIPs–Visually Impaired Person as they prefer to be referred to).
In the midst of all this variety, and having offered the program at different locations, I hadn’t quite realized the common theme; if there is a dead or dying fish on the scene, it’s going to end up in many if not most of the stories that are shared that day. Continue reading
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Checking in at New Hope with Marcia Szymanski, Director
When I started working with the non-profit organization Ten Mile River Watershed Council to help them create a new Easy Walks book with me, I searched for grants to help support our efforts. A lot of grant making entities are not interested in helping fund the creation of books. Yup, expressly so–not interested. Each organization has specific requirements. No problem. I finally turned to grants I was familiar with and reached out to the towns in MA included in the book we were working on. In the end, everything is local, as we know. Continue reading
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After all the hard work of writing a book (or in this case, writing portions and editing the whole), many might think the work is done. But no, if you want a book to be read, used, and enjoyed, people have to know it exists. And as they say, “It takes a village.” Continue reading
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Sunrise on Somes Sound
Part of having a positive experience at the ocean (at least for me) is having a place to rest when I need to. We have been lucky enough to find places near the water where I can hang out, watch birds, look for seals (!) and pay attention to the tides. When I’d rested, we set off for amazing outdoor places quite nearby, most of which are within Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island, Maine, and its environs. Continue reading
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A gaggle of ducklings skitter about in the water at Franklin’s sculpture park
What a pleasure to introduce friends to lovely local spots around the corner from where I live. Despite having visited both spots many times in the past, surprises awaited at both locations. Continue reading
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We were prepared for rain! (Photo, Carol Dandrade)
The threatening clouds kept blowing by, allowing for sunshine to sneak through, but we were mostly prepared. Our “Looking for Spring,” Make your own storybook hike at Riverbend farm was on, regardless of the weather. My partner for this event, Kathryn Parent, was well-prepared. “Here are some umbrellas and ponchos,” she said, laying the items on the table in the visitor center classroom. She admitted, “The umbrellas are from our ‘Lost and Found’ box.” As it turned out, they weren’t needed, but we were prepared! Continue reading
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Marjorie Turner Hollman 