In a time when we have felt so closed in by the pandemic, it has been a blessing that, at least near where I live, the trails have been for the most part ice free. We have enjoyed several very Easy Walks recently, one of which was to return to Hopedale Parklands with Tyler, our ace camera guy from ABMI Cable 8, and my hiking friend Linda. Watch the 16 minute video of our walk here.
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We visited the Hopedale Parklands on a misty morning to record a “Corridor Chat” with folks from the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. We were talking about Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are, and tips found in the book to help you have a safer, more positive experience spending time outdoors. Here’s the final 10 minute video: https://youtu.be/NwLnKLFJvJk
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Marcia capturing cattails on the edge of Hopedale Pond
I’ve visited Hopedale parklands countless times since I first learned about this special place, probably fifteen years ago. Each season offers different surprises, and regardless of the season, there’s always something new to see.
But this morning’s walk was different in another way. I met Marcia at the main, Hopedale Street entrance, and we set off in the cool of the morning, before the day got too warm for me. Continue reading
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Goat Hill, Uxbridge, just one gorgeous spot along the trail
The stone bridge over the Blackstone River, inspiration for this year’s wonderful publicity poster
Have you ever worked on a project for a long time and finally see it all coming together? If so, you can imagine our excitement as the beginning of the Massachusetts Walking Tour nears. http://masswalkingtour.org/ I met with the founders, Mark and Raianne, last summer at Booklover’s Gourmet Café in Webster http://www.er3.com/book/ to talk about how this year’s tour might work, how they might use the Easy Walks in Massachusetts book series to help them plan out their route, and how best we could work together. Very soon, they will hit the road, and I’ll join them as often as I can manage. Continue reading
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Grandma and grands having fun on Choatie the turtle at Choate Park, Medway
Each time I spend time with my grands, I am struck at some time by how differently I am able to interact with them, contrasted with the time I spent with my own grandparents. Bonds with my own grandmothers were strong, yet one worked full time almost her entire life, leaving us happily ensconced at her beach house retreat while the other cared for her increasingly frail mother, and thus was never very free to spend much time with us.
Each generation and each family has different life situations–there are no “right” ways to be a grandparent. Continue reading
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Hopedale Pond, frozen
Until quite recently we have enjoyed relatively mild temperatures for December. Overnight the temps dropped into the teens and the pond at Hopedale Parklands quaked from the shock of the change. Continue reading
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Walking in the parklands
All the stars aligned and several friends were all willing to meet at Hopedale Parklands on what turned into a glorious day to be outside . Two friends had never been there before, the third discovered the parklands after learning of it at one of my presentations. We had a lot of fun and a lot of silliness along the way. Continue reading
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Hopedale Parklands
Everyone Outdoors is a blog created to be a community resource and recreation connection for people with disabilities, their friends, families, and supporters who enjoy the outdoors. I wrote a guest blog for this publication sharing 3 outdoor spots in south central MA that are not only Easy Walks, but are also inviting to those of all levels of ability.
http://tinyurl.com/qdudacm
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
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I love visiting Hopedale Parklands in Hopedale, MA in every season. With water views almost the whole way around the pond, it offers so much to enjoy, on relatively, stroller-friendly trails.
Last weekend was a perfect spring day to venture outside. We went to Hopedale Parklands and had a great time on the trail, while a grandgirl climbed rocks and stayed cheerful for the entire 2.5 mile walk. Afterwards I went home and got a nap!
Great spots along the way to find a homemade slide
Hopedale Pond.
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
By Marjorie Turner Hollman (courtesy of Bellingham Bulletin)
Hopedale Parklands, or “The Parklands,” as it’s locally known, is located at 162 Dutcher Street in Hopedale, and offers nearly four miles of walking trails on 273 acres, which surround Hopedale Pond. The broad open pathways give one the sense of walking on the carriage trails of Acadia National Park, which was being formed around the same time as “The Parklands,” at the turn of the last century. But rather than requiring a six-hour drive to Maine, it’s an easy trip on Route 140 to nearby Hopedale to reach this lovely outdoor space.
The Parklands has three entrances. The main entrance, where the town swimming beach is located, is on Freedom Street, easily accessed directly from Route 140. (Directions are included at the end of the article.) Continue reading
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Marjorie Turner Hollman 