How To

Outdoor Brick Oven: Home Projects

Award-winning pastry chef Ciril Hitz, a department chairman and instructor at Johnson and Wales University, always carried with him a fond recollection of the aroma of fresh bread baking to perfection in the wood-fired ovens so common in his native Switzerland. PROJECT Wood-Fired Oven Today, he and his wife, Kylee, live in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, in […]

Living

Moose in Maine | Where You Can Find Them

Wondering where to see moose in Maine? This driving tour from our Maine moose experts highlights five of the best places to see moose in Maine. Don’t forget your camera!

Gardens

Our 10 Favorite New England Trees

Like the forest itself, these New England trees are diverse. Our ten favorites are unique for their role in history, jaw-dropping size, or simple beauty.

Homes

Asa Potter House in Kingston, Rhode Island | House For Sale

George Washington slept here. So did Marilyn Munro and her husband, Joe. No, not Joe DiMaggio. Sorry. We’re referring to Joe Munro (with a “u” and no “e”), current owner of the historically important Asa Potter House. The house is on Kingstown Road in the village of Kingston, which is part of South Kingstown, Rhode […]

Gardens

Natural Lawn Care | Gardening Solutions

To understand the problem with lawns, it’s helpful to understand that diversity is essential to the natural world. Great energy expenditure is required to maintain a monoculture, whether it’s a field of corn or a lawn. A nonessential “crop” with a combined national acreage larger than Pennsylvania, our lawns require more water, insecticides, fungicides, weed […]

Gardens

Prevent Wood Rot, Keep Cats out of Gardens | Real Solutions

We recently painted our house and found wood rot, which necessitated a lot of repair and replacement work on the clapboards. What can we do to prevent wood rot? — J.T., Swanzey, NH Homeowners should inspect for wood rot annually. This is a good time of the year to check the condition of exterior trim, […]

How To

Home Projects: Sea-Glass Mirror Surround

PROJECT: Sea-Glass Mirror Surround Beachlovers Holly Rader and Carol Smith-Sloan are longtime friends who share a passion for beach glass. Recently they’ve started transforming their collections of those ocean-tumbled fragments into art. They’ve adorned mirrors, picture frames, and mantels with colorful shards — but these days they’re concentrating on larger installations, such as the mirror […]

Gardens

Seaside Garden Plants

Bunny O’Callahan’s years of gardening on the New England coast have taught her which plants love a seaside setting. Here’s a selection of her recommendations: WOODY PLANTS Hydrangea macrophylla and Buddleia (butterfly bush) are easy, deciduous shrubs that bloom from July onward. The hydrangeas feature large “popcorn ball” or flat-topped “lacecap” flowers in vivid blue […]

Gardens

Seaside Garden | Garden by the Sea

This seaside garden in Connecticut is an oasis for birds and butterflies. “I choose plants to feed the birds or attract the butterflies,” says Bunny O’Callahan, explaining the composition of her seaside garden in Connecticut. “Sunflowers really draw the goldfinches in. I like to float on my back in the pool and listen to them […]

Gardens

Secrets of Preserving Leaves Activity

When I was a little girl, I had a three-block walk to school. On these walks in the fall I played a game, a treasure hunt of sorts, where I would find the tiniest perfect leaf and the largest perfect leaf and present them to my mom before lunch. I walked those three blocks with […]

Homes

House for Sale: East Haddam, Connecticut

Within a few minutes after turning off Connecticut’s Route 9, which follows along the Connecticut River south of Hartford, we knew we’d taken the wrong exit. With the sun rising directly in our eyes, we couldn’t read the signs properly. Our destination was a horse farm in East Haddam. We’d been corresponding with the owners, […]

How To

Home Project: Outdoor Shower

Project: OUTDOOR SHOWER Guests who get a chance to use the outdoor shower at the Block Island home of Larry Breakstone and his wife, Karen Levey, come away impressed. And for good reason: For starters, it’s got hot water, but the 4×8-foot structure is also spacious, offers a pleasant view of Block Island Sound, and […]

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