Dear Yankee

On The Trail of Great Art

Any compilation of “bests” is going to omit someone’s favorite. “Connecticut Is for Art Lovers” was no exception. The New Britain Museum of American Art, 56 Lexington St., 860-229-0257; nbmaa.org is a gem that no art lover should miss. Housed in a stunning new facility, with a strong assemblage ranging from early portraiture and the Hudson River School to Impressionism and the Sanford B.D. Low Illustration Collection, the exhibits draw a steady stream of first-time and return visitors. I urge Yankee‘s readers to include the NBMAA in your travel plans — you won’t be disappointed!
Marie Koller, Newington, CT

The Egg Man Cometh

I wanted to share a little story with you about Bert Southwick “Fridays with Bert,” May/June 2008, with whom I attended grammar school many years ago in Tilton, New Hampshire.

After high school, I moved to Connecticut. Some years back I returned to Tilton to visit. My foster mother told me she had a surprise for me later that week. So on Friday we were sitting on the granite steps of her home on a warm summer day when up the street came Bert with his mare and her foal, untethered and staying very close to her mom. It was a great surprise!

Bert and I had been chatting for a half hour or so when his mare and her foal started walking down the street. I was rather panicky and told Bert to go get them. “That’s all right,” he said, quite calmly. “She’ll stop at the next house. If I stay too long at one place, she lets me know that I’m dawdling!”

One of the happier respites in my memory bank, and I thank you for reminding me.
Max Flippinger, Bristol, CT

The Sustainable Wilderness

I read your article on the desire to establish a national park in Maine’s North Woods and of the opposition thereto “The Most Controversial Woman in Maine,” March/April 2008. Both sides’ needs are valid. National parks, however, are hard to establish, and they come with lots of restrictions. One solution that would preserve the forests and woodsman traditions of the North Country while allowing hunting, fishing, and other recreation and creating jobs might be to make the area a national forest. The national forests of the Alleghenies provide an example. Both conservationists and citizens looking for a livelihood or recreation in a natural setting should be satisfied. This designation would allow for both preservation and forest management; in addition, multiuse recreation is mandated for national forests.
Liles Creighton, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, Annapolis, MD

Before Roxanne Quimby banned snowmobiles on her property, I used to stand aside on my snowshoes as a convoy of snowmobilers blasted by at 30 mph, “experiencing the wonders of nature.” Today there are no snowmobiles or ATVs as my family and I snowshoe or hike the three miles into our camp. More hikers are starting to show up on the trails these days, walking quietly through the woods and rediscovering the way life in Maine used to be. I believe this is one of Roxanne Quimby’s goals in preserving the Maine wilderness, and we should applaud her for her efforts.
Michael Weymouth, Hingham, MA

Updates and Corrections

Garrison Confections, a Rhode Island “Editors’ Choice” selection May/June 2008, recently closed its Hope Street store in Providence. The good news, though, is that devoted retail customers may purchase their favorite treats online (garrisonconfections.com), as well as at Whole Foods markets and other fine establishments around the Ocean State. Garrison’s wholesale and online operations are based in Central Falls (401-725-0790). Also in that issue, the Boothbay Region Fish & Game Salt­water Fishing Tournament (“Top 20 Maine Events,”) is now scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, August 9-10, at the town lobster wharf (207-633-3788; boothbayregionfishandgame.com).

The Fairbanks Museum, listed in “In History’s Footsteps,” May/June 2008, p. 104, is located at 1302 Main St. in St. Johnsbury, Vermont (802-748-2372; fairbanksmuseum.org). Also, New Hampshire’s Wallis Sands State Beach (“A Summer Place,”) is located on Route 1A.