Edith Wharton got it all wrong in Ethan Frome. That tortured farmer from Starkfield, Massachusetts, took a suicidal sled run down an icy slope and, tragically, lived to regret it. Perhaps most tragic was that Frome’s thinking on sledding was flawed from the start. He looked at it as a way to end his days. […]
7:30 A.M. WHERE THE SUN RISES FIRST Sunrise from Cadillac Mountain reveals a coastline carved with a crooked knife. From that famous vantage on Mount Desert Island, the coast of Maine comes out of the dark. It’s a complicated affair of peninsulas and coves, a jigsaw of rock and water, a play of motion and […]
We sat sequestered in the Sunday School room of the Charlemont Federated Church, three of us, twenty-seven glorious puddings set on the Sunday School tables, which had been covered with bright red and yellow Provincial table cloths for the occasion. For almost two hours, the puddings had been carried in through a light rain, cradled […]
1. Recycled glass coasters ($80 set of 4) are fun–and protect tables, too. Happy Owl Glassworks, Concord, MA. happyowlglass.com 2. Hold on tight to your drinks with this sturdy “Trigger Mug” ($52 set of 4). Bennington Potters, Bennington, VT. 802-447-7531; benningtonpotters.com 3. Pure linen towels (from $40) absorb like crazy and last a long time. […]
It is the end of summer, a strange thing to say since some of us feel there never was a summer this year. Just a long wet spring. And now we are about to celebrate Labor Day and school has already started. Because we have a number of lakes in this town, we have a […]
I spent the weekend with my nephew and nieces, six-year-old James being the eldest, followed by Kiley at four, and young Abigail, one and a half, bringing up the rear. For better or worse, these kids are good eaters. James and I made our banana pancakes (featured in Yankee‘s Jan/Feb 09 issue in “Taking Comfort“); […]
Yesterday I went on a house and garden tour in the next town. There are many historic houses in that town, especially on their main street, which looks more like a stage set for Anne of Green Gables than it does a real town, operating in the 21st century. But it does operate every day, […]
LODGING Best Country Place: RABBIT HILL INN, Lower Waterford A Greek Revival gem overlooking the White Mountains, Rabbit Hill defines romance. Most have fireplaces, and many feature double whirlpools and/or canopy beds. The inn also offers a farm-to-table menu in an elegant dining room. Rates: from $199, including afternoon tea and full breakfast. Three-course table […]
DINING Best Catch: FISHERMAN’S CATCH, Wells It’s completely understandable why locals would rather keep the Cardinali family’s off-the-beaten-path chowder and fish joint a secret. This salt-marsh-view restaurant is renowned for its light, crispy, fresh fried fish as well as for its generous lobster rolls–but don’t even think about skipping dessert. The freshly baked blueberry pie […]
DINING Best Renaissance Downtown: NEWPORT, Newport Vermont’s northernmost city has shed its aging lumber port and turns a fresh face toward beautiful Lake Memphremagog. Stroll the boardwalk to the new Steamboat Wharf; then enjoy a meal at the lakeside BoatHouse Grill, lunch at laid-back Montgomery’s Café, or open-kitchen Italian style at Lago Trattoria. BoatHouse Grill, […]
DINING Best Ice-Cream Stand: MEMORIES, Kingston Step onto the wraparound porch to order flavors such as peanut-butter cup, chocolate-chip cookie dough, and Kahlua chip, all made on site at this farm. Then lap up the rural scene, where resident goats and a cow roam the grounds, and picnic tables under the trees offer a place […]
DINING Best Companions for Your Coffee: ISABELLE ET VINCENT, Fairfield In Alsace the Koenigs ran a seventh-generation patisserie and chocolate shop; lucky for us, they moved here and opened a close facsimile a year ago. Individual pastries are all exquisite, all $4.50; notable among them are the melt-in-your-mouth mille-feuilles (napoleons), for which customers queue up […]
