William John Woods, a maker of exquisite toys and rattles, knows about fine lines. He works with the grain of exotic woods and fashions his pieces by hand, with the eye of an artist. He knows that his toys must be pleasing to parents, but they won’t succeed unless they please kids. He also knows […]
maine
Magazine
A Visit to Boston’s MFA
Even back in the 1970s when I was a graduate student in Boston, I wasn’t a big fan of the Museum of Fine Arts. I dropped in at the elegant and eccentric little Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum regularly just to smell the gardens in winter and breathe the ancient air, but the MFA struck […]
Has there EVER been a Columbus Day weekend in New England that nice? A full weekend of warm days, cool nights, fair breezes and endless sunshine was exactly what many parts of the region needed as the recovery from Irene continues. People were everywhere, enjoying the annual color display in numbers like I’d not seen in […]
When my husband and I got married, there was one thing we were certain about: We didn’t want a traditional wedding reception. Arrive in a limo? Not our thing. Play the garter game? No way! Force the thirtysomething single ladies to line up to catch — and possibly destroy — my bouquet? Not a chance! […]
Gardens
Garden and Potting Shed Styles
Garden and potting sheds are as diverse as the people who own and use them. Charming and intriguing, these simple structures seem to beckon us to approach, peek inside and let our imaginations run wild. These small outdoor buildings also serve as a back drop for artists and artists at heart to express their own […]
New England
New England Fall Foliage Columbus Day Weekend
The big weekend is upon us, and the upcoming weather forecast couldn’t look better. Finally, after weeks of dreary weather and near incessant rainfall, the skies are set to clear as a big, broad high pressure area moves in. The whole of New England, which has been cooped up waiting out this storm is ready […]
“Last year I had the best year ever,” my old friend Eric Hopkins told me back in May when I stopped by to visit him at his new studio on the edge of downtown Rockland, Maine. Sometimes it seems as though Eric, one of the most popular and prolific painters in Maine, rules […]
At long awaited last, the high to peak color is arriving in the mountains of Northern New England. To be honest, I’ve actually been quite surprised how strongly the color came on in the past week. The weather has been not very fall-like, and certainly not ideal for the colors to start popping. A strong, stagnant […]
New England
Far Northern New England Racing Towards Peak
The calendar officially changes from summer this week, and for the past week or so, it’s finally felt like autumn. In one clearing sweep from a sharp cold front last Thursday, true New England fall-like weather has settled in. Out of the closets have come the fleece and flannel, as the morning air has a distinct […]
Food
A Maine Farm Tour
I just spent a weekend touring some of coastal Maine’s most beautiful farms on a press tour with the Maine Farmland Trust. The purpose of the trip was to not only give a group of writers a taste of Maine’s best food, but to educate them on some of the challenges to building a thriving […]
Gardens
Birdhouses in the Garden
“Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come.” ~Chinese proverb~ Birds and birdhouses have always been a part of the gardening experience (examples of early bird houses in museums date as far back as the mid 1600’s) and can be enjoyed throughout the seasons in New England. The presence […]
Maine
Edward Hopper in Maine
The Bowdoin College Museum of Art has been setting attendance records this summer with Edward Hopper’s Maine, an exhibition (through October 16) of some 90 paintings, watercolors, drawings and prints of Maine landscapes and cityscapes created during nine trips to Vacationland between the outbreak of World War I in 1914 and the stock market […]