I started my week off in the dentist’s chair — not the best way to begin. I really like my dentist; she’s very nice and always compliments me on my teeth and my good flossing. I brush and floss only because I fear cavities. I wouldn’t care if my breath were bad or if I […]
nantucket
New England honey ranges from light in color and softly fragrant to dark, rich, and intense. Maple syrup isn’t New England’s only deliciously sticky homegrown product — this region is one of the country’s leading producers of honey, too. Local New England honey is worth buying for more than its heavenly taste. Supporting small-scale beekeepers […]
In addition to sources named here, most New England college and university Africana studies departments offer online resource lists and links to other Web sites. For museums, historic sites, tours, and similar venues, remember to call ahead to confirm schedules and hours of operation. Connecticut Prudence Crandall Museum 1 South Canterbury Road Canterbury, CT 860-546-7800 […]
Massachusetts
Massachusetts: The Bay State
By David Lyon and Patricia Harris Massachusetts may have forgotten more history than most states can remember, but there’s more to the Bay State than 10th grade U.S. history books suggest. Forty miles of high dunes and Atlantic surf form the Cape Cod National Seashore, the ultimate playground for sunning, swimming, surfing, collecting seashells, surf-casting […]
A few years ago, I went through a pizza phase — a significant pizza phase. I was cooking and eating pizza a lot. Thin-crusted, brick-oven, Margherita-style — fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil. From Boston to New York to New Haven to Naples to Nantucket (favorites in order of location mentioned: Figs, Pizza Napoletana, […]
Yankee
Nantucket Baskets | History
The earliest forms of Nantucket baskets were utilitarian creations, made free-form using wooden splints woven to a round pine-board bottom. During the 1860s, basket making aboard the lightships became an art form. I tip my hat to those plucky 19th-century seamen who first manned the lightships off the shores of Nantucket. Unlike the world’s great […]
History
North, South and West of the Hub
Boston is called Hub of the Universe. And that’s not a name given only in jest. As a Boston native, I can say that pride in the Bay State has always spilled over into what outsiders sometimes might consider to be, well, arrogance. (Hub of the Universe?) The Massachusetts image exported to the outside world […]
History
Speaking About Sex and Romance
Here in New England, we don’t much want to talk about things in the area of sex and romance, particularly in mixed company and even when the mixed company is one’s own spouse. We may be noted for calling a spade a spade, but all of us country people over 70 remember that we never, […]
One hundred and eighty-five years ago next month, on August 12, 1819, the whaler Essex sailed out of Nantucket on one of those multi-year whaling voyages of the old days. More than a year later, on November 22, 1820, she became one of New England’s most bizarre and, to my mind, intriguing legends. Yes, on […]
History
Still An Incredible Story
One hundred and eighty-five years ago next month, on August 12, 1819, the whaler Essex sailed out of Nantucket on one of those multi-year whaling voyages of the old days. More than a year later, on November 22, 1820, she became one of New England’s most bizarre and, to my mind, intriguing legends. Yes, on […]