Sometimes you just want to count the blessings. This weekend , my dear friend Karen came up for a visit. We’ve known each other since 1986, before my first child was born. In the next 5 years as Nika was…

When my children were little, we would drive from Brookline, MA, to Squam Lake in 2 hours. It was reliably 2 hours. Unless it was morning rush hour heading into Boston – which might add a half hour, if I…

If summer wasn’t so short, I’d have a right to complain about this or that. How it’s too hot for hiking – but then, that’s great for swimming. Or too cold for swimming, which is actually nice for Peaches and…

I was sharing about Peaches chasing a bear in an earlier post. The saga continues. I had seen a beautiful small bear crossing the back road on the way to our daily hike. A few days later on our hike,…

It’s that time of year. People are on the water and in the water. Aaaaaaaah. Summer. Peaches and I are out kayaking – celebrating the sunshine, the boat, the long-ish days. We paddle by one by one group of young…

A while ago, I was reading about nature – the wildlife that surrounds me; there’s always more to learn. Recently, I’ve been enraptured by books about wild places. At fIrst it was Alaska, which I know is mostly wild, but…

I was sharing with my friend Paula in Canada that I spend most of my time in communication with people elsewhere: Oregon, NYC, CT, Michigan. I go to the post office here and see this music event or that theatre…

. I fell asleep while the fireworks were still blasting away last night. Given how loud they were and what a great view we have from my dock, that says a lot. The display was late starting – for me…

This is the time of year that makes the long winter and tauntingly endless spring worth waiting for: the days are long, the lake water is swimmable, it’s not too hot to hike (at least early in the day) ……

Each summer I spend at the lake, I develop this routine around my time outdoors. I feel as if THIS is the best place to be: THESE woods, or on this kayak (it used to be a rowboat), or swimming…