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Posts from the ‘New England’ Category

Mar 12

wood fence, Nauset Light Beach, Cape Cod
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A Day on Cape Cod

Maybe its because I’m really ready for Spring, but I’ve been thinking a lot about summer in Cape Cod.  After 3 years in New England, I only got to the Cape this past year, and even then for only a day.  Like a lot of the coastal US, the communities along the Cape were filled with summer cottages, ice cream shops, fish fry stands and eclectic craft shops.  Everything seemed to exude the relaxation and fun of a summer vacation destination.  I enjoyed exploring the extensive windswept beaches, the sea-side trails and a chance to take in the crashing waves.  Cape Cod has had a rough winter with damaging wind and high tides.  Hopefully the erosion has been minimal and the beaches are still there waiting for Spring too.

Nauset Lighthouse Beach along the Eastern coast of Cape Cod:

Nauset Beach, Cape Cod Read more

Nov 20

fresh cranberries

New England Cranberry Bog

fresh cranberries

While most Americans are preparing for some cranberry sauce this Thursday, I thought I’d share some photos from my visit to a cranberry bog last month.  There are many independent cranberry growers in the Eastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod area, most of which are open for visitors to purchase fresh berries or for tours.  I stopped by Flax Pond Farm, just west of Plymouth and enjoyed learning about the cranberry harvest. Read more

Oct 31

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Halloween in Portsmouth, NH

pumpkin scarecrows, Portsmouth, NH

Happy Halloween!  New England seems to decorate for the Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving really well – maybe it has something to do with our close proximity to Salem and Plymouth.  I particularly like these pumpkin-headed scarecrows in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  The entire downtown is decorated with these 8 feet tall, black clad, wiry fellows.  They’re spooky but not very much, since some of them are dressed in old black concert tees.

Oct 25

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Hiking in Maine

While in Maine, we hiked through Bradbury Mountain State Park.  The trails were incredibly well marked and mildly to moderately difficult depending on which legs and loops you choose to take.  It was such a gorgeous, clear day – perfect for being outside which you can hopefully see from the pictures below.  I had so much fun hiking in the woods that I entirely skipped the outlet shopping haven of Freeport just 6 miles away.  (Like I said, it was a gorgeous day!)

Maine hiking trail

hornet's nest

leaves and sunlight

mushroom closeup

View from the top

Oct 24

Edward Hopper Cape Elizabth MFA
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Revisiting Hopper’s Lighthouse

Recently, I took some time to explore Southern Maine.  Besides great fall foliage, hiking and lobster (which were all also part of my trip!), the state is known for its majestic lighthouses.  I was able to visit a few including the beautiful one at Cape Elizabeth outside Portland.  This lighthouse in particular may already be familiar to lovers of American art.

American realist painter Edward Hopper (1882-1967) may best be known for his psychological urban scenes (like Nighthawks and Chop Suey) but he also painted lovely landscapes.  Over the course of nine summers between 1914 and 1929 spent in Maine, he produced numerous oil sketches and watercolors exploring the coastline and its small villages.  These soft and calm images seem somewhat incongruous with what I encountered in Maine where the coastal environment was rocky, rough and stark.

Edward Hopper, Lime Rock Quarry II, 1926, watercolor, private collection

Do you think this is this Montana, Arizona or in fact Rockland, Maine? – Edward Hopper, Lime Rock Quarry II, 1926, watercolor, private collection

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