Eastman Living Online Magazine

By Laura Nagy Walking along a wooded trail provides different views to different people. While some folks may pass through without much thought about the flora surrounding them, many Eastmanites pay closer attention, perhaps taking time to identify tree species or admire particularly striking individual specimens. Ecologists, however, take a more holistic view: they see […]

Well, not exactly, but YouTube has helped us create new ways to keep the diverse population of our community informed about happenings.

You may be wondering where the loons are when the lake freezes.

Eastman Lake is a focal point in the community where residents enjoy four seasons of activities in a beautiful setting. Its health depends upon good environmental practices year-round. So, hold the salt!

Sustainable Eastman is launching an initiative to explore that question and many others about the viability of the 3,800-acre forest we call home.

Eastman Community Association’s (ECA) fourth annual Leadership Forum took place on August 25, 2016 in the South Cove Activity Center. Close to 50 community leaders met to kick off the FYE2018 budget process, including discussion of the recently completed 10-year Capital Improvement Plan, and review recommendations from the Governance Task Force (GTF). Workshops were held […]

By Sally and Duncan Wood What are black, rectangular, quietly hanging around with other similar objects seemingly doing nothing at all? You’ve got it— the solar panels on The Pavilion at the South Cove Activity Center (SCAC)! As with so many human volunteers at Eastman, these solar panels are actually working hard in the background, […]

Eastman’s Community Nurse/Care Manager Eastman welcomes Karen Johnston, a seasoned nurse who looks forward to serving as our first Community Nurse/ Care Manager. The interview that follows reveals her devotion to her profession and summarizes her responsibilities here. Tell us a bit about yourself. I currently work at Alice Peck Day Hospital in the Emergency […]

By Susie Burbidge We are extremely fortunate to have a resident pair of loons that calls Eastman Lake “home” each summer. How would you feel if one of those treasured adults was found listless, close to shore, unable to keep its head up, and showing signs of a neurological disorder? These are the signs of […]

By Laura Nagy The apparent increase in bear sightings in Eastman last spring and summer may simply be a factor of more observant residents, but there may be other reasons that the normally shy bruins are becoming more visible. Many wildlife biologists refer to the black bear as “a mouth with four legs,” and, in […]

How ECA’s Member Services Can Help with This and Much More By Leslie Moses My dog ate my Eastman ID. Now what do I do? My grandchildren are visiting this summer—all at once! Help! How do I sign them up for camp? I’m hitting the road for a few months. Does anyone need to know […]

Critters Create Subways in Snowpack By Laura Nagy Those of us who enjoy skiing or snowshoeing are not the only ones to benefit from a hefty snowfall. For some forest critters, a substantial snowpack is crucial to their survival. The white blanket so peacefully covering your yard is surprisingly dynamic. When airborne flakes make landfall, […]

By John Larrabee When the South Cove Activity Center was completed in 2009, there were no gutters installed on the roof and there was a minimal landscaping plan. A stormwater management plan was submitted to and approved by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) when the building was permitted; however, large amounts of […]

Creativity at Work in Eastman By Leslie Moses / Photo Courtesy Of Brad Moses Carol Moses received a well-deserved thank-you when she was awarded the 2014 Recreation Volunteer of the Year award at the September 2015 Council meeting. Although Carol has spent much of her volunteer time working behind the scenes on her computer, her […]

By Lorie McClory / Photo By Mary Niles After 17 years of attending events at The Center at Eastman, many Eastman Members have expressed dismay that their favorite events will not be held this winter. Au contraire! Most of the more popular events are merely moving to South Cove Activity Center (SCAC). Please note that […]

By Shawn Phelps | Photo By Ebba McArt At the June 2015 Council meeting, Nate Lang, an 18-year-old Eastman resident, calmly made his way to the podium and was welcomed with enthusiastic applause. Like an old pro, Nate took the microphone to thank the Eastman Charitable Foundation and Eastman donors for the honor of being […]

Essays by the Youth Conservation Corps | Photos Fred Orkin The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is a summer volunteer program for residents and visitors ages 12 and older. Sponsored by the Lakes and Streams Committee in partnership with Eastman’s Recreation and Maintenance Departments, the mission is to introduce youth to the principles of ecology and engage […]

By Ethel Paquin | Photos By Fred Orkin Women gathering together to do handwork is an old and well-loved tradition. Knitting in particular is an ancient art. A pair of baby booties housed in an English Museum dates back 2000 years—with perfectly turned heels. The ladies of the Eastman Craft Group gather each week to […]

By Laura Nagy and Dave Wood | Photo Courtesy of Bill Dempsey “Oh, isn’t he beautiful? And look, the poor thing is cold and hungry.” Yes, winter can be hard on our wildlife neighbors, but think again before you decide to offer them food. You may be doing them more harm than good. The animals […]

Solar Energy from Eastman’s Pilot Project By Susan Kessler | Graphics By Carol Ann Moses | Photo By Fred Orkin Let the sun shine in—and generate power. Sustainable Eastman’s Energy Subcommittee is achieving that goal as you read this. Solar panels on the pavilion roof next to Peppermint Patty’s now generate some of the power […]

By Brian Harding Eastman’s annual Operating and Capital Budget is a vital tool for managing our community. From the first emails to committee chairs and staff requesting input to the Board of Directors’ eventual approval, the preparation process for Eastman’s Operating and Capital Budget takes approximately six months. Although the general manager completes most of […]

By Craig McArt | Photos Courtesy of the Grantham Historical Society The land was called Grantham and the time was 1776. The terms of the charter for this land required that a road be built within five years to encourage settlement. The rough path that the first settlers forged up and over Grantham Mountain had […]

By Sharon Parker WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE IN BLUE SHIRTS AT THE PUBLIC BOAT RAMP? They are among the more than 50 Eastman Members volunteering as Lake Hosts, each of whom spends two hours a week beside our beautiful lake, ready to educate boaters about the steps they can take to avoid the spread of […]

By Susie Burbidge And The Loon Preservation Committee | Photos By Kittie Wilson LOON CHICK PLUMAGE SEQUENCE NATAL DOWN – When loon chicks first hatch, they are covered in dark downy feathers and have white bellies. They are often seen riding on their parents’ backs (usually for the first 7-10 days), which helps with temperature […]

A Native by Definition and Then Some By Charlie Taber  “Native” is commonly defined as “the place or environment in which a person was born.” Rachel Berg exemplifies that definition as a member of a rapidly growing younger generation that call themselves Eastman natives. Not only has she lived here all her life, she is […]

By Peter Hope This summer we will once again schedule Woodland walks, short easy to moderate excursions on trails in Eastman and in the Upper Valley. On most Wednesday mornings from July to October, we’ll meet at 8 a.m. at the Alpine Vista parking area above the dam in Eastman. We will then carpool to […]

By Aaron Brooke Jenkyn A beautiful snowy winter followed by a sunny and warm spring: 2015 sure is continuing to be a beautiful year. Here are a few of the wildlife sightings from around Eastman this past spring: On March 1, John Larrabee photographed a young fox cleaning up under his feeders; perhaps it was […]

CREATION Copyright 1999 by Joel D. Ash | All rights Reserved The young sculptor prepares to embark, Inspiration, a bright shining spark; His mind set afire, Creative desire, A vision the gleams in the dark. The seed of creation deep sown, A quest now to find the right stone; Many marbles inspected, With dozens rejected, […]

By Susie Burbidge One of the seven turtle species that is native to New Hampshire, the snapping turtle is the largest in size and one of the most widespread across the state. Unlike other turtle species, the snapping turtle is unable to pull its head and limbs into its shell, so rather than hiding when […]

Story By Ruthann Eastman Photos By Ruthann, and Bob Koester It was a cold, sunny, late February Tuesday, perfect for cross-country skiing. A Schwan Food Service truck, which had just made a local delivery, took a wrong turn onto what must have looked like a well-packed country road but was actually one of our superbly […]

By Peter Hope This past winter, I was unable to schedule our ever popular snowshoe hike program because the season began with icy trails, and bitter cold. Finally, when mornings became warmer, my work schedule conflicted, and no one else volunteered to lead winter outings. But rejoice! Spring is here: the groundhog did not see […]

By Milt Weinstein Loons communicate with four basic vocalizations: the wail, the tremolo, the yodel and the hoot. The wail is their primary means of communicating from a distance. When nesting, loons wail to ask their partner to take over the nest, and, when raising chicks, they wail to invite their partner to relieve them of their […]

By Craig McArt Photos By Craig and Ebba McArt Hidden in a moist swale between Shore Road and road ’round the lake, a rare, wild colony of giant rhododendron had escaped notice of all but a few in 2010. Of those few, apparently none realized the significance of this obscure stand. Only when several members […]

By John Larrabee | Photos By Fred Orkin Soon after WWI, at the urging of his father, my grandfather bought a small, deeply sloped plot of land on the shore of a 550-acre lake not far from here. The lot was covered with birches, pines, raspberries and pucker brush of various sorts. After a year […]

By Aaron Brooke Jenkyn Winter 2015 turned out to be cold and snowy – perfect weather for polar bears and penguins but a bit too chilly for most of us humans! Here’s a look back on the wildlife encounters that your fellow Eastman Members had this winter. Late last fall, John Larrabee spied what looked […]

By Judy McCarthy Beginning late February and continuing through March, bobcats are often sighted in our neighborhoods. This is their mating time, and during these late winter and early spring months, they are diurnal rather than nocturnal. Even if we are not blessed with a sighting or able to take photos like these captured by […]

By Peter Hope Snowshoe walks are a winter highlight. We meet on Wednesday mornings, usually at 8:30, at the Cross Country Center to carpool to the trailhead. Our Eastman and Upper Valley walks are Easy/Moderate. Because of unpredictable snow conditions, the trip destinations are announced weekly rather than in advance. the meeting time is in […]

By Aaron Brooke Jenkyn Fall 2014 proved to be another wonderful season in Eastman. The weather was mild, the foliage colors were spectacular, our Recreation Department hosted lots of fun family events and, hopefully, you were out and about enjoying everything our little community has to offer. Here’s a look at what some of your neighbors […]

Eastman resident Janice Vien is celebrating her own special place, her recently constructed yoga studio, The Yoga Connection. Newly dedicated, and initiated by many Eastman and other local residents who study Iyengar yoga with Janice, it is located directly across from Eastman’s main entrance in the Grantham Greenway. The studio is elegantly designed, spacious, bright and already full of […]

By Liz Knox Photo By Richard Sachs Larry has spent his life dealing with children. Anyone who has read the Lawrence Eagle Tribune might have read “Family Matters,” his wise and humorous advice to parents. His columns have a certain “Dear Abby” quality to them. although he gives each problem a down-to-earth solution, you can […]

By Milt Weinstein  After five consecutive years in which two chicks hatched and survived the summer on Eastman Lake, this was a disappointing year for Eastman’s loons. After a late ice- out, the resident pair established a nest in mid-June, about two weeks later than usual, and a single chick hatched in mid-July. However, after […]

By John LaraBee With Essay Excerpts from Members of the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)* GET READY… “Not that far from south Cove, you will find miles of well- maintained, interconnected hiking trails to transport you from your busy, everyday life to the quiet and lush forest.”   ON YOUR MARK… “The Deer Path trail is […]

By Aaron Brooke Jenkyn The kids are back in school, summer visitors have come and gone, and it is getting harder and harder to find an excuse to eat an ice-cream cone after dinner. Alas, summer vacation is over, but here is a look back at some of the fun adventures with wildlife your Eastman neighbors have […]

The Age of Perfection Copyright 2001 by Joel D. Ash All Rights Reserved Future era of tranquil reflection, Circumspection and loving affection; Grand connection to Zen, When ladies ken men, The projection of then as perfection. With harmonious body and mind, The beauty of nature enshrined; Aligned human race, Entwined with deep space, The cosmos […]

By Peter Hope Once again, we have enjoyed a great season of Eastman walks and hikes, many to destinations new to us. We still need more leaders, especially for the upcoming winter snowshoe walks. Please let me know if you would be interested in helping in this useful and fun-filled way by contacting me at […]

Story and Photos By Craig McArt John’s Glen has become Eastman’s prime nature recreation area. Recent land purchases have made it the largest undeveloped open space in Eastman. While parts of it can be reached by trails for hiking, walking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing, this beautiful area is yet to be fully discovered and appreciated. […]

BY SUSIE BURBIDGE PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAN POLESCHOOK & GINGER GUMM When you are out on the lake, please make sure to give the loons plenty of space. They show distress in several different ways, some of which can be quite subtle. Here’s a guide to help you understand a little more about their behavior. […]

By Craig McArt Photos By Renee Gustafson Thanks to the efforts of eight volunteers, we have a new bridge on the Stroing Brook Trail. It is high enough to avoid being swept away when the next beaver dam above it is breached. Under the guidance of Craig Sanborn of the Cardigan Highlanders, the crew completed […]

Poetry of the Heart Copyright 2013 by Joel D. Ash All Rights Reserved Poetry springs forth from my heart, Seeking beauty in this form of art; A meaningful theme, Words from my mind stream, The release of emotions in part. I favor the limerick form, For serious work not the norm; A new way to […]

By Aaron Brooke Jenkyn It is hard to know in what season I am writing this column – when exactly did winter end and spring begin? Is summer really here? Even those of us who have been in New England for a long time have begun to doubt our seasonal intuition. It seems like the […]

By Peter Hope This year is the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, the landmark conservation bill that protects nearly 110 million acres of wilderness area in the US. New Hampshire and Vermont have a number of really beautiful and unique wilderness areas that are ours to enjoy, alone or with a group of 10 […]

By Craig McArt and Renee Gustafson Beautiful as Eastman Lake is, are you tired of paddling the same-old-same-old? If so, maybe it’s time to venture outside of Eastman for a little variety; an interesting change of scene is just next-door at McDaniel’s Marsh. Paddling your kayak or canoe through a marsh may not sound that appealing, […]

By David Wood Palaeontologists tell us that the earth’s biosphere has undergone five catastrophic collapses in the 3.1 billion years of its existence. during the most recent of these, the cretaceous extinction, about 65 million years ago, it is believed that 75% of species on earth disappeared. Many scientist now believe that the earth could […]

By John Larrabee Even for a loving pet owner like myself, dodging dog foo on the foot-paths, trails and beaches of Eastman can be both bothersome and an assault on the senses. But pet waste is more than a problem on our shoes. As with human waste, pet waste is harmful to our waterways, which […]

By Amy Hoffman  Every Wednesday, a group of four Eastman residents travels throughout the community to check on a list of items that needs to be monitored or approved. Our list can be quite varied. We might approve some trees that need to be removed or make sure a new home construction is moving along. […]

Story By Caroline Hoen Photos Provided By Maynard Wheeler What should you do if your inner hunter-gatherer ambushes your agenda on a lovely summer morning? When it comes to Eastman’s flora, there are myriad plant types to pursue and investigate, but Maynard Wheeler of West Cove would encourage you to consider a quarry he finds […]

By Craig McArt and Renee Gustafson Starting out as just a trickle from grass pond near I-89 Exit 14, little stony Brook parallels Route 10 before angling east to be bolstered by the flow of Butternut Brook. Farther on, it plunges into a millpond where it regains its composure before spilling over a dam and […]

By Milt Weinstein Each July, the Loon Preservation Committee takes a census of loons on New Hampshire’s lakes and ponds. The results of the 2013 census were both encouraging and troubling. The good news is that the total number of loon pairs in the state was slightly up from 2012, from 280 to 284. This […]

By Judy McCarthy Eating locally was celebrated in Barbara Kingsolver’s book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, but even Kingsolver and her family, whose diet included food that was at least 95% locally grown and raised, allowed themselves a few concessions: coffee, wine, chocolate and spices to name a few. Here in the Upper Valley, it is possible […]

By Aaron Brooke Jenkyn Photos By Paul Hoffman and Aaron Brooke Jenkyn Much of this past winter was too cold for most people to stay outside for long, but once the arctic air passed and the snow began to fall, Eastman came alive. Outdoor enthusiasts of all ages could be seen skiing, snowshoeing and frolicking […]

By Ernie Mills The photos accompanying this article are of exotic milfoil. Something we don’t want in our lakes. It is not native to New Hampshire, and now the two kinds, variable and Eurasian, along with other exotic aquatic nuisance plants, infest 78 water bodies in our state.  Many of these plants were originally brought […]

  The Coming of Spring By Janice Vien Amazing to see a flying insect this early day of March. And then a spider underfoot while snowshoeing. These brave first scouts. Surely the cold night brought a slow death. What courage to be the first to check if winter’s hold is still gripped tight! With no […]

By John Larrabee Yes, it is winter. Some hearty folks stay right here in Eastman and bundle up. Others flock
to southern climes and return when the snow and cold subside. Our loons will have left the lake before it iced, heading for the coast, somewhere between Maine and Rhode Island. Our songbirds migrate south in […]

By Caroline Hoen • Photo Provided By Gay Sabine Eastman’s Grantham Village School families know Gay Sabin well. This beloved sixth grade teacher joined the GVS faculty in the fall of 2003 and retired, for the second time (read on!) this past June, after a career that spanned a total of 47 years. When you […]

By Peter Hope THINK SNOW! I hope that we can have an active Eastman Snowshoe walk program this winter. Starting after New Year’s Day and continuing as long as we have decent snow, we will enjoy snowshoe walks on Wednesday mornings. The mid-week schedule has proven to be very successful in the summer and fall […]

By Craig McArt And Renée Gustafson Heath Forest’s 160 acres lie at the southern tip of Eastman. It’s a hiker’s paradise with over four miles of trails through unfragmented woodlands, free of any roads. the trails are named by color: red, yellow, blue, green, pink, orange and yellow. this colorful mix offers a range of […]

By Aaron Brooke Jenkyn Another beautiful fall in Eastman meant kayaks on the water well into November, lots of people on the trails and happy kids playing on swing sets well beyond labor Day. In August, George and Stephanie Decker enjoyed watching a large pileated woodpecker in their backyard. Gordon Luce spotted a female merlin […]

By Susie Burbidge • Photos By Jamie Walsh While driving home one evening last fall, I saw a red fox prancing down the road, probably on its way to search for some dinner. The same week, my husband went out for an evening run and also encountered a fox. They were like two ships passing […]

By Caroline Hoen When first asked to be subjects for this column, Hal and Ethel Burton could not imagine why Eastman Living readers might be interested in their story. Modest to a fault, their long lives have, in fact, been full of sound decisions and quiet successes that have brought them to a contented retired […]

The Garden at Kid City The garden is growing. The flowers are getting tall. They have stems like green snakes and buds shooting out like cannonballs. Leaves are ubiquitous. Beetles chomp on the leaves, turning them to Swiss cheese. Ants crawl on the ground. The flowers are getting tall. A daddy-long-legs climbs up a flower […]

By Aaron Brooke Jenkyn What an exciting summer in Eastman! Cheeky foxes, hitchhiking gastropods, “bah” loons and the return of the brown bat were only a few of the things that kept Eastman residents amused this summer. I hope you enjoy reading about these encounters as much as I did. On May 26 Gale Schmidt […]

Photos by Cathy Lacombe, Larry Orloff, and Richard Sachs

By Milt Weinstein For the fifth consecutive year, two loon chicks hatched on our lake and survived through the summer. In contrast, only three chicks survived during the previous five years (2004-2008). What accounts for this change of fortune is unknown, but, as stewards of the lake and its wildlife, we can take pride that […]

Story and Photos by Jackie Underhill What On July 26, the New Hampshire Lakes Association and Eastman’s Lakes & Streams Committee co-hosted a workshop at The Center. It was promoted as a free training workshop to learn all about lake-friendly landscaping techniques. The workshop included a focus on Eastman’s Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), whose work […]

By Craig McArt and Renée Gustafson •  Photos by Renée Gustafson With its countless twists and turns, paddling on Bog Brook could almost make you dizzy. Seeming to meander endlessly, its flow snakes through a beautiful, expansive wetland, each bend exposing another. This peaceful setting is a treasure that many in our community have yet […]

By Peter Hope Once again this past summer, we enjoyed a great season of Eastman walks, both at home and farther afield and were able to restart our hiking program, albeit not on a weekly basis. However, that too will come! We do have an urgent need for more leaders, both for the hikes and […]

By Gale Schmidt Photos Provided By Chris Rimmer At 7 A.M. on Sunday morning, May 11, the weather forecast was 90-100% chance of showers, rain and thunderstorms. This did not deter a group of hardy Eastmanites, who gathered at Heath Forest for a bird walk sponsored by the Woodlands and Wildlife Committee. Chris Rimmer, director […]

By Aaron Brooke Jenkyn Owls, coyotes and turtles, oh my! What a wonderful summer to live in Eastman. With the extremely warm weather and sunny days, many of you had the opportunity to get out and explore. Others of you didn’t have to travel very far to see wildlife, as the birds, critters and turtles […]

A perennial favorite with riders, volunteers and staff at High Horses Therapeutic Riding Program in Wilder, VT, Louie, a gentle giant Belgian draft horse, was nominated for horse of the year of the National American Riding for the Handicapped Association (now PATH, Int.) in spring 2009. The photo and poem, both by Richard Sachs, were […]

By Peter Hope The summer Eastman Walk program was a great success! We focused on walks within Eastman but also returned to old favorites such as Mt. Tom in Woodstock, VT and French’s Ledges in Meriden. The hiking program was shortened due to a lack of leaders and adverse weather. We hope for a more […]

By Evan Goldsher With the presidential election on the horizon, Americans are preparing to make an important decision. Every day we hear the same news report of failing economies in Europe, a struggling stock market and a poor jobs report. But what candidates and news stations have failed to cover adequately is the condition of […]

The Lake by Amber Rose Vermette, age 7 Some things are blue. We lay on the water. We see the ducks. We kayak on the lake. We see the flowers. We see lily pads. We see turtles in the water. We jump off the dock into the water. Sometimes we see loons.   Our Lake […]

By Milt Weinstein For the fourth consecutive year, Eastman Lake’s loons produced two chicks. Born on July 2, the chicks spent the summer learning to dive for fish, and in the fall they will learn to fly so they can escape to coastal waters before the ice sets in. The breeding success on our lake […]

By Craig McArt and Renée Gustafson •  Photo by Renée Gustafson Here in the early 1900s, when the Draper Company’s mill was turning out thousands of bobbin blanks from trees logged in its tract around Eastman Pond, a Grantham girl by the name of Wilema Hastings went for a long excursion with her grandfather. After […]

  A Cottage by the Sea By Tom Graves How soporific is the ocean’s roar? Let’s rent a little cottage by the sea, with warmth and sand and shells close at our door. We’ll go there not to do, but just to be.  Let’s rent a little cottage by the sea. Where sky is blue […]

By Craig McArt and Renée Gustafson In the early days, 1851 to be exact, a road was built to connect Grantham with Washburn’s Mill at Washburn Corner in Springfield. It crossed a small, unnamed brook, later to be called Anderson Brook and finally to be renamed Eastman Brook. While the remains of the mill can […]

By Aaron Brooke Jenkyn Summer came early to Eastman this year, with temperatures reaching the ‘70s and ‘80s for several weeks in April and May. The extra warm weather has allowed Eastman residents the chance to open up their windows to listen to sounds of spring, to explore the trails and to get out on […]

By Peter Hope Once again we will offer our Wednesday morning Eastman walks, which will run from July 4 through Columbus Day. Awaited by many with bated breath, the destinations will be in Eastman and in the Upper Valley area. We’ll meet for car-pooling at 8:30 a.m. at the Alpine Vista parking area, above the […]

 By Susie Burbidge The Great Blue Heron is the largest heron in North America and is found in both freshwater and saltwater habitats. Standing nearly four feet tall and weighing a mere five to six pounds, it can be identified by the blue-gray plumage on its back, wings and belly, striped crown, thick yellow bill […]

By Caroline Hoen Photos by David Armstrong Eastman is home to scores of engaged and accomplished young people who excel in areas from academics and athletics to the arts and beyond. One noteworthy member of our 18-and-under set is Jaret Armstrong, who triumphed in this year’s Lebanon Regional Spelling Bee. Held last February, the competition […]