Eastman Living Online Magazine

Story and Photos by Craig McArt More than one trail stretches northward from Eastman into Enfield’s Henry Laramie Wildlife Management Area. The familiar one leads to Cole Pond, but another one of similar length begins at Butternut Pond and takes you to Halfmile Pond. Halfmile is a small, narrow fingerling of a pond, about a […]

This entry was posted in Featured | Comments Off on Northern Paths

Thanks to evolving technology, I can write and edit wherever I want—out on the deck, by the fireplace, in my loft, at South Cove Activity Center or even at Dunkin’ Donuts, if I choose. The changing title of this editor’s note from issue to issue has been symbolic of change—both editorial and environmental. As I […]

This entry was posted in Editor's Note | Comments Off on From the Editor’s Loft

By Jill Hull In 2012, the Eastman Women’s Golf Association (EWGA) began using its annual golf tournament and luncheon to raise funds for Turning Points Network (TPN) in Claremont. Plans are currently underway for the 2016 tournament and luncheon to be held August 25 to benefit the Sullivan County organization that provides critical services for […]

This entry was posted in Short Takes | Comments Off on Golfing for a Life-Changing Cause

By Phil Webber How do you get six retired men to spend three days working outside in frigid January weather? A Let them use saws, drills, levels, ladders, and extension cords “just because.” B Promise them a lunch prepared by an award-winning chef. C Identify a good cause. D All of the above. Yup, the […]

This entry was posted in Short Takes | Comments Off on Volunteers + Generosity = Eastman

By Peggy McCauley When I venture out on my first Heady Topper expedition, I find myself up earlier than I want to be and barreling north on I-89, equipped with a large cooler in the back seat. As I cross the spine of the Green Mountains, I begin to feel that I am racing against […]

This entry was posted in Short Takes | Comments Off on Stalking the Elusive Heady Topper

By Judith Platt Tall meadow grasses gently waving in the breeze. Melodic chirping and peeping from nearby treetops. The haunting hoot of an owl as dusk descends. An errant moose browsing in the rough. A fox slyly eyeing the bipeds that come clutching iron rods to propel tiny balls through the clear Upper Valley air. […]

This entry was posted in Short Takes | Comments Off on Eastman Golf Links–Certifiably for Birdies . . . and the Birds

By Alice Podesta Eastman’s Women’s B team had a successful 2015 season in the Community Tennis Association (CTA). After the first four matches, the team found itself in 9th place out of the 10 teams participating in the Upper Valley CTA’s summer league. Eastman rose in the division standings, winning its final five matches and […]

This entry was posted in Short Takes | Comments Off on Tennis Teams Look to Ace 2016 Season

By Judy McCarthy The Grantham Garden Club’s annual plant sale is a sensory feast of shape and scent that almost overwhelms shoppers each May. A local rite of spring, this year’s sale, chaired by Grantham Garden Club (GGC) member and Eastman resident Janie Clark, will take place on Saturday, May 14, with the doors of […]

This entry was posted in Short Takes | Comments Off on A Rite of Spring

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 […]

This entry was posted in Column | Comments Off on Sustainable Eastman: Meet Karen Johnston, RN, BSN, MS

Entombed deep beneath ice and snow, The birth chamber of spring far below; Winter days still unfold, Golden sun sparsely doled, Cold threshold for the season in throe. By and by shortened days start to grow, Melting landscape, diminished ice floe; Woebegone faces brighten, Now the snow traces lighten, A warm glow from the spring […]

This entry was posted in Poetry Corner | Comments Off on Northland Spring

By George Sutherland “Deeryard.” Why name a Special Place “Deeryard,” and what is a deer yard anyway? Well, it’s an area that provides food and cover for deer during the winter. Such a place had existed in the eastern portion of Eastman before being abandoned when I-89 came through in the 1960s. Deeryard was one […]

This entry was posted in Special Places | Comments Off on DEERYARD – The Quiet Life

By Ethel Paquin Located just north of the South Cove Activity Center, on a hilly, wooded tract of land that stretches along the lake, East Lake Special Place (ELSP) was the first cluster housing built in Eastman about 40 years ago. When it was planned, almost every condo had some view of the lake. That’s […]

This entry was posted in Special Places | Comments Off on EAST LAKE – A First in Eastman

By Susan Mattson Greensward: An area of ground that is covered with grass. This is an apt description of the defining feature of our Greensward Special Place, which encompasses all of the area surrounding the Eastman Golf Links (EGL). Greensward was one of the areas developed early on, and there is a mix of old […]

This entry was posted in Special Places | Comments Off on GREENSWARD – Not Just a Pretty Golf Course

By Richard Sachs Burpee Hill Special Place runs along the west side of Eastman Lake from Snow Hill down to the West Cove condos and is bisected by Road Round the Lake (RRL). The homes on the east side of RRL are on four jug-handle-shaped arcs called “The Braes”: Sandy Brae, Birch Brae, Azure Brae […]

This entry was posted in Special Places | Comments Off on BURPEE HILL – Bonny Braes and Sylvan Settings

By Norah Peterson During the summer of 1976 while we were vacationing at Lake Sunapee, my husband, Bob, went out for a ride on a rainy afternoon and found himself at the entrance to Eastman. His curiosity took him to a Visitor’s Center, where he was told that a sales representative would come to our […]

This entry was posted in Special Places | Comments Off on North Cove – Natural History and Enduring Memories

On the following pages, we begin a series about Eastman Community Association’s (ECA) 16 “Special Places.” In this issue, we extend an invitation to Eastman Living readers to get to know the Special Places through the voices of residents who live, work, and play in them. For some Special Places, your tour guide may be […]

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By Judy McCarthy and Mary O’Rourke It’s about raising money. It’s about raising hope. It’s a way of remembering those we have lost and celebrating those who have survived. It’s a time for family and friends, neighbors and strangers to be part of the work to eradicate a disease that has impacted many lives. The […]

This entry was posted in Featured | Comments Off on Local Prouty Teams: Proud to Be Part of a Popular Annual Event

By Cathy Lacombe Serving at 5-4, Jill Davis had a chance to take the opening set against Martina Navratilova, then the #1 player in the world. It was September 3, 1982, Davis’ first time on Stadium Court at the U.S. Open at the U.S. National Tennis Center in New York City. “I had goose bumps,” […]

This entry was posted in Featured | Comments Off on Jill Davis—From the U.S. Open to Eastman

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 […]

This entry was posted in Column | Comments Off on Lakes and Streams: Saving Our Loons Hook, Line, and Sinker

  The Center Renovation As the renovation of The Center on Clubhouse Lane continues, progress is being recorded visually each step of the way. Completion of the project is scheduled for summer.   Building a Kayak The boat-building project of 2015 was so successful that leader John Larrabee decided to replicate the experience with a […]

This entry was posted in Scene in Eastman | Comments Off on Scene in Eastman

Judy McCarthy wrote on February 1, 2016: Every year, I am fascinated by the birds and their habit of torpor, which is the practice of becoming almost completely inactive or still for the purpose of maintaining a constant body temperature, particularly in very cold weather. I first noticed this several years ago. Our feeder has […]

This entry was posted in What's Out There | Comments Off on What’s Out There?

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 […]

This entry was posted in Column | Comments Off on Woodlands and Wildlife: Bear-ly There!

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 […]

This entry was posted in Column | Comments Off on ECA@Work: Did Your Dog Eat Your Member ID?

By Susie Burbidge The wood frog, one of 10 species native to New Hampshire, is a brown frog that can be identified by the dark mask that extends across its eyes. It also has two conspicuous ridges that run along its back. Wood frogs are part of the “true frog” family, whose members have smooth […]

This entry was posted in Species Spotlight | Comments Off on Species Spotlight: Wood Frog— Rana Sylvatica

By Peter Hope For the remainder of 2016, I hope to offer many hikes on weekends and walks on weekday mornings that will vary from easy walks in Eastman or the Upper Valley to more strenuous climbs of local mountains and some higher Vermont and New Hampshire peaks. We ask a small transportation fee for […]

This entry was posted in Peter's Picks | Comments Off on Peter’s Picks

By Judi Platt My feet are sinking quickly into the squishy surface. My hiking boots are not high enough, and my socks are caked with mud. Mud. I leave inch-deep imprints as I tug my feet from Mud’s relentless clutches—each slow, measured step slurping across what could be a Tough Mudder training ground. Mud is […]

This entry was posted in Light Escapes | Comments Off on The Woes and Throes of Our “Bonus” Season