Eastman Living Online Magazine

Spring in Eastman is full of surprises. It rarely makes a grand entrance, but often sneaks up on us with subtle signs. The annual spring “ice out” is literally a guessing game. Foxes, coyotes, chipmunks, and black bears emerge on their own schedules. Mud season makes a cameo appearance or lingers a while; it differs […]

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

By Elise Kendall Mark your calendars for this year’s plant sale to be held on Saturday, May 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the lower level of the Grantham Town Hall. The Grantham Garden Club (GGC) will once again sell annuals, perennials, and local organic vegetables and herbs, with proceeds going to GGC’s […]

This entry was posted in Short Takes | Comments Off on Grantham in Bloom

By Lorie McClory Walkers and runners abound in Eastman, but not all of our roads—let’s face it, not many—were designed with that in mind. So, many years ago, Eastman began allowing people to use Eastman Golf Links (EGL) cart paths for those purposes on weekdays during hours set with everyone’s safety in mind. Those who […]

This entry was posted in Short Takes | Comments Off on Beautiful Walk sans Clubs on Eastman Golf Links

By Judi Platt Outdoor tennis season in New Hampshire is, to say the least, short—only a tad longer than the growing season. To usher in the season sometime in May, tennis loyalists in Eastman leave the comfort of the indoor clubs en force for the outdoor courts, often having to don long johns, gloves, and […]

This entry was posted in Short Takes | Comments Off on Advantage Eastman

By Brad Truax This past December, Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) in Quechee, VT graced Eastman with the release of a barred owl. VINS chose Eastman for the release to honor Eastman resident Richard Sachs who serves as a weekly volunteer at VINS. The barred owl, a suspected male (gender is a “guess” based […]

This entry was posted in Short Takes | Comments Off on A New (re)Lease on Life

By Norah Peterson Upon entering General Manager Ken Ryder’s office, the first thing I noticed was the fine wooden case with a traditionally folded American flag surrounded by medals. This flag was raised at each of the seven bases on which Ken served during his U.S. Air Force career. It has a prominent place both […]

This entry was posted in Featured | Comments Off on Ken Ryder, 15 Years and Counting

By Judy McCarthy Biking, walking, jogging, rowing or playing golf, participants in the local annual charity event called “The Prouty” are dedicated to fighting cancer by raising money to support cancer research. A group of eight Grantham Prouty Mountaineer members, including one of the 2016 Grantham Village School Prouty Scholars, had the extraordinary opportunity to […]

This entry was posted in Featured | Comments Off on Following the Money

This entry was posted in Scene in Eastman | Comments Off on Surprise! It’s Spring!

Text and Photos by Craig McArt If you find the sight and sound of water rushing over rocks and spilling over ledge captivating, you’ve got to hike the Colette Trail in Enfield in springtime. This well-maintained trail parallels Bicknell Brook, offering spectacular views of tumbling rapids and falls that will thrill you. The brook carries […]

This entry was posted in Featured | Comments Off on SPRINGTIME ON COLETTE TRAIL

Eastman has five unique water bodies in which to catch fish: Anderson Pond, Mill Pond, Eastman Brook, Mill Pond Brook, and, the crown jewel of the group, Eastman Lake. Anyone can enjoy fishing in Eastman at minimal cost for equipment. A spin casting rod, reel, line, hooks, and bait can be had for less than […]

This entry was posted in Featured | Comments Off on Hooked on Fishing in Eastman

By Jeanne West Captivating in every season, Eastman’s “Great Pond” is indisputably a jewel in the crown of our sustainable, intergenerational, recreation-loving community. Preservation of this 335-acre gem inspires residents and governing bodies to protect the quality of this resource in every way possible. More than a decade ago, in 2004, the Eastman Community Association’s […]

This entry was posted in Featured | Comments Off on The Appraisal of an Eastman Gem

By Robert Meyer It’s hard to imagine how an inch-long bug can take down a hundred-foot tall tree, but that’s exactly what’s happening in parts of southern New Hampshire. And the invader is moving north. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an invasive insect that attacks ash trees by laying its eggs in bark crevices. […]

This entry was posted in Sustainable Eastman | Comments Off on Emerald Ash Borer: A Potential Threat to Eastman’s Woodlands

By David Barber Even long-time Eastman residents may at one time or another wonder, “Where the heck is Paul’s Place?” Or, for that matter, Ash Lane? Or Stoney Brae? Or, in spite of its name, “Where on earth is Fairway Drive?” There’s a group in Eastman with answers to all these queries and others, as […]

This entry was posted in ECA@Work | Comments Off on ECC, A Job You Can Lose Yourself In

By Judy McCarthy As the first grandchild of Tony and Maria Rinaldi, I spent a lot of time with them on a small farm in Massachusetts. My first-generation American parents were insistent that Grandpa and Nonna speak to me only in English. My Nonna, who was determined to communicate with me, interspersed her very accented […]

This entry was posted in Prism | Comments Off on Aging: Non C’è Problema

By Richard and Karla Karash There’s a changing narrative about Eastman. A recent version you may have heard was: Eastman is changing! Younger families working in the area, many with younger kids, are making Eastman their primary home. We have more full-time residents, more busy families, and more children. The Eastman Community Association (ECA) has […]

This entry was posted in ECA@Work | Comments Off on Eastman Is Changing, but in New Ways

Text and Illustrations by Craig McArt Have you ever followed what looked like a trail only to end up at someone’s back door? Or gone out for a quick walk in the woods and ended up wandering around for hours? Does trying to find your way on hiking trails that are missing trail markers frustrate […]

This entry was posted in Woodlands and Wildlife | Comments Off on Blazing Trails

There were no winter sightings of wildlife reported, but on November 29, 2016, Rick Karash wrote: I was sitting working at my desk, when a bald eagle flew along the shoreline, perched in a tree in my yard, and preened a bit. It perched, looked around for a while, flew up and down the shoreline […]

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

I am hoping to have a more active schedule of three season walks and hikes in 2017. Leaders are needed to help Eastmanites enjoy the New England outdoors. Easy walks in Eastman or the Upper Valley are usually scheduled on weekday mornings, and more strenuous hikes to nearby peaks and destinations farther afield on weekends […]

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

These photos are a sampling of Eastman Members “caught in the act” of doing good in and around Eastman. Within Eastman, over 150 Members volunteer in governance roles, more than 50 serve as Lake Hosts each summer, and a few dozen more as Weed Watchers. Members answer the calls year-round for volunteers for every event […]

This entry was posted in Scene in Eastman | Comments Off on April—National Volunteer Month

By Ethel Paquin Geologists tell us the Big One will crack California’s bedrock. That state will then gently bob west towards Hawaii and do God knows what when it docks. I really don’t want it to happen, I know how much pain would ensue. But I humbly request if it’s going to come that it […]

This entry was posted in Light Escapes | Comments Off on Promises, Promises