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Seven of us spent a lovely summer afternoon making a round-trip ferry ride from Providence to Newport. Some sat on the upper deck which was cooled by a beautiful breeze while others chose to sit inside which was air conditioned. Both afforded beautiful views of the bay. A delicious lunch was had at Chelo’s in Providence which included wonderful conversations.
Chuck & Susan H.
The rain stopped, the clouds parted and the sun came out as seven Hub mystery folks enjoyed the day at Fruitlands in Harvard. Especially informational was the visit to the Farmhouse that was the site of an 1843 experiment in communal living led by Louisa’s father, Bronson Alcott. The farmhouse also inspired portions of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women”. Lunch followed in a covered outdoor café where with a delightful breeze we could chat and enjoy the lovely grounds.
Cathleen R.
We did it all! - A group of 21 TOHG members enjoyed spectacular bicycling from tip-to-tip on Prince Edward Island. We stayed at historic and luxurious hotels and inns, ate dinner each night at the same inns, and generally had fine weather, after the first two days of historic high temps. Prior to starting our bicycling adventure, many of us met in Lubec Me., the most eastern tip of the USA where we travelled across the bridge to Campobello Island, and toured the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt summer cottage, enjoyed mid-morning “tea with Eleanor”, shared in a Fun Facts tour and enjoyed the music and quilts on display as part of the island’s summer “Fog Fest”. We stayed in Charlottetown, the capitol city of PEI, for one night and took the opportunity to see “Anne of Green Gables, the Musical”, a delightful revue of the darling girl known and loved by so many. Upon arriving at our departure hotel in Mill River, we had a 15 mile “introductory” ride where we met a few of the many hills we would be navigating over the next 5 days. They were relentless, those hills. Our rides varied from the beginning ride only in distance – from 50 miles the next day to 18 miles the last day, but were generally between 30-35 miles per day. We cycled mostly on country roads, but were occasionally on major roadways with rough edges and plenty of traffic. Not for the faint of heart. There were two minor accidents caused by drivers who did not respect the 3-foot clearance required for cyclists. No serious injuries, but some frayed nerves, for sure. The weather gods were kind to us, rain came on the next to last day, and only 4 riders got wet – the ones who were not fast enough to outride the rain! Our vacation was supported by Pedal and Sea Adventures and the crew were most helpful, knowledgeable, pleasant and fun to be with. We recommend them for their service and care.
Dawn M.
ANNUAL PICNIC . . . Even without our fearless leader, Anne H., sixty-one of us enjoyed our day in the sun, eating lobsters, laughing and having fun. Anne experienced a fall a week ago that kept her from attending the picnic. Thank you, Anne, for all the hard work getting things done so that Barbara M. and Beverly C. could take the reins on Sunday and easily carry out a well-planned day. Anne’s expert leadership in this event for the ninth time made it a seamless transition given her at-tention to detail. Our annual event is always a winner!
Beverly
Eight of us went in the pouring rain to a tasting & tour of the 1634 Meadery in Ipswich, MA. We tasted seven different meads and many of us enjoyed one or two of them well enough to buy a bottle. We were all given a glass to take home and we got a tour by the owner, Dan, who gave us a history of mead and a detailed tour and explanation of the meadery process. We learned that it takes about three pounds of honey to make a gallon of mead.
Those in the photo are: Jan U, Chris B, David R, Carol B, Dori C, Wendy R, Meredith P and Jane P.
Jane P
High heat did not deter seven Gang members from circuiting the 2.5mile trail around Lake Waban in Wellesley. A few cool breezes helped. . Afterward, we enjoyed coffee and other drinks under a spreading Elm outside Peet's café in Wellesley. Participants were: Nancy B, Jan G, Nancy and Peter G, Barbara H, Martha M and Jim R.
Jim R
With temperatures in nineties a hardy group of fifteen bikers braved the heat to make this ride. All but three decided to cut the ride short and they rode the entire twenty miles; Dan Y., Larry McC. & Stephanie O. Well done!
After the ride we meet at our house for our Annual 4th of July Cookout. Another group of twenty or more joined us there for the festivities. Food was plentiful and included munchies, salads, desserts. Also we had hotdogs and hamburgers cooked on the grill by our chief chef Al G. and assisted this year by Jane C. Thanks to both. Great conversations among friends is always a good time and a wonderful way to celebrate the 4th.
TOHG members walked six miles round-trip from the JFK/UMass MBTA station to Castle Island. It was a warm, humid day and we all drank plenty of water, besides enjoying food at Sullivan’s, including their famous hot dogs and onion rings. There was a wonderful breeze off the ocean when we walked the Pleasure Bay Loop, enjoying water on both sides of the Causeway and watching planes fly overhead. We also saw some large container ships and other pleasure boats sail or motor by us. We were planning to get a tour of Fort Independence but there were no tour leaders to show us around except a lonely volunteer who had her hands full doing a group that was way behind schedule. We would have had to wait at least 45 minutes so we decided to leave, some of us walking back the same way we came and some taking a bus back to the MBTA station to eliminate a few miles in the heat. We sought out shade whenever possible, which was quite pleasant with the breeze. Some of us will go back to Castle Island sometime in cooler weather to get a tour of the Fort. The people in the photo are, from left to right: Jan G, Jane P, Pat K, Dennis U, Eleanor R, Emmy C, Joan S, Dori C, Meredith P, Rosemary S, Eileen H, Ann T, Liz C, Dawn M, Nancy C, and Chris B. Missing from the photo: Allan G, Joe M, Linda McN, Cathy P and Judy P.
On Sunday, June 24th, thirteen of us walked beautiful World’s End, a Trustees of Reservations property in Hingham. Walking under gorgeous trees planted by Frederic Law Olmstead and with breathtaking views of the ocean, the bay and the Boston skyline, we enjoyed each other and the perfect day. We walked over and around the two drumlins of the peninsula and we picnicked on top of one of the hills. The Sunday Globe had a lovely article about the site that day --- so timely! Please join us for another walk in September, TBA. Elizabeth D
The TOHG members in the photo, from left to right, are: Barbara H, Martha M, Marie H, Nonie L, Marge C, Eleanor R, Linda McN, Beverly C, Elizabeth D, Cathy P, Maryann D, Jane P and Eileen H.
On June 24th we had a great turnout for an impromptu ride on the Bruce freeman Rail Trail. 19 members of the gang got together on Sunday morning at 10:30. The weather was a little warm, but with an early start and shade on most of the trail, it was comfortable. Most of us rode the full length of the trail. We even had one member taking her new E-Bike out for its first ride. We were all very impressed with the recent extension of the trail into Concord. One member even commented that the new bridge over Route 2A is a work of art! After the ride we headed over to Tavern on the Square for brunch. Our new motto may be “Bike to Eat and Eat to Bike”!
Paul McH.
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