Gneiss, But Not Easy

Gneiss, But Not Easy

by | Jun 5, 2013 | Leisure

After 40 minutes or so of skirting around enormous boulders, hurling myself up steep dirt trails, and staring slack-jawed at gigantic slabs of granite, I finally track down the echoing voices of two climbers who are enjoying a rain-free afternoon at Erving’s...

B?East Hosts the Bone Frog Challenge

by | Jun 11, 2013 | Leisure

If you’ve had your fill of 10K road races and sprint triathlons, or if you’re simply keen to see what the hell you’re really made of, it might be time to start training for the new adventure race scheduled for late summer at Berkshire East in...

Plant Porn

by | Jul 2, 2013 | Leisure

Last winter, my wife caught me looking at plant porn. The catalogs are beautiful, of course, but it’s the garden design books that really get me excited. It’s true that they encourage an unhealthy fantasy version of what one’s garden will look like....
What, No Shark?

What, No Shark?

by | Jul 16, 2013 | Leisure

Perhaps it was the Fonz’ famous water-ski shark jump, perhaps not. But whatever’s in the water at the Oxbow, situated in the wilds between Easthampton and Northampton, the waterskiers of the Valley seem intent on making summer an impressive spectacle. The...
In Quiet

In Quiet

by | Aug 28, 2013 | Leisure

Four years ago a world-class poet moved to Northampton, city of poets. Perhaps you read about it in the newspaper headlines. Or you would have if poetry was celebrated in the manner of other arts. But David Kherdian settled in quietly and went about the business of...