Leisure
Travel: Home on the Range
You can tell a real ranch by the number of junked trucks you find in the front yard. So when you drive up to SK Ranch in northwestern Montana, you know right away these folks are real ranchers.Steve and Alison Skelton farm 8,500 acres in Conrad, Montana about 40...FreeSport: Huck It!
Last week, I learned how to throw a forehand.Let me explain. My wife and I were visiting some friends who live in Rochester, N.Y. and they are ultimate players. That's ultimate Frisbee. Only they don't call it ultimate Frisbee, because a Frisbee is a brand...FreeSport: Another Chance
All my life I have successfully avoided the trappings of modern jock-dom. Never driven to win, I've lacked the confidence, skill, and brute machismo necessary to be competitive. Shunning team sports became my credo. But my one chance at glory—in my mind, at...
FreeSport: Touchdown Fever
The best season of the year is here, and it has absolutely nothing to do with leaf peeping.The 2007 high school football season opens this week, and there are lots of reasons for fans to be excited. This year's campaign features parity in nearly every league, as...FreeSport: Autumn Angst
I'll let you in on a little secret. This is not my favorite time of the year to be a baseball fan.It's not that I dislike the baseball playoffs or the World Series. On the contrary—there are few things more exciting than a highly competitive playoff...
FreeSport: Best Little Hike of My Life
There is a small mountain about a 15-minute drive from the house I grew up in called Middle Sugarloaf. It is nestled between Zealand Road, Mt. Hale and the small town of Twin Mountain (be sure to visit The Pizza Pub if you're ever in town, and tell Mark I sent...
Travel: Rock City Reborn
Do you have an especially practical member in your family? Someone who listens patiently to your plans to go ziplining in the rainforest, and then says calmly, "We could have just as much fun at a bed and breakfast in Maine"?I could get sacked for saying...
Fall Arts Preview: Art-ache Tonight
Dirt-floored barns are perhaps not the expected setting for one of the top art fairs in the country, but then again, this is Paradise. The Paradise City Arts Festival attracts over 250 artists and master craftsmen (including Elizabeth Myers, whose work is pictured)...FreeSport: Pep Rally Politics
A thick but not uncomfortable haze hung in the air as the sun gradually set behind the tree-lined splendor that is Greenfield's Veterans Field. The Commerce and Greenfield high football teams were running through their warmups as the crowd began to file in,...
FreeSport: Soul Food
My mom told me the other day that fall is her favorite time of year. It gets her reminiscing about being a young mother and having me and my older sister Jessica at home with her, before we started school. Every week my mom would rake the lawn, creating enormous piles...FreeSport: A New Frontier
It was an unusually warm night as I maneuvered my Chevy across the Greenfield-Deerfield line. I was in a good mood because of my destination for the evening. I've long been an admirer of the Frontier Regional School football program; what's more, going to...FreeSport: Hockey, Anyone?
October has arrived, and with it the start of another National Hockey League season. But the question is, does anybody really care?Despite our love for fast-paced violent sports, hockey really hasn't caught on in this country, at least on the professional level....
Book a Visit
Visiting a writer's house museum offers an ambulatory version of the pleasures of reading. Drawn inside the world of another's making, we find our world becoming more intelligible, more our own. Restored writers' houses are easy to find: over 70 museums...
FreeSport: Sore Winners
New Englanders are lucky to have been blessed with a rich sports tradition.On the national, collegiate, and even the high school level, this region is packed with competitive teams, gifted athletes, and passionate fans—passionate to the point of being somewhat...The Green Wave
Greenfield High School football coach Mike Kuchieski leaned back against the wall of Mahar Regional School and let out a of sigh of frustration that's usually confined to two types of people—death row inmates and high school football coaches whose teams have...Between the Lines: Among Bears
The story began, as so many do these days, with a little game that 6-year-olds like to play: “Daddy, guess what I saw today!”My daughter’s eyes were wider than usual on this occasion; she didn’t wait for me to guess.“A bear! A black bear,...Travel: The Frugal Adventurers
Soon after we got married, my husband and I quit our jobs and hit the road. We traveled through eight countries in six months—Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. We dubbed our trip "Kelly and Quang's Global...
Warren Miller Contest
To watch the Trailer for Warren Miller’s Playground, click here. Warren Miller’s Playground will be shown at The Bushnell in Hartford, on December 14th, and at the Palace Theatre in Stamford, on Thursday December 13th. To enter, send an e-mail to...
FreeSport: Maine-ly Woods
"Kendra, look!" said my friend Jake, pointing behind me. The setting sun had painted the November sky in a kaleidoscope of purple, red and orange—a breathtaking sight. As we began our drive north to my hometown of Lee, Maine, I looked at the sky in...FreeSport: Thanksgiving Picks '07
For football fans, there are few days on the calendar bigger than Thanksgiving. While some people are content to lie out on the Lay-Z-Boy after a huge plate of turkey and stuffing to watch the Dallas Cowboys or Detroit Lions tee it up, for a lot of heartier souls, a...Winter: A Season to be Endured
I'm not going to lie to you. I hate winter. Maybe hate is too strong a word. Despise is probably better, because as much as I love the change of seasons here in New England, I would not be at all heart-broken to see fall segue right into spring and totally bypass...Free Sport: Odds and Ends
It's a somewhat strange time in the sports world. The bustle and mirth of the holiday shopping season and the transition between the end of the fall and the start of the winter seasons have created something of a lull for sports junkies. This year, however, there...FreeSport: Send In the Pink Hats
We are now in what baseball experts call "hot stove" time. And this year, the stove is just a little bit warmer as Red Sox Nation basks in the glow of our second World Series title in four years.As we struggle through winter's snow, ice, and sub-zero...Winter: A Season to be Embraced
Why do I love winter? Well, to state the obvious, it's the skiing.I won't belabor the point, in deference to those who do not participate, but will simply say that sliding around on snow by whatever means—skis, snowboards, sleds, toboggans, a pair of...
Soundcheck: Time for Tee
Even though it's December, golf is all the rage at the Winterland Country Club. Virtual golf, that is. The new club boasts two large projection-screen TVs on which patrons can play 18 holes or practice on the putting green or driving range. Tee times are available...Travel: For a Wee Dram
IIslay, a tiny island at the southern edge of the Western Isles of Scotland, is home to eight whisky distilleries. You may have heard of Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig. There is also a new one, Kilchoman. The nearby...Free Sport: Ah, Sweet Celtics!
It's been a long time since I've cared a whit about professional basketball. But I'm happy to say that's starting to change, thanks to the "new look" Boston Celtics.Call me a clover-green member of the "pink hat" society of...FreeSport: Only When Fans Stay Home
I'm guessing that if Senator Joe McCarthy were alive today, he'd have no problem with how Major League Baseball is handling this "investigation" into alleged steroid use. You have to admit that there is an aspect of this process that reeks of...Free Sport: Who's Listening Now?
The snowstorms over the weekend only added to the unseasonably good skiing and snowboarding. Mount Snow announced that they had their earliest opening in 10 years. Okemo said they had more terrain open in early December than they had for the last 10 years.A week ago...
Travel: “The Hamptons of Miami”
Vero Beach and the rest of Indian River County Florida are a far cry from the fashionista-laden, selfconscious show-off atmosphere that can make Miami a bummer. And the beaches are just as nice, even if they're not topless. Ok, ok, there are those who love...How to Get Great Mentors
Having a mentor seems like such a brilliant idea that many people fall under the illusion that it's an easy process, assuming everyone will jump at the chance to offer career connections and advice for free. Yet it's actually harder to land a good work guru...Free Sport: Unfinished Business
We've cracked the seal on a brand new year, and yet, as a sports fan, I still find myself with a lot of unanswered questions heading into 2008. Here are just a few. Why do people seem to hate the Patriots so much? As we know by now, the Pats became the first team...
Free Sport: Fan Guns on Mount Snow
In what promises to be a renaissance for Vermont's Mount Snow ski resort, American Ski Company sold it to Peak Resorts last summer as part of a larger selloff of all ASC's eastern ski areas. Mount Snow is the latest acquisition for Peak Resorts, a...Eyes on the Basket
We continue to bask in the winning glow of many of our New England sports teams. But largely overshadowed by our rare good fortunes is the phenomenal level of play we're seeing this year in local high school basketball.I've been fortunate for the last several...Freesport: Borderline Race
There is a ski area in New York State that has a sign in the base lodge pointing the way to "Massachusetts pay phones." That's because half of Catamount is in New York and half is in Massachusetts. If you ski or snowboard down the trail that is situated...Foul, Ed Reform
Pound for pound, there may not be a better team in Western Mass. high school basketball right now than the Frontier Red Hawks.In case you haven't been paying attention, the Frontier Regional School contingent has been mowing down pretty much everyone in their...
Hoppin' Into Hamp
Hoppity the grasshopper returns from a sojourn in the big city only to find his neighborhood in peril in Hoppity Goes to Town (originally released as A Bug Goes to Town), a 1941 cartoon by brothers David and Max Fleischer. The humans who live nearby have trampled bug...
Strange Brew
Since German brewers first attempted to institute themselves in America and effectively created the brewing industry, beer has gone from marginalized to outlawed to mass-produced. For many, the act of drinking beer is no longer in pursuit of effect, but is rather a...
'Twas a Raid
To commemorate the 304th anniversary of the Deerfield raid of 1704, Historic Deerfield and the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (P.V.M.A.) host the 1704 Colonial Encampment Weekend, Feb. 29?March 2. The three-day event includes family activities, tours, lectures...Freesport: Unpatriotic Reaction
It's been a couple of weeks now, and I'm still not sure it's safe to bring up the subject of the New England Patriots and Super Bowl 42.By now, we all know what happened so I won't bother rehashing it. Suffice it to say it was one of the most shocking...
Freesport: Happy Trails
Picking your favorite trail to ski or ride is as subjective as choosing a favorite song. Depending on your mood at the time, it could be a rock, hip-hop or folk song or an old standard. Ski areas within an easy drive from the Valley have trails with as much of a...
FreeSport: The Difficult Route
When the final rays of the low winter sun glimmered off the West Face of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley last winter, another light, on the other side of the country, was nearly extinguished. That light belonged to Kathy Kyker-Snowman, who, at age 52, died after a...The Toyota Prius, and Other Green Machines
The definitive 2008 green car ratings from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) are out, and you can read the painful truth at greenercars.org. Why painful? Well, in the list of "Greenest Vehicles of 2008," only one is from an...Freesport: The Backstories
I've been happy to bear witness to some exciting moments in local high school sports over the years. Every season there are a few compelling backstories that don't make it into the sports pages. Here are just a few from what turned out to be an exceptional...
FreeSport: Bye Bye, Bruins
As much as it pains me to say it, I'm done with the Boston Bruins. It's a decision that's been a long time coming, and one that goes against my very pedigree, because I grew up in the ultimate hockey household with two parents from Brookline who were rabid...
Travel: Window Seat
My wife prefers the center or aisle, so I sat in the window seat. We thundered up, the plane banking sharply, and soon reached our cruising altitude. We thought about getting comfortable, unfolding our dull trays to receive the snack, watching a movie to kill time for...FreeSport: One-Legged Wonder
It wasn't supposed to end this way. Not after what Jamie Bell has meant to the Frontier Regional School basketball program. It was a relatively simple play on what is arguably high school basketball's grandest stage. The Red Hawks were battling Scituate for...
Springtimes: Spring Fling in Canada
This season of skiing and riding is shaping up to last well into spring. The snow should hold up well enough around here for day trips. But here's a suggestion for a great destination for a last blast weekend. Quebec City, with numerous sights and activities of...Freesport: The Sushi Trail
It was when the clock clicked past 3:15 a.m. that I began to doubt my very existence—not to mention my chosen profession.It's not like I'd never seen this hour before, but in the past it usually it involved a pizza, a beer and a girl, or some combination...Freesport: A Goat No More
At the risk of spoiling my growing reputation as a sports curmudgeon, you'd have to have a heart like a 10-minute egg not to have been a little choked up by what we saw during the Opening Day at Fenway Park this year. For those who may have missed it, former Red...Freesport: WBZ's Lob(el)otomy
I'm not sure if anyone in these parts realizes it, but an era in regional sports broadcasting has ended. I've always viewed Bob Lobel as a sportscaster you either loved or hated. More often than not, I fell into the latter category. For whatever reason, he...
Toward Better Swordsmanship
There’s nothing quite as cool as a sword, at least to a certain segment of the population. Just ask a Jedi—who needs a blaster when you can have a blade of light at your command? The origin of all that double-edged coolness is a tough one to pin down,...Travel: The Travis Bickle Suite
Actor Robert De Niro used to be just another famous guest in the world of swanky hotels. Now he's opening his own posh lodge in downtown Manhattan. Standing seven stories high in Tribeca, De Niro's roughly 75,000-square-foot Greenwich Hotel, which is scheduled...
Freesport: Fight of the Living Dead
Red Sox public address announcer Carl Beane probably won't be confused with Shirley MacLaine anytime soon. But Author Dan Gordon says you'd never know it by some the stories Beane tells of the strange happenings that have occurred at Fenway Park since he took...
Freesport: Career Move
We have reached the end of another college basketball season – and once again the University of Massachusetts is looking for a new men's basketball coach. I know a lot of people are pretty ripped at the news that Travis Ford has chosen to leave Amherst...
America: The Movie
Aaron Russo was good at getting Mad as Hell (the name of his TV pilot) and stirring up the muck. The deceased Hollywood producer (The Rose, Trading Places) had a penchant for taking on the government and corporations. Russo's outspoken libertarian leanings were...
Freesport: Buying a Bike
Using a bike for everyday commuting makes more sense every day that the price of gas hits a new record. Saddling the family up for an afternoon bike ride is taking the place of the Sunday drive of long ago. If you haven't shopped for a bike in quite a while, the...Freesport: Unfinished Business
Anybody who knows me will tell you I'm the ultimate "glass is half-empty" kind of guy. Simply put, I'll bitch about anything. But after perusing my clips from the past few months, I find that I have complained nearly enough about some of the more...Travel: A New Global Currency?
According to the latest reports, some 100 million people worldwide are members of frequent flyer programs, holding close to 4 trillion unused flyer miles. For novices, frequent flyer milers are accumulated every time you fly, once you register for a particular flyer...E-Edition
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