Tag: Massachusetts

Sunday Dog Wish: Are You Listening Politicians?

A daytrip to most Massachusetts beaches can show families with canine members that we truly are second class citizens to our state. Pay your taxes, but you can't use the facilities you pay for because some people with dogs are nasty.

Poppy is guilty with no opportunity to prove herself innocent. She sits on the seawall and wishes for sand between her toes. We can't walk on the beach because some other people have been irresponsible about cleaning up after or managing their companion animals.

We took a mid-week trip to Nantasket Beach. We looked left and right and saw the wide expanse of beach. And, at every entrance, we saw the signs telling us we were not allowed on the beach from May to October.

Here's the description of Nantasket from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

"Nantasket Beach has been a popular summer destination for city dwellers since the middle of the 19th century. The reservation encompasses 26 acres along one and a third miles of oceanfront."

One and a third miles and 26 acres and they can't set aside a section for a dog beach. I wouldn't mind if they restricted it to dogs who have their Canine Good Citizenship certificates. I wouldn't mind if you had to register yourself as a dog guardian and show a permit that you could lose for bad behavior.

Quincy Shore Reservation and Wollaston Beach is another example. Here's the DCR description.

"Open year round, dawn to dusk. Bathhouse open July to September. Quincy Shore Reservation offers a variety of recreational opportunities. Quincy Shore Drive links Wollaston Beach with Caddy memorial Park and Moswetuset Hummock. The 2.3 mile beach is popular for its jogging/bicycling trail and swimming. Caddy Park on the southern end of the beach has over 15 acres of fields and marsh as well as a play area, lookout tower and picnic tables. Moswetuset Hummock, on the beach's northern end, is a National Historic Site. Once a summer campsite of Native Americans during the 1600's, it is a mixture of woodland trails and open marshland. The site which has a short loop trail, offers views of Quincy Bay and 144-acre Squantum Marsh."

Sounds like a great place to get some exercise with your dog but dogs are forbidden access from May to October. With 2.3 miles of beach, the DCR can't find a less used section to open up to families like ours?

My recommendation is that you register to vote and tell every politician you meet that you want something for your taxes. You want dog parks, shared recreation spaces, and dog beaches at all state facilities.

Bark up the vote!

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

And, here's a post about some dogs that aced that "Nosing Class."

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny Cherubino

August 10, 2014
Toast July with American Sparkling Wines – A Few of Our Picks

Celebrate the happy new month of July with sparkling wines from the good old USA!

Gather a basketful from across the country. Above, you see Schramsberg Brut Rosé and Mumm Napa Brut Prestige from California, and Gruet Rosé from New Mexico.

Wine Spectator has a list of American sparkling wines that they rated in a 2012 tasting. One thing that may surprise you is that several of these are more expensive than some of the Champagnes we’ve featured in our wine selections.

But, you will also find value wines on this list. The Gruet family offers wines for many tastes at good prices. Our favorite is their Blanc de Noir. (shown above)

You can pick your favorite and serve it by the flute-full to happy guests who may not realize just how good American Sparklers can be.

This happened a few years ago at one of our July 4th parties with magnums of Argyle Brut. Our guests thought we had broken the bank with all that great wine but, back then, this little treasure from Oregon was an unbelievable value.

Times change and appreciation for American Sparkling wine has driven up the price, but Argyle remains close to our hearts. It’s a wine we associate with friends far and near. (Why we do is explained here.)

Of course, we in Massachusetts have our local, award-winning sparkling wines from Westport Rivers Winery to serve with pride.

As you travel this summer, be sure to add a local wine search to your trip planning. These days, you can Google “Long Island Sparkling Wine,” “Finger Lakes Sparkling Wine,” “Oregon Sparkling Wine,” or “Best Amercian Sparkling Wine” to create a list to scout.

Some, like the Soter Brut Rosé, we save for special occasions. Others are everyday roof deck and beach house fare. Explore, choose, sip, and enjoy buying American in July.

What’s your favorite American Sparkling Wine? Let us know!

Here’s More About Our Sparkling Resolution

And, Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are three of our favorite wine books.

The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine

The New Wine Lover’s Companion

The Wine Bible

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2008-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

July 1, 2014
Toast July with American Sparkling Wines – A Few of Our Picks

Celebrate the happy new month of July with sparkling wines from the good old USA!

Gather a basketful from across the country. Above, you see Schramsberg Brut Rosé and Mumm Napa Brut Prestige from California, and Gruet Rosé from New Mexico.

Wine Spectator has a list of American sparkling wines that they rated in a 2012 tasting. One thing that may surprise you is that several of these are more expensive than some of the Champagnes we’ve featured in our wine selections.

But, you will also find value wines on this list. The Gruet family offers wines for many tastes at good prices. Our favorite is their Blanc de Noir. (shown above)

You can pick your favorite and serve it by the flute-full to happy guests who may not realize just how good American Sparklers can be.

This happened a few years ago at one of our July 4th parties with magnums of Argyle Brut. Our guests thought we had broken the bank with all that great wine but, back then, this little treasure from Oregon was an unbelievable value.

Times change and appreciation for American Sparkling wine has driven up the price, but Argyle remains close to our hearts. It’s a wine we associate with friends far and near. (Why we do is explained here.)

Of course, we in Massachusetts have our local, award-winning sparkling wines from Westport Rivers Winery to serve with pride.

As you travel this summer, be sure to add a local wine search to your trip planning. These days, you can Google “Long Island Sparkling Wine,” “Finger Lakes Sparkling Wine,” “Oregon Sparkling Wine,” or “Best Amercian Sparkling Wine” to create a list to scout.

Some, like the Soter Brut Rosé, we save for special occasions. Others are everyday roof deck and beach house fare. Explore, choose, sip, and enjoy buying American in July.

What’s your favorite American Sparkling Wine? Let us know!

Here’s More About Our Sparkling Resolution

And, Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are three of our favorite wine books.

The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine

The New Wine Lover’s Companion

The Wine Bible

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2008-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

July 1, 2014
At the Market Report: What’s for Sale at Early Spring Farmers’ Markets

Thanks to winter markets, wholesale customers, farm stands, and CSA's, we are seeing more ready to eat produce at early spring farmers' market. Here are some of what we saw at the Copley Farmers' Market during the past two weeks.

Organic asparagus and scallions from Siena Farms.

Rhubarb (above) and potatoes (below) from Foppema's Farm.

And, there were some new vendors this year.

RI Mushroom Company had gorgeous, golden oyster and shiitake mushrooms. (Click on any photo for a larger view.)

River Rock Beef was on hand with their Grass Fed beef cuts. We bought a hanger steak.

And, of course, the specialty food folks were on hand with their wonderful products. From Crystal Brook Farm's goat cheese …

… to Fastachi's selection of artisan roasted nuts and nut products. We're addicted to their roasted almonds.

Here's what we bought on opening day at Copley this year. On Friday, we arrived too late for tomatoes and cucumbers from Atlas Farm. They were sold out before we arrived. With early spring markets, it's good to arrive at opening if you're hoping for scare crops like those.

Starters, Annuals, and Herb Plants, too!

Mint plants from Foppema's.

Many sage varieties from the Herb Lyceum at Gilson's.

Boston Public Market on the Greenway (North End)

We stopped by opening day of the new location for the former City Hall Farmers' Market. It is now called the The Boston Public Market on the Greenway and is located a few steps from the MBTA Haymarket Station in front of the building that will become The Boston Public Market. (Map)

We may have missed out on tomatoes at Friday's Copley Square Market, but Freitas Farm had both medium salad tomatoes and the lovely baskets of cherry tomatoes shown above.

Updates from Other Food Lovers:

Here's a great photo report on the opening of the Union Square Market in Somerville from that great resource Somerville Beat.

Here's a Boston Chowhound Conversation on Late May Farmers' Markets, Farm Stands, and CSAs

Our Related Posts:

Summer Farmers' Markets Opening Dates 2014

Here are more of our Local Food/Farmers' Market posts.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

May 27, 2014
At the Market Report: What’s for Sale at Early Spring Farmers’ Markets

Thanks to winter markets, wholesale customers, farm stands, and CSA's, we are seeing more ready to eat produce at early spring farmers' market. Here are some of what we saw at the Copley Farmers' Market during the past two weeks.

Organic asparagus and scallions from Siena Farms.

Rhubarb (above) and potatoes (below) from Foppema's Farm.

And, there were some new vendors this year.

RI Mushroom Company had gorgeous, golden oyster and shiitake mushrooms. (Click on any photo for a larger view.)

River Rock Beef was on hand with their Grass Fed beef cuts. We bought a hanger steak.

And, of course, the specialty food folks were on hand with their wonderful products. From Crystal Brook Farm's goat cheese …

… to Fastachi's selection of artisan roasted nuts and nut products. We're addicted to their roasted almonds.

Here's what we bought on opening day at Copley this year. On Friday, we arrived too late for tomatoes and cucumbers from Atlas Farm. They were sold out before we arrived. With early spring markets, it's good to arrive at opening if you're hoping for scare crops like those.

Starters, Annuals, and Herb Plants, too!

Mint plants from Foppema's.

Many sage varieties from the Herb Lyceum at Gilson's.

Boston Public Market on the Greenway (North End)

We stopped by opening day of the new location for the former City Hall Farmers' Market. It is now called the The Boston Public Market on the Greenway and is located a few steps from the MBTA Haymarket Station in front of the building that will become The Boston Public Market. (Map)

We may have missed out on tomatoes at Friday's Copley Square Market, but Freitas Farm had both medium salad tomatoes and the lovely baskets of cherry tomatoes shown above.

Updates from Other Food Lovers:

Here's a great photo report on the opening of the Union Square Market in Somerville from that great resource Somerville Beat.

Here's a Boston Chowhound Conversation on Late May Farmers' Markets, Farm Stands, and CSAs

Our Related Posts:

Summer Farmers' Markets Opening Dates 2014

Here are more of our Local Food/Farmers' Market posts.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

May 27, 2014
The Lobster Pot in Provincetown… For Take Out Too!

The Lobster Pot in Provincetown is a familar place to most people who visit Provincetown. You may think of it as a spot to eat, in the center of town, with waterfront dining rooms. You may not realize that you can also stop by to order live lobsters or have them prepare a ready-to-eat take out order of anything on the menu.

We always have at least one lobster dinner during our Ptown vacations. One day this spring, we had the Lobster Pot cook a couple of big lobsters, some steamers, and at the suggestion of a very nice staff person we added bread and salad. We feasted back at the apartment and had plenty of lobster left over for lobster rolls the next day.

In summer, you can place your order at the raw bar just inside the front door. If it's one of the slower times of year, like it was when we visited, you just go back to the service bar and the bartender will take care of you.

Stop by on your first stroll through town and pick up a paper copy of the menu or download a PDF copy here.

That way, you'll be ready to call in or visit with an order when you want to have a Lobster Pot feast at your Provincetown home base or on the beach if that's your pleasure.

Here's a link to all of our Provincetown posts.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Provincetown in Early Spring

The Canteen in Provincetown Is Added to Our Favorites List

My 10 Most Memorable Meals while Traveling

Ross' Grill : A Long Time Provincetown Favorite

May 20, 2014
The Lobster Pot in Provincetown… For Take Out Too!

The Lobster Pot in Provincetown is a familar place to most people who visit Provincetown. You may think of it as a spot to eat, in the center of town, with waterfront dining rooms. You may not realize that you can also stop by to order live lobsters or have them prepare a ready-to-eat take out order of anything on the menu.

We always have at least one lobster dinner during our Ptown vacations. One day this spring, we had the Lobster Pot cook a couple of big lobsters, some steamers, and at the suggestion of a very nice staff person we added bread and salad. We feasted back at the apartment and had plenty of lobster left over for lobster rolls the next day.

In summer, you can place your order at the raw bar just inside the front door. If it's one of the slower times of year, like it was when we visited, you just go back to the service bar and the bartender will take care of you.

Stop by on your first stroll through town and pick up a paper copy of the menu or download a PDF copy here.

That way, you'll be ready to call in or visit with an order when you want to have a Lobster Pot feast at your Provincetown home base or on the beach if that's your pleasure.

Here's a link to all of our Provincetown posts.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Provincetown in Early Spring

The Canteen in Provincetown Is Added to Our Favorites List

My 10 Most Memorable Meals while Traveling

Ross' Grill : A Long Time Provincetown Favorite

May 20, 2014
Describing Provincetown, MA

Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod is a place so beautiful that it has attracted generations of artists and writers who have found the light that bounces around from sea, sand, and sky inspiring.

Michael Cunningham, in his book Land's End: A Walk in Provincetown, writes:

"… the land on which Provincetown is built is essentially a sandbar, tenuously connected to the mainland, continually reconfigured by the actions of tides. When Thoreau went there in the mid-1800s, he called it 'a filmy sliver of land lying flat on the ocean, a mere reflection of a sand-bar on the haze above.' It has not changed much since then, at least not when seen from a distance. Built as it is at the very end of the Cape, which unfurls like a genie's shoe from the coastline of Massachusetts, it follows the curve of a long, lazy spiral and looks not out to sea but in, toward the thicker arm of the Cape."

This is a very special place. It's our escape when we need a break from Boston. At the same time, it is an urban space where you can arrive by ferry or park the car and not really need it for the time you are there.

This photo and others from our site and published work are available in our Photo Galleries over on SmugMug.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny Cherubino

Related articles

The Canteen in Provincetown Is Added to Our Favorites List

Provincetown "Frenchie" with a Stand-in!

Market Scene: Provincetown Farmers' Market, Massachusetts

May 13, 2014
Describing Provincetown, MA

Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod is a place so beautiful that it has attracted generations of artists and writers who have found the light that bounces around from sea, sand, and sky inspiring.

Michael Cunningham, in his book Land's End: A Walk in Provincetown, writes:

"… the land on which Provincetown is built is essentially a sandbar, tenuously connected to the mainland, continually reconfigured by the actions of tides. When Thoreau went there in the mid-1800s, he called it 'a filmy sliver of land lying flat on the ocean, a mere reflection of a sand-bar on the haze above.' It has not changed much since then, at least not when seen from a distance. Built as it is at the very end of the Cape, which unfurls like a genie's shoe from the coastline of Massachusetts, it follows the curve of a long, lazy spiral and looks not out to sea but in, toward the thicker arm of the Cape."

This is a very special place. It's our escape when we need a break from Boston. At the same time, it is an urban space where you can arrive by ferry or park the car and not really need it for the time you are there.

This photo and others from our site and published work are available in our Photo Galleries over on SmugMug.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny Cherubino

Related articles

The Canteen in Provincetown Is Added to Our Favorites List

Provincetown "Frenchie" with a Stand-in!

Market Scene: Provincetown Farmers' Market, Massachusetts

May 13, 2014
Poppy’s Provincetown Report

Duchess Poppy spent her second birthday in Provincetown. This is her report …

If you'd like to go to a very dog friendly place, I recommend Provincetown. Not only were the pups on the street happy to share a sniff, but you can even go to a restaurant patio with your people. And, lots of shops are happy to have a well-behaved dog (like moi) assist their family with a bit of shopping.

The downside of all this dining and shopping and sniffing is that vacationing can make even a young pup like me very tired. Make sure you catch a nap when you can. As you can see, I packed my Mambe blanket so I could stretch out on the sofa just like I do at home.

At the beach, I met this old gent who showed me how to walk on the rocks without hurting my paws. He's kind of a Yoda to younger dogs. He said he learned from Yoda who told him, "Always pass on what you have learned."

I really like "decking." That's when you share a chaise lounge with one of your favorite people while they read. I even liked doing this when the wind was messing up my hairstyle.

Lots of great dogs live in Provincetown. This Corgi was taking time to enjoy the sun and smell the pansies.

The bestest thing about Provencetown is that you get lots of snuggle time with your family. They are not so busy and after all the long walks we took, they were ready to settle down, and let me curl up and pillow my little head on them.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

Details:
Words: Duchess Poppy Whitehead as dictated to Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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May 11, 2014