My never-ending quest to find interesting, and if possible, family-appropriate hikes continue. Living in the South Shore, although quite built up commercially and residentially, there are copious numbers of walking trails. Recently, my family and I took a trip to the Stewart/Person Preserve in Kingston, Massachusetts. With the main loop around Sylvia Place Pond about […]
Stewart/Person Preserve Read More »
Located twenty miles from Boston, Lake Cochituate is a popular freshwater recreation area. With swimming, boating, and grounds for picnicking, Lake Cochituate State Park in Natick is a top destination during the summer. Visiting any time of the year though, the sparkling waters are a much-needed respite from the highly trafficked roads of the Mass
Earlier in the year during the height of the springtime pandemic, my Backyard Road Trips became so limited that I literally wrote about cleaning my basement and a living room road trip. As the weather is becoming colder, the daylight waning to a 4:30 sunset, and COVID cases spiking, it’s back to enjoying the great
Living Room Road Trips Part 2 Read More »
As the care for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled has progressed from state institutions to group homes and day programs, the buildings that once housed the state hospitals are left vacant. The process of deinstitutionalization has left impressive buildings to a variety of fates. Some, like Foxboro State and Taunton State Hospitals, have been
Seaside State Park Read More »
In August, Backyard Road Trips branched out from the blog into the world of podcasting. The clever name, “Backyard Road Trips: The Podcast” was born. Take a look behind the scenes of our podcast. In early summer, my good and longtime friend Jim Wheeler, hiker, photographer, craftsman, and musician extraordinaire, contacted me about the possibility
Backyard Road Trips: The Podcast Read More »
As Jim and I were sampling pumpkin beers a few months ago, one of us mentioned that there were notes of brown sugar in a beer that we tasted. (Listen to the podcast here). Jim offhandedly suggested that the Rolling Stones’ classic, “Brown Sugar” should be the next track to be a part of the
A Six Pack and a Cover Song: Brown Sugar Read More »
With the unfortunate news that the Norwich Sea Unicorns are no longer affiliated with Major League Baseball, I felt that it was time to reflect on minor league baseball at Dodd Stadium and what it has offered the Norwich area community for the last 25 years. Dodd Stadium began hosting baseball in 1995 with the
Dodd Stadium and Fun in Norwich, CT Read More »
I am forever trying to attain the perfect autumn afternoon. Driving on a serene, windy back road lined with stone walls while the foliage is in full colorful display is what I strive for. Warm apple cider, a hayride through an orchard, and the smell of wood-burning on the first chilly day is what I
Haunted Hike to the Horses Read More »
At Backyard Road Trips, we can’t get enough of the line of lip and body balms from Drew’s Honeybees. We’ve written about the company and even had Drew Burnett, founder of the company, on our podcast! What I love about Drew’s Honeybees is that not only are ingredients of the finest quality, organic, and environmentally
Drew’s Honeybees Hive Visit Read More »
Food must be on my mind. For the past almost year I’ve been researching classic restaurants for an upcoming book. In doing so, an idea dawned on me for a new BYRT series, “My Favorite Meal,” which features my favorite dish or dishes at restaurants that I love. The first comes from von Trapp Bierhall
von Trapp Bierhall: My Favorite Meal Read More »
