Letters to the Editor

Friday, July 1, 2011

Friend of New Hampshire Magazine and former "It Lister" Katy Brown Solsky stopped to take an "I Love it Here" photo at the Concord Arts Market. See the note at the end of the Letters to the Editor for more information on the "I Love it Here" Dream Vacation Contest.

Newt Gingrich stopped in at the Airport Diner in Manchester where an "I Love it Here" sign found its way into his hands.

Friend of New Hampshire Magazine and former "It Lister" Katy Brown Solsky stopped to take an "I Love it Here" photo at the Concord Arts Market. See the note at the end of the Letters to the Editor for more information on the "I Love it Here" Dream Vacation Contest.

Need a good reason to spot the newt?

This month's lucky (and fearless) newt spotter will receive a Lake Winnipesaukee day cruise for two on the The M/S Mount Washington (www.cruisenh.com). The ship visits five ports on the big lake and offers dinner and dance cruises throughout the summer.

The M/S Mount Washington is a proud member of NH Made (www.nhmade.com), the state's official non-profit booster of locally generated products and services. (Just for the record, New Hampshire Magazine is a proud member, too.)

Spot four newts like hidden on ads in this issue, tell us where you found them and you might win an assortment of great gifts. To enter our drawing for a free gift basket, send your answers to

Spot the Newt
c/o New Hampshire Magazine
150 Dow St.
Manchester, NH 03101

E-mail them to newt@nhmagazine.com, or fax them to (603) 624-1310.

Last month's "Spot the Newt" winner is Cindy Wentworth of Piermont. June issue newts were on pages 2, 23, 63 and 80.

Letters to the Editor

Alternative View
Your Senior Life columnist seemed to have been lured into the same thing that is true for many seniors and retired people - that is that the AARP is the organization for retired people. Actually there is at least one other national organization for retired people, the Association of Mature American Citizens. Actually, the AARP is a multi-milion-dollar corporation with a huge political agenda only part of which is for older citizens and retirees. It has an extremely liberal point of view, which in my opinion is not always in the best interests of the people it claims to serve. I am also told that it receives large royalties from the products it endorses. I believe you should at least mention that there are alteratives to the AARP for retired persons. I do enjoy your magazine and am a subscriber.

Mason E. King
West Concord, Mass.

No A in Name
Regarding the article "Seaside Gem" in the June NH Magazine, the correct spelling for the name of the famous landscape architect who designed Central Park is Olmsted. His firm created hundreds of public and private landscapes during the last half of the 19th century. His son Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and nephew John C. Olmsted continued his design philosophy into the 20th century. They would be pleased to know that the Fuller Gardens are open to the public. An integral part of Olmsted's vision was that the restorative health benefits of time spent enjoying the beauty and tranquility of nature should be readily available to everyone.

Linda Olmsted Johnson
Danbury

A New Hampshire Icon
Just wanted to comment on a couple of things:

1. The latest issue (just arrived in today's mail) was by far one of the best issues published to date.

Congratulations, once again, on giving New Hampshire a first-hand, quality lifestyle publication.

2. I concur with the letter written by Sandra Lawton about doing a story on her father, Bob Lawton, the patriarch of the "Funspot" family.

I've known Bob for about 20 years now. He, and the Weirs Times, as well as Funspot itself, are former clients, and I enjoyed every moment spent on the projects we were planning at the time. Everything his daughter, Sandra, stated is solid fact, and we would not have our famous motto "Live Free or Die" on our license plates today if it were not for his diligent effort to petition the N.H. Legislature to approve the slogan. And, what many N.H. residents do not know is that he had two specific distinctions during his tenure in the Legislature. He, and his mother, were the only mother & son family to serve in the legislature at that time, and then along came his son, David, and they were the only father & son family team serving for many years.

As for Funspot, it has recognition far and wide. In my travels throughout the country, many interested parties will stop me and remark about my N.H. vehicle plates (I still carry them) and about the famous slogan as well as the "Profile" depicted on the plates. Then, when I tell them about how the slogan came to be, I would mention "Funspot" and it opened up a whole new dialog about people visiting there and enjoying themselves, especially their children.

That allowed me to show off my N.H. Travelogue-Pictorial that I keep in the van at all times. Folks will mention many of our famous locations such as the Old Man, before he fell, the Cog Railway, Mt. Washington Auto Road, and the M/V Mt. Washington for tours on Lake Winnipesaukee.

Frankly, Bob Lawton is a N.H. icon, right up there with Fritz Wetherbee, Grace Metalious, Janet Evonovich, Neil Armstrong, Christa McAuliffe and the two boys from Walpole, Ken Burns and Carleton Fisk. He deserves to have a story written on his life and how Funspot came to be. It's a tale all unto its own. I purposely left out politicians. They get enough exposure as it is, and are nowhere near as interesting.

Thanks again for the continued professionalism put forth into NH Magazine. You are a credit to the publishing profession.

Bill Carr
Louisville, Ky.

Seaglass Success
I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I opened the April issue of NH Magazine and saw Susan Laughlin's wonderful article about my seaglass jewelry designs! I've received many positive comments and several serious inquiries for purchases of my work from individuals who read the article.

Rebecca Alden Fortier
Rebecca Alden Designs

Newt's Lovin' It
We "Spotted the Newt" at our Airport Diner in Manchester, where Newt Gingrich stopped in to shake hands and have some "chowdah." Looks like the Presidential primary season is already underway!

Erica Auciello Murphy
The Common Man Family of Restaurants

And while we're on the subject ...

N.H. Magazine "It" girl Katy Brown Solsky, who is currently not running for any office, submitted this photo (see photos above) of herself in one of her favorite places - the Concord Arts Market, which just opened in June in Bicentennial Plaza. To see more expressions of true love for N.H. or to submit your own photos, visit www.nhdreamvacation.com.