Author: New Hampshire Magazine Staff

"Grampa,” my inquisitive great-granddaughter asked, “the teacher told us that New Hampshire used to be special but now it is not. Is that true?” “I am afraid so,” I said as I pulled her onto my lap. “What happened?” “The…

When I was a callow youth, more familiar with monster movies and comic books than with cliches, I found a note from my mother saying something like, “I’ve left some snacks out for the time being, but I’ll be back…

Every spring I watched with a mixture of admiration and envy as my neighbors’ yards transmuted from snow-covered mud flats into stunning gardens. By summer, our quiet little street looked like a horticultural block party, a festival of color. Until…

James Rundlet was a precise man, someone who carefully laid out the plans for his Portsmouth home and gardens using his considerable knowledge of geometry and trigonometry. Two hundred years later, the results are still pleasing. He started life as…

Seven years ago, Lisa Muskat and her husband fell in love with a farmhouse in Bedford that was built two centuries ago. But love affairs inevitably have challenges and so did this one. Most of the house had to be…

One-of-a-kind designs come from fresh and imaginative glasswork. It’s called Jackdaw Glass, an odd name for a glassblowing company until you remember that the crow-like jackdaw is attracted to shiny objects, and the signature work for glassblower Adam Noga is…

More to Love In the April issue, one of the letters [Lover of Stones] suggested a future article about the use of stone. I concur with the writer's solid suggestion. On a recent visit home to the Granite State, I…

The word is out on tasty tomatoes — the uglier, the better. It seems the pretty pink firm pommes you find in the supermarket are hybrid varieties grown for their ability to ship well and not much more. Their lackluster…

Twenty-five years ago, liposuction (sometimes called lipoplasty) was a little known procedure in this country. Who could have guessed that by 2005 it would be the most frequently performed aesthetic surgery procedure, among both men and women? In 2005, more…

There are all kinds of golfers — beginners, intermediates and scratch golfers. Some wear pants with whales on them, do everything just so and take themselves way too seriously. Others are like Rodney Dangerfield in “Caddyshack,” just using a friendly…

Blame Martha Stewart and her oh-so-chic “palais des poulets.” Or perhaps it has something to do with what’s been called “their stress-reducing properties.” Whatever the exact reason, keeping chickens is suddenly hip. And not just in the rural backwaters of…

One morning in May, 2003, the people of New Hampshire awoke to the news that an ancient natural rock formation high on a mountain in Franconia Notch, which when viewed at a certain angle bore a craggy, amazingly stark outline…

I wonder what Abigail Adams would think. Where would our long-ago neighbor to the south stand in the current debate about whether to amend the Constitution to guarantee equality for women? My guess is she would be astonished that —…

They came to New Hampshire from as far away as California to wish their friend good-bye. The group had spent many years skiing together, so it made sense that 40 of George’s friends would gather at Cannon Mountain on a…

First you see the old barn that’s painted pink. Then you see acres of daylilies in orange, red, purple, peach, cream, yellow, gold, apricot, white, lavender and tangerine. You’ve arrived at the Bethlehem Flower Farm, grower of some of the…

What you liked about Lindbergh’s Crossing remains at 29 Ceres Street. The classic French technique, the subdued light and charming ambiance of exposed bricks and rafters. And, of course, the great salads and snails. But for chef and new owner…

Sibylle Tornow of Merrimack is a ceramic artist with a hand for drawing. As a student she studied fashion design and learned to render fashion sketches with ink. Now, as a “frustrated watercolorist,” Tornow uses a paintbrush dipped in glaze,…

Memorial Day is a time for picnics, parades and remembering those who have served our country in the military. In this fifth year of war in Iraq, and longer in Afghanistan, our military deserves much more than passing recognition of…

The first time I made and tasted whole-milk ricotta cheese I was a fan for life. With some buttermilk and one gallon of whole milk, I was on my way. Heating the mixture to 175 degrees and watching the separation…

The greatest virtues of humanity — justice, wisdom, compassion — are usually depicted in art as women, and women intuitively appreciate the power of art to liberate, instruct and heal. This year our annual celebration of new hampshire women combines…

Judson Hale and Steve Taylor Two Needlers in a haystack On the trail of the funniest people in New Hampshire, I turned to a couple of droll yankees, Judson Hale, editor of “Yankee,” and Steve Taylor, commissioner of agriculture. Jud…

Consider the lowly foot, daily stuffed into a shoe and forgotten. Think about those two slender appendages, carrying your 150-or-so pounds uphill and down, over rough terrain and smooth, several thousand steps a day, with no complaint. No complaint? Not…

It may look like a typical New England downtown, but Nashua is a city of secrets — international secrets. Already home to the most diverse ethnic population in the state, New Hampshire’s second-largest city continues to welcome immigrants from South…