Letters to the Editor

Need a good reason to spot the newt?This month’s lucky (and fearless) newt spotter will receive this lavishly illustrated book, the largest volume ever written about New England wines, and a $10 voucher toward a purchase of a bottle of wine from Candia Vineyards (candiavineyards.com).Candia Vineyards 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 toSpot 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” winners are Cindy Wentworth of Piermont and William C . Orme of Peterborough. May issue newts were on pages 9, 63, 77 and 96.Letters to the EditorHope’s Story
Thank you for the piece on the women of New Hampshire out in the world [“Women of the World,” May 2011] and giving of themselves. I will share with you about another quiet N.H. woman who started an NGO less than 18 months ago that is [now] full fledged and operating in Lilongwe, Malawi. Hope Thornton of Tuftonboro has birthed and brought to full NGO status an organization named Nature’s Gift Permaculture.The mission is to share the 24/7/365 growing season of this nation to get back on track to being a well-nourished nation, not trying to survive just on corn and corn byproducts.The website for Nature’s Gift Permaculture will let you know how dedicated a young woman from the woods of N.H. is to feeding the world one garden plot at a time, beginning in Malawi. There are hundreds of dedicated young women from N.H. out in the world working for the betterment of mankind. Hope’s story is just one of them. I write because I am a proud-as-punch mom. She is an awesome daughter of N.H.Thanks for writing about others.

Betsy F. Thornton
Mirror LakeFresh Angles
Just writing to let you know what a great job you did with the photos and copy [“Garden of Visual Delight,” May 2011]. No one before has taken photos from some of those angles. We have had a number of articles written and we both think yours has been the best. It is all in the eye, as I find myself saying a lot. Not the equipment. So, congrats.Jill Nooney
LeeAll Fun and Games
I would like to say thank you for your coverage of Funspot in two spots (!) in this month’s [May 2011] New Hampshire Magazine.Mike Morin’s suggestion to use the Funspot token for the state coin is a great idea! I bet the Legislature would go along with the idea … they do pass some crazy bills.I would like to correct the “Who Knew?” paragraph on page 17. Bob Montana, the creator of Archie comics, was serving on the Meredith Library Board of Trustees with my dad, Bob, in the early ’60s. Dad asked him to come up with a logo design for Funspot. Mr. Montana drew the Funspot jester in the likeness of Jughead. The jester is on all of the Funspot tokens. I have attached Jester and token artwork for you. Our dragon mascot, Topsnuf (Funspot backwards) who was “born” in the ’80s, was drawn by another well-known Meredith artist, Stephen Hodecker.I would like to suggest a story about my dad for the magazine. [He] started his business in 1952 at the age of 21, while still attending Norwich, with a $750 loan from his grandmother. It has grown into the largest arcade in the world and has been a family destination for generations now. Dad is now 80 years old and still works (and I mean works!) seven days a week running the business.He served in the N.H. Legislature for many years, first with his mother, Doris Thompson in the ’60s and ’70s and then with his son, David, in the ’90s. In 1969 he introduced the bill to put the state motto “Live Free or Die” on our license plates. He started The Weirs Times newspaper in 1992. His son David is now the managing editor. He is a real self-made man and entrepreneur!Thanks again for all your good work.Sandra Lawton
Assistant to the General Manager
Funspot
Weirs BeachSassy Suggestion
I would like to see some craft and quilting projects in the magazine. Maybe one of each an issue.Georgianna (Sassy) GoodnoughRide of a Lifetime?
Although I did get a chuckle out of Mike Morin’s article, “More Is Better,” in the May issue, I must take exception to his
description of mushing in N.H. Although our numbers are smaller than Alaska’s, with approximately 150 of us actively participating in the sport, mushing (with dogs, not SUVs) is alive and well in the state of N.H. There were nine dog-sledding events held in our state this past winter, including the Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Race and the Tamworth Sled Dog Race, the oldest active sled dog race in the United States.The N.H. Mushers Association was formed in 2003 to advocate for the mushing community and continues to work for safe and open trails for all dog-powered sports. In 2007, mushers were listed by the state of N.H. as official trail users. If Mike would like to experience our sport personally, I invite him to contact me next winter and I can arrange for him to have the “ride of a lifetime.”Gail Guertin
BedfordA Spirtual Experience
I haven’t spotted all four newts yet, but one of the first things I did see was a glaring typo on your [May 2011] cover: spirtual vs. spiritual. Inside the magazine, maybe, but on the COVER???! I couldn’t help but wonder how many sets of eyes had seen this cover, yet this one got by all of you … !Lorraine Hennessy
CanaanDon’t Eat the Magazine
I must admit I was amazed with the April issue of NH Magazine. It is the only time I have ever looked through your magazine and not found a single newt!!I even went back through with my lighted magnifying glass and still came up empty … I can’t wait for the May issue to come out to find where the newts were hidden. If I see them afterwards, I will eat my copy of the April issue!! I think they were printed with invisible ink this month!?Donna

Editor’s Note: Sorry for your eye strain. Indeed, there were no newts hiding in April. It’s a long story.Serenity Now
I’m sure lots of people have mentioned the swallowtail butterfly on the cover of your May magazine.Thanks.Ellie WeissEditor’s Note: It has elicited many positive remarks. I guess people really were ready for spring to arrive in all its glory this year.