Letters to the Editor

Spot the Newt

Spot four newts like this one (pictured) hidden on ads in each 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

Fax them to: (603) 624-1310.

Last month’s “Spot the Newt” winner is Rhonda Pepin of Raymond. October issue newts were on pages 10, 67, 82 and 88.

Need a good reason to spot the newt?

This month’s lucky (and fearless) newt spotter will receive a basket of herb mixes, mulling spices, pumpkin cheesecake mix and holiday seasonings from Harvest Thyme Herbs in Dublin. Call (866) 563-7032 or visit www.harvestthyme.com for details.

Harvest Thyme Herbs 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.)

Letters

Weighty Issue
Thank you for the wonderful spread about weight loss in New Hampshire in the September issue of NH Magazine. People have commented to me about how great the article is, and I am so pleased to see the subject of the obesity and overweight epidemic addressed. I believe that together as a community, we can fight this problem, now deemed the #2 killer in this country.

I have a couple of questions for you: The First Place 4 Health weight loss program assistant to the national director in Houston has asked if they could have permission to use your wonderful “after” photos on their Web site under the success stories. Here is a link to the “Spiritual Sisters'” success story on that site: http://www.firstplace4health.com/wps/wcm/connect/First_Place/success_stories/success_stories/linda_stone_and_beth_johnson. Also, the communications director at Bethany Church has asked for permission to make some copies of the article to put on the display table at the upcoming ministry fair at Bethany, where people can learn about different ministries at the church.

These would not be used for any capitalistic ventures, but rather to help encourage people that need to lose weight that are seeking this route. First Place 4 Health is a non-profit organization. Whatever the answer, I understand, and thank you for sharing First Place 4 Health with your readers.

Delilah Dirksen
First Place 4 Health
Greenland

Editor’s Note: No problem.

Slapping and Grabbing
I loved the article “Blood Sport” [August 2009, Last Laugh]. Having recently moved from a town in Maine notorious for their mosquitoes, I was familiar with all the techniques mentioned. Many a dance has ensued with the “two-handed slap” and the “one-handed, mid-air grab.”

I have a friend who has her own version of the grab. After grabbing the mosquito, she slaps her hand against her leg. Messy, but it works! It is a pleasure now to be living with only a few, and they seem slower, mosquitoes.

I enjoyed my first copy of New Hampshire Magazine and just became a subscriber.

Nancy Axelson
Hampton Falls

Lonesome Trail
I’m chagrined to find your magazine’s recent fine effort illuminating the Lake Sunapee area [August 2009] did not include a mention of the region’s premier hiking system — the 75-mile Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition.

The SRKG was conceived in the mid-’80s by a group of creative environmentalists associated with the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, the Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests, the Lake Sunapee Protective Association and with local conservationists. [It] has evolved into a dynamic, non-profit corporation led by directors whose towns have SRKG trails: Andover, Danbury, Goshen, Newbury, New London, Springfield, Sunapee, Sutton, Warner and Wilmot

The Greenway’s mission is to create and maintain a forever-green great circle (an Emerald Necklace) of trail corridors and protected lands providing walkers with minimally developed access to the mountains, lakes, vistas and historical sites of the region.
The Greenway’s trail system, free and open to all, occasionally overlaps some existing trails maintained by the state and some town agencies, including the other major trail up Mt. Sunapee, the Newbury Trail. And, yes, we do have winter hiking.

How about assigning Milbouer/Long to a feature about the SRKG?

Frank Perrotta
Newbury

The Little Guys
My husband has been fly fishing for 30 years and I have for about eight years. We’re always happy to see another article introducing folks to this peaceful yet challenging sport/hobby.

I was disturbed while reading your article “Go Fish” [May 2009, The Outsider] to not see anything mentioned about the local shop in Bedford called Stone River Outfitters. 

If you are promoting New Hampshire, you should research better what is offered in New Hampshire and not be steering residents away to Cabela’s and Orvis, the big guys.

Ann Barker
Tyngsboro, Mass.

P.S. While in Bermuda in May, we saw Segway tours of the Naval Dockyard. You may want to recognize this. Sorry I can’t give you specifics but I’m sure you can find more if you Google it.

Thrilled with Kudos
I enjoyed the recent article/review of Firefly Bistro in Manchester. As the designer of the restaurant, I couldn’t have been more thrilled that you and staff found the atmosphere/ambiance to be aesthetically pleasing.

Deb McBride
Manchester

Serving Three Cups of Tea
Thanks for your excellent coverage [September 2009] of our statewide project, highlighting the contributions of N.H. educators who are integrating Greg Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Tea” into high school curriculum in new and exciting ways.

Some new developments: In addition to the continuing curriculum development work around “Three Cups of Tea,” educators who are part of “N.H. Serving Three Cups of Tea” are honored to welcome Greg Mortenson to New Hampshire this coming March. Since the Oristano Family Foundation and the Cricenti Trust originally donated over 1,700 copies of “Three Cups of Tea” to N.H. schools in collaboration with the NHSAA/Lakes Region Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Committee, it has been the hope of all involved that Mr. Mortenson would accept an invitation to come to the Granite State.

We are thrilled to be welcoming him for a speaking engagement on March 5, 2010, at Exeter High School, our host site for the event. Details and more information, as well as a new and exciting challenge for participating high schools, will be posted on our blog, www.nh3cupsoftea.blogspot.com.

Heather Cummings
Director
N.H. Serving Three Cups of Tea