Photos by Nanci Blog

Eshqua Bog is actually a fen. This 40 acre parcel is alkaline and thus a fen not a bog (which is acidic.) This alkalinity provides the perfect environment for the showy lady slipper and other wild orchids that reside in the eight acre wetland. In addition to the wetland this sanctuary has an upland forest. If not for the foresight of a few women in Hartland this area could have become a housing development. In 1987 the property was put up for sale. A developer wanted to drain the wetland and put up houses. Graceann Ridlon, who belonged to the Hartland Nature Club, and Lillian Marcott began a campaign to save the bog. Ridlon contacted the Nature Conservancy and another dedicated woman, Thelma Hewitt contacted the New England Wildflower Society. The plants in the area were inventoried and funds were raised to purchase and preserve the Natural Area. Two years later, in 1989 the property was purchased for $70,000. In 2008, the New England Wildflower Society did an extensive surv...

Weathersfield News June 29, 2016 Nancy Nutile-McMenemy photosbynanci@comcast.net The first week of summer was hot and busy. July starts Friday and this weekend is packed with parades and fireworks to help you celebrate the Fourth of July. I've created a list of things you might want to do around our area this weekend-see below. I can smell the Reading Chicken BBQ already! Front Porch Concerts , Lebanon Recreation and Parks Thursday nights at Colburn Park Lebanon NH. FREE music every Thursday until August 18, right after the Farmer's Market on the green Basia Bulat  opened the series last week. Friday Night Jason Mraz sold out the Lebanon Opera House . What a great show, so glad I got to see it. Sunday, I attended a  guided Eshqua Bog Walk with Dean and Susan Greenberg for Vermont Coverts Also on Sunday I visited, Horses Connecting with Veterans at Kate Adams's Farm in Weathersfield. Great program, right in our ba...

June 22 Weathersfield, VT Nancy Nutile-McMenemy photosbynanci@comcast.net I hope you all had time to notice we past the summer solstice on Tuesday, and not to burst your bubbles but the days will now be getting shorter. This year we got an additional celestial treat with the Full Moon (the Strawberry Moon) on Monday-so I guess it's time to start picking Strawberries! Wellwood Orchards is hosting an event Saturday so you can pick buckets of strawberries and have a whole day of fun too (see below.)   This was a crazy week for me. Summer stuff has kicked into high gear. Great weather is so short up here in the Great White North that we cram so much into our spring/summer months.  June 17 Vermont Democratic Party hosted the 17th Annual David W. Curtis Awards Dinner in Burlington Friday night. All the usual top dems. were on hand. Notably absent was Bernie Sanders. US Senator Patrick Leahy Nina Turner former Ohio State Senator spoke for Bernie Sand...

Saturday, June 18, 2016 Quechee Vermont It was a spectacular day for the 37th Annual Quechee Balloon Festival . Over 25 Balloons from around New England, Canada and the US took to the skies in the early morning  and early evening on Saturday. I was invited by a friend to fly with him for the early morning lift-off. I met Brax (from  http://aerialdesignflys.com/  ) at Lebanon airport and we took off to chase some balloons. It was beautiful. Being able to view these balloons from above was truly a treat. More aerial images:  https://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/QuecheeBalloonFestival/June-18-2016/Aerials/ I returned in the afternoon for a deck party in Quechee at the Masiello Group Real Estate office (Thank You again, Kasia!) The air was calm, the skies were brilliant blue and the balloons took off once again to the delight of thousands of people! After the balloons returned from their flights, five of the balloonists performed a "Glow." It was qu...