We celebrate our 50th year in 2013/2014, and wished to commemorate the milestone on our invitation. Designer Brenda Adams, pictured at right, below, once again donated her expertise and created our invitation cover with a bright banner highlighting the anniversary. Also pictured are, from left, members Bev Christians and Patti Quinn:
Meet new neighbors and catch up with old friends. The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay will hold its annual NABB-Q at the Clarendon Street Playground on Thursday, June 27 from 5:30 until dark.. School’s out and the warm weather has already arrived. Come celebrate the summer with your neighbors while enjoying hamburgers and hot dogs fresh off the grill, picnic salads and ice cream, at the annual block party. Adults – $10, children 4 – 12 – $5, free for ages 1 – 3. Advance tickets are available online at www.nabbonline.com, and a limited number of tickets will be sold at the gate. Many thanks to NABB’s primary sponsor Kitchenwares by Blackstones on Newbury Street, and further thanks to generous food donors Shaw’s Back Bay, Ben and Jerry’s on Newbury Street, and Cape Cod Potato Chips.
The Charles River Conservancy presents the 5th season of the Sunday Parkland Games, held in the Charles River Parklands close to the Weeks Footbridge, 948 Memorial Drive in Cambridge, every Sunday from June 16 through September 29, 3:30pm-6pm. The Conservancy, with its partner Knucklebones, provides athletic equipment and instruction for people of ALL ages and abilities. Games include everything from badminton to hula-hoop, (mini) basketball hoops to bean-bag toss. In addition, Karma Yoga will offer weekly yoga sessions from 5pm-6pm. The event is FREE and open to the public — they hope to see you there! For information, visit www.thecharles.org.
The vintage tablecloths used as table toppers were divided into three “colorways” – blue/green, pink/white/blue, and pink/purple. Members volunteering to make the small arrangements were assigned a colorway, so their arrangements would coordinate with the cloths. Below are four examples of arrangements for the pink and blue cloths, and you can see how each arranger created something completely different. The roses were done by Tracy Campion, the peonies were from Chris Anderson, the mixed pink, white and blue bouquet is Francine Crawford’s work, and the final charming one, in striking pink and green, is from Cathy Wallace:
Explore the world of botanical art over five days July 15 – 19 in this course at Wellesley College Botanic Garden designed especially for you – the beginner. Sarah Roche (her work is shown below) guides your experience through structured exercises, projects, and demonstrations. She exposes you to the basic techniques and methods of botanical drawing and watercolor painting. Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens $250, non-members $300. To register, visit www.wellesley.edu/wcbgfriends.
Nasami Farm, owned by the New England Wildflower Society, is home to a unique habitat, a Black Gum—Pin Oak—Swamp White Oak “perched†swamp. This is a swamp not directly connected to the water table, but perched above it on layers that prevent draining usually associated with old glacial lake beds. The Great Swamp, of which this property is a part, is one of the largest and best examples of a perched swamp left in Massachusetts. On Saturday, June 29, from 10 – 2, we will be looking mostly at the trees and their bark, but also checking out any wildflowers we might see. The trail is level and the distance covered about 2 to3 miles at an easy pace. Please bring comfortable water-resistant boots, rain gear (depending on the weather), plenty of water, lunch, binoculars and bug spray. We will be using the book Bark by Michael Wojtech, so bring a copy if you have one. We will meet at Nasami Farm, 128 North Street, in Whately (there is a blue sign on routes 5 & 10 at Swamp Road). Parking will be at the barn on the left as you enter. Directions will be sent upon request at pre-registration when you email Nancy Goodman at wildeyes@rcn.com. $5 fee, free for Pioneer Valley Institute members, NEWFS members, and kids under 12. (Please do not use MapQuest for driving directions; they currently take you to North Street in South Deerfield.)
Volunteers are hard to find. Good ones are even harder to find. Co-President Jackie Blombach, below in the red, orange and pink dress, is also the Co-President of our Club, and Jane Gnazzo, in green, spends much of her time working in the great state of Texas, but both pulled together to produce a spectacular evening:
The Spicket River Greenway is a three-mile long “emerald bracelet†of green spaces and walking paths connecting parks and open space through multiple neighborhoods in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and encompasses riverfront restoration and neighborhood revitalization. Join us to learn more about this successful urban project. The Greenway has been a multi-year, collaborative effort involving municipal agencies, community organizations, and neighborhood stakeholders. Three anchor sites along the Greenway have recently been rehabilitated or built: Dr. Nina Scarito Park, William Kennedy Community Park, and Manchester Street Park. Tour the Greenway with Brad Buschur on Wednesday, June 26, from 1 – 3. $15 for Ecological Landscaping Association members, $20 for non-members. For more information visit www.ecolandscaping.org. Register on line at https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1010421.
This Landscape Institute of Boston Architectural College summer course, to be held Thursdays, July 11 – August 1 from 9:30 – 4, kicks off with an orientation at the Doyle Center (below) in Leominister, Massachusetts, and concentrates four full days on different landscape locations from Central Massachusetts to the North Shore. Classes will explore the relationship of geology and soils to plants and hydrology. Alluvial, glacial, and seacoast processes will be examined to analyze prevailing ecological factors such as site drainage, ecology, specific site soil potentials and restrictions. Techniques to observe microclimate factors and their effect on site design and maintenance will be discussed. Using the power of observation, you will infer soil development, site hydrology and nutrient flow. Students will be able to outline potential sustainable planting plans and maintenance recommendations using native plants and controlling invasive plants by the end of this hands-on course investigation. Individual transportation or ability to carpool will be necessary to complete the course. The instructor is Marty Michener, and the audit price is $730. Register at www.the-bac.edu/LI.
Each year at the Twilight Garden Party we present our Magnolia Award for neighborhood beautification, and this year First Church Boston received the honor for the landscape project recently completed on its Marlborough Street front yard. Below are Shirley and Peter Re flanking the Reverend Rosemary Lloyd of First Church Boston. We congratulate them for their fine work.
