Wellesley Canines and Cocktails — where the dogs are teetotalers, the humans not so much

June 7, 2019 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The always popular Canines & Cocktails is back starting June 11. You and your pooch can join the Wellesley College Club every Tuesday* to enjoy treats and beverages on the terrace as you overlook Lake Waban. Relax with friends and other dog owners while enjoying the scenery.

flo wellesley dog — Maybe you’ll see local celebrity Flo Elwy, a 2-year-old bernedoodle and certified therapy dog.

WHEN:
Tuesdays, June 11 – September 10, 2019
5pm – 7pm

*Dependent on weather and private events.

MORE:

Top dog names in Wellesley, 2019

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Wellesley outdoors roundup: Fishing at MOPO; Guernsey trail a techie wonder; Lower Falls explored; bird watching alert

May 24, 2019 by bbrown Leave a Comment

Here’s a round-up of recent and upcoming Wellesley, Mass., nature-themed news and activities.

If your organization would be interested in learning how to sponsor this round-up on a regular basis, please reach out to us: [email protected]

Fishing at MOPO

The Wellesley Recreation Department recently held a family fishing event at Morses Pond, and Rec’s Brandon Fitts shared some great photos.

MOPO Fishing — Photo credit: Brandon Fitts

Separately, one of Fitts’s photos is in the running for the cover photo for trade magazine Parks & Recreation. You can vote for your favorite, which just might be his stand-up paddle boarders on Morses Pond, through May 24 on the Parks & Recreation Facebook page.

Guernsey brothers help celebrate techie Wellesley trail bearing their name

Richard Guernsey (81, South Wellfleet), David Guernsey (79, Kingfield ME), and Robert Guernsey (75, Dunstable MA) returned to Wellesley earlier this month to help the non-profit Wellesley Conservation Council (WCC) celebrate the opening of a techie new trail on its Guernsey Sanctuary.

The land for the 25-acre nature sanctuary on the shores of Lake Sabrina in the southwest corner of Wellesley was the gift of their parents, Janet and William Guernsey, in the early 1960s. The entrance is at 163 Winding River Rd. in Wellesley.

The new 1-mile circular nature trail uses QR-code (like a bar code, but 2-dimensional) technology to provide an enhanced interactive experience. With support from the Wellesley Turkey Trot Foundation, two naturalists (Bill Geizentanner of Wellesley and Ted Elliman of Sherborn) conducted a botanical inventory of the area and identified 72 specimens or special places along the trail to be featured.

Now each has a QR-code metal marker that identifies common and scientific names of the selected specimens and places. These codes can be read by smart phones and be connected to descriptive narratives and photos of the specific plant that are maintained in the cloud.

Guernsey trail — Photo courtesy of Jim Barr.
Left to Right: Bill Giezentanner (WCC naturalist), Jonathan Gillim (Wellesley Turkey Trot Foundation Treasurer), David Guernsey, Richard Guernsey, Robert Guernsey, Fred Fortmiller (WCC President), Judy Barr (WCC Board Member and Project Manager)

Thanks to Judy for sharing this information.

Final Spring Bird Walk on May 26

Join the Wellesley Conservation Council for its final Sunday Spring Bird Walk on May 26th. Meet at 8am at the Wellesley Free Library Cameron Street parking lot. Beginners, novices, experts, and just nature lovers are welcome. More information on WCC’s website.

Wellesley Trails walk reveals magic of Lower Falls

About 3 dozen people joined the Wellesley Trails Committee this past week to take a guided walk in Lower Falls, checking out the Cordingly Dam waterfall at the end. The next guided walk, set for June 1, is at Beard’s Way.

george washington rock — George Washington marker in lower falls

If your organization would be interested in learning how to sponsor this round-up on a regular basis, please reach out to us: [email protected]

Wellesley spring bird walk schedule is out

April 28, 2019 by bbrown Leave a Comment

Blue Heron, Longfellow Pond, Wellesley MA

The Wellesley Conservation Council offers free spring Sunday-morning bird walks beginning the 1st Sunday in May. Beginners and novices are welcome. We explore areas not only in Wellesley but also in nearby towns. It is not uncommon to observe 30 species in their top breeding finery and vocalization. The leader will direct the group to the most promising birding site of the day.

Binoculars, guide books, and waterproof footwear are advisable. Except for our Mother’s Day trip to Mt. Auburn Cemetery, which meets at 7 a.m., all bird walks commence at 8 a.m. Sundays from the parking lot at the corner of Cameron and Washington Streets (next to the main Library).

Spring 2019 Schedule

Date               Leader Time Meeting Place
May 5 Natalie Starr 8:00 AM Cameron and Washington St. Parking Lot (next to main Library)
May 12 Dan Gee     7:00 AM Cameron and Washington St. Parking Lot (Mother’s Day)
to car pool to Mount Auburn Cemetery
May 19   Natalie Starr 8:00 AM Cameron and Washington St. Parking Lot (Wellesley Wonderful Weekend)
May 26   Michael Tobin 8:00 AM Cameron and Washington St. Parking Lot

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Wellesley’s North 40 vernal pool boardwalk nears completion

April 22, 2019 by bbrown Leave a Comment

Here’s an aerial view of the North 40 boardwalk under construction at the corner of Weston Road and Turner Road in Wellesley.

vernal pool boardwalk tobin — High above the North 40 vernal pool and boardwalk. Photo via Michael Tobin.

The 400-foot boardwalk has been funded via Community Preservation Act monies from the Wellesley Community Preservation Committee, overseen by the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission (NRC), and is being built by volunteers including from Wellesley Conservation Council. (We spoke with NRC Director Brandon Schmitt about the boardwalk back in December.)

You can pay a visit to frogs, salamanders and more at the vernal pool by accessing the boardwalk from the north corner of the Weston Road Community Garden next to 148 Weston Rd. across from Howe St.

Thanks to Wellesley Conservation Commission’s Michael Tobin for sharing the photo above and the video below:

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Wellesley Business Buzz: babysitting app for busy families; Linear Retail expands empire; more pet supplies?

April 20, 2019 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Our round-up of the latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

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Wellesley mom connecting parents to trusted neighborhood babysitters

Bambino Technologies, Inc. is expanding into Wellesley to help connect families with local sitters. The launch is being led by Christine Schuldt, a local mom and marketing consultant who knows first-hand how difficult and time-consuming it can be to find trustworthy babysitters.

Bambino is a mobile app that modernizes the way parents find, book, and pay trusted local sitters. Through integrated social connections, parents are connected to babysitters in their own neighborhood, who have already been reviewed and recommended by friends and neighbors. Booking, schedule reminders, and payment all happens right in the app. And sitters have the flexibility to earn money when it works into their own busy schedules.

Now Recruiting Wellesley Babysitters

The first part of the local Bambino launch involves recruiting neighborhood sitters. Local sitters who are interested in flexible, part-time work can learn more about being a Bambino sitter. Note that sitters age 17 and younger require parental permission to join the app.

Linear Retail expands its Wellesley Square empire

Linear Retail, which already owns 48,000 square feet of Central Plaza properties on Wellesley Square’s Central Street (The GAP, etc., buildings), has now snapped up nearly 18,000 square feet of retail buildings on the opposite side of road.

wasik's cheese shop — This retail block is under new ownership

Linear, for a cool $17.6M, now owns 61-71 Central Street, which consists of two storefront retail buildings, including an adjoining 60-space parking lot. That property is fully occupied by 7 tenants, including CVS and Wasik’s.

The Seller, Jessica Wolfe, trustee of Berson-Wolfe Realty Trust said in a statement, “The property has been in our family since the 1940’s – for three generations and after careful consideration, we felt selling to Linear Retail was the right thing to do. Linear Retail was very professional to work with. We will miss our community and believe we are leaving them in good hands.”

A new neighbor for Quebrada?

The latest scuttlebutt about the 276 Washington St., space in Wellesley Hills that has been home to Dayton Home and Whole Foods in the past is that a pet supplies business could be moving in. No confirmation on this yet from the property manager.

We’ll keep you posted, but let us know if you’re hearing anything…

former Dayton Homes location at 276 Washington St, Wellesley

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