Beyond Wellesley: Lee & Newmarket NH for bookstore, walk & riverfront lunch

January 12, 2020 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

Here’s a quick day trip we just took that might appeal to those of you who are both bookish and outdoorsy.

Book store adventure

Our primary destination was Avenue Victor Hugo Book Store, which opened in Lee, N.H., in late 2018 as a reincarnation of the shop that spent 30 years on Newbury Street in Boston until the rent got too ridiculous and it closed in 2004. The new store, open on Fridays and Saturdays, sits in a red barn about 90 minutes north of Wellesley. Owners Vincent McCaffrey and Thais Coburn also make their inventory browsable online, and their son-in-law has sparked interest in the shop through social media efforts.

Avenue Victor Hugo Book Shop

While the shop has only been at the barn for a bit more than a year, it feels like it’s been there forever. The shelves are packed with used and collectible books, magazines and maps. The fiction collection spans several aisles, and the shop includes lots of history, biography, and other books

The aisles are wide enough to browse comfortably even as other visitors pass through. Among our pick-ups, based on one of the Swellesley Jrs.’ random book selection system: Jo Sinclair’s “Wasteland,” a 1946 Harper Prize winner, and the work of an underrated author according to store owner McCaffrey.

A modest hike

Once we left with a bagful of books, we drove less than half a mile down the road to Little River Park on this slightly snow-and-ice covered day.

The park offers sports fields, a playground and events pavilion, but we were there to check out the walking trails. We thought about taking the ridge or forest trails, but settled on the modest Lamprey River Trail that kept us walking for a total of one mile. It proved rewarding with a great view from above of water gushing between thick chunks of ice surrounded by a forested embankment.

On snowier days the trail attracts snowmobilers. The day we went there, the most ambitious trail user sped along by fat tire bike.

Little River Park

A cozy lunch

After working up an appetite from our grueling trip to the book store and our mini-hike, we headed for The Riverworks in nearby Newmarket, N.H.

This cozy tavern earned points right away for playing the Pixies “Where Is My Mind?” as we entered. Server Heather greeted us enthusiastically, and took orders for generous nachos, steak-and-cheese and veggie quesadillas, a hearty BLT with turkey, and more. The homemade salt-and-pepper chips that come with sandwiches were crisp and tasty, and the prices were reasonable, in the $9-$12 range for our meals.

While the Riverworks itself isn’t right along the river, we did a post-lunch constitutional by crossing the street and walking along the river behind a mill-turned-retail-and-residence building. The Lamprey River was much milder from this vantage point, largely still, with some ice here and there. We can imagine with the small park and boat launch area is a livelier spot when the weather is warmer.

Riverworks restaurant

More: Beyond Wellesley: Tuning into Nashville

Venus & the Moon over Wellesley

January 9, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

venus moon wellesley — Venus & Moon over Wellesley (photo by PC)

Wellesley eyes return to outdoor ice skating

January 7, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Now that Wellesley has the new hockey rinks on Rte. 9 you might wonder whether the town will go to the effort of staging outdoor skating rinks as it has done in years past.

According to Wellesley Rec’s Matt Chin the plan is to coordinate with the Department of Public Works on an outdoor rink in late January (the weather forecast isn’t promising for icy conditions over the next couple of weeks).

The town has set up rinks in the past on the basketball court at Hunnewell Field near Wellesley High School. Although last year the town did not have public outdoor rinks.

wellesley outdoor skating rinks

Keep us updated on Wellesley High winter sports action: We invite coaches, team managers, parents, athletes to keep us updated on your season via this form.

Happy 15th birthday to us: The Year in Swellesley

January 2, 2020 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

Nothing ever happens in Wellesley. Except it does.

We’ve enjoyed another full year of sharing your stories, breaking news and watching it go viral, and weaving in our personal adventures.

With the Swellesley Jrs. aging out of the Wellesley Public School system, Mrs. Swellesley turned her attention to The Swellesley Report as her full-time job. Our goal for 2020, our 16th year publishing, is to have Mr. Swellesley do the same.

Thank you to everyone who sent news tips and financial contributions to Swellesley in what has by far been our top year for readership and reader support. And huge thanks to all of our advertisers, who help to make Swellesley possible from a financial standpoint.

Swellesley highlights this year included:

The silly but sensational tale of people swiping the Old Town Road signs in Wellesley, and the town deciding to stop replacing them until singer Lil Nas X fever dies down. Yes, this went viral, with everyone from CNN to the New York Times picking it up from here.
Old Town Road sign (Google Maps)
Answering your questions about stinky streets, harder-to-use mailboxes, EEE mosquito spraying, measles, an abandoned $6.5M home, political signs, and Truly Yogurt’s change in ownership.
The opening of the Boston Sports Institute, which generated one of the year’s feel-good stories–the introduction of sled hockey to town. Plus lots of new or refurbished sports fields in town, big upgrades on the way for the softball fields, and a brand new boardwalk with a vernal pool view.

Wellesley boardwalk — Wellesley Ecocampers make use of the vernal pool overlook.

The ongoing school building plans, town hall renovations, possible Wellesley Square re-imagining, possible changes at Morses Pond, and all those housing developments. Plus the comings and goings of Wellesley town officials, including Wellesley Public Schools’ hiring of its first diversity director. Not to mention, Wellesley now has a Unified Plan.
The Wellesley Veterans’ Parade, fireworks and other Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend activities.
Celebrating residents’ accomplishments in academics, the arts, business and sports. We tracked police and firefighter activity (including a fire at Hunnewell Elementary School). We helped to get the word out about community events and charitable endeavors. We mourned the loss of residents we loved or knew of and respected.
The ins and outs for local businesses, with White’s Bakery, Loyal Companion and The Shade Store among newcomers, and Upper Crust, Village Market and Florijn among those leaving.
More automation coming to town, including at Roche Bros. in the form of self-checkout lanes, and at Wellesley Free Library in the form of an automated book handling system. Town Meeting members even voted electronically the last time around. Based on what we saw at the excellent, every-other-year STEM Expo, more automation is on the way.
Entertainment news, from a Wellesley resident being chosen to appear on “The Bachelor “TV show and to the release of “Knives Out,” a movie shot in part in Wellesley in 2108. And watch out Elton John.

lynne smith elton john — Lynne Smith: Wellesley’s Rocket Woman

Babson College scoring a $50M donation, and moving its giant renovated globe to a new park as part of the school’s centennial celebration. Anita Hill spoke at Wellesley College.
Bowing down to 2019 WHS seniors for pulling off a brilliant year-end prank designed to grab attention but not land anyone in jail or off a college’s acceptance list.

wellesley high senior tailgate — WHS surprise tailgate

We enjoyed the general weirdness and wonderfulness around here, from a reed pump organ being left at the Wellesley dump to the Thanksgiving Day football game skirmish that grabbed more attention than the Raiders’ strong season to a unique buck carving from a diseased tree on a residential lot.

organ wellesley — Estey organ left at Wellesley RDF (photo courtesy of Hilary Prus)

Wood carving, Overbrook Dr., Wellesley

On a more personal note:

Mr. and Mrs. Swellesley followed their true calling as supermodels for a Wellesley Free Library photo exhibit.

Wellesley Wednesdays, Beth Shedd — The Swellesleys made the cut for Beth Shedd’s Wellesley Wednesdays by Beth Shedd

Mr. Swellesley and one of the Swellesley Jrs. educated and entertained throngs of students with their yo-yo spectacular at Wellesley High Seminar Day.
Things got tense after Mr. Swellesley mistakenly brought library books to the dump.
Mrs. Swellesley spoke or held court at locations including the Council on Aging.
We were fortunate to have intern Lara Smith contributing throughout the summer.
Mr. Swellesley showed his artistic side with an exclusive Pollen Art Exhibit.
Mr. and Mrs. Swellesley melded minds with fellow independent online news publishers at a conference in Nashville, where the Grand Ole Opry gave us a shout-out.
Mr. Swellesley survived a flying shovel.
Mrs. Swellesley listened to her inner Marie Kondo, and our kitchen will never be the same (for a few months).
Beyond Wellesley, we took you to Boston Calling, the Woods Hole Film Festival, and more.

We finished the year by ringing the Salvation Army bells in Linden Square to help raise funds for local initiatives. We saw dozens of people we knew during our shift, and thanked many we didn’t know, but they all reminded us of the magical stuff we have here.

elsa in wellesley square

Study suggests moving bath house at Morses Pond in Wellesley

December 31, 2019 by Deborah Brown 1 Comment

At a public meeting on Dec. 16 at the Warren Recreation Building, engineering and environmental services firm Weston & Sampson (W & S) put forward ideas about potential changes at Morses Pond (MOPO). W & S was hired by the Wellesley Recreation Department last year to put together an $80k feasibility and design study for the 5-acre town-owned MOPO area. The study is partly funded by Community Preservation funds.

Morses Pond Beach, Winter 2019 — Morses Pond beach and bath house, Winter 2019

Approximately 30 people in all attended the meeting — residents numbered about 20; and Weston & Sampson representatives, Town employees, and a couple media types made up the rest.

W & S representatives put forward a power point presentation that covered early ideas and concepts, followed by a request for feedback about likes, dislikes, what they might be missing.

Based on resident comments from meeting, and from an earlier meeting that took place last summer, Weston & Sampson will complete the feasibility study by late Fall 2020.

The bath house

A major recommendation was to tear down the bathhouse because according to W & S rep Tim Sheehan, “The existing bath house has lived its life and it’s probably time for that life to be over.” In the firm’s vision, the bath house would be reoriented to the opposite side of the beach, toward the end of the service road. The reason for the flip of the bath house to the other side of the beach area is to stop blocking the views with equipment and buildings, thereby opening up sight lines across the beach area.

Morses Pond area, Winter 2019 — This photo is taken from the service road area, facing west, to look at the bath house situated on the opposite side of the MOPO beach. The S & W proposal calls for the bath house to be relocated on the side of the beach where the dumpsters currently are situated.

A new bath house would be kept simple; constructed as a zero net energy building; and include improved staff and storage areas. The bath house would actually be two buildings, with a total square footage increase of about 200 square feet over the existing bath house. The structures would be low lying to blend in with the landscape and would be powered by electricity. There would be patio areas with seating and shade. One resident asked if the shaded part might with some minor tweaks be substantially increased, which would be a benefit to visitors seeking relief from the late afternoon sun that beats down on the MOPO beach.

Morses Pond, bath house drawing — This drawing by S & W shows a shaded area with tables, the office area, and the bath house.

One resident voiced concerns about the close proximity of the proposed bath house to the MBTA commuter rail tracks and asked if there might be some fencing installed to keep the area safer.

Although the grade is extremely steep and it would take a very determined kid to get up to the tracks, the point was taken that moving the bath house to the MBTA tracks side of the pond does bring children and families closer to fast-moving vehicles.

Plans call for enhanced accessibility across the recreation site, which is being looked at from an Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) perspective.

Ice House Pond

Back at the August 2019 meeting, recreational options for Ice House Pond came up. One resident asked the Town and S & W to consider how difficult it would be for caregivers to keep an eye out on kids at both Ice House Pond and Morses Pond should Ice House Pond are be made as attractive to kids as the MOPO area.

At the December meeting, S & W reps came back with an Ice House Pond plan that would include a boardwalk with viewing platforms around Ice House Pond that would allow residents to walk the perimeter of the pond, fish from the boardwalk, and observe nature. Invasive species such as bittersweet would be removed from the area.

Also discussed was possibly lowering the culvert between the two ponds to increase flow between the two bodies of water. As it stands now, Ice House Pond’s water level in the summer months gets very low, and the pond becomes choked with plant life.

One resident expressed concerns about a boardwalk: “A boardwalk to me isn’t compatible with a natural place.”

What about parking?

One resident asked if parking could be relocated closer to the beach area. That one got a hard no. In fact, the parking would be slightly farther away from the pond.

During the August 2019 meeting, DPW Water & Sewer Superintendent Bill Shaughnessy pointed out that the current parking area is on the edge of a Zone 1 wellhead protection area. To provide some buffer between the lot and the protection area, the parking lot would be moved further east. This would mean a slightly further walk to the pond, an idea that disappointed some audience members who were actually hoping for a shorter walk to the pond.

Morses Pond parking lot, Winter 2019. The parking lot currently is sited on the edge of a Zone 1 wellhead protection area.

Beach volleyball would remain at MOPO. A playground would also stay but would be relocated to take it out of the sightline of the beach. One resident voiced concerns that the playground would be moved too far away from the water. He pointed out that as it stood now, his younger kids could be on the play equipment while his older one was in the water and he could still effectively monitor all three. He wondered if moving the playground would make it too far from the water and too difficult to watch the kids as they did different activities.

Morses Pond, playground, Winter 2019. Some value the close proximity of the playground to the shoreline, citing the ability to keep an eye on one kid who wants to play in the pond and one who wants to climb on the structure.

There’s still a long way to go before any decisions are finalized. There will be additional public meetings, and capital funding must would have to be ok’d by Town Meeting. The project, which does not yet have a cost estimate, could be three or four years away from becoming a reality.

Morses Pond, Turner Rd. entrance — The subject of encouraging users to think of MOPO as a year-round recreational area came up a the meeting. What that could mean for the Turner Rd. gate is uncertain. More to come on that, as neighbors, safety officials, and others weigh in.

Here’s how to reach W & S reps.

Here’s how to reach Wellesley Rec. Director Matt Chin: 781-235-2370 or [email protected]

Back in August 2019, W & S came to town for a public engagement and listening session.

Happy Winter Solstice Wellesley

December 21, 2019 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

winter solstice 2020

We hope you got an early start on Saturday, as the Winter Solstice marks the shortest period of daylight of the year. More than 2 dozen runners and walkers (and a few dogs) did. They braved the teenish temps and scrambled 3 times around the Elm Bank Reservation road for the annual Winter Solstice race, followed by some eggnog, coffee and speedy sledding.

More: Where to sled in Wellesley

Wellesley winter’s silver lining: Fewer lawn signs

December 20, 2019 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: The ground’s too hard, at least temporarily, to accommodate any more of those ubiquitous lawn signs that pollute Wellesley and surrounding communities.

A casual tallying of such cardboard and wire signs along Washington Street or many side streets will add up into the dozens on any particular day. And these are on top of Wellesley’s hundreds of other street signs, business signs, sandwich boards and light-up public safety signs (that increasingly are used for non-public safety messages).

lawn sign

We’re talking yard signs for everything from home improvement businesses to arts performances and from sports leagues to seasonal events. Sometimes a handful of the same sign will dot a single property. And this is during a non-election cycle.

Not only are all these signs unsightly in large numbers, but they’re arguably distracting for already distracted drivers. Most aren’t breaking any town sign bylaws, but it’s not uncommon to see clearly unauthorized signs pinned into town property.

Far be it from us to tell fellow residents what they can or can’t do on their property. But we’ll occasionally uproot obviously rogue signs from town land such as the Hunnewell Fields. It’s just hard to keep up with the offenders.

The worst sign littering we’ve seen locally is just outside Wellesley in South Natick center, where close to a dozen signs can be found on a single patch of land. As if more distractions are needed at this oft-tense interaction.

So enjoy this golden period when the ground becomes too hard to plant yard signs. Until the snow piles up and new signs can be stuck alongside snow sculptures and holiday decorations.

lawn sign

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Wellesley visited by the most lovely, fluffy snow

December 11, 2019 by Deborah Brown 2 Comments

Wellesley woke up Wednesday morning to a wintry scene courtesy of a couple inches of pretty, fluffy snow that lightly blanketed the town on Tuesday night. This is my kind of snow — not too heavy to shovel, not enough to cancel school or derail appointments, and decorative as all get-out. Feeling very cozy and New England-y today. Later on, I may even make soup.