Since we are all getting vaccinated and venturing out a little, we thought it would be nice to stay in touch by posting pictures. Many thanks to the members who have shared their adventures and hobbies by submitting photos for the PHOTO OF THE DAY PAGE! If you have a photo that shows what you’re doing to keep busy and stay healthy, Stay connected by sharing your photo with your ARA friends. Email your pictures to Linda Benton, ARA Technology Director, at lba.oceanlover@gmail.com . Please include “ARA photos” in the subject line of your email. Linda will post new photos as received Click here to view the pictures already submitted!
ARA stagecraft Pod and friends ventured to the theatre for the first time since COVID. The attended Moonglow at The Players' Ring (proof of vaccination required) and then ajourned to Rosa for refreshments and conversation.
23 ARA hikers enjoyed the great outdoors on Friday.
While spring programs come to an end Friday hikes continue.
21 people on Friday's walk at College Woods. Dotty was the first to arrive, and spotted deer as she was waiting for the rest of the group.
ARA member Anne Melvin love’s big trees.
Interesting Trail Markers for today's hike.
YAH, snow for the snowshoe hikes!
Like many of us Nancy Walker and her family are doing what they can to support the people of Ukraine in any small way we can!
ARA Social Walking POD enjoying the UNH campus last week (standing on the bridge that connects the back of Hamilton Smith Hall to the Thompson Hall parking lot): Patti Mouser, Penny Drooker, Karl Zembrusky, Mike Drooker. Photographer: Kate Hofstetter.
ARA members journeyed north through the White Mountains, ablaze in their autumn splendor, to the historic Mount Washington Hotel. They enjoyed a guided tour of the grand hotel hearing about its history and many facilities. They enjoyed a splendid Harvest Luncheon Buffet in one of the hotel’s many elegant dining rooms.
They then headed south through the scenic Lakes Region to the Hermit Woods Winery in Meredith, NH.
Left to right: Members: Lynn Delicio, Nancy Salka, and Jane Brown
Photo taken by Catherine Schirmer
Group grows as ARA Hikes continue!
East Foss Farm
Negutaquet Conservation Area
(ARA) recently conducted a successful drive-up food drive among its members for the benefit of several local organizations. As boxes and bags of non-perishable food and personal products piled up at the collection site, ARA volunteers sorted the donations to equally distribute the bounty to: Parish of the Assumption in Dover, NH; Gerry’s Emergency Food Pantry in Rochester, NH; and Cornucopia Food Pantry in Durham, NH. In addition, monetary donations were collected for the Table of Plenty serving nutritious meals to Kittery and Berwick, ME.
ARA board member and food drive organizer Gayle Hylen commented, “It’s nice to see people who have, being generous in giving to people who do not.”
Kneeling: Gayle Hylen, Deborah Forster, Kathy Kowler. Standing left to right: Ismini George, Bruce Jolin, Fran Houlihan, Anne Marie Jones, Pat Pine, Bob Hylen, Henry Machri, Bill Mahoney, and Anne Kisil. ARA courtesy photo by member volunteer Cathy Schirmer.
UNH MacDonald Lot
Greg Goodwin and Mike Drooker peer down at the Oyster River in College Woods on the UNH campus, during a Social Walking POD Tuesday afternoon adventure. Photo by Kate Hofstetter.
ARA group enjoyed another lovely Friday hike at Piscassic Greenway. Thank you Dotty Lavoie for the great pictures.
Bruce and Nancy enjoyed hiking the Stonehouse Pond trails on a fine spring morning.
Snowfall on the Oyster River a few days later. There are wood ducks in there someplace!
Another great spring hike was enjoyed by ARA members dispite the snow! Was there a snowball fight involved??
Evelyn and Albert Morse Preserve Pine Mountain New Durham/Alton, NH.
A large Group of ARA members had a wonderful day hiking at Blue Job Mountain State Park On Friday.
Spring is coming and social distancing is getting easier.
ARA Group enjoyed another great hike at Orris Falls Conservation Area in Sorth Berwick, ME
ARA hikers reached it to the top of Mount Ripley 432 feet on their SATWaSR West outing today. Everyone is sure to practice good “social distancing” on these ARA excursions.
Linda Benton and Richard Kirkpatrick found a little getaway cottage in Plymouth this week to do a little snowshoeing and look at different walls .
Pat Degrandpre took these beautiful shots last Friday During the ARA outing at the Urban Forestry Center.
A few ARA members had an oppurtunity to visit Creek Farm in Portsmouth. We got to see some of the office space in the newly restored Carey Cottage. This beautiful cottage was saved from demolition and is now the home to multipule non-profits with appartments upstairs for those working for non-profits! Thank you Kathy Rockwood for showing us your new cozy headquarters for Seacoast Village Project.
ARA kayakers took to the woods on New Years day instead of the water to do some social distancing. Doe Farm in Durham has a lot to offer for history and hiking.
Thank you Denis Beaulieu for providing us with pictures every week of these excursions.
ARA Friday Morning hike brought out 16 hearty folks to enjoy the great outdoors. The rain was kind enough to hold off until they completed their adventure.
On a Beautiful fall day Friday, 24 ARA hikers enjoyed a great morning social distancing in the woods!
Last week Penny and Mike found this table and chairs had appeared in the corner of a large cellar hole at Durham’s Oyster River Forest natural area. Nice place to “eat out”! (photo by Mike Drooker)
Well, winter approaches and we have to adjust to the winter conditions. A smaller ARA group of hearty souls vintured out Friday for the scheduled Sweet Trail hike, they enjoyed the first snowfall!
ARA’s first Drive-Through Food Drive on October 19 yielded 3 SUVs packed with boxes and bags of food and personal care items (as well as $463 in cash and gift cards) that were dispersed to the Dover Food Pantry, Crossroads House in Portsmouth and Saint Thomas More Church Food Pantry in Durham in Durham.
Thanks to Jan Phelps, she captured some great pictures.
There were many "Air Hugs"!
Another successful Friday morning ARA hike/walk at Stonehouse Pond.
Joanne, Judy and Miss Daisey enjoyed a rest at Dover Henry Law Park, after walking the Dover Community Trail.
Nancy Walker spent time this summer picking 28 pounds of blueberries! We all love the fresh produce we get in the summer and fall months!
Nancy also likes to take pictures and we are thankful for her lovely contributions to out photo-of-the-day.
22 ARA members enjoyed a beautiful Friday morning hiking the Winnie-The-Pooh trail in Barrington.
9-19-2020
A sad day to paddle and float a flower wreath, in gratitude, on the out going tide of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco Rivers carrying the memory of RBG to the Atlantic. Such a large footprint for one so small. Pat DeGrandpre
Joanne has spent some of her isolation time writing poetry. Writing is always a good outlet during challenging times. Anyone journaling their COVID experiences?
Angela likes Rye Beach early in the morning
More friends Jan Phelps, Pat DeGrandpre, and Joan Harlow, soical distancing while kayaking and having lunch on an island in the Great Bay!
Jan Phelps caught a picture of an early morning Yoga class social distancing on York beach.
Pat DeGrandpre participated in the ARCH history tour of Salmon Falls River today where water lilies were magnificent and the loosestrife and pickerel weed were glowing a purplely/magenta Backdrop.
Beautiful pictures Pat!
Meadow Lake in Northwood Meadows State Park is often cited as the source of the Lamprey River, but a very good case can be made for nearby much-smaller Demon Pond, at a higher elevation, as a better candidate. We greatly enjoyed hiking around both of them last week!
ARA friends Jan Phelps, Pat DeGrandpre, Cheri Bach, and Linda Benton did their social distancing from Kayaks.
Beautiful morning paddle on the Salmon Falls River.