Writer's Notebook - James Rafferty Blog

Vacationing in the Footsteps of a Candidate

My family enjoys vacationing in a small village adjacent to Lake Winnipesaukee.  We discovered the area during the late Nineties when we were looking for a less crowded alternative to Cape Cod.  The town of Wolfeboro has everything we like for a vacation spot:  lots of options for outdoor activities, good places to eat in the evening, evening musical concerts and best of all, an area that conducive to relaxing.  The typical family coming for a week's vacation in this town has been coming for a generation and has handed down the tradition to their families.  On that score, we're relative newcomers, but we've established our own family tradition up here in Wolfeboro during the past decade.  

So this year, when we arrived, we dove into our favorite activities -- swimming at the beach, riding on the bike path and kayaking on a quiet lake.  But there were a couple changes.  The hotel we've staying at has been partially refurbished, so there's a new look to several of the rooms in a separate building near us.  Some people like to bring their boats to the region, but this time, there were also two large boats in the parking lot with bright orange pontoons equipped with dual, aggressive looking Honda 225 VTEC engines situated in the parking lot.  It turns out we were sharing our vacation digs with the Coast Guard.  

Mitt Romney, candidate for President, has been in town at his summer home on the lake several weekends this year.  He's been coming here for years, including during his tenure as the governor of Massachusetts, and he's sometimes been in town at the same time we were, but this is the first time  it's been noticeable.  Even during the weekdays when he isn't here, the Coast Guard has been staying at our hotel and occasionally taking their boats onto the big lake.  The guys have mostly kept to themselves, but seem to like hanging out by the beach and having a cookout, just like the rest of us, at least during their down time. 

The nice thing for our family is that this is still the Wolfeboro we know and love.  The bike path starts at the edge of town and the packed, sandy path extends along railroad tracks onto causeways crossing the lakes, past beaches and deep into undeveloped wooded areas.  There are several different places to park and access the trail, and the number of people encountered is reduced as one rides several miles away from the town center. 

Our crescent shaped lake -- way too small for those Coast Guard boats -- is quiet in the morning and very well suited for swimming and kayak rides.  We like to explore the nooks and crannies of the lake, and observe the local flora and fauna close up.  There are neatly spaced homes and cottages under heavily wooded canopies of deciduous and tall pine trees, and several areas remain totally undeveloped.    

Wolfeboro does not have any large, name brand hotels and the typical visitor has booked rooms or rental houses many months in advance.  I like to say that the you won't end up in Wolfeboro unless you really intend to come here, since the nearest interstate highways are about an hour away and the roads into town are all two lane state roads or smaller local roads. 

There is a fine little park by the water, Cate Park, and musical groups play in its gazebo twice a week.  On Wednesday nights, the local community band plays and it's open to all musicians who are willing to come early for a one hour rehearsal, so my wife has played clarinet with the band several times over the last few summers.  The music is not spectacular, but fills the evening with sounds of pop tunes, marches and lots of brass.  The park itself has a fabulous view of Lake Winnipesaukee and its surrounding hills.  While the music plays, families arrive via cars, on foot or on large motor boats. 

Wolfeboro offers a taste of summer life in a small New England town at a cross roads between the waters and the woods.  The absence of brand name stores and chain restaurants contributes to the ambiance and the patchy cell phone reception helps to keep the emphasis on summer vacation.  So, we may be in the footsteps of one of this year's presidential candidates, but so far, Wolfeboro has retained its unique character and it's not too hard to find solitude amidst nature's bounty up here on the eastern reaches of the Lakes Region. 

Writer's Notebook: On the Trail

Yesterday, I wrote about 1400 words on my latest novel. Today, I woke up and decided that it was time to explore a new -- to me -- bike path.  I'm on vacation, so these are the kinds of choices I've been facing each day.  As noted in my last post, I'm in New Hampshire, in the Lakes Region, and we've been fortunate enough to have good weather.  In fact, one-third of my words yesterday were written during a rainstorm in late afternoon and the progress I made inspired me to continue and eventually to finish the chapter that was in progress.   

I've been a bit sore lately, so I chose an easy way out:  I drove to my preferred starting point.   The Cotton Valley Trail was extended about three miles since I last rode it, so I wanted to see this new stretch.  About five minutes into the trip, the path looked like this:  

  

I continued on and was delighted to find I was the only one riding this portion of the trail.  Around me, there were woods of maple, silver and white birch and old growth pines.  As shown above, much of the trail followed the original rail bed, but from time to time, a wooden platform signaled a transition to a path that paralleled the tracks.  The last time scheduled trains ran on these tracks was over twenty years ago, but the tracks have been retained on most sections and converted into a multi-use trail.  Biking is the most common use, but there are also rail hobbyists who run very small train cars on these same tracks, especially on the weekends.  

Later, I encountered a stretch of overturned roots and broken trees -- perhaps a micro-cell had wreaked this havoc in some recent year.  Eventually, I hit an area where the path ran adjacent to a flooded area, which looked like this: 

 

From here, it was only a short ride to the trail's end, where I finally encountered other bicyclists.   Here is the shot from that point.  

As you can see, the weather was outstanding, a great day for biking.  I turned around and really let loose on the way back, riding at a much faster clip than I had on the way out.   The rest of the day?   Swimming, kayaking and helping my son try out water skiing.  Later on, a neighbor dropped by with a margarita by the beach.   Not a bad way to close out our vacation.  Goodbye, New Hampshire, until the next time. 

Writer's Notebook: Between Woods and Water

I'm in New Hampshire for a week and to paraphrase a well known song, the living is easy.   So far, we've mostly been lucky with the weather.  It's been a bit cooler than the normal July, but we've seen sunshine every day and had very little rain.  

We stay by a lake in the town of Wolfeboro on the east side of Lake Winnipesaukee.  Wolfeboro itself is a town of about 6,000 people, but it expands to a larger population during the summer tourist season.  Why Wolfeboro?  My family loves the outdoors and here we have easy access to lakes for swimming and kayaking and a path for walking and biking.  Plus, the town has lots of cultural assets. 

The Heifetz Institute convenes every summer here and puts on three performances a week.  We particularly like their "Stars of Tomorrow" series, which features young musicians -- teens to early twenties -- who are studying at the Institute, but are already virtuosos on a variety of stringed instruments.  Last night, the music had a Russian flavor.  The night began with violinist Ekaterina Tarsova from Moscow on violin, playing music from Porgy and Bess.  Ms. Tarsova had a flair for the dramatic, which began with her outfit, a dark dress which clung tight to her bosom and hips, and was slit on the side several inches above her knees.  She played the Gershwin music with passion and clarity, bringing out its emotional side, her bow arm extending out after completing tight musical phrases.  Later, the Russian theme continued, in the person of Dimitry Volkov, also from Moscow.  Dimitry announced this piece, Variations on a Theme of Rossini's "Moses" by Bohuslav Martinu, by comparing it to the Tom and Jerry cartoons, where the pianist played the mouse and he the cat.  We soon found out what he meant.  Dimitry attacked the piece with gusto on his cello and played intricate runs up and down his instrument, interspersed with quieter moments, like the catching of breath.  His dark brown hair and clever smile reminded me of the Russian masters of dance, Nureyev and Baryshnikov, in their younger days.  Like the best musicians, he showed mastery of the instrument, but also connected with the soul of the music.       

So, yes, Wolfeboro has its cultural side.  For those who like to tune into nature in this summer season, the area has much to offer.  During the day, I paddled with a kayak out onto one of the lakes.  On this day, the sun shown brightly and ample breezes rippled the waters, adding to the challenges of riding the kayak, as the water undulated due to the wind and wakes from various motorboats.  Still, I enjoyed my ride and paddled through a creek connecting two lakes before turning back.  Upon my return, I beheld a most unusual sight.  As I traversed from the creek into the broader lake, I noticed a covey of several birds, floating perhaps a hundred feet from the edge of the lake.  In my mind I thought flotilla, probably of ducks.  But I was wrong.  Paddling closer and coming within  ten feet of the nearly dozen birds who wove an uneven string to my right, I saw the distinctive black heads and extended necks of loons.  Loons are a special sight in New Hampshire and have been under threat from the increased human use of the lakes which serve as their habitats.  Usually I count myself lucky to see a single loon when the lakes are quiet.  But a flotilla of loons?   What a treat.   

So this place is special, a land of lake waters, tree-filled shorelines and many places to roam on foot or by boat.  Here are sights and sounds to store away to warm the mind and soul during those other cooler seasons which lay ahead of us. 

Seeking Inspiration? Try a Change of Venue

This post is about writing, but it could apply to any work, especially when it involves creativity.  

I just finished editing my first novel, Growing Up Single, and there were plenty of times when I got stalled.   Here are some thoughts about how to get through that block.  

We've all been there   You are working on a story and it has come to a dead end.   The characters seem to have lost the spring in their step.  The dialogue is wilting.   It's time for a change of venue.   

 

Perhaps your characters will come alive again if you put them in a different place, maybe even a different country.  What happens when the steady mother of two ends up in Vegas?   Does love feel the same in Paris, Texas as it does in that better known Paris in France?   

Or maybe you need the change of place, scene and time.  Think how inspired you'd be if you pitched a beach umbrella along Waikiki and were able to look up at Diamond Head.  

Picture palm trees in the twilight! 

So, think about it.  What do you do to break the ice and free up your creative juices?   Do you try for a change in your life or a new writing space?   Is it time to head off down to Baja for that writing vacation?    Are your characters yearning for a latitude change?  

 
Spill the beans.  What do you or your characters do to get inspired?   

 

Top Ten Things to do En Vacance in Wolfeboro

The new French President Nicholas Sarkozy has made a controversial decision.   He is taking a vacation (en vacances) not in France, but in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.   Those of us who already love Wolfeboro for our vacations no doubt have mixed feelings about this, mais c'est la vie!

So, it is clearly time to seriously discuss the Top Ten Things to do en vacance in Wolfeboro.   

1.  Go to Bailey's Bubble and get ice cream (sorry, no French sub-titles).   

2.  Take the Mount Washington steamship and go to Weirs Beach, to stop at the arcades and play bumper cars with one's security staff.   

3.  Go to Cate Park on Wednesday and Saturday nights and enjoy music on the water.   

4.  While you are downtown, stop in at Black's Gift Shop and buy Wolfeboro post cards and some of the unique toys that are in the back room.   

5.  Take a day trip up to Squam Lake and exercise your inner Henry Fonda by taking a boat tour that traces the footsteps of "On Golden Pond".   

6.  Visit the closest local equivalent to Versailles by heading up to Castle in the Clouds to see the entire area from several thousand feet.   

7.  Re-enact the Tour de France in Wolfeboro by following the Cotton Valley bike trail for several miles en bicyclette.   When the trail stops, join the work team that is extending it.

8.  Take a speedboat ride in one of the several area lakes.   You may enjoy going to Lake Wentworth, named after the last presiding British Governour before the American Revolution.  But, watch out for the rocks!

9.  Stop in at the only French restaurant in the area, Mise En Place.   

10.  Finally, if you miss politics, huddle with the local New Hampshire representative Carol Shea-Porter, who knows Wolfeboro very well.  Or, look up Mitt Romney, who has a family place on the lake.      

Bon Chance!