Posts in category 'Just For Fun'

Alfred and Eleanor Wilcox were two of my favorite people on earth. When I was first born, our family lived with them in New York for those first years of my life they introduced me to the concept of "home". As I grew up, and our family relocated all over New England, we always found a way to get back to Alfred and Eleanor's house for the holidays. "Nana" and "Bampa" were their "real" names for all four of us grandkids. The smell of Nana's cooking and Bampa's ever-present smile were always a highlight for our visits. Of course, actually FINDING Bampa sitting down in one place long enough to see the smile was always a challenge. As I look back now it is obvious that lots of care, love, time and hard work went into creating that atmosphere that we looked forward to and appreciated so much.

Shortly after their passing, a strange...

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I played hooky last Monday. I know! You are likely saying: "Who takes the Monday off after an extra-long holiday weekend?" This guy. That's who. We had 12 people at the house over the weekend and only the remaining 2 were left on Monday. We all decided to venture up into the mountains and go sledding. Yes, I'm talking about hiking up a mountain trail and then hopping on a sled (hanging your legs off the front to slow down) and screaming (literally and figuratively) down the trail. A more fun Monday has never been had.

This time of year there seems to be a plethora of extended weekends, holiday breaks and simple days taken off. And if you are not in the camp of those of us willing to step away from the computer, we collectively feel bad for you and are now encouraging you to take that break. We all k...

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CONWAY — Continuing the spirit of community giving encouraged under the late Dick Badger, real estate agents and staff at Badger Realty and staff from Bank of New Hampshire spent a recent Monday afternoon visiting the Merriman House and sharing ice cream and a warm smile with residents and their families.

This is the second time they've hosted the event with the nursing home, which is located at Memorial Hospital in North Conway.

The 45 residents, family members and nursing home staff were treated to ice cream catered by Vinnie Matturro of Ben & Jerry's.

Guitarist Carlos Angeles Olmeda provided an instrumental performance that delighted all in attendance.

Here's hoping you had a great holiday season and are kicking things off on a positive note for 2019. One thing I'm aiming for this year is more of the word "Yes". If you've seen Jim Carrey's "Yes Man" you know what I'm talking about. Basically the idea is to say "yes" to every opportunity that presents itself to you. Now understandably, and not just because of Hollywood, this can lead to all sorts of misadventures and trouble. For those of us in the real world, the concept is more important than the actual reality.

A couple of my more active and adventurous friends exclaimed surprise and delight when I agreed to join them on a mountain biking adventure a couple months ago. They are not wrong in that I don't typically join them, but their reaction was striking in my brain. I had fallen into a pa...

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If I'm being honest, it is really not a conundrum at all. Communication, regardless of whom you are speaking to, is a vital part of our everyday lives. Starting out in sales as a cold-calling robot, I learned quickly that small talk and asking strangers for their business was not a strong suit of mine. Breaking the ice with a decision maker is a challenging process riddled with countless nuances and split-second decisions. Now imagine trying to do that via text messages. Yikes!

Being able to read people's faces or at least their tone of voice is paramount to understanding the full context of the message being delivered. I am pretty good at reading people. I tend to lean towards the sarcastic side of things, so being able to quickly determine if my joke has "sunk in" or (unintentiona...

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