life | Nancy Loderick's Blog

Browsing All posts tagged under »life«

The reclusive and mysterious Emily Dickinson

August 21, 2024

Emily Dickinson is one of the leading 19th century American poets. Her honest and uninhibited writing made her an early feminist voice, even as she maintained an outward appearance of submissiveness. One of her most famous quotes: “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.” Emily Dickinson was born in 1830 at […]

Out and about around Northampton

August 14, 2024

Even though Mr. Ken and I only spent a few days in Northampton, we saw a lot. Here are some more scenes from Northampton and the surrounding areas. I love crystals. (Mr. Ken calls them Pet Rocks. . .) I was very excited to learn of a crystal store, Groundings, located in Florence, which is […]

Victorian Gothic houses in Northampton

August 7, 2024

I don’t even know if “Victorian Gothic” is even a style, but it aptly describes a lot of the houses in Northampton. Everywhere I walked, I saw such interesting old houses, no two alike. No cookie cutter suburban sprawl here! Several houses looked like haunted houses to me. I think the style of the blue […]

Back to school

July 31, 2024

Figuratively, that is. I went to Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. South Hadley is literally around the corner from Northampton, where we were staying for a few days. So, of course, I had to visit my old alma mater. I fondly remember visiting colleges during my Junior year of high school. It was […]

Northampton Food Scenes

July 24, 2024

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No vacation is complete without good food. 🙂 Even though I am not really a foodie, I do enjoy trying different foods on vacation. Visiting Northampton was no exception. Bluebonnet Diner This unpretentious place was established in 1950 and has been owned by the Greco since then. Normally, diners are associated with New Jersey, but […]

Northampton Historic Old Buildings

July 17, 2024

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In addition to the beautiful old churches, Northampton has lots of interesting old and historic buildings. Northampton has a distinctively Gothic City Hall which was designed by William Fenno Pratt and was built in 1849-1850. Conceived as a novelty, it was in danger of being torn down in 1923,but was saved when voters decided to remodel rather than […]

Northampton Street Scenes

July 10, 2024

I so enjoyed my early morning walks in Northampton. There were so many interesting things to see. I’m glad I had my trusty phone with me so I could capture the sights. With numerous great restaurants and shops in the downtown, there is very little space to sit and enjoy the downtown experience beyond a […]

Here is the church and here is the steeple . . .

July 3, 2024

My favorite activity in a new place is to walk the streets. There are always interesting things to see and things you don’t notice when you are driving around in a car. Northampton has lots of old buildings. There are lots of old beautiful churches. Even if you aren’t a church person, you can’t help […]

Westward Ho!

June 26, 2024

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Western Massachusetts that is. Mr. Ken and I spent a marvelous few days in Northampton, MA. Northampton is part of the Pioneer Valley and the home of Smith College. Back in the 1800’s, it was home to abolitionists and educators. Like many cities, it has undergone many changes over the years. It was thriving until […]

Celebrating Bernard

June 19, 2024

Our beloved Bernard, the Canadian moose, recently celebrated a birthday. It was on June 7, 2023, that he joined our family. His home was in Quebec City and he is one of our favorite souvenirs from our fun trip there last year. As you can see, the whole gang was in on the celebration. We […]