Get out of town and hit up the Lakes Region.

Everyone has their own little trigger that lets them know it's spring. Some people know when they see the first robin light on a tree branch. Others aren't sure it's spring until they dig their hands into that first furrow of aromatic garden soil.Me, I know it's spring when I get that irresistable urge to go to the nearest outdoor basketball court and shovel off the snow. Blame Eric Montross and George…

ELLA AND SOPHIA ARE BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER!!!!! That's right! We're back! And more knowledgeable about vehicles than we were two years ago!Well, for one thing, we know that the gas coming out of cars is exhaust, not stuff to encourage people to ride bikes (although it might be that too). We learned that some cars are going to begin running on vegetable oil. And, we learned…

Remember last year when we ran a story about David Kontak, a local fellow who makes unique music machines in his basement (David Kontak makes crazy music machines, Jan. 18, 2011)? Of course you do! Well, he's got a fresh batch of creations that he will be unveiling soon at the Sharon Arts Gallery in Peterborough. The performance takes place on April 7 at 7:30 p.m.Kontak showed us some of his newest instruments,…

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barbara Walsh will be in Concord on March 15 to discuss her latest book, August Gale, with an appearance at Gibson's Bookstore at 7 p.m. The book weaves two tales together - a deadly Newfoundland hurricane that took the lives of hundreds of fishermen and the tale of her father's childhood pain after his father - Walsh's grandfather - abandoned…

A big surprise was waiting for me when I started to clean out a wooden duck box on an old maple tree along our frozen pond. As I opened the side door of the box, several flying squirrels were looking back at me from a bed of dry leaves and grass. My sudden intrusion into the privacy of their cozy winter quarters was too much for their comfort, and a few flying squirrels came scampering out from the box’s front…