Mill River Park

I took my dog Porter for his usual walk at Mill River Park in North Amherst today. The river was really flowing without much ice, and the fields were pretty bare. Winter will be returning tomorrow, I am told.



We found a few structures made of sticks in the woods. My children tell me that they are Fairy houses. Who am I to doubt them. Perhaps dwarfs live there?



We met a group of dog-walkers in front of the Mill Canal Newt. It is great to see so many folks outside today enjoying this mid-winter thaw. Tomorrow I will be shoveling sidewalks all day in the blizzard. Today we were letterboxing!



Hiking with my dog and kids is one of my favorite activities. Perhaps the nicest things about the Pioneer Valley for me is the huge trail system. There is so much public land open for recreation, and it really adds to the quality of life. After tomorrow, I will have to get the xc-skis out!

Sustainable Landscaping

There has been a lot of interest in creating sustainable and energy efficient landscapes lately. My good friend and associate Susan Reed recently had her book published with the title Energy-Wise Landscape Design. A description of the book from their website is "Combining general guidelines with tips, techniques and actions, this fully illustrated guide explains the many opportunities our landscapes provide for conserving energy."
Link for the book
There are a few pictures of gardens Whirlwind built for Susan's clients inside the pages.



The Ecological Landscaping Association is having their 16th Annual Conference & Eco-Marketplace on February 25, at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA. I attended last year, and it was a great experience. Not only did I find suppliers of green products and hard to find native plants, I also learned a ton about ecological practices. I definitely recommend attending.
Eco-conference Link



Right here in Amherst, and as part of the Sustainable Architecture in the Pioneer Valley exhibit at UMass, there will be a presentation titled "Sustainable Landscapes - The Greening of our Suburban and Urban Places" on Thursday, April 15 at 7:00 pm in the University Gallery. Speakers include Kim Erslev, Faculty, Conway School of Landscape Architecture; Patricia McGirr, Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, UMass Amherst; and Erica Rioux Gees, AIA, Kuhn Riddle Architects. This event is free and open to the public, and you can be sure that I will attend.
Sustainable Architecture schedule of events

Whirlwind at Winterfest Amherst

The kids wanted to compete in the cardboard box classic again this year, and our ladybug came in top four. There were a lot of very good and cool entries this year again.




The town made snow so that we could sled, because despite the heavy snows down south, the ground is pretty bare up here in Amherst MA.



The track for box racing was not very smooth, and there were a lot of collisions. Some boxes completely fell apart even before they hit the hay bales.



The highlight of the event were the fire works. I love winter fireworks, because we don't have to keep the kids up late to see them! Also, the backdrop of the golf course made for quite the scenic spectacle.