South Coast Prime Times

S o u t h

C o a s t

Prime timeS Spr i ng 2 0 0 9 • Volum e 5 • Num ber 1

I t’s Spring !

Re-invent yourself

Prime Features The ‘new’ retirement SRA helps seniors

Prime living Like riding a bike Old mills come alive Affordable home improvements Read about reds & other wines coastalmags.com

Cover Sponsor

Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Providence, RI Permit #2475

www.LeesMarket.com

Good T imes Things to do from April to June

A Continuum of Quality Care 8 SPECIALIZED HOSPITALS, 44 SKILLED NURSING CENTERS, 2 ASSISTED LIVING RESIDENCES

www.kindredhealthcare.com

For more information about our services, please call 800.500.5715 (hospital) or 888.836.8877 (skilled nursing centers).

LONG-TERM ACUTE CARE HOSPITAL Kindred Hospital Northeast - Stoughton Stoughton, Massachusetts 781.297.8200

Crawford Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Fall River, Massachusetts 508.679.4866

Kindred Hospital Northeast - Braintree Braintree, Massachusetts 781.848.2600

Highlander Rehabilitation and Nursing Center Fall River, Massachusetts 508.730.1070

MASSACHUSETTS SOUTHSHORE SKILLED NURSING CENTERS Blue Hills Alzheimer's Care Center Stoughton, Massachusetts 781.344.7300 Goddard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center Stoughton, Massachusetts 781.297.8411 Embassy House Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Brockton, Massachusetts 508.588.8550 Colony House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Abington, Massachusetts 781.871.0200 Sachem Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center East Bridgewater, Massachusetts 508.378.7227 Country Gardens Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Swansea, Massachusetts 508.379.9700

Hallmark Nursing and Rehabilitation Center New Bedford, Massachusetts 508.997.7448 Forestview Nursing Home of Wareham Wareham, Massachusetts 508.295.6264 Eagle Pond Rehabilitation and Living Center South Dennis, Massachusetts 508.385.6034 RHODE ISLAND SKILLED NURSING CENTERS Kindred Heights Nursing and Rehabilitation Center East Providence, Rhode Island 401.438.4275 Oak Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Pawtucket, Rhode Island 401.725.8888

Kindred Healthcare is the largest provider of postacute care in Massachusetts.

Our integrated network includes long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals, nursing centers and assisted living residences – qualityfocused facilities that share a sense of community and compassion.

Our nationwide network of LTAC hospitals provides care to medically complex patients who require prolonged treatment plans and extended recovery time. Our nursing centers provide a full range of medical services to treat the residents who live with us and the patients who come to our facilities for shortterm or rehabilitative care. Our assisted living residences offer a full range of services, from housekeeping to restaurantquality dining.

Healthcare

COPYRIGHT Š 2006 Kindred Healthcare Operating, Inc. CSR55343

The future of cancer care is here.

New image-guided radiation therapy.

Our Hudner Oncology Center continues to expand its reputation for providing next-generation cancer care to patients in their local communities. We now have a powerful new weapon in the fight against cancer: image-guided radiation therapy, an advanced technology that enables tumors to be treated with much greater precision and effectiveness. Our experienced radiation oncologists are also on staff at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and the faculty of Harvard Medical School.

It’s more proof that the best cancer care is the closest.

For more information, call our Director of Oncology Services at 508-235-5608.

Saint Anne’s Hospital

795 Middle Street, Fall River, MA 02721

www.CaritasChristi.org

Spring 2009

contents 12

30 34 34 F e atures

10 Your home:

Affordable improvements

by Dan Logan

32 Book Picks:

Brilliant biographies

by Magoo Gelehrter

28 Prime Wines:

Books for every taste

by Alton Long

Prime S e ason

Prime L iving

Good T imes

12 Back to the future:

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16 Click for bargains

Mills alive again

by Lori Bradley

18 SRA helps seniors

by Cara Connelly Pimental and Michael Vieira

The “new” retirement

by Harvey Burt Ussach

24 Retired but working

by Brian Lowney

26 Find peace within

by Christa Johnson, MD

by Raleigh Dugal

30 Like riding a bike

by Kenneth Sutcliffe

36 Happenings:

Things to do

22 A new spring cleaning 34 Recalling a full life

by Sheryl Worthington

Turgeon

by Joe Murphy

On the cover Local eggs really are fresher! Take a crack at these eggs from Silverbrook Farm, Dartmouth. They’re available at Lees Market in Westport where Lees Loves Local. Be sure to stop at 796 Main Road as Lees celebrates their 60th Anniversary from March 18-22 or visit www.leesmarket.com

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from the publisher Spring 2009 n Vol. 5 n No. 1 Published by

Coastal Communications Corp.

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

Ljiljana Vasiljevic Editors

Michael J. Vieira, Ph.D. Joe Murphy Contributors

Lori Bradley, Raleigh Dugal, Magoo Gelehrter, Dr. Christa Johnson, Dan Logan, Alton Long, Brian Lowney, Joe Murphy, Cara Connelly Pimental, Kenneth Sutcliffe, Sheryl Worthington Turgeon, Harvey Burt Ussach, and Mike Vieira

South Coast Prime Times is published three times per year and is mailed to homeowners, professional offices, advertisers and subscribers.

Copyright ©2009 Coastal Communications Corp.

I know you’ll agree we all need a change, some relief from the gray overcast skies, the snow that lingered into March, and the continuing, depressing economic news. It’s good to know we can rely on Nature’s annual renewal as flowers bloom and trees turn green.

We welcome Spring, and the rebirth it promises.

Life is renewal, and change is at the heart of vitality.

As we celebrate living, we turn fresh energy to new ideas and activities. Harvey Burt Ussach shows how retirement has changed, and Brian Lowney shares how sometimes it’s better to work. Dan Logan offers ways to refresh and improve your home for less cash.

To learn how local mills have come back to life thanks to local artists, join Lori Bradley as she explores the local creative community.

Looking for more change? Spring clean yourself with healthful tips from Sheryl Worthington Turgeon, learn how the Southcoast Senior Resource

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means, without written permission from the Publisher. All information contained herein is believed to be reliable.

Coastal Communications Corp. does not assume any financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements, but will reprint that portion of an advertisement in which the typographical error occurs.

Next Deadline May 31, 2009 Circulation 15,000

Alliance Group can help Seniors find better options, and pick up some online shopping tips from Raleigh Dugal.

But most of all, spring into action. Look for the first crocus to bloom, spot a bursting bud on a tree or plant, and enjoy the warmth of the sun.

Be sure to see what’s new in our guide of things to do, and visit www. coastalmags.com to sign up for weekly updates, and buy or sell things at www.SouthCoastGo.com

Subscriptions $5.95 per year M ailing A ddress South Coast Prime Times P.O. Box 3493 Fall River, MA 02722

Ljiljana Vasiljevic Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

Tel: (508) 677-3000 Fax: (508) 676-7000 Website http://www.coastalmags.com E-mail editor@coastalmags.com

Our advertisers make this publication possible —please support them C oastal M ags . com

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Whaler’s Cove Assisted Living Centrally located between Boston and Cape Cod, Whaler’s Cove Assisted Living offers a supportive setting for older adults who need assistance with daily activities.

Whaler’s Cove residents enjoy a comfortable environment enriched with cultural diversity and social stimulation.

FEATURES:

Open House Every Saturday!

• Studio, One and Two Bedroom Units • Elegant Dining Room • 24 Hour Emergency Response System • Exercise Programs • Library • Large Auditorium with Daily Activities • Cozy Common Areas • Interior Gardens • Beauty Salon • Weekly Housekeeping

10:00 –2:00 pm Walk-ins Welcome!

114 Riverside Avenue New Bedford, MA 02746

Please call 508-997-2880 or visit www.whalerscove-assistedliving.com for more information.

you’re invited campspecialevents Register your child for camp at any of these events and enter to win one FREE week of camp!

Combine your auto and home insurance for maximum discount

Bring this coupon & get in FREE to all events!

Saturday, April 11

Prismatic Light Show Gleason Family YMCA 7-9pm 508.295.9622

Saturday, May 2 Dartmouth Eyes on Owls Dartmouth YMCA 1pm & 3pm 508.993.3361

Friday, May 15 Camp Carnival New Bedford YMCA 7-9pm 508.997.0734

Sign up for our

E-Z Payment Plan!

Ask us how.

YMCA Southcoast www.ymcasouthcoast.org 4

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Saturday, June 6 Live Reptile Show Fall River YMCA Please call for details.

508.675.7841

ure com c e s & afe We made the switch to s

munity banking .

BankFive is proud to be the SouthCoast’s premier community bank. As a highly rated mutual community bank, 100% of your hard-earned deposits are safe and secure. We work hard every day providing the highest level of service and competitive products to meet the financial needs of our customers.

So, make the switch to our way of banking.

At BankFive, community banking is not a thing of the past. Its here to stay.

The FDIC insures all deposits up to $100,000 per depositor except selfdirected retirement accounts, which are insured up to $250,000 per depositor. All deposit amounts above the FDIC limits are insured in full by the Depositors Insurance Fund.

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774-888-6100 • www.bankfive.com

Member FDIC. Member DIF.

Equal Housing Lender.

How to choose a senior community.

Start with choices At Sunrise Senior Living, we are celebrating our 26th year of giving seniors more choices about the way they want to live.

Today, Sunrise offers a variety of living arrangements, amenities and services, meal plans, social activities, transportation options, personalized assistance, medication management, and continence care services.

Our resident-centered approach to senior living puts seniors first, giving them options to meet their individual needs and wishes.

Visit or call Sunrise Assisted Living of Dartmouth and choose the life that’s right for you.

In Massachusetts we offer Assisted Living, Alzheimer’s Care as well as respite and rehabilitative stay options.

Sunrise Senior Living

274 Slocum Road v Dartmouth, MA v 508-999-0404

www.SunriseSeniorLiving.com C oastal M ags . com

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PRIME LIVING

Retirement can be hard work

H arvey B urt U ssach

The presidency used to cap a political career. An aged president went off to live in quiet retirement. No more. Jimmy Carter, in his 80s, is a globe trotting diplomat and election observer. Bill Clinton runs a global initiative. If President Obama serves even two terms, he will leave office at 55, young enough for another career or two.

Our national leaders reflect a major change in America’s workforce. The American Association of Retirement Persons’ (AARP) 2005 report Reimagining America: How America Can Grow Older and Prosper states: “…we can balance longer lives with the pressures the aging of the boomers and increased longevity put on our social system…We also believe that solutions must come from collaboration among government, private organizations, and individuals.” People are living longer and have much to offer.

Not your parents’ retirement Though times are bad now for anyone wanting a job, and younger persons might be tempted to shove older workers out of contention, opportunities abound for retirement age workers, and little chance exists for older workers to be pitted against younger, says AARP, because declining birth rates, longer life expectancy and aging baby boomers, leave jobs at both ends of the spectrum.

Attitudes are different too. We see a rise in respect for and appreciation of retirement age workers as mentors of younger ones; as teachers, advisors and consultants; and the subject of workshops and courses.

For instance, Psychology 67, a Bristol

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Community College course, probes aging and the role of the individual in society, defining the new meaning of work, of retirement, and the need to dispel age discrimination, as more people return to work for psychological, financial and physiological reasons. Instructor Sharon Martin, who holds a degree in health services administration and a certificate in gerontology, hopes the course will be the “start of awareness” locally that older people have value and need to be part of the overall culture. She cites, for instance, a female friend who had a career in social work and then in her early 60s started her own company providing home health care services for the elderly.

Pat Condon confirms this trend. A career counselor at BCC, she “sees a lot more people 55 and older, many laid off, returning to college certificate programs to “tweak existing skills to make themselves more marketable.” Office administrators and bookkeepers, for instance, want to take four or five courses to learn office technology. Some have degrees but feel unsatisfied and want to “explore new interests and passions.”

For instance, a downsized nurse in her 50s is exploring a career in social work. A mortgage lender is studying to be a counselor and financial consultant. Others collect and have time to spare, and still others have pensions that have not kicked in yet.

Condon sees “a lot of older workers coming to job fairs.” Part of her job is to bring workers and companies together. Though many have a hiring freeze, they keep their options open and still attend the fair to check out the labor market.

October’s job fair was “well attended.”

The next one is in April. While many companies have no outright retirement age recruitment policy, they laud older workers’ skills and attitude and provide Pat Condon with much positive feedback.

Employment sources Bristol Community College Career Counseling Center 777 Elsbree Street, Fall River, MA 02720 508-678-2811 www.bristolcc.edu

Greater New Bedford Career Center 618 Acushnet Avenue New Bedford, MA 02740 508-990-4000

Fall River Career Center 446 N. Main Street Fall River, MA 02720 508-646-0431 www.bristolwib.org/careercenters/ careercenters.html

R etirement Jobs.com, Inc. 204 Second Ave. Waltham, MA 02451 781-890-5050 www.RetirementJobs.com

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Why continue to work?

Work exists after retirement; however, that raises the question of whether a person should work during retirement.

There are compelling stories like that told

by Kiplinger reporter Cameron Huddleston in 2003: A retiree aged 60, he picked up almost by accident a part time job at Advanced Auto Parts, which turned into full time and more hours than he wanted.

He looked around and found a part time job driving a delivery truck for a medical center. A decent salary did not reduce his social security benefit, plus the company offered a matching 401(k) and health insurance.

More people define retirement as including some form of work, according to an AARP survey, and many people between 50 and 70 working full or part time said the need for money was the main reason.

In 1997, reports Huddleston, people told AARP they planned to retire in their mid-to late 60s. In this more recent survey, respondents upped the age into their 70s or beyond.

Other reasons to work include health insurance, social security benefits, mental activity, and shared community. Workers know that Social Security payments are based on the top 35 earning years, so bigger monthly checks are possible by staying on the job longer.

The drawbacks Returning workers may face age discrimination, pension complications, taxes on Social Security benefits, and less leisure time. They should check with former employers to make sure they won’t be hit with penalties and access problems to their pensions. Also, workers might not realize that increasing income might result in up to 85 percent of Social Security benefits being subject to income taxes.

If the pros of working outweigh the cons, then the right job must be found.

Niche companies and agencies exist to place people in just the right job. For instance, a New Bedford area temp employment agency places mostly blue collar workers. An employment counselor at the Greater New Bedford Career Center reports many more retirement age persons looking for work, blue or white-collar, but without much success.

Re tirement jobs.com Waltham based Retirementjobs.com is the nation’s largest clearinghouse for jobs

for those 55 and older. Its website has lists of jobs in different fields, tips on interviewing and writing resumes, advice on volunteering or starting a business, inspiring stories, lists of retiree-friendly businesses, and a reference to a January 2008 John Dobosz piece from Forbes.com. His article, “Best Post-Retirement Paychecks,” states that 76 million baby boomers are hitting 62 in the next two decades and could find work in fields like nursing, health care technology and administration, temporary office help, tax preparation, teacher aide, truck driver, customer service representative, and home care aide.

That sounds like an all-encompassing spread of decent paying salaried jobs, but where are workers to go if, according to a Manpower survey of 1,000 U.S. employers, only 28 percent have a strategy to retain workers past 62, and just 18 percent have an older worker policy?

Younger retirees

and baby boomers view retirement as a lifestyle change rather than the end of a job Some surprising options Retirementjobs.com suggests a possible direction: board seats. Almost all organizations, public or private, for profit and not-for-profit, rely on members of a board of directors that meet six to 12 times a year and are paid well. Qualified candidates have depth of management and/or technical expertise and usually network extensively to the degree that their names are put forward by law and accounting firms and companies, and not solicited openly.

Retirementjobs.com, however, is changing this board selection process by providing access to open board seats by bringing boards and candidates together.

Candidates are contacted, screened and selected just as for regular employment positions.

Opportunities abound for consulting work too, though it is very competitive and everyone thinks they can do it.

Retirementjobs.com urges caution and gives this advice: be a good problem solver, of course, but be prepared to invest a lot of hours to develop the business and tend to administration and collection duties.

A personal note here might be instructive and inspiring.

When my dad lived part of the year in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, he continued to read The New York Times everyday, and one day spotted a tiny classified ad that solicited a dollar for a sample of an imported distressed pair of jeans. He paid a buck and received an irregular pair of jeans, which he and a young bartender decided could be resold at a flea market for about ten dollars. They pooled some more money and received cartons of jeans. My dad, a retired retail executive, took on the role of unofficial consultant and suggested selling a pair of alteration scissors with each pair of pants. They sold quickly at flea markets all over Myrtle Beach.

The moral The moral of this anecdote is that finding a job—any job at any age—takes time, creativity, networking skill, attention to the small print—literally in my dad’s case— and a certain ability to schmooze with people to find out what is going on.

Society is changing. It is evolving.

Younger retirees and baby boomers view retirement as a lifestyle change rather than the end of a job. Says AARP, “…nearly 70 percent of boomers report that they expect to continue working in their retirement years…the evidence tells us that age 65 has lost much of its significance.”

Older workers might love what they do and want to remain active participants in the community, but money is a huge looming factor in their lives. Social Security, pensions and savings are no longer enough to live on. AARP sees as basic requirements Social Security, pensions with savings, employment earnings, and health insurance, to make retirement comfortable.

In the end it is just good common sense to keep working. Retirees benefit financially and psychologically, and the country’s economic health improves as older persons remain productive, entrepreneurial, and maybe even employers in their own right.

H.B. Ussach is a college writing instructor and freelance journalist with an M.A. in print journalism and communication from American University in Washington, D.C. He writes often on business issues and worked for many years as a retail manager.

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Free Consultations Free Recommendations Free Quotes

Household Modifications

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Daily 9:30-5 Café until 4:00 patio and porch for outdoor dining 865 Main Road, Westport, MA 508-636-2572 www.partnersvillagestore.com

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ON WITH THE SHOW! SPRING 2009 Season Producer:

Mariza Nobodies of Comedy Out of Thin Air! Afro Cuban All Stars One Night of Queen Béla Fleck’s Africa Project Willie Nelson & Family To Kill a Mockingbird Doo-Wop 4 Ballet Jazz De Montreal Ain’t Misbehavin’ Jungle Jack Hanna Charlotte’s Web Mystical Arts of Tibet Blue Oyster Cult

March 13-14 March 20 March 22 March 29 April 4 April 11 April 16 April 17 April 18 May 9 May 15 May 17 May 31 June 6 June 19

Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center at Newport Hospital For compassionate and expert care Acute rehabilitative inpatient care Outpatient therapies Prosthetic and orthotic clinic Cardiac rehabilitation Direction and oversight provided by physiatrist Barbara Reiser, MD, medical director of Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center, board certified in physical and rehabilitative medicine

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center TICKETS: 2008-09 SEASON Box Office 10am–5pm TUES–FRI 10am–3pm SAT! FREE PARKING in adjacent garage

ON SALE NOW! online www.zeiterion.org by phone 508-994-2900 in person 684 Purchase St. NEW BEDFORD

Season Underwriters: Baker Books, Mediumstudio, Reynolds Dewalt

As part of a Magnet-designated hospital, the Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center offers you not only the benefit of experience but also the highest quality nursing care available.

www.newporthospital.org

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your home

Home

improvement in a crunch economy

Dan Logan

For many of us, the cash reserves are a little light right now, and we’re rethinking our plans for spring maintenance and repairs on our homes. There’s less disposable income for that 250-horsepower riding mower you’ve been obsessing over, and less cash available to hire squads of gardeners to maintain the landscaping and housekeepers to do the spring cleaning.

Still, time marches on. Don’t set yourself up to get trampled by home repair disasters that can be easily prevented. Here’s a list of items to consider as the snow melts away and the ravages of winter become apparent.

Your attitude Face it, you the homeowner can be part of the home maintenance problem, or part of the solution. Come on, you’ve already found out from painful past experience that doing some modest maintenance can put off or prevent the killer expense— replacing the Swiss cheese roof, the rotting siding or crumpling deck, or dealing with the termite infestations that will turn your home to balsa wood if you continue to ignore them.

Maybe you’d rather be off playing golf or listening to Killer on the stereo. The trick is to make home maintenance a bit less of a chore and a bit more of a personal challenge.

First, recognize that it will be a relief to

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get out of the house after being cooped up on winter days. Stand in your drive, suck in a few breaths of crisp air, and get started.

If you’re spirits are still flagging, keep in mind that one upside of an economic downturn is that many people get back in touch with their inner contractor. They recall what they really need to get the maintenance job done—and realize they used to enjoy puttering their way through the process.

A penny saved Also remind yourself of the money you are saving in these rough economic times.

That 250-horsepower V-8 riding mower may be your dream off-road vehicle, but when you get right down to it, you’d have to buy a shed for it, figure out how to haul it in for maintenance every winter, and how to get it to turn around on your modest patch of lawn. Get a wide push mower, tote up the calories expended in your exercise log, and focus on the blissful security

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of having three or four grand remaining in your pocket.

The creative challenge is finding ways to give the inside and outside of your house a fresh look on a smaller budget. Even minor maintenance can add up in terms of cash outlay, so look for ways to keep down the cost of each project. Look for deals, or head for garage sales to find bargains on equipment and supplies.

Some basic tasks Cut your own lawn and do the gardening. You don’t want to hear this. I certainly don’t. But there’s a rumor that many people find yard work is therapeutic, like going out for a run. You will also find you learn more about your plants and shrubs by going mano a mano with them. After a little research you’ll find you can tell your friends offhandedly that it’s the “Wight’s Compactum Holly“ instead of calling it “the green thing by the front porch steps.”

Lawn work means a little sweat, but taking an intellectual approach can generate a lot of respect at the weekly neighborhood barbeques.

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Clean the gutters and keep stuff away from the bottoms of the downspouts. This enables water to run away from the house and foundation, minimizing the chances of penetration.

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Check the deck. Look for signs of water damage where the deck and house meet.

Pressure wash the deck to clear off moss, mold or debris caught between the boards.

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Rake around the foundation. A buildup of leaves, brush or dirt in contact with your siding can cause rot and serve as a hideout for rats.

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Check the weatherstripping and other seals around windows and doors. Gaps mean cool air can exit in the summer, warm air in the winter, and you’re paying for both. Replace the weatherstripping or use the appropriate sealants.

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Look over your water heater. Any leaks or rust around the base? According to State Farm, water heaters that are more than five years old should be checked frequently and replaced if necessary.

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ting in the inspection and maintenance time that lessen the risk of household disasters. Don’t add to your woes by ignoring the simple stuff.

Your roof always bears watching. A wellmade roof is pretty tough, but it’s far from indestructible. And, if it fails, it lets water into all those places where water shouldn’t go.

Keep an eye out for any problems that are obvious from the ground or windows. And periodically have someone walk the roof to check for pooled water, damaged shingles, or damaged flashing around skylights and roof vents or in the valleys where sections of roof come together and ice can get trapped in winter.

Check in the attic for stains on the plywood or signs of spongy wood, which would be an indication that water has penetrated.

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Check the fascia and trim. These offer weather protection for vents where your roof and walls join, so be sure they’re not damaged or waterlogged.

find out when you actually need it that your a/c is not capable of cooling anything.

If your budget allows for it, have your air conditioning checked by a professional.

Have the chimney and fireplace cleaned by a professional. Not only will this improve efficiency over the course of the year, it will lessen the risk of fire.

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Bob Vila’s web site suggests leaving the chimney damper open in the summer if you don’t have air-conditioning; this will provide better ventilation.

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Safety Maintenance also means considering your home from a safety perspective. A little electrical fire here, an undetected water leak there, and your carefully crafted financial stability gets hammered by an unexpected economic downdraft.

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Check your faucets. Dripping water costs money, so replace worn-out washers.

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Look for better prices from reputable workpeople. Many contractors and maintenance people are struggling to stay afloat in this economy, and they’re willing to deal on price. But one ploy to watch out for, according to one California Realtor®, is the contractor who quotes a good price, then tells the customer in the middle of the job that he’s going to walk if he doesn’t get more money to finish. Tell the contractor up front you expect him to price the job right and do it for the agreed-upon price.

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Save the big money Four and five digit repair bills are all too common when you own a home, but put-

Online house maintenance resources BobVila.com Checklists.com www.ConsumerReports.org www.demesne.info www.HousekeepingChannel.com www.KillTheTermites.com www.MyHomeIdeas.com

Clean off your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and check the batteries.

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Clean your stove’s air filter and exhaust hood. A buildup of grease from cooking could also catch fire in the event of a fire on the stovetop.

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Look for evidence of termites and other house-eating critters. Sawdust and small mud tunnels near a foundation can be signs of termites or other bugs that like to snack on construction materials. Deal with them sooner rather than later.

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Check your toilets. Any evidence of slow downs? Perhaps it’s time to have your lines cleaned or your septic system pumped.

Show the love to your clothes dryer. Lint build-up can lead to a fire, so clean out the ducting and the gap under the dryer.

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Energy efficiency Making your home more energy efficient will save you money. This doesn’t entail installing new appliances, solar panels and a windmill. Small improvements make a difference.

An easy warm-up. Be sure your air conditioning and furnace filters are clean. Musty smells and rust can be evidence of problems with your air conditioner or furnace.

Replace the filters and your furnace and air conditioner will perform better with less effort. To boot, your lungs will probably appreciate the cleaner air. Also check the outside of the unit for debris clogging any vents.

About a month before you’ll be needing it, run your air conditioner for a few minutes to see if it is working properly. Don’t

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Check your lightbulbs. Putting bulbs in a fixture that have a higher-thanrecommended wattage is an invitation to overheating and a fire. Use the correct bulbs. And consider switching to the new energy efficient, longer life bulbs that are now available everywhere.

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Once your home is checked and you’ve tweaked everything to look good and perform efficiently, you’re ready for a summer of carefree fun. With a little luck the economy will improve. And anyway, you’ll be seeing the pounds drop away after every marathon session with your push mower.

Life is good.

Dan L ogan is the author of “Close the Gaps: 10 Cool Tools for Mastering Windows” Essentials. E-mail him at dlogan@thegrid.net.

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A trip into the past Visiting artist’s mills and rural studios Many artists are also clustered throughout our smaller towns. Westport, Little Compton, Bristol, Newport and the Islands are home to growing or thriving artist communities.

Amy Lund, of Amy Lund Handweavers in Little Compton, RI hosts a variety of guest artists in her combined studio and shop.

She says, “Tiverton Four Corners is beginning to grow as an arts community. We have Roseberry Winn Ceramics down the road, several galleries surrounding us, and a jeweler upstairs. Many of us more rural artists have combined our working studios with storefront shops. Arts improve the atmosphere of a place and that brings other businesses in. We even have an Arts Café here now.”

Whether rural or urban, as a participant in many open studio events over the years, I’m still amazed at the generosity and joy artists share openly with the community.

Music, homemade food, and conversation are gifts freely given. Artists want to share the delight they find in their creations.

Studio communities are small islands of respite from a sea of commercialized, generic spaces—where people toil for long hours primarily for the love of the work, rather than large profits.

A spirit of collaboration Michelle Lapointe-Morris, a painter and creator of architectural stained glass, summarizes the collaborative spirit of the mill artists, “Being part of the artist community at Hatch Street is a great reward. I’ve collaborated with others in creating works of art. We support each another and believe in our

New BEdford’s N ashawena MIll

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success. In tough times we come together to rally each other to keep moving forward.

We help each other whether it’s giving a hug or holding the door or putting sand on the icy stairway.”

The great variety of structurally intact and beautiful old mill buildings in southeastern Massachusetts is conducive to the development of studio groups. Visitors to openings say they love the sense of discovery they experience the first time they visit a mill and explore the enormous hallways. The substantial architecture seems outsized and regal—like a maze—with frequent surprises around each corner as in each studio space one encounters unique creations.

“I believe it’s very important for artists to share our work with the public and let people know the story behind a piece of art.

Art is not always about beauty. It’s about expressing creative energy so we don’t become stagnant in everyday life,” says Lapointe-Morris.

A sense of community People seem to be increasingly searching for a sense of ancestors and neighborhood—a sense of belonging to a community. And communities certainly welcome artist’s mill spaces with enthusiasm. The neighborhood surrounding the Nashawena Mills is made up of single-family homes built for the textile workers who toiled in the vast spinning mill complex in the 1920s. The current homeowners are happy that artists now fill the mill, bringing activity and a sense of brightness and security to the neighborhood.

Says Charlie Cann,

Neil Alexander

E very day the news conveys increasingly dire reports on the economy, and while we’ve weathered tough times before, stress is rampant.

L ori When we most need an Br adley escape—many of us feel uneasy about spending money on travel, entertainment and things not entirely essential to our survival.

Can we possibly get that rejuvenated feeling we experience after a weekend vacation here in our own backyard?

Perhaps a positive way to soothe anxieties about the future is to take a local trip into the past.

Fall River and New Bedford and surounding towns are filled with remnants of our earlier economies—old brick and stone mill buildings that once housed the area’s lost textile industry and are now home to a great variety of artists and small businesses—craftspeople, designers, musicians, dancers, and visual artists working in a magnificent range of media.

Mill artists, such as those at the Hatch Street Mill Studios, part of the historic Nashawena Mill complex in the north end of New Bedford, host periodic weekend open studio events, inviting the public to visit and explore these special historic spaces.

One can stroll along the aged wooden hallways of old stone mills and get lost in a sense of the past. Ghosts of our ancestors, who toiled for long uncomfortable hours and little pay, still haunt the massive mill halls, yet walk through the double doors of a mill occupied by artists and the gray ghosts give way to a breathtaking display of color, passion, and good will embodied in art.

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a woodworker and one of the first artists to move into the Nashewena Mill fifteen years ago, “Artist studio groups vitalize neighborhoods. They bring stability into possibly marginal areas. They add creative ideas and physical impetus to all sorts of local events, programs and drives. Their work adds essential worth and beauty to the city.”

People lined up at the door for this year’s Annual Holiday Open Studio and Sale at the Hatch Street Studios. They were searching for gift items, or art for the home, that offered connections that can’t be found in mass-produced objects.

“We opened for the first time this year on Black Friday.” says Lapointe-Morris.

“Honestly, in this economy we expected it to be Bleak Friday for us. We thought we’d all be sitting around having a post-Thanksgiving celebration among ourselves and drinking coffee all day. It turned out that we were so busy that we didn’t sit down for a minute. We had a steady stream of visitors and pretty good sales too. People seem to searching for something here that they just can’t find in the stores.”

Anita Trezvant, owner of the Hope Gallery in Bristol, RI, participates in a community arts coalition called the Bristol Independent Group (BIG). BIG sponsors a monthly Gallery Walk event that brings in hundreds of visitors. Other businesses join the festivities. Local restaurants donate food to gallery openings and galleries send hungry walkers back to them.

Ms. Trezvent hopes the arts contribute to the continuing revitalization of Bristol and that, in turn, the growth of new businesses supports the arts. “We’ve seen it happen in Newport in a big way over the years. The same can happen here, and anywhere really. The arts give a place an ambiance that is attractive and welcoming to people.”

Fall River’s art community Fall River also has a growing artists’ community housed in magnificent gray granite buildings, offering visual contrast to New Bedford’s red brick.

Sheila Oliveira is a photographer and graphic designer who moved into the Narrows Center for the Arts studios ten months ago. The experience is helping her grow her business. She loves working in a mill studio that is home to musical events and visual artists, not to mention one of the most spectacular views to be found in the city.

“The Narrows brings in thousands of people with a performance venue that is well respected, affordable and eclectic. There is

something for every musical taste, the energy is high, and the crowd is a nice mix of young and old. The Narrows studio spaces sit behind the performance stage and seating area. During intermissions announcers say that the studios are open to the public and we appreciate ‘your support.’ During these times there’s a lot of traffic in and out of the spaces.”

Ms. Oliveira emphasizes the crucial role volunteers play in the success of the organization. “The Narrows has a group of volunteers who are members of the community and do much of the maintenance.

The main gallery space is one of the finest anywhere. This mill has been successfully turned into a space that accommodates

offer a two-day open studio event in October. New Bedford Open Studios also has a website with maps to artist spaces.

Rural communities surrounding our “gateway” cities offer open studio tours too, the most extensive being the Southcoast Studio Tour from Tiverton, RI to Dartmouth, MA. Ms. Lund has been organizing the event for the past several years. She says, “The tour enables us to connect artists, we get to know each other even if we live in different towns. We help each other expand our businesses and let people know what’s happening in other towns. Now, for instance, I often send people over to Wayne Fuerst at Sticks, Stones and Stars in Westport if

Caroline Doherty

performers and visual artists in an old mill town and it works!”

Cross-community connections Business leaders, politicians and tourism-promoting organizations are becoming increasingly supportive of open studio events. Fall River hosted an Annual Open Studios Tour this year, complete with trolley service following a loop from the Narrows, to Smokestack Studios, to Page-B Studios to Border City Studios, with stops at other arts and culture venues along the way.

Arts Express Fall River maintains a website that unites artist’s spaces with directions and maps.

New Bedford artists, in conjunction with AHA! (Arts and History and Architecture),

someone comes in looking for ceramics and he does the same for me.”

Sticks, Stones and Stars, a shop and pottery studio owned by Wayne Fuerst and Charlie McConnell is one of the favored attractions on the Studio Tour. The energy and connections generated by the tour support the expansion of the shop. Mr. Fuerst says, “The Studio Tour became a non-profit organization this year and that will help all local artists connect and improve their businesses. During the tour, we have visitors from all over New England. People like to come here because we have variety; we represent over thirty local artists and give demonstrations on a regular basis. We have something interesting for everyone.”

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Charlie Cann

Continued from previous page Indeed, some people come to visit and are so pleased with their experience they decide to stay. Norm Abrams, of This Old House fame, came down from Boston to visit Sticks, Stones, and Stars last year with his potter wife, Elise, and fell in love with the rural arts-friendly atmosphere. Soon afterwards they purchased a summer home in Tiverton.

Lisa Santos of the Thirsty Crow in Dartmouth and her mother team up to create beautiful, intricate beaded jewelry that resemble tiny tapestries. Unlike the artists working in a mill space with a communal atmosphere, artists living in rural communities can feel isolated and have to find alternate ways to bring in business. Ms. Santos is always working to attract customers to her shop on Old Westport Road and has managed to stay in business for over 10 years. She says, “Connections are crucial but can be informal too. Word of mouth is so important. I send customers to other artists and shops in the area, like Sticks, Stones and Stars. I know Wayne and other artists do the same for me.”

Fuerst agrees: “Informal partnerships are so important for small businesses to really thrive. For instance, Marguerite’s, the restaurant next door, sends people over to me when they are waiting for a table and I stay open late to accommodate them. We do pottery demos and make it a great experience all around. The people who come in from Marguerite’s are some of my best customers.”

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Oliveira, Lund, Fuerst and other artists are interested in establishing community connections that reach beyond the boundaries of each city, “Cross-community events would be a boon to all Southcoast artists. I feel the advantages would be worth the work of getting together a group willing to promote arts events. Local arts organizations could be ‘mainstay’ venues with the building and publicizing of art events based on their respective schedules.”

Mr. Cann adds, “More hands equals more power. More exchange of information, activity and ideas, more power and more visibility. More seeds—bigger garden!”

Sustainability & arts Current growth in local artist-run businesses reflects a larger trend to purchase handmade products as a means of supporting local communities and retaining a personal connection with small businesses.

These important links can seem lost in our culture of mass production and consumerism. An Internet-based “Pledge to Buy Handmade” community, sponsored by the American Crafts Council, Etsy.com and others, is beginning to catch on across all ages and cultures.

On the Pledge to Buy Handmade website a description of the movement reads like a manifesto: “The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left us dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. We are encouraged to be consumers, not producers, of our own culture. Our ties to the local and human sources of our goods have been lost. Buying handmade

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helps us reconnect. Buying handmade is better for the environment.”

Mr. Cann finds the movement particularly relevant and motivating to local studio artists, “We are the ‘pledge to buy hand made’ movement! Artists are mostly the ones who practice and advocate sustainability, arts and individuality. In a culture in which people have lost all understanding and experience of actually making something with their own two hands, the artist still practices building, making, creating. Not only that, but they think and feel deeply about the world they live in and tend to come up with novel and valuable solutions to problems. Being, for the most part, a monetarily challenged bunch, they also tend to espouse frugality, sustainability, quality and community.”

Whether looking for a unique, handmade gift for a special person, a distinctive piece of art, or simply taking a journey into the past to experience some of the atmosphere textile mill workers and farmers once felt, open studio tours are some of the most rewarding experiences to be found anywhere. They offer an opportunity to engage in neighborly conversation, a sense of celebration, and a sharing of new ideas for a more sustainable and community-oriented economy.

Lori Bradley is an artist, writer and educator. She creates large-scale ceramics and mixed-media paintings in her studio at the Hatch Street Mill complex in New Bedford, MA.

Huguette May

Wayne F uerst

Donna Andres-Maness

Huguette M ay

Find fine art A rts E xpress Fall River Citywide Open Studio Tour www.artsexpressfallriver.com New Bedford Open Studios www.newbedfordopenstudios.org H atch Street Studios www.hatchstreetstudios.com Hope G allery Fine A rt and Fine Craft www.hopegalleryfineartfinecraft.com Narrows Center for the A rts www.ncfta.org SouthCoast Studio Tour www.openstudiomap.com Sticks, Stones and Stars www.stickstonestars.com Buy H and Made www.buyhandmade.org/about A my Lund H andweaver Studio and G allery www.amyclundhandweaver.com The Coastal Villages of Farm Coast New England www.farmcoastnewengland.com/shops.htm C oastal M ags . com

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Technology

Turn on to online shopping Face-to-face interaction is fast going the way of collect phone calls and laser disc players— Remember that Sandra Bullock movie The Net? R aleigh Way back in 1995 D ugal (when America Online owned the internet), filmmakers concocted a frightening scenario of a woman who existed entirely through web transactions, whether she put in an eight hour day at the keyboard or purchased a carton of milk from the Quick-E Mart. Of course, once she debugs a shady disk for an online bud (who of course is killed), her identity is deleted from electronic records and shady people start trying to kill her. No one will help her because she “doesn’t exist” and all of her friends are chat room dorks.

How quick life imitates art in our world of Facebook and text messages. Fortunately, you can reap all the convenience of e-life without suffering Sandra Bullock’s pitfalls or downward career spiral. Just remember: Some things you do online, some you don’t.

machines automatically save passwords that are connected to your priceless credit card info. Thieves post lots of dummy websites that “phish” for numbers and passwords. Don’t fall for this cut-rate crap.

Companies will never request your info until you actually buy something.

If you run a PC, there are plenty of malevolent viruses out there as well. Never run an .exe file you don’t recognizes (which means you’ve got an application that could just about anything to your computer).

One push of your button can zap your screen to black and turn your computer into a spam zombie. For real.

If you’re on a Mac, well, relax. You’re much safer.

Dollars and sense Risky as it seems, your Visa or MasterCard is the safest way to pay. If a nefarious somebody gets a hold on your bank account that baby will drain faster than an industrial strength toilet. Most reputable sites accept PayPal, a secure service that acts like a mafia bag man for internet shoppers, so you don’t need to put all your info at the mercy of the e-claws.

Open Says —You Most sites require you to create a login account to make purchases, many with exorbitant requirements for letters and numbers that make keeping track of your electronic identity maddening. Some even require you to change your password every

DON’T: Fall in love with XxHottGuy85 DO: Harvest the vast potential of internet shopping.

Here’s some tips to keep safe.

Hollywood tech-baddies are not so farfetched from the real thing. There are actually people out there looking to don your identity in order to purchase high end electronics or put their phone bill in your name.

Don’t do your shopping on computers for public use (like school or work) since most

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©Yuri Arcurs | Dreamstime.com

H ack Jobs

30 to 60 days. It’s dangerous to use the same password for every site you frequent.

If it leaks out, that’s akin to Sauron getting the One Ring (sorry, that was a dorky analogy). In any case, mass destruction will ensue. Try using variations on the same word or phrase strangers couldn’t figure out. As for your ex who checks your e-mail, you’re on your own.

Know Your Role You don’t order chicken when you eat at a steakhouse. Likewise, have a nose for savvy shopping on the internet. Stay away from ordering clothing brands you are unfamiliar with or don’t normally wear. Sizes aren’t always consistent from one brand to the next. The same style skirt you rung up at Delia’s might be belt-sized out of American Eagle. In fact, stay away from garments and shoes altogether if you don’t have a penchant for returning packages or you’re a clairvoyant who can foresee.

Today you’d be hard pressed to find a retailer without a web incarnation. Here are a few internet exclusives that will part you and your cash.

more exciting than bidding daily by dollar increments on the saltine cracker tin you’ve been hunting for since 1976, and nothing is more disappointing than watching someone snipe it out from under you in the last moment of the auction. To win a hot auction, you really need to sit and watch in the final moments, since hardcore buyers download sinister software that automatically places bids at the last millisecond. craigslist.com A twist on eBay, Craigslist is a bare-bones forum for people to connect for what they want or need. Buy or trade everything from cars to pets to dinner dates. It really is a free-form throwback to the marketplaces of old, where bartering actually happened. A couple years ago the story hit about a man who bartered all the way up from a paper clip to a house. That’s the extreme case, but there’s a lot of fun—and danger—involved since you’re dealing with real people, and there are more scams on Craigslist than Republicans in Texas. Use more caution here than anywhere else on the web.

Site Seeing

overstock.com Clearance prices that promise savings up to 37% half.com Ebay spinoff that lets you buy straight-up shopzilla.com Consumer search engine that compares prices threadless.com Graphic tees designed by art nerd users

A mazon.com Internet giant Amazon has cornered the market on the written word, recently pioneering the era of the e-book with its new Kindle. In addition to J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, or Shakespeare, you can find anything from The Goonies DVD to Princess cut solitaire engagement rings.

Better yet, you can nab new and used items, saving yourself a few bucks in the process. Plus, Amazon is so famous you know you’re dealing with a secure outlet.

SouthCoastgGo.com And don’t forget our own electronic shopping space, totally free classified on-line, southcoastgo.com. For free, post job listings or your resume, sell or buy the things you don’t need—or really want.

We might be prejudiced, but it is a great way to shop online.

zappos.com Oodles of shoes with free shipping to boot elib.org Comprehensive directory categorized by departments

TheSouthCoastInsider.com For an easy way to get information and links to our advertisers, you can visit thesouthcoastinsider.com. eBay.com This auction site rendered everybody’s junk worth something (and somehow simultaneously killed the yard sale market.

Suddenly people think their lawn gnomes are worth more than a buck.) Nothing is

R aliegh Dugal is a former lifeguard, private investigator, and roller skating DJ. He has driven through thirty-five states, knows how to juggle.

shopknowlabel.com Designer copycats at real life prices thesouthcoastinsider.com Supporting local business who offer quality products and services C oastal M ags . com

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PRIME SEASON

Seniors get help from SRA

Assistance With Personal Care Daily Activities Medication Management Daily Mass

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Three Nutritious Meals Scheduled Transportation Weekly Housekeeping & Laundry

Independent & Assisted Living 400 Columbia Street Fall River, MA 02721

(508) 324-7960 www.landmarkseniorliving.com Christina Sporer Marketing Director csporer@landmarkseniorliving.com

By Cara Connelly Pimental and M ichael J. V ieir a

he Southcoast Senior Resource Alliance Group is the local chapter of a national organization designed to help families manage the complexities of senior living. The 12 members were invited to join based upon their expertise as well as their personal commitment to assisting the senior population in our community.

“The Senior Resource Alliance Group is helpful to seniors and caregivers looking for information on senior living options, “ Kathy Givens, Director of Community Relations at Sunrise Assisted Living of Dartmouth said, adding, “The Alliance has a diverse group of dedicated professionals that can be a source for much needed and requested information for seniors.

Our goal is to guide seniors and caregivers in order for them to make informed decisions.”

Families can become overwhelmed when major decisions need to be made for the seniors in their lives. The SRA Southcoast members have dedicated themselves to helping elders who need care and advice.

A nswers available in one place The group exposes seniors and their caregivers to very real issues such as long term health care, assisted living, adult day care, and help with financial issues. According to Givens, “It’s a one stop shopping referral service to seniors and their families.”

Tabitha Tripp, President of Tender Hearts Home Health Care, has seen many of the difficulties and challenges of the South Coast senior populations and their families.

“As a member of the Senior Resource Alliance, I am able to refer them to other qualified professionals. I am confident in saying that the relationship I have with the

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other members is that of trust and respect.

I know they would utilize their expertise with compassion, and always put the clients’ best interest at heart,” she said.

It is often easier to talk about these issues before they are actually needed. The conversations are more productive and less emotional for everyone involved.

As an elder law attorney, Dan Surprenant, a partner in Surprenant & Beneski Law Firm realizes that sometimes he is only one part of the “puzzle.”

“It is important to have strong relationships with other professionals in the community who can fill those other needs. That is what SRA is all about,” he suggested.

In 2002 after relocating Integrated Solutions to the South Coast area, Edward J. Haggerty of Integrated Solutions discovered in his consultations with many members of the senior community that there is a great need not only for providing financial security but also to provide information from other reliable sources.

“Thus came the idea of forming a group of similar minded professionals to serve the senior population. I personally have a great comfort level knowing that I can, as the occasion arises, give the name of a professional who can serve the client in a manner that would always adhere to the highest standard,” he said.

The group also provides additional financial help. Mike Kennedy, a Reverse Mortgage Consultant with Wells Fargo, said he helps individuals 62 and over convert some of their home’s equity into tax free funds and, unlike traditional equity loans, no payments are made as long as the home is the primary residence of at least one of the customers.

“Having access to the collective expertise

of the alliance enables me to better serve my customers,” he said.

Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner Ed Sylvia provides personal attention to his clients with their changing personal tax needs. He also offers his expertise in estate planning and estate settlements.

Sandra Fleet, who handles admissions and marketing for the Sheehan Health Group’s Tremont Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center in Wareham, agreed.

“Our backgrounds represent a multifaceted group of individuals dedicated to providing the best care possible to meet the needs of our clients, patients, families and friends,” she explained.

The designation, Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), speaks to geriatric practices that can be used to enrich and enhance the needs of the senior population. Fleet has earned this recognition and is ready to help our seniors. She also suggests that residents interested in learning more about the Tremont center can use the internet to gain important information.

Compare care “You can compare our care and view the survey scores for area centers at www.mass. gov/dph/qtoolz,” she said, and also extended an invitation, “Our doors are open to visitors everyday! Please visit us and tour our newly renovated facility—we welcome you.

For those not ready for residential care, Nancy Pereira suggests that Active Day of Fairhaven Medical Adult Day Care may be an option.

“When I was asked to become a member of the Senior Resource Alliance I was thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of the important services they provide to seniors in our community. Seniors today are facing numerous financial and health care challenges and are often not aware of the resources and services that are available to them,” she said.

And the health care challenges can be taunting. Barbara Dixon, Senior Care Advisor and Vice President; Priority Senior Care Management, Inc. can help.

“As a geriatric case manager, I can assist seniors and their families how to best navigate through the system,” she explained “Being in the healthcare arena with over twenty years experience, I’m routinely asked for recommendation for healthcare

services for a family member. Usually, that means helping individuals/families identify the best and safest options for each individual’s needs.”

Moving seniors Also part of the alliance are William Spitznagel and Ava Hallam, of Hospice Services of Massachusetts. Spitznagel owns “Seniors On The Move,” a company that provides his clients with a variety of services to insure a smooth and stress-free moving experience. Hallam works to provide hospice care for those in need.

And finally, there’s help at the end of the journey. Alme G. Delaney, Funeral Director for Affiliated Family Funeral Homes of Waring-Sullivan, said they are privileged to be part of the Alliance.

“It is our community commitment, as funeral professionals, to clear up misconceptions and educate families about planning funerals in advance of need so they can be better informed and better prepared,” he said.

“Families we serve come to us with many questions, most of which we can answer with ease. However, when a question arises that does not directly involve the funeral home, it is an added benefit to our families to be able to direct them to someone we feel can be trusted to help,” Delaney continued.

The SRA Southcoast is a great way for professionals who serve the needs of the senior community to network and refer to one another. They provide community educational programs through some Chamber of Commerce events as well as host a summer festival to highlight their services and programs. Currently, information is available via the internet. Visit www. srasouthcoast.com Cara Connelly Pimental, a freelance writer who recently completed her first children’s book, has published in several New England magazines and in the StandardTimes. She lives in Dartmouth with her husband, David, and three sons, Keegan, Colin and Cole.

Michael J. Vieira, Ph.D. is the Acting Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bristol Community College. Mike has written for several newspapers and magazines and is an editor of The South Coast Insider and South Coast Prime Times.

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Spring

cleaning from the inside out

If you live in a northern climate like we do, here in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, we’ve had four months of cold, snowy weather and the sun is just beginning to hint of spring. And after this long, cold winter, an audible cheer just may ring out each time someone spots the first sign S heryl of daffodils.

Worthington The air has a fresh, new earth smell, even as the T urgeon wind whips across our faces.

Our bodies have either been sedentary or we have been dutifully exercising in a gym, healthclub or in front of our Wii Fitness TV or basement treadmill somewhere. Now it’s time to think about shrugging off the sludge of indoor living.

The first couple of spring days start many of us thinking about lightening the load (those extra winter pounds), getting some fresh air and renewing our energy. If this sounds like you, it might be time for an internal spring cleaning or detox. Yet, with so many books, articles and products to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start.

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©Juriah Mosin | Dreamstime.com

or $35 for a 3 hour class.

Spring cleaning

0, x223 Basically, our bodies detoxify naturally all the time through our pm performance tonight(which may develop a coating as toxins rise to the skin, tongue rmance on Sept. 30 surface), and daily waste elimination. Certain foods can help this before show; limit 1 per person

ow

.

process along, such as leafy green vegetables, sprouts, citrus fruits, and sulfur-rich foods like garlic, onions or eggs.

As many women are aware, cranberry juice (2 ounces in 6 ounces of water) detoxifies the tissues—especially the kidneys. It also helps eliminate that bloated feeling. We can support the liver with dandelion root tea, whey and artichoke hearts, which contain antioxidants and flavanoids that protect the liver cells and their function.

Milk thistle, which comes in both capsule and tea form, is also great for detoxifying from alcohol, medications or exposure to other environmental toxins, according to Andrew Weil, MD. Beyond choosing healthy lifestyle strategies, such as eight glasses of pure water a day, exercise (especially yoga for improving lymph flow and flushing out tissue toxins), and eating organic foods, your method for detoxifying your body depends on what appeals to you.

Some people prefer a short fast (one to three days), in which juicing or clear soups are the main staple. Noted authors Elson Haas, MD, and Mark Hyman, MD, offer short detoxifying diets that include vegetables, fruit and herbal teas.

Shop your local market Others like a more subtle spring cleanse and may simply emphasize fresh greens, beans, legumes and whole grains.

As Dr. Weil says, “Eat foods lower on the food chain,” to ensure the least toxins, and avoid artificial colors in foods. You will also want to choose pesticide-free, organic, local and non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) foods. When they open, Farmers Markets are a great resource for fresh whole foods.

Certain products on the market (shakes, bars, and supplements) will also aid in detoxification, but you need to read the labels carefully. If the first listing of ingredients includes sugar or high fructose corn syrup, as well as any hard-to-pronounce chemicals, you are just adding to your load of toxins.

Some products are made with a specific purpose, such as eliminating sugar from your diet. If you are a sugar junkie, brief use of such products may be the boost you need to launch into a healthier diet and lifestyle.

A last word on detoxification—more and more people are becoming sensitive to commonly used processed foods; namely, wheat or gluten, soy, corn, eggs, sugar and dairy. If you want to try eliminating these foods from your diet for three weeks and gradually add them back in one by one, according to how you feel, you may find you feel better than you have in a long while.

Resources Drweil.com, Innovativehealing.com, Yourhealthpotential.com Fast Track One-Day Diet, by Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD UltraMetabolism, by Mark Hyman, MD Healing with Whole Foods, by Paul Pitchford Digestive Wellness, by Liz Lipski, PhD Sheryl Worthington T urgeon, MPH, CHNC is a Certified Health and Nutrition Counselor. She is frequent contributor to The South Coast Insider.

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Start your dining quest...

PRIME LIVING

Working while retired Brian Lowney www.TheSouthCoastInsider.com/dining

“One of the outstanding reasons to visit New England” Yankee Magazine (editor’s pick)

For the 61 year-old Tiverton resident, retirement from a full-time position offered an opportunity to learn new things, explore exciting opportunities and meet different people. Viveiros returned to school, acquired some new skills, and just marked his first anniversary as a part-time pharmacy technician at a local supermarket pharmacy.

Viveiros, who spent 30 years working for the Greater Fall River Alcoholism Council as a counselor and eventually as agency director, officially retired in 2007 but knew that it wouldn’t be for long.

He still wanted to work a few hours a week, and focused his attention toward health care, the only employment sector in the United States that

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When you meet Peter Viveiros, you’ll quickly see why this energetic man didn’t retire just to grow old and sit in a rocking chair. His inspiring example gives real meaning to the catchphrase ‘60 is the new 40.’

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enjoys continued growth despite a sagging economy.

“The demand for workers in the health care industry is incredible,” Viveiros begins. “There is no shortage of jobs.”

When a friend told Viveiros about a non-credit pharmacy technician program offered at Bristol Community College, he jumped at the opportunity and enrolled in the 11-week course.

Back to school “It was just great,” Viveiros recalls. “It was not stressful, but there was a lot to learn. There was a lot to cover.”

He adds that returning to the classroom after being away for many years was not daunting. Viveiros says he relied heavily on his solid, deeply engrained math skills, and the basic knowledge of

pharmaceuticals that he acquired during his career as a substance abuse counselor.

“BCC is a great value,” he emphasizes.

“I got a lot for the price, and it’s a great environment.”

During the course, which met two nights a week, students learned about pharmaceuticals and their uses, the difference between retail and hospital pharmacy operations, laws governing pharmacies and dispensing techniques.

Viveiros credits the instructor, Karen Cheverie, for presenting an interesting and informative course that helped prepare him for the national Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam.

“That was pretty brutal,” Viveiros remembers. “It was a very grueling exam.”

Armed with great enthusiasm and a passing test score, the career changer soon found employment at the Stop and Shop pharmacy on King’s Highway in New Bedford, where he works about 20 hours a week and enjoys his part-time job. The flexible schedule allows him time for household chores and to run errands, as well as to pursue an interest in genealogy.

Meanwhile, Viveiros’ wife Susan, a self-employed professional dog groomer, continues to work full-time, and like her husband, has no plans to retire.

“I think older people in the workforce can usually be relied upon to show up,” he says, adding that he always tries to arrive at work about 20 minutes before his shift starts. “They have a longer employment history.”

Viveiros recalls that of 12 students enrolled in the BCC class, at least three were 50 years or older. He encourages others contemplating changing career paths or seeking new opportunities in their golden years to explore the many options available at the community college.

Job satisfaction “I think you’ll find that older employees are more customer friendly,” the pharmacy technician continues, noting that his colleagues strive to provide a friendly environment where customers are treated professionally and with compassion.

“Our customers have known some of the pharmacists for years,” he emphasizes.

Viveiros says he is happy that he’s discovered a new career and welcomes the extra income that the job provides.

“I haven’t grown any hair or any taller, but I like my job,” he reveals, adding that he also enjoys working with a diverse group of people age 20 to 65.

“It keeps my mind challenged, it gets me up and out of the house, and it keeps me busy,” Viveiros admits.

“My job also helps to keep me in touch with people.”

The pharmacy technician says that he’s been surprised by the number of customers of all ages being treated for diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.

It keeps my mind challenged, it gets me up

and out of the house, and it

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keeps me busy.

My job also

helps to keep me in touch

Will the retiree retire?

He believes that one of the negative things about retirement for some people who are used to a lot of friendly interaction in the workplace is that they suddenly wake up one morning alone or with limited contacts and feel isolated and cut off from the world.

“I’m on my feet every minute I’m at work,” Viveiros says. “It’s busy yet it’s not physically demanding. I’m moving constantly.”

He adds that he has no plans to retire for a second time in the near future.

“I look forward to going to work,” Viveiros concludes. “I hope to be working for a few more years.”

with people

BRIAN J. LOWNEY is an award-winning reporter and freelance writer. He lives in Swansea.

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Economic woes can yield blessings Needless to say, no one is happy about what has become of our economy of late. The natural and appropriate response to all of this is anger, sadness, Christa Johnson, MD fear, grief and worry.

But there comes a time when our peaceful survival requires a dramatic change in how we think about things.

Make choices When our lives take a downturn, as they periodically do, we must understand that we have choices. We can choose to become so despondent that we go careening into a downward spiral—not a good choice, but a choice nonetheless.

But we also have it in our power to make more productive choices.

In any difficult situation, we can’t sit passively waiting for someone to rescue us.

Happiness will never be possible for one who allows himself to become a victim, one who has the expectation that someone else is responsible for everything that happens.

Our peace and well being depend on taking action when possible, changing what can be changed and making peace with what cannot.

A passive acceptance is certainly better than no acceptance at all, but I ask you to consider the possibility that the difficulties in our lives also present us with an opportunity to learn something about ourselves—an opportunity to learn that we do not need to be passive victims to whatever befalls us.

Our brains are so pliable and adaptive.

We can literally change our consciousness at will. All it takes is a little tweak, a little change in the way we think about things to view any problem from a different perspective.

Learning through difficulty Take the recent explosion in fuel expense as an example. Of course we all struggled

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as gas reached $4 per gallon. This put a huge burden on everyone. But there is no doubt that we all now make better decisions about how to use this precious resource. We work together and are more mindful about when fuel use is really necessary and when it is not.

Aside from being better for the environment, this has led to a reality check for the oil companies who now realize that perhaps they have gone too far. It has made us acutely aware of how crucial it is for us to distance ourselves from the frightening agenda of the Middle East by becoming less dependent on their oil reserves.

This crisis has forced us to look at alternatives that will indeed provide thousands of jobs. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is, there was a huge silver lining in that $4-a-gallon cloud.

The down turn in the economy has forced us all to look at what we consume. Suddenly, we really have to think about what we spend. We can’t continue to mindlessly pull out that credit card any time we think we want something. We need to make more conscious decisions about what we really need versus the mindless purchase of every passing fancy.

The larger lessons In time, one comes to realize that stuff just isn’t important. The happiness that it brings is short-lived and devoid of any real meaning. The never-ending quest for material goods ultimately serves to trap us in lives that are way too complex. That’s so sad, when true happiness can only be found in simplicity.

Though traditional medicine gives us temporary cures and a decrease in our physical suffering, illness and death will ultimately win. Material wealth may be here one day but is just as likely to be gone the next. Our leaders can end a war, but without a world-wide change in consciousness, there will always be more.

Our lives are full of ups and downs, that’s reality. But as Victor Frankl (author of Man’s Search for Meaning) said, “we have the freedom to choose our spirit in

any circumstance.” And that makes all the difference.

There is a huge lesson to be learned from the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.

For over 50 years these people have been subjected to horrible violence.

Those who survived were ejected from their country and many continue to live in abject poverty in India. And yet, these people have an inner peace and happiness that is inconceivable to our way of thinking.

They have discovered something that transcends all worldly horror. They have found a way to access inner peace and serenity.

They understand that inner peace does not depend on health, power, material goods, success, money or sensual pleasures.

Through their spiritual practice of meditation, they have learned to view the world from a silent place within themselves, to see their problems but not be destroyed by them.

Find peace within We all have that silent place within us.

You can catch a glimpse of that place just by stopping periodically throughout the day, closing your eyes and taking a few conscious breaths.

The more you do this, the more peaceful you will feel and you will also come to realize that no matter what craziness is going on all around you, you always have the option to view your reality through peaceful eyes.

The bad economy or any other difficult period in our lives gives us the opportunity to re-evaluate what is really important, to be grateful for what we have, to get back to the basics of love for our family and friends and to reacquaint ourselves with the only things that can give us true happiness—the simple things.

And always remember this. You do not see the world as it is, you see the world as you are. The choice is yours.

Christa Johnson, MD is a former Emergency Department Phhsician for 21 years at Charlton Memorial Hospital. She presents Mind Body Medicine courses at various locations in the community throughout the year. Her next series will be presented at Lotus Rising Center for the Healing Arts 73 Columbia Street Fall River beginning April 28.

She is also available to bring these teachings to your organization upon request. For further information or registration please contact Pat Backus at 508-679-7157 or email Dr. Johnson at drjohnson@cfmbh.com.

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PRIME WINES

wine lovers Will love these books One great idea for a gift to that new wine aficionado, or for that matter, the serious wine lover, is one of the many new books on wine and food. In fact, this is also a perfect gift for that couple that enjoy wine and dining. It is something they can share between themselves, and also with their friends.

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Before you buy that book as a gift for others, or for yourself, you need to know that there are essentially two very different kinds of books on the subject of wine and food, though some combine the two.

Most food and wine books are about preparing special dishes that use wine as a component in the recipe, enhancing or adding a new flavor. These are the “cooking with wine” books.

Just as important to serious wine consumers are the books that guide you in selecting the best wine to go with that special meal and help explain the concept of matching or pairing good wine with good food.

It has been known for centuries that certain wines are especially good with certain foods. But today, with new food styles and new wine varieties coming out so often, it’s hard to keep up.

There are a number of books available that can help meet this challenge. Several are available at local bookstores such as Barnes and Noble. It was good to see that

one classic (published back in 1999) is still available: it is The Wine Lover’s Cookbook by Sid Goldstein (ISBN 0–8118-2071-8). It is billed as “demystifying the art of pairing wine with food.” It indeed goes into the details of how the food components interact with a particular wine.

It includes numerous examples of which classic wines go with traditional dishes of classic cuisines. But it also addresses the great challenges of wine with some of the more exotic foods of the world that are becoming more commonplace in our dining.

The book does include about a 100 wine friendly recipes. It is only $23 a copy.

A Renaissance guide Another more recent release is the The Renaissance Guide to Wine and Food Pairing

by Tony DiDio and Amy Zavatto (ISBN -13 : 9781592571147). This book has a lot of interesting information, including what wines accompany which foods and how to choose.

There are essays, advice, and comments from award-winning chefs as well as interviews with famous wine connoisseurs on understanding and appreciating wines, plus information on wine making and the world’s major wine regions. It too is available at local bookstores. It was released in 2003 and costs $20.

One source of good wine books and, in particular highly specialized wine related topics, are those available through the Wine Appreciation Guild. The Guild operates a service selling these books on line or through their catalog.

The current issue lists over one hundred wine books. Or, those and other wine books can be seen on their web site, www.wineappreciation.com. To get a copy of the current catalog call them at 1-800- 231-9463.

One of their best sellers is Favorite Recipes of California Winemakers. It includes over 500 authentic recipes by California winemakers, their wives and associates. Though there are many imitations, this is the original classic version. It is available in paperback with illustrations for only $10 (ISBN 0-932664).

A wine and food book of particular interest to our region is The Food and Wine Lover’s Guide to Portugal by Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn McWhirter. This 446 page hardcover book includes 400 photos, maps and charts.

It not only leads you through the Lisbon and Porto regions, but will also guide you into the stunning countryside inland, making sure you experience the best in the local Portuguese cuisine and wine. Again it’s available from the Wine Appreciation Guild for $33 (ISBN10 095-57069-0-4).

Small plates, big wines One of the most recent public offerings of such a book was from Kendall-Jackson.

Yes, the same Kendall Jackson that makes those great and affordable California Chardonnays and Cabs. They are right on target with the new trend of “small plates” allowing diners to select several interesting morsels rather than feast on one single entrée.

When you think about it, these “small plates” are nothing more that an American version of the Spanish Tapas! In any case, this little book is chock-full of recipes and great photographs of the results along with the recommended wine (K-J of course!).

The book is titled Small Plates, Perfect Wines, and was published by Andrews McMeel. It was written, or should we say, “produced,” by Wine Country cookbook author Lori Lyn Narlock. She presents more than 50 recipes by KendallJackson Executive Chef Justin Wangler and the K-J Culinary Team. Kendall-Jackson Winemaster Randy Ullom provides the wine pairings.

The book is divided into chapters on salads, vegetables, meat, seafood, and desserts, with each recipe paired with one or two wines presented in a conversational fashion. There are also some good words regarding the basics of pairing wine with food.

Small Plates, Perfect Wines is priced at $17 (ISBN-13: 9780740769139). If you can’t find it at your local bookstore you can order it at kj.com/book, or by calling 800-769-3649, the Kendall-Jackson Wine Center in Santa Rosa, the Kendall-Jackson Tasting Room in Healdsburg, or, at the wine Appreciation Guild (web site and number above) So as you can see, a good wine, and food book along with a good bottle of wine would be a great gift. I know I would be very happy to receive a gift like that.

A lton L. Long is a freelance writer, educator and event producer specializing in wine, food and travel. He and his wife Dorothy live in Tiverton.

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GOOD TIMES

Bikes are back

I’m a nostalgist at heart, I really am. Returning to my childhood home is often filled with the odd sensation and pain of being unable to relive Kenneth the happiest moments Sutclifee of my childhood. I grew up in what was then rural Freetown. Ours was one of four houses on the street. Green fields on one side, a farm in back, and beyond that—cranberry bogs as far as a child’s imagination could stretch. God’s country—truly.

And, at this time of year, invariably, my parents would grant me an hour or two of immunity from the drudgery of schoolwork and chores to explore my world. Of course, this license did not free me from liability. If I committed an egregious crime—as I did when I nearly burned the deck down with a magnifying glass—I was punished.

The depth of my pleasure was, not coincidentally, directly related to my distance from our home. The greater the distance, the greater the pleasure.

I want to ride my bicycle So, naturally, I got away from the potential snares at home through the only device at my disposal, a virtual deus ex machina of childhood—the bicycle.

The bicycle provided, for a minimum of effort, maximum distance, maximum speed, maximum pleasure.

My machine was of noble lineage, a Schwinn—humble yet proud, simple but elegant, a steed with one speed but seemingly limitless power.

Of course, the days of that same unfettered, youthful exploration are gone not just for myself but for all children. The world is not as it was, nor is it ever likely to be that way again in our lifetimes, no matter how hard we wish.

The E ast Bay Bike Path extends 14.5 miles from Providence to Bristol. A long the way, bikers cross two wooden slatted bridges and scenic vistas like Brickyard Pond in Barrington (shown in this photo).

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But the bicycle, that machine, that beautiful piece of engineering that started out as a fanciful “hobby-horse,” and is evolving into perfection, still provides for us all a glimpse of that perfect world every time we throw away pusillanimity and take to the roads. And, when we take to the roads we are joining a race that began long, long ago.

Hop on a hobby-horse The bicycle as we know it today started as a “hobby-horse,” a modest, nearly rudderless device that loosely resembled the modern bicycle in that it had two nearly identically sized wheels. The “hobbyhorse,” however, lacked the modern pedal propulsion system and was instead pushed along with the power of one’s feet upon the ground.

Design changes roll in Next came a century or so of more or less revolutionary design changes.

The “velocipede” with a rudimentary steerThen, there is the growing group of ing mechanism and integrated hand or “fixed-gear” enthusiasts—purists that foot propulsion system; the high wheel biclaim that to achieve nirvana one must cycle that most of us picture when we think only ride a bike that has one speed. of “old-fashioned” bicycles.

Another, “purer” segment of this growing You know the one—big wheel in front group claims that riding a “fixed-gear” isn’t and small wheel in back (though after seenough. It must be a fixed gear bike withrious injuries and subsequent design reout a free-hub. considerations a new “safety” bicycle was invented with a small wheel in front and Coast into the free zone large wheel in back to prevent people from The free-hub is that beautiful invention “taking headers.”) Incidentally, the term that allows your pedals to stay still while “taking a header” came from the “high your back wheel spins. In other words, wheel” bicycle. “real” “fixed-gear heads” only ride bikes Upon hitting a stone in the road, a bithat have pedals that almost never stop cyclist’s front tire would jam up and the moving—even downhill at breakneck entire contraption would pivot forward speed. sending its cargo headfirst into the ground.

Basically this brings us back to the beginAfter that the design of the bicycle ning of bike technology. What goes around turned, more or less, into the familiar look comes around, I guess. we see most frequently today.

So, when you do decide to jump on your Major changes have of handy-dandy bicycle and course been made in techzip off at maximum velochere are nology. The invention of ity, you can rest assured no crying the pneumatic bicycle tire that you’ll be joining children no

by Dunlop is frequently a long tradition. I suphailed as the single and phones ringing pose that should be some most important revoluconsolation. nothing but tion in bicycle design—it Of course there is also marked a bold transition the even deeper matter the wind and away from the “boneof personal freedom that the constant shakers” that carried peosuch a conveyance prople on solid rubber tires. whirring of the vides. Some have even Though, one could also riding a bicycle back wheel as equated easily argue that advances with deep transcendental push myself in braking systems, shock meditation. Of course, for absorbers (which have harder faster me it just provides a tenubeen around for at least ous link to my childhood longer 100 years), materials, and freedom. multi-gear/multi-speed shifting systems are of equal importance.

Back to the future The jury is still out—and the game ain’t So what if I have to get up at four A.M. over yet anyway. to find the time to ride—it’s like stepping Every year companies come out with back in time. The world is still full of pos“new” ideas, many of which are really old sibilities at that hour. No one is around. I ideas that were tried ten, twenty, or onecan get fifteen miles from my house in no hundred years ago. Shaft drive bikes are big time at all. There are no crying children, no now, though they’ve been around forevphones ringing, nothing but the wind and er. Auto-shift bikes are on the rise, though the constant whirring of the back wheel as most self-respecting cyclist wouldn’t be I push myself harder, faster, longer. I am caught dead on one. Of course, every few free. years it seems like bikes gain a few more Plus, I bet if Buddha were around today speeds, though again, most self-respecthe’d travel by bike. Jesus too. ing cyclist will tell you that the wimpy, so called “granny-gear(s)” are almost useKenneth Sutcliffe divides his time less—they add weight to a bike and you’ll between finish carpentry, teaching, and pedal like hell up a hill but go almost nowriting. With his wife and two year old son, where. Next will likely be belt drive bikes— he’s putting down roots in New Bedford. who knows.

T

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,

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Local bike paths Fall River The 0.6-mile Watuppa bicycle and recreation path runs from behind Lepage’s on Route 6 along the northern shore of the South Watuppa to Brayton Avenue.

Falmouth’s Shining Sea Bikeway Four miles of paved bike path, from the center of Falmouth along the coast to the Woods Hole Ferry Terminal. Learn more at www.capecodbikeguide.com/shiningsea.asp Fields Park, Brockton The main trail is is about 4.5 miles long. The Park is closed to cars on weekend mornings.

There are several other shorter off road asphalt trails.

Phoenix Bike T rail, Fairhaven This 3.3 mile trail from the ocean in Fairhaven to the Wareham town line following an old New Haven Railroad spur. Complete details are at www.millicentlibrary.org/biketrail/bike1. htm H arwich-Chatham Bike Path Branching off from the Cape Cod Rail Trail, this path runs from just behind the Harwich town hall all the way to the center of Chatham. There is a photo description of the route at http:// tdc-www.harvard.edu/mink/bike/bikeways/ harwich/ New Bedford Bike Path Currently a one-mile path along the waterfront, this path may be extended to downtown in the future.

Nickerson State Park Eight miles of paved trails that connect to the Cape Cod Rail Trail. See www.mass. gov/dcr/parks/southeast/nick.htm for more information.

For more information on bike paths in Massachusetts, go to www.massbike.org/ bikeways

Nearby Rhode Island bike paths: E ast Bay Bike Path Fourteen miles between India Point Park in Providence and Independence Park in Bristol.

Washington Secondary Bike Path Ten miles between Garfield St. in Cranston and Whitford St. in Coventry.

Blackstone River Bikeway Ten miles between Valley Falls Heritage Park off Broad Street in Cumberland and the Woonsocket Water Treatment Plant on Manville Hill Road in Woonsocket.

T en Mile River Greenway Two miles between Ferris Ave. in East Providence and Armistice Blvd. in Pawtucket.

Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Bikeway Five miles between Providence Place Mall and Lyman Ave. in Johnston.

For more information on bike paths in Rhode Island, including maps and state laws, visit www.dot.state.ri.us /bikeri/

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BOOK PICKS BY BAKER

by M agoo Gelehrter

Courtesy of Baker Books – www.bakerbooks.net

Here we take a look back at some original and unusual people with a handful of memoirs by some fine writers. From the great baseball stars of the 1950s and 1960s by former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent, to the life story of a man raised by two deaf parents, a woman sent as a young girl to a polio haven, and the small town life of Amy Dickinson and her mother, to the astonishing success of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, each of these brilliant biographies can kindle the spark of enlightenment in each of us by the virtue of a life well lived and understood.

A lice: A lice Roosevelt Longworth from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker

Warm Springs

by Susan Richards Shreve Houghton Mifflin $13.95 Paperback Just after her eleventh birthday, Susan Richards Shreve was sent to the sanitarium at Warm Springs, Georgia. The polio haven, famously founded by FDR, was “a perfect setting in time and place and strangeness for a hospital of crippled children.”

During Shreve’s two year stay, the Salk vaccine would be discovered, ensuring that she would be among the last Americans to have suffered childhood polio.

At Warm Springs, Shreve found herself in a community of similarly afflicted children, and for the first time she was one of the gang. Away from her fiercely protective mother, she became a feisty troublemaker and an outspoken ringleader. Shreve experienced first love with a thirteen-year-old boy in a wheelchair. She navigated rocky friendships, religious questions, and family tensions, and encountered healing of all kinds. Shreve’s memoir is both a fascinating historical record of that time and an intensely felt story of childhood.

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by Stacy A. Cordery Penguin $18 Paperback From the moment Teddy Roosevelt’s outrageous and charming teenage daughter strode into the White House—carrying a snake and dangling a cigarette—the outspoken Alice began to put her imprint on the whole of the twentieth-century political scene. Her barbed tongue was as infamous as her scandalous personal life, but whenever she talked, powerful people listened, and she reigned for eight decades as the social doyenne in a town where socializing was state business. Historian Stacy Cordery’s unprecedented access to personal papers and family archives enlivens and informs this richly entertaining portrait of America’s most memorable first daughter and one of the most influential women in twentieth-century American society and politics.

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H ands of My Father

by Myron Uhlberg Random house $23 Hardcover By turns heart-tugging and hilarious, Myron Uhlberg’s memoir tells the story of growing up as the hearing son of deaf parents—and his life in a world that he found unaccountably beautiful, even as he longed to escape it.

“Does sound have rhythm?” my father asked. “Does it rise and fall like the ocean?

Does it come and go like the wind?”

Such were the kinds of questions that Myron Uhlberg’s deaf father asked him from earliest childhood, in his eternal quest to decipher, and to understand, the elusive nature of sound. Quite a challenge for a young boy, and one of many he would face.

Uhlberg’s first language was American Sign Language, the first sign he learned: “I love you.” But his second language was spoken English—and no sooner did he learn it than he was called upon to act as his father’s ears and mouth in the stores and streets of the neighborhood beyond their silent apartment in Brooklyn.

Resentful as he sometimes was of the heavy burdens heaped on his small shoulders, he nonetheless adored his parents, who passed on to him their own passionate engagement with life. These two remarkable people married and had children at the absolute bottom of the Great Depression—an expression of extraordinary optimism, and typical of the joy and resilience they were able to summon at even the darkest of times.

From the beaches of Coney Island to Ebbets Field, where he watches his father’s hero Jackie Robinson play ball, from the branch library above the local Chinese restaurant where the odor of chow mein rose from the pages of the books he devoured to the hospital ward where he visits his polioafflicted friend, this is a memoir filled with stories about growing up not just as the child of two deaf people but as a bookloving, mischief-making, tree-climbing kid during the remarkably eventful period that spanned the Depression, the War, and the early fifties.

We Would H ave Played For Nothing: Baseball Stars of the 1950’s and 1960’s Talk A bout the G ame They Loved

by Fay Vincent Simon & Schuster $25 Hardcover Former Major League Baseball commissioner Fay Vincent brings together a stellar roster of ballplayers from the 1950s and 1960s in this wonderful new history of the game. These were the decades when baseball expanded across the country and truly became the national pastime. The era opened, though, with the domination of the New York teams: the Yankees, Dodgers, or Giants were in every World Series of the 1950s—but by the end of the decade

the two National League teams had moved to California. Representing those great teams in this volume are Whitey Ford, Ralph Branca, Carl Erskine, Duke Snider, and Bill Rigney. They recall the great 1951 Dodgers-Giants playoff that ended with Bobby Thomson’s famous home run (served up by Branca). They remember the mighty Yankees, defeated at last in 1955 by the Dodgers, only to recover the World Series crown from their Brooklyn rivals a year later. They talk about their most feared opponents and most valued teammates, from Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle to Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella to Willie Mays.

But there were great teams and great ballplayers elsewhere in those decades.

Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts recalls the famous Whiz Kids Phillies of 1950 and his epic duels with Don Newcombe. Lew Burdette remembers his years as one-half of the dominating pitching duo (with Warren Spahn) that propelled the Braves to the World Series in 1957 and 1958.

Harmon Killebrew recalls belting home runs for the hapless Washington Senators, then discovering a new world of enthusiastic fans in Minnesota when the Senators joined the westward migration and became the Twins. Brooks Robinson, on the other hand, played his entire twenty-three-year career for the Baltimore Orioles, never moving anywhere except all around third base, where he earned a record sixteen consecutive Gold Gloves. When Frank Robinson left Cincinnati to join Brooks on the Orioles in 1966, that team became a powerhouse. Frank Robinson remembers taking the momentous step to become the first African-American manager, the final step that Jackie Robinson had wanted to take.

We Would Have Played for Nothing is full of fascinating stories about how great ballplayers broke into baseball, about the inevitable frustrations of trying to negotiate a contract with owners who always had the upper hand, and about great games and great teammates and opponents whose influence shaped these ballplayers’ lives forever. Illustrated throughout, this book is a wonderful reminiscence of two great decades in the history of baseball.

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33

PRIME LIVING

A fortunate life Life’s strange, when you stop to think about it...

When you think how lucky you are.

James Luddy lives with his wife, Evelyn, in a Swansea home filled with the things that caring, thoughtful people collect over a Joe lifetime, a home richly Murphy packed with memories of childhood, military service, marriage, and children.

Luddy’s a lively, active man, who smiles and laughs a lot, and cannot quite believe he is 83 years old.

But the framed photos of his life, of the five children, fifteen grandchildren, and so far, one great-grandchild, speak joyfully of full, happy decades.

He sees that there is much to enjoy, even when times are hard.

He remembers the Great Depression, when the economy seemed destroyed, and when he enjoyed growing up in Fall River’s South End. “My mother worked hard, in a sweatshop at Globe Corners in Fall River, a mill with no heat and no air-conditioning.” She was raising two children, by herself.

“She wore a smock to work, with her name, “Grace,” embroidered on it.”

He remembers the difficult times, but says, “We didn’t have much, but we were happy, my sister and I had what we needed.”

“For weekday meals my mother would open a can of tomato soup, add water... not milk, water... and give us that and a slice of bread. After church on Sunday we’d have a full meal at an Aunt’s.”

“To save money, Uncle Ed cut my hair.”

And for entertainment?

“My uncle Ed was an elevator operator at McWhirrs, and every Saturday he’d let us ride up and down with him.”

“I have lots of happy memories.”

“We would ride the trolley home, from

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downtown to the Globe, but Mom would take us off when it got to the sign that said “5-cent fare limit” and we’d walk the rest of the way.”

“Later, when busses came in and they introduced 25-cent passes that let you ride all day, we’d ask people leaving a bus for passes they were finished using, and we would ride all over the city all evening.”

“I don’t know how my mother managed to get the money to give us as much as she did. She had me taking violin lessons.

She had a studio take portraits of us, and paid to have the black and white pictures tinted.” He’s held onto the memory of her

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love, and shows the tinted photos with pride.

“I remember the Saint Patrick’s School Christmas party. Each year they’d gave us a lot of candy, a tangerine, and a gift. Once I got a puzzle that was a map of the United States, each colorful piece a state.”

Luddy’s mother died in 1937, when she was 33 years old, and he, his sister Anne, and eight month old brother John were then raised by Aunt Lizzie and Uncle John, “Two wonderful people, who treated us like their own and sacrificed for us.”

When baby John was born, the doctor had confided to Lizzie that the child would

not survive, but “She was determined he would live. I remember Aunt Lizzie bathing him in a hand-basin, that’s how small he was. Today he is a fine 72 year old man.”

Luddy graduated from Durfee High in ’43, and soon enlisted in the Navy.

During his training he traveled across the country by train, and was amazed by the support for the troops. “At the train stations, women of a group called ‘Mothers of World War No. 2’ would be waiting to give us snacks, and fruit, and to sew loosened buttons and offer us prepaid postcards we could address to our moms. Those women would mail the cards for us.”

His aunt saved his cards and letters, and now he treasures them in neatly arranged albums. “See this one? That’s what they called ‘V-Mail,’ the original letter photographed and reduced in size to save space, transported home and printed for the soldier’s family.”

In September of 1944 his ship, the newlycommissioned destroyer Mannert L. Abele, left Massachusetts for duty in the Pacific Theater, seeing heavy action at Iwo Jima and Okinawa in February and April of 1945.

During a furious battle on April 12th, a kamikaze hit the Abele’s starboard side, penetrating the engine room. The explosion was quickly followed by another hit on the starboard side by a Baka, a piloted rocket-powered suicide bomb with a 2600 pound warhead. The 376 foot long warship broke in two, and quickly sank.

“I was at my gun station on the port side, and couldn’t see them hit, but I heard the commotion. I looked and saw the water washing over the deck beside me.”

“We’d been trained how to safely jump from a ship into the water, how to get away from a sinking ship so we would not be pulled down with it. But I just stepped into the water, just stepped in,” he says, still feeling the surprise, “no need to jump.”

“The Japanese planes strafed and bombed the men in the water, and were driven off by other ships. “We were no more than three or four hours in the water before we were picked up,” says Luddy.

“I left 84 shipmates there. Sometimes I have wondered why. Why they died. Why I did not. I don’t see any reason. I don’t believe it was part of a plan. That’s the way it happened.”

“I was very lucky.”

“After the war I moved on in life. In 1949 I married the most beautiful girl in the

world, and we’ll be married sixty years as of this April 30th.”

Luddy has been retired for twenty-eight years from his job at the Post Office. He keeps in touch with other retirees.

In the late 40s there was a “mini depression,” he says, and jobs were scarce. A friend recommended the Post Office, and he go a job, and it turned out to be one he enjoyed.

He has seen many changes in the world.

He welcomes many of the changes, like the computer he uses for genealogical research and to keep in touch with friends and family with email.

He views other changes with regret. He remembers when each neighborhood had its own post office; “In Westport there was the Main office, and Central, and one at

After the war I moved on in life.

In 1949 I married the most beautiful girl in the world, and we’ll be married sixty years as of this April 30th Westport Point, and... four or even five in all.”

The post office, like the local grocery and drugstore, helped create the sense of ‘neighborhood’ where people met and talked. Swansea had a post office on Main Street in the Village, one in South Swansea near a now-closed branch of the Public Library, and one in Ocean Grove (near the pharmacy, the church, the hardware store, the bakery, the butcher’s... today only the bakery remains).

“People would come in, buy some stamps, and hang around and talk. It was friendly, nice. You try to hang around a place now and they’ll throw you out.”

And the prices have changed too. “It used to be one-and-a-half-cents for an letter in an envelope if you did not seal it, and five cents per pound for a package. Now an 8

by 11 inch envelope is $1 to start... and the cost of stamps goes up every year. Well, you know how it keeps going up.”

What about the economic mess that is affecting all of us right now? Luddy is sure that our government must act, must play the central role to improve employment, oversee banks, restore this country’s strengths.

“I wish the President would listen to me,” he says, with a laugh.

“If Obama will just read the history books he’ll see what has to be done. FDR took out-of-work people off the streets, gave them jobs and a bit of money.”

“The WPA medallions are still there in our sidewalks and bridges. And what difference does it make what sort of work, as long as it is productive and people earn some money? Artists were going without food, and then Roosevelt gave them jobs painting murals in public buildings.”

“It boggles my mind... just what is a trillion? a thousand billions? that is very hard to imagine, but yet that is what is needed.

Are we just printing money? Where is it going to come from?”

“I’m glad that the little guy will see a reduction in his taxes on April 1st.”

Because of his long experience, Luddy is an optimist.

“I’m not too concerned. I look back in history, and time and again in times of crisis we get great leaders, like Lincoln, like Roosevelt, and we have a Constitution that 200 years later is still sound and working.”

“I have a lot of confidence in the United States, in its people.”

He expresses his respect and affection for friends and family members who are of diverse nationalities, who emigrated here, and are wonderful citizens. He is very intolerant of intolerance.

“I also remember how we put the Japanese in camps during the war. We got caught up in fear. We can’t let that happen again.”

Luddy believes we have choices, and our choices determine what follows, how our lives go, how others’ lives go. He credits Evelyn with bringing up their children to be the wonderful people they are. He believes he was very fortunate to marry her.

“You can’t expect it; there’s no predicting.

But my life turned out the way I hoped it would.”

Joe Murphy, who lives in Swansea, is retired, and loves it.

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H appenings

Visit CoastalMags.com for extended listings and to sign-up for our free weekly events email

Things to do

A pril through june 2009

Through APRIL 1 – Grimshaw-Gudewicz Gallery at Bristol Community College presents, Fall River: As I See It. 777 Elsbree Street, Fall River.

Gallery hours are Mon., Wed. and Sat. 1-4pm, and Tues., Thur., Fri., 10am-1pm. Free. For more information call 508.678.2811, ext. 2631, or visit www. bristolcc.edu/gallery.

APRIL 3-4 – Fusionworks Annual Spring Concert series. At the Courthouse Center for the Arts, 3481 Kingstown Road, West Greenwich. Spend time in South County with Fusionworks. 8pm each evening, 2pm Saturday matinee only. $20, $24, $27.

For more information call 401-946-0607 or visit www.fusionworksdance.org

Through APRIL 8 – Marion Art Center Members Show. Opens March 1st with an artists reception, 4-6pm. 80 Pleasant Street, Marion. Free.

Regular hours Tues-Fri. 1-5pm, Sat. 10am-2pm.

For more information or to become a member call 508-748-1266 or visit www.marionartcenter.org

APRIL 3 – 8th Annual Flashlight Egg Hunt.

Deadline for registration is Tuesday, March 31.

No walk-ins or registrations the night of the event will be allowed. 7:30pm. Recreation Center, 227 Huttleston Ave., Fairhaven. Call 508-993-9269

Through APRIL 30 – Adventures in Books, Bookmark Contest. Design a bookmark and one grand prize winner will have their bookmark distributed during the Summer Reading Program.

Pick up your entry form at the Customer Service Center, Swansea Mall, 262 Swansea Mall Road, Swansea. Contest is open to children ages 5 to 12.

For more information call 508-679-2543 or visit www.www.visitswanseamall.com

APRIL

APRIL 4 – Village Militia at the Academy Building. Academy Building, west lawn of Fairhaven High School, 12 Huttleston Avenue, Fairhaven. 1pm-4pm. Donations accepted. Call 508-979-4085.

APRIL 4 – Savoring Bristol: A culinary and historical tour starts at Coggeshall Farm, Poppasquash Road, Bristol. 9am-12pm. Fee. For more information call 401-934-2149 or visit www.rimarkettours. com/savoringbristol.htm APRIL 4 – Camouflaged Egg Hunt. 9:30am registration, Egg hunt begins at 10am. $5 member child, $7 non-members child. To register call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org APRIL 6, 13, 20, 27 – Toe Jam Puppet Band.

Join the fun at Buttonwood Park Zoo with this zany group. 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford. 10:30-11:30am, 12:30-1:30pm. Fee. Call 508-991-6178 or visit www.bpzoo.org APRIL 6 – Movie Night at the Millicent Library.

45 Center Street, Fairhaven. 7pm. For more information call 508-992-5342.

APRIL 2 – Kim Wilson’s Blues Revue. The leader and front man of the Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St, Fall River. 8pm. Tickets $20 in advance, $23 day of the show. Call 508-324-1926 for more information or visit www.ncfta.org

APRIL 4 – The Wiyos. Drawing from a vast spectrum of traditional American rural and urban roots music, the internationally acclaimed Brooklyn based quartet craft startlingly fresh yet strangely familiar sound. Common Fence Point, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth. 8pm. Fee. Call for more information 401-683-5085 or visit www. commonfencemusic.org

APRIL 2 – Audubon Spring Lecture Series.

Audubon Society Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol. 7pm. Fee. 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org

APRIL 4 – Zeiterion Performing Arts Center presents One Night of Queen. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm. $38, $45. For more information call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org

APRIL 2-5 – SENE Film, Music and Arts Festival.

Venues include Cable Car Cinema and RISD Auditorium. Film Wizard Workshop for children ages 8-15, $15, April 4, 2-5pm. For more information call 401-603-0252 or visit senefilm.org

APRIL 4 – Newport Baroque presents: A Royal Tea and Recital. Reservations are requested by March 26. Hotel Viking, 1 Bellevue Avenue, Newport.

2pm. Fee. Call 401-621-6123 or visit www.newportbaroque.org

APRIL 6 – WNRI presents An Evening with David Sedaris. Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. 8pm. Booksigning at 6:30pm $33, $43, $50.50, $60.50. Call 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri.org APRIL 8-MAY 3 – Gallery X presents “About Face” Opening reception April 11, 7-10pm. 169 William Street, New Bedford. Gallery hours Wed.Fri. 11am-5pm, Sat. and Sun. 11am-3pm. Free. Call 508-992-2625 or visit www.galleryx.org APRIL 9 – WHALE presents an Architectural Preservation Trolley Tour during AHA night beginning at the National Park Visitors Center, 33 William St., New Bedford. 6pm. Free. Call 508-997-1776 or visit www.waterfrontleague.org

APRIL 3 – Marcia Ball at the Narrows. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St, Fall River. 8pm.

Tickets $30 in advance, $35 day of the show. Call 508-324-1926 for more information or visit www. ncfta.org

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APRIL 4 – Coco Montoya at the Narrows.

Opening act TallKing Blues. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St, Fall River. 8pm.

Tickets $20 in advance, $23 day of the show. Call 508-324-1926 or visit www.ncfta.org

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APRIL 9 – Woodcock Walk and Night Hike.

Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk. 6:45-8:45pm. Fee. To register call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org APRIL 10-11 – Milk and Cookies and Breakfast with the Easter Bunny. Fri. 1-2:30pm and 3-4:30pm, Sat. 1-2:30pm and 3-4:30pm. Fee.

Call 508-991-4556, ext. 14 to register or for more information visit www.bpzoo.org APRIL 11 – Bela Fleck at Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford.

8pm. $49, $65. Call508-994-2900 or visit www. zeiterion.org APRIL 11-MAY 3 – Daffodil Days at Blithewold.

Blithewold Gardnes, 101 Ferry Road, Bristol.

9am-5pm daily. Free for members, $10 adults, $8 seniors. Call 401-253-2707 or visit www.blithewold.org APRIL 14 – Jesus Christ Super Star. Providence Performing Arts Theater, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. 8pm. $43-$65. 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri.org APRIL 16 – Audubon Spring Lecture Series.

Audubon Society Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol. 7pm. $10 members, $12 non-members. Call 401-949-5454, ext.

3041 or visit www.asri.org

APRIL 24-25 – Newport Baroque presents: Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Emmanuel Church, 42 Dearborn Street, Newport. 8pm. Call ArtTix for tickets, 401-621-6123. For more information call 401-855-3096 or visit www.newportbaroque.org APRIL 24 – Tiverton Four Corners Arts Center Artist and Author Series spotlighting Peter C. Stone. “The Untouchable Tree” Book discussion and exhibit of his paintings. 7pm. Free. Meeting House, 3850 Main Road, Tiverton Four Corners.

Call 401-624-2600.

APRIL 25 – Children’s Festival Featuring Wubbzy©. Meet Wubbzy© from 10 am to 4 pm. with breaks every half hour. Polaroid photos with Wubbzy© with a $3 donation to Habitat for Humanity. Free face painting and balloon creations, Bouncy Sports Arena near sears with $1 donation to Habitat for Humanity. Center Court, Swansea Mall, Swansea. For more information call 508-679-2544 or visit www.www.visitswanseamall.com APRIL 25 – Fort Phoenix Minuteman Tour. Starts at Hurricane Barrier, Fort Street, Fairhaven. 2pm.

Free. Call 508-979-4085 or visit fort-phoenix. blogspot.com APRIL 25 – Lecture by Harvard Music Librarian Douglas Freundlich, “Finally Getting Dido’s ‘Wrongs’ Right”. Redwood Athenaeum and Library, 50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport. 3 pm. Free.

Call 401-855-3096 or visit www.newportbaroque. org APRIL 25 – Gardening and Landscape for Wildlife. Audubon Society Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol.

2-3:30pm. $10 member, $15 non-member. For more information or to register call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org

APRIL 16 – Brian Regan. One of the hottest comedians performing today. Providence Performing Arts Theater, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence.

Call 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri.org APRIL 17 – To Kill A Mockingbird. Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. Call 508-994-2900 or visit www. zeiterion.org APRIL 18 – Audubon Earth Day Celebration.

Audubon Society Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol. Fee. Call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org APRIL 18 – Atwater-Donnelly and Jerimoth Hill. Common Fence Point, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth. 8pm. $20. Call 401-683-5085 or visit www.commonfencemusic.org APRIL 18 – Doo Wop 4, A Night of Legends.

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 7:30pm. $35, $40, $45. Call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org APRIL 18 – Community Garden Volunteer Day. Westport Town Farm, Drift Road, Westport.

9am-12pm. Free. For more information call 508-679-2115 or visit www.thetrustees.org APRIL 19 – Trout Lily Walk. Audubon Society Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol. 12:30-1:30pm. Fee. Call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org APRIL 23 – UMass-Dartmouth’s Center for Marketing Research 9th Annual Celebrity/ Scholarship Dinner. Legendary Red Sox Catcher Carleton Fisk will be guest speaker. At the Venus De Milo in Swansea, 6-9PM. Call 508-910-6435 for tickets/information.

APRIL 26 – Community Concert Series: David Langevin, organist of St. Anthony of Padua Church, at First Congregational Church, 34 Center Street, Fairhaven, dinner 5:30pm., concert 7pm.

Concert tickets are available at the door. Call 508-993-3368 or email fccs@comcast.net APRIL 26 – Museum of Natural History Tour and Hike. Roger Williams Park, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. 10am-12:30pm. Fee. Call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org APRIL 29 – Audubon Spring Lecture Series. Our Changing Environment: Yesterday and Today.

Presented by Peter August, Professor of Landscape Ecology and GIS at the University of Rhode Island.

Audubon Society Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol. Fee. Call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org

Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner

$3.95

Weekday Breakfast Special

7am to 11am Monday-Friday only

2 eggs, toast, homefries, coffee ADD 2 sausages or 2 slices bacon $1.25 Breakfast served all day!

Weekday Lunch Special $3.95 Grilled cheese with fries Thuman hot dog with fries Chicken fingers (2) with fries Soup and sandwich Cup of chicken or tomato basil Choice of egg salad, BLT, or ham (Full sandwich $6.95)

Fresh Seafood Blackboard Specials

Open 7 Days — From 7am 140 Charlotte White Road Ext. (Drift Road side) • Westport, MA

508-636-0550

Unique gifts for you and your friends

happy

Flowers are in handmade flower pots and vases

APRIL 30 – Warblers of Southern New England.

Join an Audubon expert and learn about many aspects of our most colorful group of birds. Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 2nd floor of the Nature Center, 301 Brown Avenue,Seekonk. 7-8:30pm. Fee. Call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org

MAY MAY 1 – Hidden Kitchens of Portsmouth Tour.

Seven unique Portsmouth kitchens will be open to the public from 11am to 7p.m. Fee. Call 800-929-1738 or visit www.portsmouthkitchentour.org MAY 1-3 – Annie. Providence Performing Arts Theater, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. Call 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri.org

Continued on next page

782 Main Road Westport, MA

508-636-0888 (next to Marguerites’ Restaurant) Hours: Mon. & Tue. 10am-6pm Wed.-Sat. 10am-8pm

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A dvertisers

Continued from previous page

Albanese Monuments...........................................39 Alden Nursing Care and Rehab.Center............ 19 Attentive Home Care.............................................33 BankFive....................................................................5 Barbelle Real Fitness for Woman....................... 25 Blithewold...............................................................33 Buttonwood Park Zoo............................................9 Clifton Rehabilitative Nursing Center......... cover Coastal Orthopaedics.......................................... 40 Diocesan Health Facilities...................................39 Ecin Bedding & Futon Factory............................ 27 EldersFirst..................................................................5 ENOS Home Oxygen & Medical Supply.............8 GM Refrigeration...................................................21 Hathaway Family Funeral Homes..................... 23 Island Creations.................................................... 22 Kindred Healthcare-Swansea........................ cover Landmark................................................................18 LaPointe Insurance Agency ..................................8 Lees Market............................................................ 20

MAY 2 – New Bedford Symphony Orchestra Season Finale, “Effervescent Artistry”. Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm. Call 508-994-2900 or visit www. zeiterion.org MAY 2 – 1st Annual Celtic Invitational Pipe and Drum Exhibition. 11am-5pm. Tours of Historic Fort Adams will be given throughout the day (fee applies). For more information call 401-8410-0707 MAY 2 – Greg Trooper. Alternative Country and Folk singer. Common Fence Point, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth. 8pm. $20. Call 401-683-5085 or visit www.commonfencemusic.org

MAY 5-6 – Lord of the Dance. Providence Performing Arts Theater, 220 Weybosset St., Providence. $33, $43, $48, $55. Tues. 7pm, Wed. 7:30pm. Call 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri.org MAY 8-9 – The Sippican Choral Society pays tribute to the music of the Civil War Era in its 2009 Spring Concert, Days of Blue and Gray. St. Gabriel’s Church, 124 Front Street, Marion. 8pm. $6, $12. Call 508-758-2282.

MAY 9 – Savoring Bristol: A culinary and historical tour. 300 years of history, 3 hours of discovery.

Tour starts at Coggeshall Farm, Poppasquash Road, Bristol. 9am-12pm. $50. Call 401-934-2149 or visit www.rimarkettours.com/savoringbristol. htm MAY 9 – Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal. Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm. $34, $36. Call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org

Naturopathic & Alternative Health................... 27

Partners Village Store..............................................8

MAY 30 – Memorial Day at Battleship Cove. The ceremony is open to the public. Call 508-678-1100 or visit www.battleshipcove.org

RDA Insurance.........................................................4 Sagres Restaurant...................................................24 Saint Anne’s Hospital..............................................1

Sticks Stones Stars Gallery...................................37 Sunrise Assisted Living...........................................5 Tender Hearts Home Health Care..................... 27 Travel’n On Travel Agency....................................33 Trinity Repertory Company............................... 23 Virginia’s ................................................................37 Waring-Sullivan Affiliated Family Funeral & Cremation Services............................................... 15 Whaler’s Cove Assisted Living...............................4 YMCA South Coast..................................................4 Your Health Potential.......................................... 29

MAY 9 – Cheryl Wheeler in concert. Singer, songwriter Mary Day opening. Common Fence Point, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth. 8pm. $28. Call 401-683-5085 or visit www.commonfencemusic.org MAY 9 – Poverty Point Walking Tour. Take a guided, ninety-minute walk through what was one of the earliest village settlements in Fairhaven.

The Old Stone Schoolhouse will be open for viewing before the tour. Begins at Old Stone Schoolhouse, 40 North St., Fairhaven. 2pm. Free.

Call 508-979-4085.

MAY 14 – Audubon Spring Lecture Series. Our Changing Environment: Yesterday and Today.

Crucial Waters. Presented by National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry. Audubon Society Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol. 7pm. Call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org MAY 14 – Transforming New Bedford: The story of WHALE. An AHA night lecture at the Corson Maritime Learning Center Theater (adjacent to Visitor Center) 33 William St., New Bedford. Call 508-997-1776 or visit www.waterfrontleague.org

Zeiterion Theatre.....................................................9

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MAY 24 – Riverside Cemetery Tour. Created in 1850 by Warren Delano II, the grandfather of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, this is one of the most beautiful rural-style cemeteries in Massachusetts. Riverside Cemetery, 274 Main Street, Fairhaven. 2pm. Free. Call 508-979-4085.

MAY 26-31 – The Color Purple. Providence Performing Arts Theater, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. $46-$73. Call 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri.org

Newport Hospital....................................................9

Standard Pharmacy.............................................. 22

MAY 17 – Jungle Jack Hanna. Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford.

3pm. $25, $32.50. Call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org

MAY 25 – Memorial Day Parade. Main Street from South Street to Riverside Cemetery, Fairhaven.

8:30am. Call508-979-4085.

Mind Body Medicine........................................... 29

Stafford & Company Insurance.......................... 26

MAY 16 – Fairhaven Center Walking Tour. This guided, ninety-minute walk in Fairhaven center highlights the histories of some of the homes and buildings dating from the 1830s to the beginning of the 20th Century. Begins at Leonard E. Pierce Memorial Park, corner of South and Fort streets, Fairhaven. 2pm. Free. Call 508-979-4085.

MAY 4 – Movie Night at the Millicent Library. 45 Center Street, Fairhaven. 7pm. Call 508-992-5342.

Lighthouse Promotions....................................... 25

Southcoast Health System....................... cover, 11

MAY 15 – Ain’t Misbehavin. Starring 2003 American Idol winner and recording artist Ruben Studdard along with Frenchie Davis, American Idol contestant and star of Rent on Broadway, this 30th anniversary tour of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical is a rollicking, swinging, fingersnapping revue. Zeiterion Performing Arts Center.

684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm. Call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org

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MAY 31– Charlotte’s Webb. Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford.

3pm. $10, $15. Call 508-994-2900 or visit www. zeiterion.org

JUNE JUNE 6 – Annual Schweppes Great Chowder cookoff. GOT CHOWDAH? The first of Newport’s array of summer festivals, the Annual Schweppes Great Chowder Cook-off features over 3000 gallons of chowder served up by over 30 of the nation’s best restaurants and chefs! 11am-6pm, Newport Yachting Center, America’s Cup Blvd, Newport.

For more information call 401-846-1600 or visit www.newportfestivals.com/Chowder-Cook-Off JUNE 6 – Savoring Bristol: A culinary and historical tour. 300 years of history, 3 hours of discovery.

Tour starts at Coggeshall Farm, Poppasquash Road, Bristol. 9am-12pm. $50. Call 401-934-2149 or visit rimarkettours.com/savoringbristol.htm JUNE 6 – Mystical Arts of Tibet. Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm. $35. For more information call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org

JUNE 6 – Plant Sale. Proceeds to benefit the residents of Our Lady’s Haven. Our Lady’s Haven, 71 Center Street, Fairhaven. 9am-1pm. For more information call 508-999-4561.

JUNE 11 – WHALE’s Walking Tour of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and Downtown during AHA night. 6pm. Free. For more information call 508-997-1776 or visit www.waterfrontleague.org JUNE 12-21 – The Community Players present Ron Hutchinson’s new comedy, Moonlight and Magnolias Fri. and Sat. at 8pm, Sun. at 2pm. Jenks Auditorium, Division St., Pawtucket, RI (across from McCoy Stadium). $15. Call 401-726-6860 or visit www.thecommunityplayers.org

JUNE 14 – Diana Krall. One night only performance. Providence Performing Arts, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. 7:30pm. $35.50, $52.50, $57.50, $65.50. Call 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri.org JUNE 19 – Fort Adams Trust Fundraiser Summer Solstice Celebration. 8:30pm-11pm, live entertainment. 7pm-11pm in the three restored areas of the Fort [North Casemates, Museum, and Overnight Barracks]. Call 401-841-0707 or visit www.fortadams.org JUNE 19 – Blue Oyster Cult. Blue Oyster Cult is an American Band that is credited by some with coining the term “heavy metal.” The band is one of the pioneering bands in heavy metal music, legendary for its hard-edged musical assault and incredible live shows. Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, 684 Purchase St., New Bedford. 8pm. $25, $30, $35.

For more information call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org JUNE 26-28 – The 2009 Newport Flower Show, “Explore! Botanical Passions”. At Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Avenue, Newport. Friday 10:30am-5pm.

Opening Night Cocktail Party, 6-9pm, Sat. June 27, 9am-5pm and Sun. June 28 9am-5pm. For more information call 401-847-1000 or visit www.

NewportFlowerShow.org JUNE 27 – “Island Treasures” Garden Tour. In celebration of its 60th year, Quononoquott Garden Club presents a tour of unique, private gardens in the island community of Jamestown, RI. Proceeds are used for civic beautification projects. 10am4pm. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 the day of the tour. For more information call 401-423-1776.

JUNE 29 – 17th Annual Diabetes Association Golf Tournament in memory of Jack Rua, a community leader and Past President of the Diabetes Association of Fall River. At theFall River Country Club, 4232 North Main Street, Fall River. Call 508-672-5671 for more information or visit www. diabetesma.org

Visit Our Website: www.albanesemonuments.com C oastal M ags . com

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With eight nine orthopedic specialists, you don’t have to compromise on treatment Coastal Orthopaedics – specialized, interdisciplinary care When you have a particular bone or joint problem, wouldn’t it be good to be treated by an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in it? That’s the idea at Coastal Orthopaedics. Our boardcertified doctors offer a full range of orthopedic specialties.

With one call you can find a highly experienced expert devoted to your particular need right here in the local area. Call for prompt, specialized world-class care.

Dr. David Boland

Dr. David Bullis

Dr. Jeffrey Gassman

Dr. Brad Green

Dr. Jerald Katz

. 24/7 Emergency Room care only at Charlton Memorial Hospital . arthroscopic surgery . hand surgery . sports medicine

Dr. Kevin Mabie

. joint replacement . shoulder surgery . pediatric orthopedic care Dr. George Raukar

The best anywhere. And they’re right here.

508-646-9525 Because we have added a surgeon, we can guarantee you an appointment this week, and maybe even today.

235 Hanover Street, FallFall River 235 Hanover Street, River 1030 President Avenue, Fall River 1030 President Avenue, Fall River 84 Grape Street, New Bedford GrapeRoad, Street, New Bedford 181684Main Tiverton

Dr. Richard Smith

1816 Main Road, Tiverton, RI 851 Main Street, Warren, RI 1180 Hope Street, Bristol, RI ( Bristol Medical Center)

Dr. James Worthington

����� Top 10 in U.S. for heart care. %

That’s not us talking, it’s HealthGrades® — the nation’s leading independent health care ratings organization.

If you have heart problems, it’s good to know that the best quality care — anywhere — is just minutes away, at Southcoast Hospitals.

Our 2009 HealthGrades report card SPECIALTY EXCELLENCE AWARDS • HealthGrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award 2007, 2008, 2009

• HealthGrades Angioplasty/Stent Excellence Award 2008, 2009

CLINICAL ACHIEVEMENTS • Ranked among the top 10% in U.S. for Overall Cardiac Services — 2007, 2008, 2009 • Ranked among the top 5 hospitals in Massachusetts for Overall Cardiac Services — 2007, 2008, 2009 • Ranked among the top 5 hospitals in Massachusetts for Angioplasty/Stent Procedures — 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

• 1 of only 3 hospitals in Massachusetts ranked among the top 10% in the nation for overall heart services 3 years in a row — 2007, 2008, 2009 • Ranked among the top 5% in U.S. for Angioplasty/ Stent Procedures — 2008, 2009 • Ranked among the top 10 hospitals in Massachusetts for Cardiac Surgery — 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

For more information about heart care at Southcoast, including our quality and 5-star ratings, visit

www.southcoast.org.

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SSISTED

LIVING COMMUNITY

 

Our porch is so inviting a pleasant place to stay We visit there with friends on a warm sunny day

At times we all debate which views are the best The boats on the water some sailing, some at rest

But my favorite includes the flowers with countless colors to see It’s so relaxing in my rocker with a cool glass of iced tea

I’m convinced ours is “The Best Porch” absolutely perfect for your health It’s at the “Inn” at Clifton please come see for yourself

~COG

ASSISTED LIVING ACCOMMODATIONS START AT ONLY $2650 PER MONTH…….

When compared to other assisted living communities, the “Inn” offers so much more…our almost all-inclusive rates start at just $85 per day and consist of amenities that many other facilities charge extra for—including.......three meals daily…personal care services…housekeeping and laundry services… medication management…emergency monitoring systems…daily activities…registered nurses to monitor your health and well-being…24-hour CNA staffing…planned transportation…and much, much more.......

Contrary to living alone in a large oversized house, especially when assistance is needed, the “Inn” at Clifton can be significantly less expensive. At the “Inn” we have no typical apartments—each one is different and prices do vary according to apartment size, location and specific amenities. We encourage you to call Diane, make an appointment and learn more about the advantages of our unique Clifton Healthcare Campus.......and compare. 

CLIFTON HEALTHCARE CAMPUS

CLIFTON ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY

444 Wilbur Avenue, Somerset, MA, 02725

508-324-0200

Clifton is a fourth generation local family organization that, since 1954, has been providing the highest quality of healthcare services to your community, which is also our community.

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