We've all got hobbies. They're essential aspects of our lives which keep us mentally engaged and enthusiastic. Some folks like tinkering around in their garages.
NEWMARKET They say that standup paddleboarding has one of the quickest learning curves of all recreational activities and that was certainly on display last Thursday.
A dozen somewhat tentative and wobbly-kneed Hampton residents disappeared down the winding Lamprey River, only to reappear less than two hours later standing tall and with a new favorite mode of transportation.
“Just seeing people light up and catch that spark is honestly why I do it,” said Shaun Quinn of the Wandering Paddler in Rye.
Wandering Paddler in Rye and Hampton Recreation have teamed up for the paddleboard course that runs for four Thursdays in June. Those participating will get the chance to effortlessly glide through some of the most scenic fresh and salt water on the Seacoast with Quinn and his son, Xander, right by their side. The course sold out quickly and Hampton Recreation’s Beth Dupell says there are already plans to team up with Quinn’s company to offer another course this summer.
PORTSMOUTH Marianne Janik knows better than most people the need to adapt to a changing environment.
In a previous professional life as a National Institutes of Health scientist, she worked to save endangered species from extinction. In her current professional life, it was adaptation that pulled her through the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I studied adaptation and what animals do to survive. Only the strong succeed and the strong are the ones that adapt,” said Janik, a jewelry artist who recently opened her Calli b. brick and mortar store at 21 Daniel St. in downtown Portsmouth after years of traveling with what she calls her “boutique on the road” to arts and craft shows and fairs throughout the Northeast.