This three hour course includes a walk through the woods to find edible mushrooms along with detailed descriptions of habitat and structure of mushrooms. Most mushrooms found in nature are not edible, but learning this is more important than knowing which ones to eat. David Spahr has collected edible mushrooms for 45 years and is a member of the Maine Mycological Society and North American Mycological Association. He is on the Maine Mushroom Task Force developing rules for the foraging and sale of wild mushrooms. Minimum age is 12 with an adult. 

Your instructor, Chris Toy, is the author of 6 popular cookbooks, a private chef, and has taught Asian cooking for several Maine community education programs.  Cooking students will learn how to prepare a variety of recipes from Asia, Europe and the Americas incorporating traditional and local ingredients.  Each meal will actively engage cooks with the tools, techniques and stories behind the dishes being created. 

Escape to a grand Victorian inn, the Harbor View House in Prospect Harbor on the coast of Maine with an intimate group of artists, cooks and creatives! We will convene on Saturday at 1 pm and end on Tuesday at 11 am. 

Cost of lodging is additional, however all meals are included in the workshop fee plus special activities to extend your learning from the day’s workshops, including a special private house concert by Grammy balloted sing-songwriter, storyteller, and author Gordon Ward. 

Day students are welcome.

Should you wish to stay overnight at the inn, participants will need to book their stay at the inn by calling 207-963-9122.

Please note: Included in the registration is a $40 non-refundable fee should you have to cancel.

Your instructor, Mary Laury is an accomplished watercolorist and highly esteemed teacher.  She encourages all her students to believe they can be successful.  Painting is an exciting medium; it flows and moves and does beautiful things. If you have never painted in watercolors, we'll start at the beginning. If you have painted before, you will pick up some new tips and tricks as well.  We all learn together!

Escape to a grand Victorian inn, the Harbor View House in Prospect Harbor on the coast of Maine with an intimate group of artists, cooks and creatives! Lodging is additional, however all meals are included in the workshop fee plus special activities to extend your learning from the day’s workshops, including a private house concert by Grammy balloted singer-songwriter, story teller and author Gordon Ward.

We convene on Saturday at 1pm with classes throughout the weekend and end on the following Tuesday at 11am.

Day students are welcome. 

To book your stay at the inn please contact Harbor View House at 207-963-9122.

​Please note: Included in the registration is a $40 non-refundable fee should you have to cancel.

Take a journey of New Orleans, Memphis, and Nashville, three of America's most famous musical places, and experience finger-snapping, toe-tapping fun. Discover New Orleans, where laughter, delicious food, and jazz are always on the menu. Learn about Mardi Gras World, where enormous parade floats are built. Stay two nights in Memphis, the "birthplace of the blues." Either take a tour of Elvis Presley's Graceland or participate in MLK's final march to learn more about Memphis' past. Take advantage of the Grand Ole Opry's reserved seating. Visit RCA Studio B to see the locations of famous country music recordings. A chocolate-making class will allow you to make your own Goo Goo Cluster Candy. You’ll be hummin’ and strummin’ long after you’ve returned home.

See more info at https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1213893 (The fee noted is for 2 travelers. Charges may vary based on your choices upon registration.) 

Collette Guided Travel treats you like their guest, and this is evident in their itinerary! Because it matters to you, every minute matters to them as well. This can be as a result of the fact that they are a family-run firm with a 100-year history. The advantages of using Collette will elevate your guided trip experience. With our all-inclusive excursions, you get more for your money and experience more of what makes travel unique.

Six murders. One hundred pages. Millions of possible combinations… but only one is correct. Can you solve Torquemada’s murder mystery?

In 1934, the Observer’s cryptic crossword compiler, Edward Powys Mathers (aka Torquemada), released a novel that was simultaneously a murder mystery and the most fiendishly difficult literary puzzle ever written.

The pages have been printed in an entirely haphazard order, but it is possible – through logic and intelligent reading – to sort the pages into the only correct order, revealing six murder victims and their respective murderers.

Only three puzzlers have ever solved the mystery of Cain’s Jawbone: do you have what it takes to join their ranks?

Please note: this puzzle is extremely difficult and not for the faint-hearted.

Join us as we break this book down and try to find out who-done-it.  We will be meeting once a month for the year, or until we crack the code.  We will meet the first Thursday of every month starting in October through June.  Books will be ordered in August and dispersed once received.

In this two day workshop you will make a round-base basket, otherwise known as stake-and-strand, traditional to much of Europe.  Learn to make the slath, two-rod twining, staking up, 3-rod waling, French randing, a waled border, and handles of your choice.  Take home a round-base basket to use for the rest of your life and the skills to make more.

The workshop is taught by Mary Lauren Fraser, who apprenticed with Karen Collins in northern Scotland. Mary has been weaving coffins for green burial and teaching basketry workshops throughout New England since 2015. Of Scottish heritage, she grew up and resides on the banks of the Connecticut River in today's western Massachusetts, on unceded Abenaki land. 

Date: October 5-6, Saturday 10:00 am to Sunday 4:00 pm

Cost: $400-500 sliding scale, meals and accommodation included (see registration form for more details)

Online Registration: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeW56NVV58jg3nOQYMsUrNaTvx2CfQ27e38iTZ0NEnBSnM8vA/viewform

Learn the basics of coastal navigation using local charts, parallel ruler, and dividers. Learn what the symbols mean, how to determine safe and dangerous routes, create courses, learn rules of the “road”, what aids to navigation look like and do, plan for emergencies and more. For kayakers, sailors, powerboaters, and future Registered Maine Guides. Students will need access to either a Casco Bay Chart or Penobscot Bay Chart, parallel ruler and dividers.

Alice Bean Andrenyak is a Master Maine Guide and Maine native who lives at Mere Point in Brunswick. Owner of Alice's Awesome Adventures and Maine e-Learning, she trains future Registered Maine Guides and outdoor enthusiasts in navigation, canoeing, SUP, sea kayaking, snowshoeing, nature studies, and overnighting skills , and is a former Guide's Board Examiner. She has been visiting Malaga Island for over 30 years and leads regular sea kayak and hiking tours of Malaga Island.

We are heading back to Salem!  Join us for a fun filled weekend of exploring Salem and all of its history.

Saturday October 12, 2024 – No Guide Today (Boston)

4:00 pm QUINCY MARKET. For over 250 years the marketplace has played an integral role in the life of Boston’s residents. You will feel the cobblestones beneath your feet, see roaming performers and be able to taste the wonderfully diverse ethnic foods available to you. There are 100 shops, carts and artisans to offer treasures for you to take home with you!

5:30 pm Travel to dinner.

6:00 pm DINNER at MAGGIANO’S LITTLE ITALY RESTAURANT. Maggiano’s Italian Restaurant 

7:15 pm Travel to Blue Man Group.  “Blue Man Group will rock your world, blow your mind, and unleash your spirit. Leave your expectations at the door and let three bald and blue men take you on a spectacular journey bursting with music, laughter and surprises. 35 million people of all ages, languages and cultures know what Blue Man Group is really about. Now it’s your turn. Hard to Describe. Easy to Love.” Quote excerpted from internet site. Berkshire Tour Company 2 (Based on availability)

10:00 pm Travel to your hotel.

10:45 pm Arrive for CHECK IN at your hotel. 

Sunday October 13, 2024 – Guide Today (Salem) 

7:30 am BREAKFAST included at the hotel.

9:00 am Meet your LOCAL GUIDE at the hotel and travel to Salem for a day of touring. Your guide will give you commentary about Salem as you travel into town and as you travel from place to place today.

10:30 am REAL PIRATES ~ PIRATE AND WITCH EXPERIENCE. “Immerse yourself in the stories of Real Pirates! The family-friendly pirate experience features the true tale of ‘Black Sam’ Bellamy – the richest and one of the youngest pirates of all time – and Maria Hallett, the love of his life and so-called ‘Witch of Wellfleet.’ During the early 1700s, Bellamy captured the infamous slave ship Whydah, as well as more than 50 other ships, earning him the nickname the ‘Prince of Pirates.’ Meet the crew and follow their journey as they seek fortune on the high seas, amass the greatest pirate treasure of all times, and ultimately meet their untimely fate when the Whydah sinks in a violent Nor’easter off the coast of Cape Cod. ... See Real Pirate Treasure! See the world’s only fully authenticated pirate treasure ever discovered – including coins, jewelry, and weapons – retrieved from the wreck, and last touched by the hands of pirates more than 300 years ago.” Quote excerpted from internet site.

12:00 pm FREE TIME and LUNCH on your own. Your guide will make suggestions.

3:00 pm Visit SALEM WITCH MUSEUM. “You are there. Witness the testimony of the hysterical girls, the suffering of the blameless victims, and the decisions of the fanatical judges who sent innocent people to their deaths. When the witch hunt began no one was safe from being accused. This presentation is based on actual trial documents. With 13 stage sets, you’ll enter the web of lies and intrigue of the Salem Witch Hunt, one of the most enduring true stories in American History.” Excerpt taken from Salem Witch Museum brochure. 

4:30 pm Depart from Salem for DINNER on own. Choose from various restaurants at the North Shore Mall. 

9:00 pm Approximate arrival at your hotel.

Monday October 15, 2024 – No Guide Today (Salem)7:30 am BREAKFAST included at the hotel.

10:00 am Travel home.  Will stop for lunch.

Single: $1000.00

Double: $735.00

Triple: $700.00

Quad: $675.00

COURTYARD PACKAGE INCLUDES:

Overnight room for 2 nights

2 breakfasts at the hotel

1 dinnerQuincy Market and Faneuil Hall

Blue Man Group Performance (Based on availability)

Real Pirates of SalemSalem Witch Museum

Round Trip Baggage Handling

All applicable taxes and gratuities (except customary guide and housekeeping gratuities)

To secure your spot please register as soon as possible.  You will receive an email with a link that goes with which room you choose.  Whether it be single, double, triple or quad.  You will need to make an $80 deposit to secure your spot.

**CANCELLATIONS**  If you choose to cancel before August 1st, all your fund minus the $80 deposit will be given back.  If you choose to cancel after August 1st there will be no refund.