Recently was fortunate enough to grab one of the 6 spots in an introduction to stained glass event…read morebeing taught by Mary H in the artist studio. This 4-hour event actually ran over by more than an hour because we were having such a great time and definitely learned a considerable amount of valuable info. Mary is a wonderful instructor, patient, knowledgeable, and able to share info clearly and accurately. I left the class with so many new skills and excited to create more pieces as I progress from my primitive first attempts! We created a somewhat simplistic nativity scene with the glass components having already been cut and ground. This step being completed enabled more time to focus on the more complex aspects of this class, which was a Tiffany-style copper foil method. The art studio was fairly comfortable and it was very cold outside first week of December. The heat was on and blower was very loud at times, but we were grateful to be warm. Metal chairs had seat pads to somewhat soften seating and also barrier to cold. Lighting was sufficient for our task. The class was 5-9 PM and I would have preferred a daytime weekday class or even a weekend because the asphalt parking lot had some slick spots from snowfall a few days prior. There is also a huge demand and waiting list for these classes once word gets out, so it would be great to have more options for the students and instructors. Looking forward to future classes and plan to return soon. Highly recommended!

My husband and I spent ~2 1/2 hours yesterday hiking through a few of the longer distance trails at…read moreMt. St. Francis. It was so quiet, clean, peaceful and relaxing. We spotted frogs, turtles, snakes, goldfinches, butterflies, chipmunks and more. Trail difficulty ranged from easy to moderate. We did note that some trails weren't marked at all while others had old, broken maps with illegible or missing "you are here" indicators. The next time we hike at Mt. St. Francis, which we're very much looking forward to, we'll bring our own trail guide.

As a non-church going person, I had no idea the beauty that was hidden in this local spot. Everyone…read morewho likes the outdoors should check it out! The friars and some trail stewards keep up over 400 acres of trails for walking/hiking and a lake with a fishing club membership. There are multiple trails, including a zen garden, lake and stations of the cross trails. In addition to the beautiful outdoors, they celebrate other forms of art (pre-COVID) including Exhibits, Artist's Retreats, Quilting groups and Music at The Mount concerts. They will occasionally have fish frys and other food-related events.