The Bakers were an entertaining family. Emilie’s father acted, gave readings, and wrote eighty-nine amateur plays in his spare time. The family put on plays for weeks at a time in their home, and the children took part before they were even in school. Rachel, Emilie, and Robert belonged to an acting troupe at their church that put … More Entertainment Brings A New Spirit, A New Resolve
I wish I could take you with me on a walking tour of Boston and point out places that have Emilie Loring background stories. But I’ve figured out a shortcut: Boston’s Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail wanders through old Boston with seventeen stops to view historic sites. You can go with a guide or … More Each Stop on the Freedom Trail is a Memory
Independence Day, the Fourth of July: a day of concerts, fireworks, cookouts and family gatherings. It’s one of the most celebratory of days, and whether or not we consciously think about its origin in the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the day is given over to celebrations of the American spirit. Families who trace … More Happy Independence Day with a Glance at History
The first time I visited Boston, I stayed at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel on Arlington Street, a bit south of the Public Garden. An elegant affair from yesteryear, it had the right atmosphere for discovering “all things Emilie”–uniformed doormen, plush carpets, chandeliers, and afternoon tea served daily. It felt right. After exploring … More Then and Now in the Boston that Emilie Loved
Yesterday, I visited a state park where my sisters and I played as kids. It was private land then, a park created by a retired couple and shared, for free, with the public. The wife even crocheted tiny dresses onto tiny dolls and sold them for only a nickel. I still have mine. The park was given to the … More When You Share the Things You Love
Emilie read a lot—and not just casually, but critically. She reviewed children’s books for her father when she was young enough to sit on the publisher’s desk, she reviewed her siblings’ plays in her twenties and thirties, and when she began to write in her forties, she wrote book reviews first. So who were the … More Who were Emilie Loring’s favorite authors?
Cape Cod is lighthouses, sand dunes, boardwalks, and sand fences. It’s shellfish—take your pick: lobster, clams, or scallops—plus cranberries, ice cream cones, and coaster bikes. When you grow up in Arizona, as I did, Cape Cod seems magical. I invoked it when I painted my home a salt-sea gray and again when I planted clambering, … More Fair Tomorrow on the Cape
The Emilie Loring Collection 