from Wicked Local Milton

Several years ago, Boston teenager Ray McKinnon joined his mother, Jean McKinnon, as a TrailWatch volunteer in the Blue Hills State Reservation, helping out the public with maps, trail information and safety tips.

McKinnon went on to become a seasonal park ranger in the 7,000-acre Blue Hills; now he’s a full-time ranger. On Tuesday evening, he and other rangers welcomed about 30 TrailWatch volunteers, including his mother, to the annual appreciation barbecue. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation hosted the event. (Read the full story here.)

We are on vacation for 2 weeks. We will continue to post as time allows but will not be back in town until 8/16. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

Bryan Marquard of the Boston Globe covered Jennifer Kelly’s funeral service for the Boston Globe. In today’s online Metro Desk section he has written  a follow up article reflecting on his vocation in general and Ms. Kelly’s service in particular.

He begins:

I am a professional funeral-goer. Sure, now that I’m middle-aged, I go to my share of memorial services for family and friends. But usually I attend funerals to gather information, as was the case Monday with the Mass for Jennifer Kelly of Milton.

You can read the full story here.

from Wicked Local Milton

When it comes to managing the resources of the Blue Hills Reservation, a 7,000-acre expanse that contains trails, ponds, ski slopes, wildlife, a golf course and much more, the most important things are clearly a matter of opinion.

About 80 people packed a stuffy room in the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Trailside Museum on Wednesday to offer opinions and ideas on the state’s efforts to write a Blue Hills Resource Management Plan. (Read the full story here.)

from The Boston Globe

An apparent road rage incident early yesterday in Milton led to the arrest of a Middleborough man who State Police said brandished a handgun at another driver. (Read the full story here.)

Abby Park, the new restaurant in East Milton, is on schedule to open August 3rd.

In an email that went out earlier this week, they provided a glimpse at some menu items. They include:

The “Park Board” – a dish with a distinct offering of tiny flatbread, marinated olives, Parma prosciutto with pickled eggplant, Great Hill Bleu with fig jam, spicy Marcona almonds and white bean & rosemary dip.

Lobster Cavatelli – Chef Michael adds a creative twist to this classic entrée combining the flavors of lemony mascarpone, pea greens and oyster mushrooms.

Grilled Lamb Two Ways – Grilled garden eggplant, slow roasted plum tomato & curry-yogurt sauce complement the perfectly prepared lamb.

Tuscan Bricked Chicken
Warm spinach, red onion, and leg confit combine to make, what is sure to become, an Abby Park classic.

You can find their web site here. They are giving away 10 free dinners for two for folks who sign up for their newsletter.

Milton will be well represented in this week end’s Pan-Mass Challenge. The Challenge is the nation’s pioneer bike-a-thon and raises more money than any other athletic event in the country. All proceeds go to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund.

It is not too late to donate. You can support a rider or become a virtual rider yourself. Visit the Pan-Mass Challenge web site for more information.

Here are the Milton residents riding this week end. Good luck all!

Stephen Affanato, Rob Arcangeli, Arleen Bernardi, Leon Brink, Rea Cassidy, Frank Connell, Laurent Delli-Bovi, Stephen Fledman, Christine Freeman, William Garity, Brendan McLaughlin, Doreen McLaughlin, John McLaughlin, Gerry Morrisey, Dennis Newman, Jen Noonan, John Peterson, Joe Petitti, Simon Phillips, Christian Regnier, Donna Robinson, Mark Robinson, Justin Rohn, Mary Ryan, Morgan Salmon, Dylan Sanders, James Suppelsa, Pauline Wells, and William Zucker.

from The Boston Globe

Though a bit oblivious to the charisma that drew so many to her, Jennifer Kelly kept old friends close and added circle after circle of acquaintances as she nimbly stepped through the phases of her life.

“She was the kind of girl that everyone in class wanted to be friends with,’’ Luisa McDonough, a friend since they were children in Dorchester, said at a funeral Mass yesterday. (Read the full story here.)