"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow."
– Lin Yutang

Dear Friends,

Summer's upon us! Any big plans for you?

Whether you're hitting the road or hosting out-of-towners, don't forget to make Maynard a destination. We want to gently promote our local landmarks. Celebrating the near at hand. Taking stock in our own backyards and neighborhoods.

So take the time you'd normally spend choreographing that cross-country drive and chart out an adventure within your home's ten-mile radius instead. Bring your out-of-town friends. (We've highlighted a few of our favorite points of interest below, for starters.) Or if your plans take you farther afield, bring a piece of Boston's hip MetroWest culture with you. Stop into our shop for a unique memento before you head out.

Be that cross-cultural ambassador you've always aspired to become. At home, abroad, or at any point between.

Aloha,
Your Local Travel Guides at Dunia

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In The Gallery: Spatial Rhythms, Photographs/Photograms by Peter Dreyer

We're excited to feature a collection of beautiful photographs and photograms (images created by exposing objects placed directly upon photosensitive paper) by Westwood-based Peter Dreyer as part of our Gallery @ Dunia series!

Titled Spatial Rhythms, the exhibit showcases Peter's fondness of geometric patterns in still-life fragments, and ability - in a single image - to create sensations that may be altogether different when viewed up close or from a distance. Though their subjects vary greatly, all of the images selected for Spatial Rhythms are bold of line and assertive of space. The fact that Dreyer eschews digital reworking makes his images all the more remarkable.

Spatial Rhythms will be on display on our walls from June 14 through August 21. Fifteen percent of the sales proceeds from Spatial Rhythms artwork will be donated to Mass Audubon.

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Think Globally, Travel Locally

Here's what makes the Greater Maynard Area so great: its many destinations. We're blessed with all the Summer attractions – orchards, ice creameries, vineyards and waterways – in short, all the trappings of vacationland. And while we understand the risks involved (we're bracing ourselves for your fervent debate about our choices), we thought we'd list a handful of our personal favorite all-ages hangouts.

Shelburne Farm - Now featuring pick your own strawberries and friendly farm animals (including Lady the Wonder Llama)!

Erikson's Dairy - A perfect closer on a warm Summer evening.

Nashoba Valley Winery - A stunning hilltop orchard and fine dining restaurant.

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary - Experience a real working farm and a wildlife sanctuary on the same day.

Old Frog Pond Farm - The only certified organic pick-your-own farm in The Commonwealth!

NARA Park - a.k.a. North Acton Recreation Area, this unique municipal resource offers a sandy beach, boating, an outside amphitheater and playgrounds.

Assabet River Rail Trail - A multi-use recreational rail trail that will eventually pass through the communities of Marlborough, Hudson, Stow, Maynard and Acton.

Fruitlands Museum - A National Historic Landmark featuring local art, native American and Shaker artifacts and breathtaking vistas.

Do check out these exemplary New England haunts and let us know how it went. Or send us your own favorite destinations...maybe we'll highlight them in upcoming newsletters.

Enjoy the journey!

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Featured Product: Button-Up Jewelry by Bumpy Beeler

We love Sara Matias, and chances are, if you've seen her work, you do too. Her Button-Up jewelry is exquisite in its simplicity. Each Button-Up creation encapsulates an odyssey that begins with a button – mother-of-pearl, Bakelite, carnival glass, Swarovski crystal or metal – that Sara may have hunted down in New York City's fashion district, an antique shop, a flea market, a yard sale or on the Web.

“I search high and low,” says Sara, who lives in Maynard, right over the hill from Dunia, “for the greatest buttons on Earth.” She then lovingly (and ingeniously) adorns them with silver wire, silver chains, and beads, before sharing them with the world through just a handful of boutique venues.

Check out our latest collection of Sara's Bumpy Beeler pendants and rings as you make the rounds of your local haunts. Bring friends in to pick out their own designs. Or hand-pick some favorites as keepsakes for friends afar, to memorialize the hazy, crazy, lazy days you spend together this Summer.

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Holler back at us! Check out our Facebook group, the Dunia Ecostore Community Bulletin Board. Post a message, share the group on your wall, and BE YOURSELF! (Heck, we love that stuff!)