We were up at 7:00. John had already gone to work but we visited briefly with Susan before leaving. We had breakfast at Paul's then went to Meriden to say goodbye to Grandma. She was finishing breakfast when we arrived and we had a nice visit. I had been worried it would be a sad visit, since she's not getting any younger and we both know that each time could well be the last. But I reminded her she had to help eat next year's birthday cake and that seemed to cheer her up.
Then we went to Hartford where we took a tour of the Mark Twain House and bought a few books. The tour was a lot of fun and gave me a lot of insight. I had read an abridged version of Twain's autobiography a few months before and bought the unabridged version at the gift shop.
Then we had lunch at Dan's friend's restaurant, Apps. It was a very slick and trendy place, very nicely done with a tempting menu and the longest list of martinis I had ever seen. We had lunch at the bar and chatted with Dan's friend Mark when he got a break from all the hassles of running a restaurant short-staffed. Watching him set up the bar for his absent bartender brought back memories and I had to restrain myself from the instinct to go back there and start working.
We got to the car rental return with time to spare, and a good thing since we had failed to notice we were low on gas and the rental agency wanted $80 to fill it. Obviously that wasn't happening. I waited with the luggage while Dan went up the road to the gas station and topped off the tank for $13. We remembered the steel in Dan's shoes and in my sweater zipper at security, so got through with no problems and settled in at the gate to wait. I went and bought a cookie and a brownie for snacks.
The flight to Cleveland was uneventful. We had pizza in Cleveland and ate the brownie I had bought in Hartford, which turned out to be one of the most decadently rich brownies I'd had in a long time. I was glad I hadn't known how good it was or I would've surely bought several of them and needed an extra seat on the plane back to Houston! The flight home was delayed and re-routed, arriving a bit later than planned, but at least we had no one waiting for us. We found the car dusty but otherwise fine at the park and ride, and got home to our grateful animals by ten.
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Minor Adventures in Hiking
Tuesday, June 10
We got up early and had breakfast at Paul's. Service was very slow. I indulged in cinnamon raisin French toast instead of my usual bowl of oatmeal. Then we went to the store for trail mix, water and insect repellent. Next we went to the Cheshire Library to find a UPS store, only to find out that there was one right on our way to Sleeping Giant. We stopped in and got information about how to ship some things back to Houston. Then we went on to the park.
At Sleeping Giant we took the easy tower trail to the point where it intersect with the difficult blue trail which we had been on the day our vacation began. The blue trail wasn't as difficult as previously, so obviously the most difficult parts were in the early parts which we had done the first time we came to Sleeping Giant. Still, it was a good walk and we saw hawks and a wild turkey with her chicks. The mother became very aggressive with us, and we almost feared we wouldn't be able to continue on our path. We spent a lot of time watching her, trying to stay safely out of harm's way. Finally we continued on, but didn't meet with any more interesting wildlife. We took the easier orange trail back to the picnic area for a total hiking time of about four hours.
Back at home, Dan settled in to watch a video after we loaded our UPS box with items to ship home. Then although I was sleepy I dressed for a run. John and Susan had praised the local rail trail the night before and I figured my trip wouldn't be complete if I didn't go for at least a short run on it. It was a very nice trail, shaded most of the way from trees meeting overhead. There was a wide dirt shoulder for runners and an asphalt path for walkers, skaters and cyclists. The trail followed the old train line, which followed the old canal line. Lock 12 of the canal had been restored and I stopped and took and look. The water ran alongside most of the trail, affording occasional glimpses of ducks, including a pair of mallards with their chicks. I ran 30 minutes one way, turned around and ran back.
I got back in plenty of time for Dan to take the box to the UPS store while I took a shower. Then we went to see Grandma for a bit. We showed her our digital pictures and she admired our camera very much. Finally she became tired and we went back to Cheshire. John and Susan picked up some Chinese take-out and we had dinner while I did laundry. I was up late packing and spent 30 frustrating minutes looking for my missing toothbrush and then re-packing everything again. This left me grumpy and thoroughly out of sorts by the time I went to bed around midnight.
We got up early and had breakfast at Paul's. Service was very slow. I indulged in cinnamon raisin French toast instead of my usual bowl of oatmeal. Then we went to the store for trail mix, water and insect repellent. Next we went to the Cheshire Library to find a UPS store, only to find out that there was one right on our way to Sleeping Giant. We stopped in and got information about how to ship some things back to Houston. Then we went on to the park.
At Sleeping Giant we took the easy tower trail to the point where it intersect with the difficult blue trail which we had been on the day our vacation began. The blue trail wasn't as difficult as previously, so obviously the most difficult parts were in the early parts which we had done the first time we came to Sleeping Giant. Still, it was a good walk and we saw hawks and a wild turkey with her chicks. The mother became very aggressive with us, and we almost feared we wouldn't be able to continue on our path. We spent a lot of time watching her, trying to stay safely out of harm's way. Finally we continued on, but didn't meet with any more interesting wildlife. We took the easier orange trail back to the picnic area for a total hiking time of about four hours.
Back at home, Dan settled in to watch a video after we loaded our UPS box with items to ship home. Then although I was sleepy I dressed for a run. John and Susan had praised the local rail trail the night before and I figured my trip wouldn't be complete if I didn't go for at least a short run on it. It was a very nice trail, shaded most of the way from trees meeting overhead. There was a wide dirt shoulder for runners and an asphalt path for walkers, skaters and cyclists. The trail followed the old train line, which followed the old canal line. Lock 12 of the canal had been restored and I stopped and took and look. The water ran alongside most of the trail, affording occasional glimpses of ducks, including a pair of mallards with their chicks. I ran 30 minutes one way, turned around and ran back.
I got back in plenty of time for Dan to take the box to the UPS store while I took a shower. Then we went to see Grandma for a bit. We showed her our digital pictures and she admired our camera very much. Finally she became tired and we went back to Cheshire. John and Susan picked up some Chinese take-out and we had dinner while I did laundry. I was up late packing and spent 30 frustrating minutes looking for my missing toothbrush and then re-packing everything again. This left me grumpy and thoroughly out of sorts by the time I went to bed around midnight.
Monday, June 09, 2003
Shakers and Simsbury
I jumped out of bed early, hoping for clear skies so we could go for a canoe ride. I had a notion of making banana pancakes and enjoying some time on the lake before heading back to Connecticut. But it was still gray and overcast out, so I went back to bed until 8:30. Then we re-heated the leftover waffles from the previous day's breakfast, packed and cleaned up the cottage. While I was straightening up Dan's badly wrinkled bed I made the discovery that he had two blankets. I had none and had been cold at night, thinking there were no blankets in the cottage for the summer!
Once everything was packed and in order, we headed north toward the Hancock Shaker Village. It took longer to get there than we anticipated because most of the roads were small two-lane affairs with lots of stops in the local towns. But it was worth the time it took to get there. The place was much bigger than the Enfield Shaker Museum in New Hampshire, and almost every original building was intact and restored with original furnishings and tools. We especially enjoyed the round barn and the communal kitchen, although the workshops and school were a lot of fun, too. It was also baby animal time at the village, and we went through one of the barns enjoying the piglets, lambs, kids and chicks.
It took us until 3:00 to see everything, and I felt like I could've stayed forever in that simple, peaceful place. But we had to get back on the road, so after buying some turkey sandwiches and a cookie at the village café, we headed south toward Simsbury to see if we could hook up with Susan. It was a longer drive than we had anticipated and slow going in a lot of areas. But we got there around 4:30 and Susan gave us a tour of her library. Then she let me check my email on her computer and I noticed an original copy of Elmer Gantry on her shelves, slated for sale at a future library event. I bought the book, above her protests that I could just take it.
Then Susan took us for a quick look around Simsbury. She took us to the flower bridge, then to a local mountain with great views of the town and surrounding countryside. It had several steep drop-offs that she said were used by local hang-gliders. Then she took us to see the biggest tree in Connecticut-- a giant sycamore that dwarfed any other tree I'd seen in my life. I think only a redwood could compare to this monster!
We dropped Susan off at the library and headed to Meriden to keep our promise to Grandma that we would be back on Monday. We got there around 7:30 and found her dozing in bed. She woke up though, and was pleased to see us. I was pleasantly surprised to find her very alert and almost chatty. We had a good talk but didn't stay long because we didn't want to keep her up late.
Back in Cheshire, we unloaded our bags and visited with John a bit. He had his laptop so we looked up a restaurant in Hartford owned by one of Dan's friends, a professor he worked with the year before. We didn't feel like driving all the way to Hartford for dinner though, and when Susan returned home, we all went out to Cheshire Pizza. For once John allowed us to pick up the tab.
By then it was pretty late, so when we got home we went to bed.
Once everything was packed and in order, we headed north toward the Hancock Shaker Village. It took longer to get there than we anticipated because most of the roads were small two-lane affairs with lots of stops in the local towns. But it was worth the time it took to get there. The place was much bigger than the Enfield Shaker Museum in New Hampshire, and almost every original building was intact and restored with original furnishings and tools. We especially enjoyed the round barn and the communal kitchen, although the workshops and school were a lot of fun, too. It was also baby animal time at the village, and we went through one of the barns enjoying the piglets, lambs, kids and chicks.
It took us until 3:00 to see everything, and I felt like I could've stayed forever in that simple, peaceful place. But we had to get back on the road, so after buying some turkey sandwiches and a cookie at the village café, we headed south toward Simsbury to see if we could hook up with Susan. It was a longer drive than we had anticipated and slow going in a lot of areas. But we got there around 4:30 and Susan gave us a tour of her library. Then she let me check my email on her computer and I noticed an original copy of Elmer Gantry on her shelves, slated for sale at a future library event. I bought the book, above her protests that I could just take it.
Then Susan took us for a quick look around Simsbury. She took us to the flower bridge, then to a local mountain with great views of the town and surrounding countryside. It had several steep drop-offs that she said were used by local hang-gliders. Then she took us to see the biggest tree in Connecticut-- a giant sycamore that dwarfed any other tree I'd seen in my life. I think only a redwood could compare to this monster!
We dropped Susan off at the library and headed to Meriden to keep our promise to Grandma that we would be back on Monday. We got there around 7:30 and found her dozing in bed. She woke up though, and was pleased to see us. I was pleasantly surprised to find her very alert and almost chatty. We had a good talk but didn't stay long because we didn't want to keep her up late.
Back in Cheshire, we unloaded our bags and visited with John a bit. He had his laptop so we looked up a restaurant in Hartford owned by one of Dan's friends, a professor he worked with the year before. We didn't feel like driving all the way to Hartford for dinner though, and when Susan returned home, we all went out to Cheshire Pizza. For once John allowed us to pick up the tab.
By then it was pretty late, so when we got home we went to bed.
Sunday, June 08, 2003
Rainy Day
In the morning Dan and John worked on fixing the dock while I made coffee and raisin waffles for breakfast. I felt like quite the girly-girl, being in the kitchen while the men were outside doing manly things with tools. We had breakfast, and then John went back to Cheshire around noon. Dan and I decided to stay awhile and see if the weather would clear later, since it had become gray and drizzly again. It stayed that way all day. We ate the rest of the pizza and walked over to Otter Pond, looking for beaver dams without success. We saw some rabbits, but that was about it.
Back at the cottage we spent a cozy afternoon reading and enjoying the fire in the wood stove. I found some marshmallows and we toasted them. Funny how our tastes change, but they were sweeter than I had remembered them being when I was a kid. Later we made pasta for dinner and I attempted to make an herb flatbread without a recipe. We ended up with something that thankfully tasted better than it looked. We spent the rest of the evening talking, working on a jigsaw puzzle and sipping tea in front of the fire.
Back at the cottage we spent a cozy afternoon reading and enjoying the fire in the wood stove. I found some marshmallows and we toasted them. Funny how our tastes change, but they were sweeter than I had remembered them being when I was a kid. Later we made pasta for dinner and I attempted to make an herb flatbread without a recipe. We ended up with something that thankfully tasted better than it looked. We spent the rest of the evening talking, working on a jigsaw puzzle and sipping tea in front of the fire.
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