A couple of days around Stratford, CT

It has been since 2019 since we went overnight anywhere, so long ago. We were having a hard time squeezing in another getaway with "life as it is" but we penciled in a couple of days to not go too far but to have a needed change of scenery. Since it was only going to be a couple of days, I splurged on a place right on the beach so I could hear the splashing waves from our room and my desire was to once again, see an ocean sunrise or sunset. More about that later. 

When I called the Surfside Hotel for reservations (I have learned it is sometimes cheaper to call the hotel itself than to use a 3rd party site. There was no difference in charge this time, but at least I could verify a few things), I specified a room with a good view of the ocean and preferred first floor. He asked why the 1st floor, I knew there were only stairs and told him two people with arthritis. He said the best view is 2nd floor and no problem, he would help us with our bags. Well, evidently whoever, he was, was not on duty. A girl did help one of us with a bag and we lugged the other on our 1st trip up the stairs. We do not travel lightly--a bag each (you just never know if the weatherman will be right and just in case we are forced to stay longer), CPAP machine, bag of reading material (and of course, we were both reading hardcovers), snacks, drinks, extra coat and shoes, etc. 

The room was lovely, the view great and there was a wonderful deck overlooking the beach. Big TV that promised Netflix, which I hoped to watch a particular movie later, but never got the Netflix to work. No biggie.

View from our deck

Outside view. Our deck was on the 2nd floor. 

Front view of motel. 

The weather was not what we had hoped. There were showers the first day, they held off the second day, but was foggy and then cloudy all day. The little beach we had provided me with my treasures. I found multiple pieces of sea glass. The sea gulls at this beach seemed extremely annoyed with us. I truly think their squawking was telling us to leave. They also seemed to be bigger than the seagulls we used to see at the Cape. These ones were well fed, for sure. They may not look big in the pictures, but there were some pretty big ones, trust me. 

Forever, my fascination with rocks...

Where we stayed there was also the Lordship Seawall, a nice place to walk. Our motel had bicycles and had the weather been better, I would have been very tempted to try one out, but we kept to walking with our walking sticks. These were taken on the beach by the seawall and in the little area across from it. 

A couple of pictures from some greens in Stratford.

Stratford has an amazing sports and recreation complex. Part of it is on the beach. I took this picture trying to find out what this was off of Short Beach. Haven't figure it out yet.

The next day we ventured off to the Boothe Park & Museum. The buildings and grounds were donated to the town by the Boothe family and is free to visit. You can wander the grounds anytime, but the museums were not open this time of year. I had printed up a map of the grounds with enough information to make it a very enjoyable stroll among the many buildings.

The best way I could describe this is a collection of unique buildings without any rhyme or reason, but all very fun to look at. We will probably want to venture back when they are open.

Here is the last remaining toll booth from CT from 1988.

Instead of explaining all the buildings, I'll just share the photos I took.

We also went to Silver Sands Beach and after a wrong turn, found Walnut Beach. There was a seagull convention at one. Silver Sands required a little hike on a boardwalk.

Liked watching the waves crash on this. I assume it is an old pier.

We had seen a movie where they mentioned, "love locks"--people putting padlocks on bridges to symbolize their love. 

Some gulls we met. 

We could see these from our deck. Were we watching them or were they watching us?

More views from our deck.

One thing I really wanted on this getaway was either one sunrise or one sunset on the ocean. With the rainy, cloudy weather, this was the closest I could get. 

But finding sea glass is another thing that makes an ocean day special, and I felt like God said, "you can't have a sunset or sunrise this time, but how about a heart shaped piece of sea glass?" I was very happy to find this treasure--the brown piece in the middle. These are just some of the pieces I picked up along with some rock treasures that I couldn't resist.

A few of the rocks.

We ate at the Little Pub below the hotel.

Enjoyed seeing the still pretty foliage on the way home.

It was nice to get away and we do hope to return to Walnut Beach and the Boothe Museum one day.

Memorial Day 2022

Tradition. It means leaving the house at 8 am to be sure we are there in time to watch the annual Norfolk Memorial Day Parade. My husband usually marches in it most years with the veterans, but now watches it with me. 

The parade is barely 10 minutes long, but you can watch it on one side of the green, go across and watch it on the other side and then follow it down the hill to the World War I memorial, and watch them march back up the hill. At the WWI memorial, a ceremony is held, and we listen as names are read of loved ones and friends who served and have passed away. 

Patriotic band music, marchers from different organizations, gun salutes, taps being played and echoed back. This is tradition and going back up the hill to our car is a little harder every year, but another year done. 

The Norfolk Congregational Church where we were married in 1975.

Ringing the bell.

Taps.

Of interesting historic note, a name was added to the honor roll from an accident that happened March 31, 1943. Lt. Daniel Henry Thorson was on a training flight from Long Island to Bradley when his plane crashed in Norfolk due to stormy weather conditions. The plane was not found by the military search team. A few weeks later, two Yale Forestry students happened upon the crash site near Blackberry Ridge.

A granite memorial was put at the scene of the crash in 2003. Although Lt. Thorson was from Great Falls, Montana, he is honored and remembered in Norfolk, CT. 

How we met

Forty-seven years ago on this day, January 31, 1975, I had

just gotten back from a 10 day or so, girls road trip to Michigan. A friend of mine wanted to go out that night and I didn't want to go. I tried to get out of it, but she guilted me into going, so I went begrudgingly. I really wanted to stay home. 

Our usual place was the Springtree Lounge in Torrington, CT. This was a nice place to listen to bands, dance and have a drink and possibly meet "someone." Back then people dressed business casual to go there. My memories are that it was a nicer, more upscale place, but I really didn't go to too many other places, so didn't have a lot to compare it with, but it was a hopping place back then. 70's music played from disco to CCR to Barry Manilow and other hits of the time. 

That particular night this guy came over because he knew someone at our table, but he chose me to ask to dance. I said, "Yes". Four months later I said, "yes" again when he asked the big question at the parking lot of the Chart House restaurant in Simsbury. I said, "I do" (actually, "I will") when we were married in Norfolk, CT and that afternoon when we started our married life, we danced to "Mandy" one of our favorite first songs that we danced to at the Springtree Lounge.

January 31, 1975: the anniversary of the day I stopped dating anyone else, the day we met, the day our lives became forever intertwined. And to think, I wanted to stay home. 

Shared with Your fForty-seven years ago on this day, I had just gotten back from a 10 day or so, girls road trip to Michigan. A friend of mine wanted to go out that night and I didn't want to go. I tried to get out of it, but she guilted me into going, so I went begrudgingly. I really wanted to stay home