The Fisher House in Connecticut

This past week George had carotid-subclavian bypass surgery. An artery in his neck was so clogged and calcified that they couldn't place a stent, so they had to do a full bypass. We are hoping this clears up some issues he was having.

What I wanted to let people know, if you are a veteran and live more than an hour away from the VA hospital where you will be admitted, your family can be put up in housing while you are in the hospital.
In the 1990's a wonderful couple, Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher built the first Fisher House in Bethesda, MD. They saw a need, to help families stay close to their loved ones during VA hospital stays. The Fishers have since passed away, but the Fisher House Foundation keeps their legacy alive. Today, there are nearly 100 Fisher houses, mostly in the US, with a few overseas.
The Fisher House Foundation, designs and build the houses, furnishes and decorates them, and then donates them to the VA. The VA staffs them with administrative workers, housekeeping and maintenance.

I was blessed to be able to stay there while George was in the hospital--and because his surgery was early in the morning, we were able to stay the night before. The houses are built to be a home away from home to reduce the stress of long drives and hotel costs. They are beautifully made with high-quality fixtures and beautiful decor.

We stayed at the Fisher House on the West Haven VA hospital campus. It was amazing. You stay in a bedroom with your own bathroom. There are a shared kitchen, dining room, family room and outdoor patio. You have your own personal fridge space and pantry cupboard for any food you bring, but there is also a generous supply of donated food available for families. The food is donated by various organizations.

These pictures will show you what a beautiful place it is and what an awesome way to honor veterans and their families in stressful times. I wanted to spread the word.

There were many photographs along the hallways. We must have walked by this 5 times before we noticed this picture from our hometown! Another God wink: I was talking to a woman who was staying there while her husband had surgery. It turned out that not only did she live in the next town over, but she lived a couple of houses away from a house we used to rent out. I love coincidences like that. 

But there's more Sunrise & a note from November 1, 1975 to November 1, 2025

One of my most favorite things is watching the sunrise or set, especially at the ocean. Each morning I hoped for the clouds to clear so I could see one. Finally, our last day we got one--not spectacular like others in our past years, but satisfying.

We noticed that the resort was set up for a wedding to be held on November 1st--our anniversary. We thought about crashing the wedding, but we weren't staying that long. We decided it would be fun to leave the bride and groom a note and this is what we did. 

50 Years last day of celebrating

One morning we went to Sandwich to the beach where my parents always rented a house. I did not find any sea glass, but did bring home several rocks that I liked. Pictures from Sandwich:

We also visited the spot that we always used to visit before we left the Cape to feed the ducks. Different angle, but same spot.

We ended our little excursion by staying in Sturbridge at a room with a view of a lake, keeping with the water theme. They had an indoor pool in the middle of a courtyard. 

The place is pretty but has several drawbacks that doesn't entice us to return.

Unusual tree.

At this one, Canadian Geese welcomed us, but they were short staffed--not quite 50. 

50 Years celebrations continue

The next day after the train ride, we drove up to Provincetown for a trolley tour. It was a very informative tour. 

I didn't get a good picture of this, but all the houses in Provincetown that have that little blue plaque, were houses that were built out on a piece of land that was becoming flooded and they actually floated all these homes to where they are now. 

Miscellaneous pictures of Provincetown

From a store window:

Other sites on another day:

Other places another day: