Outing to Lyman Orchards Peach Festival

August 14th was Lyman Farm's Peach Festival.  It was announced on the news and in the newspaper. I thought is sounded fun. We invited the other senior couple, Elder and Sister Worthington, to accompany us and it was off to the Lyman Farms--about 40 minutes south of Bloomfield.  Besides we were missing fresh West Mountain peaches so we thought we'd give fresh Connecticut peaches a try.

The above picture is of  the Old Lyman Main House. It is used now as a reception center. We just couldn't resist taking a few pictures.

This is a side view of the back of the main Lyman house.

To the side was this restored Wash House.  The windows were thick and looked original.  Below is what it looked like inside. Can you imagine doing wash in a separate room like this during all the seasons?

Next it was off to the sunflower maze and apple orchards.  This year the maze was shaped like a turtle.  From a distance it looked like some of the flowers had died but when we got closer, they are actually brown pedaled flowers.  If you look closely you can see a bee enjoying the dark brown flower.

I had ran off discount coupons to the maze but it was hot and no one really wanted to do the maze so I gave them to a family by the ticket booth.  I also picked fresh apples by this site. 

Ahhhhhh, fresh peaches!  We looked kind of funny in the middle of the orchard in our missionary garb but we didn't care.  The Worthingtons picked nectarines too. We are still just finishing up eating the peaches.  I think they rank pretty close to West Mountain peaches too. The Worthingtons wish they had picked more.

I didn't get a picture of the farm market.  That is the hub of the facility along with their 18-hole golf course. They also have an outdoor eatery that specializes in breakfasts on the porch.  Inside they sell everything from hot pepper jelly and crackers to peach salsa and everything in between. The day we were there was taste sample day.  Yummm!

After Lyman Farms, Elder Mendenhall remembered seeing a covered bridge on a picture that shouldn't have been too far away.  It is listed as one of the oldest covered bridges being erected in the mid-1700s. Off we trekked to find the bridge.  The roads are narrow and winding and we finally found it only to be disappointed that it was being restored and closed to the public. Oh well, it still was an adventure.

Better Homes and Gardens

What makes New England so charming are the great houses and plants.  We've always enjoyed nature. In fact, Cole teases us that it's usually a picture of Doc or Pam by a tree.  I thought you might enjoy a stroll with us around Elizabeth Park. The roses have faded but some of the other blooms are just gorgeous.

Above is one of the dinner plate dahlias.  They have rows and rows of them in raised flower beds in all colors, shapes and sizes.  This was one of the early ones.

We really like this section in the perennial garden.  The dark purple plants in the middle are ornamental millet. The birds liked it too.

Check out Doc by one of the planted areas.

I didn't know coleus (sp?) could get so tall. Way pretty!

These next houses are all located close to Elizabeth Park. Sometimes it's just fun to stroll around the periphery. This house is a typical New England home.  There's always a window above the door--most have shudders.  Some shudders are workable and have metal hooks holding them open; others are just ornamental. We liked the side room on this house. It just looked warm and inviting.

This one is unique because the main entrance is to the left side.  We also liked the pale yellow color.

Once again, this home has the clapboard siding and the traditional entry with dormers.

These next pixs are of one of our all time favorites.  It's not as big as some but with the various angles and mediums of stone, stucko and siding, we fell in love with it.  The following are just different views.

Thanks for taking a stroll with us in Hartford, CT.

All Aboard!

All aboard the Essex express!  In case we have some visitors sometime while we're serving, we decided to explore a few places that folks may find interesting. So it was off to the seaport of Essex that's about an hours drive south of Bloomfield. We didn't make it into the city, but we did hop the steam train and then the Becky Thatcher paddle boat and enjoyed a lazy morning on the Connecticut River.

The train is coal powered similar to the engines at Silverton, Colorado. The conductors were fun and had lots of trip commentary including fun things for kids to notice on the way.

The train took us to the boat launching area. The boat ride was refreshing on a hot summer's day. It lasted about an hour and a half.  Along the way we saw some gorgeous lake front homes including one mansion that was getting ready for a wedding that evening.  The tour guide said they planned a huge fireworks show.  Most large weddings, like Chelsey Clinton's, include fireworks.  (My kind of celebrating!)

Along the Connecticut River is the Gillette Castle.  It was built at the turn of the century by an actor who played the role of Sherlock Holmes. He included in the estate a train and tracks that run around the periphery of the estate.  He left no heirs and the mansion along with the acreage was gifted to the state of Connecticut.  It is now a state park.  The castle is open for tours and we were told there are some great hiking paths.  The only access to the castle is by a river ferry.

The boat also was a great vantage point to see this boarding school dedicated to under privileged youth.  It kind of reminded me of Hogwarts. The tour guide said it's a prestigious school and children are chosen to attend rather than placed by the state.

We also saw several bald eagle nests and eagles. There were special stands built just for nesting areas.

Old Saybrook and Saybrook are close to Essex. We stopped for lunch at a diner on the way and had Rhode Island clam chowder.  It's a clear broth chowder that to me tasted more fishy than pleasant. Mikey (alias Doc who eats anything) enjoyed it. It reminded him of the oyster stew his mother fixed.

Doc picked up a map at the train station and noticed lighthouses in Saybrook that's along the Long Island Sound. We were disappointed the two lighthouses are not accessible to the public.  In fact, most of the beaches are privately owned. We had to stop on a road and and quickly grab this shot.  Notice the eagle nest in the foreground.

July Day Trip to Kent Falls and Cornwall

Last month we decided to do some local exploring and head to Kent Falls. We learned about the falls while attending a zone conference.  President and Sister Pehrson have taken their family to the falls so we decided to check it out.  It was well worth the hour drive.

Kent Falls has several tiers and areas where people can actually get into the water and splash to their hearts content.

There are well-established hiking paths on both sides of the falls with observation spots. 

  

The next stop on our day trip is close to Kent Fall. It's the covered bridge at Cornwall. The single-lane bridge is the only access to the quaint town.

Just over the bridge is this adorable Quaker furniture shop. Take a look at some of the handcrafted furniture.

The town has some great shops including the Wandering Moose restaurant.  The menu looked great but charges $12 for a salad. Yikes! I thought this summer display in a hair salon was adorable with the beach balls and beach chairs.

This could be entitled me and the quilted bear.

This yard chicken is for you Chelsey.  It looks like it's made of scrap metal and stands quite tall. It really is so cute in person.