November 2009
We are off again on another jaunt. In
April we got two “anywhere in continental USA” tickets from United Airlines
when we were bumped from our flight to Springfield, MO and we have timeshare
weeks that must be used by 2009 or 2010. Connecticut is the farthest from LA
and there is a lovely timeshare resort in Westbrook CT, between New Haven where
Charles and Socheata live at Yale, and Rhode Island where the Vogl nephews
live. The combination makes for a nice vacation.
November 5, 2009
Our usual routine was that James would
take us to John Wayne Airport and Maria will come to stay in the house with
Oatie. By taking an 8:10 am flight, we
miss the 7 AM flight jam at the airport.
7 AM is the earliest times any flight can take off at John Wayne so the
planes wait in line for the starting gun.
Our flight was full so Rich checked the bag at the gate without charge.
We were soon on board for an 8:10 AM
flight to Chicago. I had packed sandwiches for lunch in the Chicago airport
during our 2-hour layover. My seatmate was a CT resident, returning from a
conference in Las Vegas. We had a nice conversation and learned he lived in
Trumbull, CT (about an hour and a half from the Hartford airport.)
At the Dollar Rent a Car I learned there
was an extra charge for everything beyond the car and engine. We were given a 2
door Toyota Yaris for only one driver. This car was like a roller skate with a
top. Our suitcases could not fit in the trunk unless we put the back seat down.
Fortunately, we don’t expect to pack any passengers.
While being pelted with rain, we pulled
over in a Dunkin Donut parking lot to get our bearings. I connected the GPS and
entered Kris Klie’s address. Of course, the GPS was still in CA and started to
give me directions from CA. With an adjustment in programming, we were on our
way.
After 45 minutes on the road, a call came
from Charles. “Mom, What’s your ETA?”
“According to the “English Lady”, 30 min.”
“Have you eaten? I have
food!
With stomach growling already, “On our way!”
We had not seen the Prospect street condo
since 2007 when we cleaned and painted it for Charles as graduate school
housing. The floors had not been refinished and no furniture or décor was in
the living and dining room. We were looking forward to seeing the place as Charles
had told us how he changed some light fixtures and decorated.
We were greeted by Friday, their dog. The
place was tastefully appointed. The tiny kitchen was very efficient and we
could see how other students would be envious of such nice digs. It does not
look like grad student housing.
After some lasagna and fruit for dinner
and some chit chat, we went to Kris Klie’s to spend the night. (We met Kris on
the infamous Cambodian trip.)
“Welcome!” she said with a hug with her dog Copper at her heels.
“We’re only staying one night since Charles only has a floor
mattress. Our timeshare reservation is
for tomorrow,” I assured her.
“Things look different.
What did you do?” Rich asked
trying to remember how things were since we were here two years ago.
“The pipe upstairs broke and flooded the whole house so I had to
redo all the floors. Your room is ready.”
We dragged our suitcases up the stairs. “It’s been a long day. We’ll inspect it tomorrow. Let’s have breakfast together.”
Friday, November 6, 2009
By chance or design, Kris was free on
Friday with no work obligations so was able to hang out with us. We went to a
local diner for breakfast then back to her house to visit. At 9:45 we three
headed for the Divinity School to attend the morning church service where we
would meet Charles.
We met the Dean of Students who was a very
cordial and friendly man. Charles went off to class so we and Kris went off on
an adventure to Louis Lunch, which was on the Food Channel on Diner and
Dives—the birthplace of the hamburger. We arrived just ten minutes after
opening and it was already crowded. With all 15 seats taken, we decided to get
the burgers to-go. Only 10 hamburgers at the time could be cooked in the old wood-burning
fire stove. After waiting for a half-hour for our 3 burgers, we managed to grab
a table and decided to eat there in a tiny booth. It was a naked burger between
two slices of white bread, without onions and tomato, no condiments, and no
relish. We could not figure out why it was such a big deal on the TV show.
Back to Kris’ house, we gathered our
things for our trip to the Westbrook timeshare condo. It is about a 40-minute
drive with the “English Lady” (GPS) guiding us. Check-in was easy. We got a 2
bedroom condo upstairs that sleeps 6, with the possibility of hosting guests.
This resort is a wedding venue. The beautiful lawn stretching to the beach had
two gazebos. The ballroom and dining
room had an ocean view. Our room was an ocean view condo overlooking the Long
Island Sound if you stood on the right of the balcony and beyond the lawn
expanse.
Rich went to explore the lay of the land
while I unpacked and took a short nap. There is no internet in the room but free
wifi is available in the lobby area. By 4:30 PM, we headed back to New haven to
join Charles and friends for “Candlelight at Prospect Street.” Charles and Soch
have hosted Friday night dinners for 12 to build community since they came
here. Only the first 12 who sign up are included. It is in great demand and
people have been turned away.
We arrived earlier than the guests but the
volunteers are already working in the kitchen preparing dinner. We were
introduced to the guests as they arrived. Most were Divinity School students.
About half of them, including us, were first-time attendees. The conversation
was lively, the food good, and the people diverse. We enjoyed ourselves and
left about 10:30 PM. Charles says the party continued to much later. The drive
back to Westbrook seemed a bit shorter as we now know the way.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Armed with maps and brochures, we took Hwy
1 into Old Saybrook, then up the Connecticut River to Essex. I was amazed at
the size of the Connecticut River as we are used to rivers without water. The
Los Angeles River is a concrete trough that has rainwater once or twice a year.
Hawaii has no rivers, just streams. Except for the “mighty Mississippi” I had
never thought of a river big enough to have ships go up and down. In Essex, we
visited the Connecticut River Museum which gave us the history of the
shipbuilding, wars, and trade shipping that took place in that area. Today,
there are mostly pleasure boats. The sailboats were out today with sails
flapping in the wind under the clear skies. After a short stroll through the
town, we bought a picnic lunch and sat by the water’s edge enjoying the
scenery.
We then took the scenic route toward New
Haven to meet Charles and Soch. Since we had eaten, they grabbed a quick bite
at home then we all headed out to the British Museum of Yale. Quite impressive.
I was more impressed with the building than the art. There were large open
spaces of concrete and wood, high ceilings to accommodate such large artworks,
and lots of open sunny places as well as dramatic lighting. After the museum
visit, we were all hungry and went to Modern pizza. Pizza is the main thing in
New Haven. This was one of the most popular places. I will admit it was good.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Cousin Jon Hogg arrived from New York at about
11 AM to take us out for the day. Jon was familiar with the area since he had
formerly worked in the CT. He had the day all planned out for us. He rented a
large Ford combination SUV and station-wagon for the weekend. It was a much
nicer car than our roller skate Toyota Yaris.
Jon took us for brunch at the Griswald Inn
in Essex. Essex was very crowded today because the Thomas train was in town.
Being an architect, Jon was able to give us the architectural history of Essex.
He makes it much more interesting than the brochures.
After brunch, we drove up to Chester then the
scenic route to Guilford. We walked around the green area then went to see the
Whitford House which was closed for the season. Most tourist places close at
the end of October so we are one week too late. Since we had extra time before
meeting Jon’s friends for dinner, we took a short hike in a wooded area
overlooking a lake or river. There are still signs of fall as we waded through
dry leaves on the ground. Walking along in raining leaves was new to me. I’ve
always seen them still on trees or already on the ground, never on the way
down. Though this is past the peak of fall colors, it was still a beautiful study
in browns, yellows, and oranges.
We went a bit early to the Stone House
Restaurant at the seaside. Jon’s friends Bayor and Ellen joined us for an
hour’s visit as they could not stay for dinner. Jon’s had worked for Bayor’s
firm a few years ago. Ellen works in the administration of the Yale drama
department. They are a lovely couple and I can see why Jon likes them so much.
After a meal of too much food, Jon drove us back to Westbrook before returning
to New York.
Monday, November 10, 2009
This is our free day with no other plans.
Of course, it is Monday, and most museums are closed. We did find one of
interest in Hartford—The Mark Twain House and Museum. Hartford is at least an
hour away but we decided to take the AAA scenic route and just enjoy a
leisurely day. Again, thank goodness for the “English Lady” for getting us to
the museum.
The Mark Twain House had a few owners
before it was restored to be a museum. It has been restored as close to the
original as possible. It is a large 3 story house almost in the middle of
Hartford. The museum is quite impressive with tours, exhibits, films, and
educational programs. School children were there all over.
To beat the rush hour traffic, we got on
the road by 3 PM and took another scenic route back to Westbrook. On the way,
we stopped at the Outlet Mall which had more store clerks than customers. One
of the locals directed us to Joe’s Fish Tale restaurant for dinner. Upon
checking our email at the resort, we learned that Michael’s children are sick
so we need to reconsider our visit with them tomorrow.
The weather was slightly overcast but
still very nice for scenic drives. We took highway #1 along the coast, taking
the little side roads along the seashore. Some very lovely homes on beachfront
property. We drove through Saybrook, across to New London, Mystic, Stonington,
and back to West brook.
The Water’s Edge Resort and Spa have an
indoor pool and Jacuzzi, so why not take advantage of it? It was very relaxing.
Now we were ready for a full Lobster dinner for 2 for only $32 at Lenny’s in
Branford. The “English Lady,” got us there. We almost gave up searching for the
place when it popped up. The dinner was very good in this casual, local
restaurant.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Today is Veteran’s Day Holiday. We planned
to visit the Nautilus submarine then visit with the Rob Vogl family. We got a
slow start with just toast in the condo as we were still full from last night’s
dinner. We headed for the Nautilus Museum in Groton. I’m very interested in it
as I remember Dad talking about the ship. Can’t remember what, but just know it
was quite the thing. The Nautilus was the first atomic-powered submarine built
in Groton, CT and after 25 years of service, it was brought home to be anchored
at the museum in Groton. Upon arriving we learned that the ship was closed for
a week for maintenance two weeks a year and this was one of them! The museum
was open so we were able to see the exhibits and view the Nautilus from the
outside but could not go inside. It is submerged in the river except for the
cone.
The museum was full of submarine history
and stories of submarine victories and defeats. The earliest submarine was
invented during the Revolutionary War to attach explosives to the British ships
in the harbor then detonated with a timer. It was like a wooden barrel with one
man aboard on a mission. Throughout the years, the submarine evolved as the
most effective weapon. They are credited for winning WWII in the Pacific. I had
no idea there were so many built throughout the years. It is still a vital part
of the military. They carry the tomahawk, Polaris, and torpedo missiles. Pretty
impressive.
After we visited the museum, we stopped
for some lunch at a local restaurant. They were giving 10% discounts to
Veterans today. Rich said he did serve in the Army so they gave us a discount.
We took the scenic route of #1 along the
coast to North Kingstown to the Rob Vogl’s. It took about an hour and a half to
get to Rob’s. The girls were out taking care of some soccer duties but soon
returned.
“Do you folks like lobster?
I was thinking of getting some for tonight,” Rob offered. “I know this
guy, Trip, who lobster fishes. He said I
could go to the dock around 4:30 or 5:00 where he will be there on his boat
bringing in his catch.”
Susan’s parents, Ed and Lee, arrived to visit also.
We arrived at the dock around 5 PM.
“ Hey Trip, “ hollered Rob.
“Meet my uncle Rich and Aunt Marcia visiting us. You go lobsters for us?”
“Sure, how many you want?
Put them in an inch of boiling water for 8 minutes, then leave them to
steam with the heat off for 15-20 minutes.
They will moist and sweet!”
We bought 9 lively ones and headed back where Susan already had
the water boiling. These were about a pound to a pound and a half each. Susan
had made baked potatoes and a broccoli-cheese dish to go with the meal. We all
dug in and feasted on the lobster. They were sweet and the shells so soft that
we did not need pliers to crack them open.
After dinner, we continued to visit over dessert. Kayla is in the
7th grade, Ryanna in the 6th. Both girls are tall, beautiful, and athletic in
soccer. By 8 PM, we returned to Westbrook.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Going north on I-95 to the Pequot Museum
in Mashantucket reservation of the Pequot Indians we got lost. There is a large
sign pointing the way to the museum but once on the road, there was no signage.
The only clue that we were in the area was the huge Indian Casino, MGM Grand.
We finally asked the hotel valet for directions. The museum was quite a ways
behind the casino. The “English Lady” could not find it because the reservation
is considered a separate “country” and not in CT.
At the museum today were many noisy, green
T-shirt clad school children. We found
the lowest floor quiet. The museum was
massive with three spiral floors of displays. Areas were dedicated to the
historic land formation in the area beginning with glaciers and mastodons;
tools and food, history with the colonists; and Pequot tribe today. One
particularly impressive display was a full-size depiction of village life. Audio
wands provided the story and background of each vignette. The mannequins were
wax figures looking very lifelike. After a little more than 4 hours there and we
still did not see everything. There was a café that normally served Indian
dishes, but to our disappointment, was closed due to a special evening event.
They were expecting 1000 Special Olympic volunteers.
After the museum, we met Charles and
Socheata for dinner in Hartford at a special restaurant Soch picked out
according to the New York Times rave reviews—The Firebox Restaurant. They were returning from a trip in Boston and
we were in Hartford rush hour traffic. The restaurant had a calm and romantic
atmosphere just as we wanted. Charles and Soch met us shortly after we arrived.
The foods were natural—fresh and not processed. It was good but not “wow”. The
chef seemed to be trying too hard with too many mixed flavors. Visiting with
Charles and Soch was the highlight, not the food.
After dinner, we returned to Westbrook
about an hour away. Again, the “English Lady” got us home directly. Tomorrow is
our last day so got to pack up the suitcases again.
November 13, 2009
This was our last full day of vacation. We
did not realize how fortunate we were having such nice weather. The first four
days we had “California Days” of sunshine and clear skies with the temperatures
in the 60’s. The next 3 days were overcast and a little cooler but not
noticeable to us since we were inside museums. Today loomed with dark skies,
showers, gusty winds, and cold.
We packed our bags, checked the condo for
last-minute things, and left at 9 AM looking for breakfast. Yesterday we were
in search of Cheryl’s Café but never found it. Today we decided to stop at a
tiny place called Muffin Corner just at the entrance of the freeway. The Muffin
Corner was the old name of Cheryl’s Café. The sign never got changed. After
breakfast, we returned to New Haven to attend the Yale Chapel Friday morning
service at 10:30 AM. A few of the students Charles had introduced last week
recognized us and welcomed us warmly. Charles joined us just before the service
began.
Today was a Thanksgiving service. The
seats were set up in a circle around a coffee table with a bowl of fruit. Just
before the sermon, everyone was invited to tables that were laden with cheese,
bread, olives, wine, grape juice, and water. We helped ourselves to a snack
then the service resumed with the sermon and some beautiful music. Again the
music rang out as the choir sang as part of the congregation.
We were going to visit the Peabody Museum
but by the time we found it and parked, we would have only 45 minutes before
our lunch date with Kris Klie. We decided to forego the museum and headed to
Panera for fresh baguettes for dinner, as Soch requested. Now it was raining.
“Today is my birthday!” Kris announced, as
we chatted and shared stories. Kris is a
Veterinarian with interesting stories.
She also has a pastor’s heart and her goal is comforting people who have
lost a pet.
The rest of the afternoon was spent resting
at Kris’ house. We tried to connect to the internet but failed. Kris tried all
kinds of things but failed. Finally, we realize the telephone, TV, and cable
services were down. We were going to attend Charles’ Friday night dinner again
so decided to use his internet to check-in online.
People sign up for the Friday night “Candlelight
at Prospect” until the seats are taken. Tonight’s guests were mostly Asian
women undergraduates. Socheata was the chef who served Cambodian appetizer
sandwiches, curry on noodles and sticky rice with fruit for dessert. Needless
to say, we felt like grandparents and the young people talked about their hopes
and dreams which were BIG. They are the leaders of the future--bright,
accomplished, well-traveled, and enthusiastic at age 21!!
By 9:30 we excused ourselves as we have an
early morning start tomorrow. Our last
night will be at Kris’.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Up at 5:15 AM. It’s cold and rainy outside
as we get ready to leave for the airport. Kris and Copper are up to bid us
farewell. With “English Lady” in hand, we head for Bradley International
Airport outside Hartford. As we near the Dollar car rental return, we stop at a
MacDonalds for some breakfast-to-go as we do not know what is available at the
airport at this early hour. Not knowing the car rental place is just out the
back driveway, the “English Lady” took us around the block.
We were especially early this Saturday
morning so the airport was not busy. We had our egg McMuffins while checking
email. This is going to be a long day of airplane rides. Hartford to Dulles, to
San Francisco, to Orange County. Fortunately, all our planes were on time and
we were able to make it to the next connection with only 30 min layover. We had
to trot to the next gate but made all connections. James picked us up at John
Wayne Airport and we came home to a happy dog—Oatie.
It’s fun to travel and oh so nice to be
home.
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