Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Ah, autumn ...

 

"I'm dreaming of less humid weather ... just like the kind depicted here... (to be sung to the tune of "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas").

Took this photo on a fun road trip in October 2010 with my travelin' friend Linda, of "Are We There Yet?" fame, who since then has started a wonderful travel blog, The Distracted Wanderer and now a second one, Travels with Nathaniel.

I urge you to check them out ~ especially if you like American history, traveling, and living vicariously. (grin)

The scene is just across from the old-fashioned Green in the center of Norfolk, Ct.  

~  Join the fun! See lots of interesting shadowy photos from around the world at Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Shadow Shot Sunday ~ guest photographer

Last Saturday my friend Linda (The Distracted Wanderer) took me on another road trip. She apparently likes to drive and I apparently like to passenge...if that were a word! It was an incredibly mild day for January.

I wrote about part of the trip here. After we visited a bakery/cupcakery in East Haven, Ct. (yummy!) we headed to Sherwood Island State Park on Long Island Sound in Westport, Ct.

It is home to Connecticut's memorial to victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Names listed on the memorial are those of Connecticut residents or those who had close family who live in Connecticut.

Linda snapped a photo of me when I wasn't looking, and sent it along for me to use in this week's Shadow Shot Sunday.

I'm happy to be back sharing shadows..I missed a few weeks simply because I was disorganized! My spouse, Ralph, rarely misses a week.

Join the fun at Shadow Shot Sunday 2.


Thanks again, Linda, for the cool photo.

So much for resolutions

It's only 11 days into the new year and I seem to have broken most of the ones I made. Must remember not to make any next year!


But today is a new day and I'm trying to keep one, which is to write a daily blog post.

I can't really write much of a post about the Cupcake Trip that Duchess Linda and I took Saturday to Sugar Bakery & Sweet Shop in East Haven, Ct. , winner of the Food Network's Cupcake Wars in 2010.
As you can see from the link (please read her post) she already wrote a comprehensive one!

We enjoyed these sweet samples of frosting ~ and then came the hard part: which cupcakes to buy? 

It took quite a while to choose from more than 20 varieties. 

This trip broke another resolution, come to think of it! Consuming cupcakes (even though I only had half of one) is no way to lose weight. I bought four different chocolatey ones; the children each had one, I brought one to my chocoholic mom and Ralph and I split the remaining one. Yummy!
 
They even sell T-shirts. One says "Keep Calm and Eat A Cupcake." Don't know how to stay calm after consuming all that sugar, but I'm willing to give it a try.  The map of the U.S. shows just how far some folks have traveled to get their cupcakes.

 

 And I didn't realize it at the time but I managed to get Linda's red Dodge Caliber in the photo. 


 When we left with our purchases you could say we were "happy."

So after the bakery visiting we got back on the highway and The Distracted Wanderer asked me how far away I thought the 9/11 memorial in Westport was from where we were.


I guesstimated 30 miles. But when you say "30 miles" to Duchess Linda, it's like saying "3 miles" to anyone else!
She doesn't mind driving, and I don't mind passenging. We headed down I-95 South from East Haven to Westport and Sherwood Island State Park.

The island is actually a peninsula that goes into Long Island Sound. There we photographed the living memorial that lists names of Connecticut residents or those with close family in the state who were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Since it was a mild, sunny day for January there were quite a lot of people there taking a stroll, flying kites, viewing the somber memorial and just relaxing.

But I think I'll save those photos for another day. Cupcakes and terror attacks don't really go together very well.

Linda and I ended up back in West Haven at the Texas Roadhouse for a late lunch. Here's Linda sitting near the Willie Nelson Corner.


 I hope you enjoyed reading about our January wandering. I know I enjoyed being a part of it.

Ah, to be young again ~ and able to survive a rock concert

This morning our kids are headed to New Haven to hop a train to Boston.

They're going to Beantown to see The Mighty Mighty Bosstones tonight.

The band is having its annual "Hometown Throwdown" at the House of Blues, and our kids just had to be a part of it. I know they'll have a great time; they had fun when they saw the band in concert last December in New Haven.

The good part is they don't have to catch a really late train home. Allegra's girlfriend has an apartment in Boston and they just have to find their way there and spend the night. And then get up in time to catch a morning train home.

I hope they have a safe trip. I'll try not to worry too much about them. At least it's not supposed to *snow.*

Monday thoughts

It's Monday morning, and I should be refreshed and ready to come up with something semi- interesting to talk about here. I hate missing so many days of blogging, but I don't have too many ideas lately.
Our daughter Allegra is having a great time in Grand Rapids, Mich. I guess I can tell you about that. She is a young adult delegate to the UCC's General Synod, a convention of sorts that happens every two years. She attended the 2007 one in Hartford.

Allegra loves learning about U.S. history and happily on Saturday she was able to visit the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum (not sure if that is the correct name). She said it was really interesting.
We're glad she has the interest in history that Ralph and I had worked hard to impart to her and her brother.
And it worked! He enjoys learning history too.

She's returning Wednesday afternoon - two flights. I'll try my best not to be nervous while she is in the air.

Hope everyone has a great Monday.