Life on a mooring… is a ball! Just a bit of nautical humor to kick things off. 🙂  Two Vermont jaunts- overnights of the road trip kind, followed just recently by day trips to Mystic and New Haven (not to Pepe’s- gasp) have kept us on the go. Vermont, I’m compelled to admit, is rolling hills, vacation-perfect, clean air lovely. If only Vermont was south of CT, it would be 100% darn near perfect! Still, we visit ones we love no matter where they are. Three nights off the boat; the longest since we began this crazy cruising life. Our early May trip to Poultney for Lily’s graduation and a much-anticipated visit with Benj before he headed to Montpelier for his Summer of Sheep and Yurt Living, was peppered with rain threats and much dining out. GMC traditionally holds commencement on Mother’s day weekend enabling me to spend Mother’s Day morning with my son for the first time in several years. The college must have an ‘in’ with the weather gods as commencement is held outside with a move inside only in the most dire of circumstances.

The rain held off for the exercise and post-photo taking- a true testament to prayer and fabulous luck. Our après graduation meal with the Bradburns was enjoyed at the Bluebird Diner in nearby Castleton. Breakfast fare for some, lunch for others; excellent diner food and service. Love it.  Root’s, just down the road from Table 24 in Rutland, was the scene for a tasty dinner; no shortage of farm-to-table and creative dining options in Rutland.

Fast forward three weeks as we drive up to Montpelier for a Sheep and Son visit. To protect the privacy of the owners I won’t mention names or other specifics, but no matter where this slice of heaven exists, it is beautiful. Downtown Montpelier, is quaint and like Rutland, has no shortage of great dining. With a co-op, Laundromat and library all within a couple of blocks a trip into town is easily productive. My photos here pale in comparison to many of the ones Benj posted on FB; must be the connection he has with the animals, cuz lord knows I have none!

A day trip to Mystic is a must-do for us, at least several times over the summer. Under the guise of a walking trip, we strolled around town, checked out the new upper deck of the Oyster Club (we’ll be back), enjoyed outdoor lunch at S&P Oyster House, got a close-up look at the scaffold laden Charles W Morgan and nearly cried to discover the beading shop had closed down. Well, we’ll find others.

Our trip into New Haven was prompted by Cathy, my CT social secretary, who found this great walking tour by Taste of New Haven, Food and Drink Tours. She found it on TravelZoo.com. Never heard of it? Me neither. Check it out though. This tour was delightful and Eric, our guide, was engaging, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. This particular tour was the Canal Tour which began at the site of the canal that long ago was used to transport goods between New Haven and Hartford. Fourteen of us, including Russ, I, Cathy and John (PJ) covered less than two miles in a few blocks to the east of the Green between Trumbull and Elm Streets. The tour consisted of eight stops, each with food and/or drink, facts about the area and as much Q&A as you wanted.

Eric is an architect. He shared oodles of interesting info about many of the buildings we walked past and stopped at. The old New Haven Arena- site of the first hockey game I ever saw (age 10?) is now a FBI building. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and partook of excellent food and libations; more than enough to fill you up.

I grew up in Hamden, New Haven’s cousin to the north and spent plenty of time in the no longer existent Macy’s and Malley’s,  took clarinet lessons in a building years ago demolished, and with Mom picked up my Dad from work at Olin on Fridays, just a few blocks away from Winchester Repeating Arms location. Since then, except for an occasional dinner trip in, a jazz fest or two, or to the courthouse for jury duty (a federal case), I’ve see little of downtown New Haven. This walking tour convinced me that gems, hidden and not, abound in the areas surrounding the New Haven Green. Not only would I (we?) return to all of these again (but that’s the idea right?) but several would satisfy our son’s desire for healthy foods and a cozy neighborhood feel; ideally owner-operated. Our next trip in for Pepe’s fantastic pizza may require a side trip. Soon.