Tidbits~from Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket to Cruising X-Country

A recent article in Sunday’s Hartford Courant talked about the plans being discussed for the 100th anniversary of the death of Mark Twain. It promises to be a year filled with memorabilia, celebrations, readings and plays. I think it’s interesting that reported visitor figures to the Mark Twain House in 2009 was 64,000 people, 75% being from out of state including all 50 states and 61 countries. Figures during 2010are expected to far surpass last year’s so check the website often so you won’t miss any of the upcoming dates. www.marktwainhouse,org.

It’s almost November, but if you think the season is over for visiting Connecticut wineries, just have a peek at the website for Haight-Brown Vineyard. The list of activities is impressive, both in its numbers and versatility. www.haight-vineyard.com. Hopkins Vineyard won a silver medal at the 2009 Big E Wine Competition for Sachem’s Picnic, one of my favorites and mentioned in my book. And, Gouveia Vineyard has a Xmas Sing-a-long scheduled for December 20th from 2:30-4:30. That sounds like fun! Check out the events at these and all the other Connecticut wineries at www.ctwine.com.

Since returning from my x-country trip just over three weeks ago, I have only been on one day trip and that was to the Town of Kent. Although Kent Falls State Park is one of the day trips in Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket, I chose to partner Cornwall Cover Bridge to this outing. However, since Kent is only 5 miles of so further, if you find yourself in this area of the state, do navigate to this small, charming town.

I am slowly getting back to a somewhat normal routine (if I could remember what normal was I would be able to arrive faster!) I have been moving and organizing the mountains of papers and books collected along the way, and sorting through hundreds of photos. I had been mildly complaining for the last couple of years about exchanging my 35 millimeter camera for a digital, but after this trip, I am even more aware of the benefits of choosing this camera, especially while traveling.

Aside from the cost of processing dozens of rolls of film only to find one of two from each roll that, if I am lucky I deem outstanding, the real value for me is the ease and safety of downloading my valuable x-country photos into my computer and backing them up while on the road. Back home, when I look at a photo of a mountain, instead of wondering which mountain I am looking at, I can match up my itinerary to the date and exact time stated underneath the photo to know where I was on that day and at that hour. This photo journal has already proven to be a valuable backup to my written journal.

I find I am always lagging behind the pact with any kind of technology, resisting and thrashing about until at some point I just give in. Then, it's only a matter of time until it suddenly occurs to me how happy I am that I took the leap. So it is with my digital camera. Finally.