Hubbard Park

How is it that there has been a castle tower in my own state (I'm not talking about the state of confusing I usually live in) all these years and I never knew about it??

Why did I not have a map of the trails before I went there? I found a sign that said trails but then didn't specify what trails or where they go. Should I just strike out on a trail and hope it will bring me to the castle? Naw.... I decided to drive around and get the lay of the land and in doing that I ended up in a parking lot looking at a bunch of unruly Chinese tourists swarming the tower. It was like it was under attack. But that wasn't all...they were obviously being helped by some equally obnoxious American children who's parents didn't seem to know the word NO.

I opted to walk around the grounds and take pictures in hopes that they would all go away quickly. It didn't happen...it didn't happen that way at all. Taking pictures on the ledges sent tiny little tremors of terror up my back but I stuck it out. My knees started thinking about turning rubber too so I took that to mean it was time to move to safer ground and check out the inside of the tower. 

There was a metal stairway structure inside the tower....seemed very safe. My only complaint was the place was completely overrun with people...too many people, mostly kids; all loud and pushy, followed by their incompetent, over indulgent parents that were too busy texting to reprimand their kids. One child slammed into me on the stairs while I was trying to take a picture. I refused to give way...instead looked down at the child and said quite clearly and firmly 'excuse YOU'...and then stood there and took my picture which forced him to stand there quietly and wait until I was done. (then I felt like a grumpy old lady).  They really ruined the experience for me.

 At the top of the tower it was much smaller than it looks from down below. I spent about a half a second up there with kids pushing and yelling and I threw in the towel and started back down. There was no appreciation for where they were or how it was built...stellar parents probably didn't get anything out of it either. They were acting like it was a playscape at McDonald's. 

To make up for the tower chaos I located some trails marked in blue and decided to see where they went. It was the best move I could have made...saved the entire day for me. Every turn brought me to another rocky ledge with spectacular views or green grassy glens with boulders and secondary trails that made you wonder where they went. It was gorgeous! And it all led to a serious downward sloping trail that was comprised of a lot of loose rock. This took some serious effort to navigate safely and it wasn't long before my feet were getting painful. We decided to only go just so far and turn around....the trip back up the mountainside was a real treat for the lungs as well as the feet!

Obviously even the trees know how to relax and take it easy. 

The mushrooms were awesome....and built somewhat like small condo's on the sides of trees.  

And they even came in fall colors already!  

One of the many cliffs that gives that oh so satisfying thrill and allows you to see what the 'ants' are doing so far below. 

We even came across a pair of Turkey Vultures on a ledge. One flew in with something in it's mouth and dropped it in front of the other one. Eventually it was eaten and they flew off together. Once again I'm left feeling I need a camera with a LOT more zoom capabilities! I wasn't able to get any closer a shot than this. 

The park itself was very large and loaded with ducks and geese....to the point where the water was green. I found that to be unappetizing but hey, it's not MY place. 

Pretty vines growing on the fences. 

The most adorable little stone house. I have no idea what it is used for but I'm quite sure it will look lovely in my back yard.

Sessions Woods, Burlington, CT

I took these photos on a hike at Sessions Woods. This was a new place for me. It was quite interesting and very pretty. The incoherent stream (aka babbling brook) that seemed to be at every turn...

 A large marsh area sort of dedicated to whatever (invisible) beavers may be living there....

The pretty display of various water plants being discussed by an elderly British couple that suddenly became pointedly silent when I arrived on the scene. (well....excuse ME!)...

The adorable little birds that laughingly refused to come within camera range....(and repeatedly called out mocking remarks at me)

The fire tower that I climbed half way up; stopped to look; became terrified of the old, slightly rotted look of the wood and the realization that if I fell or if it toppled down with me in it there was no one around to come take a picture of it.....then slithered back down like the coward I am....

The waterfall that wasn't really but thought it was, so I had to give it the satisfaction of taking a picture....poor thing.....

And remember that incoherent stream from before?.....yup, still there. 

There was also a very nice museum of stuffed wild animals that ranged from all manner of birds to deer and black bears. (I was afraid to ask where they animals came from) I didn't take pictures because I was eager to start the hike and when I got back it was closed....next time I'll get pictures. 

Surprise Safety Check

When Kaylee and I headed out for some kayaking at the lake I had no idea we'd be getting an inspection when we got there. This was new for me. I had some amazing luck working for me however. I had just cleaned out the trunk of my Buick and tossed most of the stuff into the trunk of my Toyota for lack of a better place to put it. I was greeted by an elderly man that turned out to be some kind of official (I never pay attention to titles....perhaps I should have in this case) for the state of CT. As I was readying the kayak for the water he was asking me what started out to sound like causal questions but ended up being very specific questions. Then he told me who he was and that if I wanted he could certify my vessel by doing a safety check. I said sure, why not?

As it turned out I was more prepared for safety than I knew and I also found out I knew next to nothing. I've always had a life jacket for Kaylee and myself and that has been the extent of my safety equipment. Now I'm aware that a whistle and a bell are mandatory as well as either a flashlight or flares! As it happened I had a whistle; flashlight and even a small emergency kit....all from the back of my Buick. Most of this stuff falls into the category of hiking equipment. But if it can do double duty for the kayak I'm cool with that too. 

So with all our gear stowed and her life jacket on, we were on our way in no time.  

These tiny little flower like plants(above) were a new discovery for us. So of course that put us in the mood to really travel around the lake and look for more new things. I was a little shocked at just how large the lake is...having been going there since I was 16 yrs old I never ventured out from the public swimming area. This time I did...and even paddled far enough out so that for a moment or two I found myself wondering where the heck we were! Next time I'll have to make sure I take note of some landmarks to assist in navigation. 

The awesome looking plants above were just amazing to me. I've never seen them before and I was so happy the picture came out clear enough to show them so well. They are growing from the bottom of the lake (this was in an area where it was about 3 ft deep) and stretching themselves in coils up to the surface for sunshine. So cool! 

And for the first time ever I saw an eagle flying at the lake too. Never in all my life have I seen eagles there and there were two that day. How fantastic! What a great day we had!