New Year's Day Hike

Today we celebrated the start of 2012 with a hike, following directions from our new local trails book (a present from Santa).  The hike was about 4 miles long and near the Green Falls Pond.  It started just a few miles from our home and we explored caves, lakes, old mill ruins, and mature forests.  The day was beautiful and we hiked in T-shirts and soaked up the sun on every flat rock on the trail.  Kokee especially enjoyed swimming at every opportunity!   We were home in time for tea and cookies in front of the fire - a great way to start 2012.

Nick & Pam visit for Christmas

We were very lucky to have Nick and Pam (Bruno's parents) with us for Christmas in 2011.  They arrived well in advance so we enjoyed lots of fun activities together. This included a trip to the Granite Theatre christmas show, a carol concert at the Watch Hill Chapel, a visit to Mystic Seaport for the Lantern Light Tours, and a day of culture at the Rhode Island School of Design art museum.  We also enjoyed relaxing at home, some long walks with Kokee, and completing a jigsaw puzzle in the quiet moments.  As always, we ate like kings & queens with trips to WholeFoods, Buon Appetito, the Golden Lamb Buttery, The Ocean House, Mangetout, Bruna's Table and "Chez Jen".  The weather  was very mild for the time of year, and this allowed us to be quite active.  There were a few impromptu shopping trips (Mystic, New London, Westerly), a couple of home repair projects (light switches, bath plumbing), and even a chance to harvest kale and Brussels sprouts from the garden.  We hope you enjoy the pictures below from our time together.

Happy New Year! Celebrating with friends in Mystic

Merry Christmas!!

It is still cold and dark at Hangman Hill Road, but soon the sun will be up and the wood-stove will be keeping us warm.  We will be thinking of you all wherever you are - in the city, on the road, or out in the mountains.  Have a wonderful holiday!

Watch Hill Carol Sing

As part of the pre-Christmas activities this week we attended the Christmas in Song event held at the Watch Hill Chapel that was co-sponsored by the Ocean House.  The chapel is a quaint wooden building that was warmed only by the holiday spirit, some lively local residents and cheerful music.  Thankfully it was a warm evening.  Performances by the Ad Hoc Carolers were particularly jolly.  We throughly enjoyed the evening and hope it becomes a holiday tradition.

You can see a couple of us at in the Westerly Sun Spotted album at this link.

Lunch at Mangetout in New London

The Sweetback Sisters come to Old Saybrook

We kicked off the weekend with an evening in Old Saybrook at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Center, also referred to as "The Kate" locally.  The theater opened two years ago and we have been looking for an opportunity to visit the theater.  We noticed the Sweetback Sisters were playing on Friday night and we couldn't resist.  We have been enjoying the Sweetback Sisters and their eclectic mix of old-time country and rockabilly but have wanted to see them perform live for sometime.  We were suitably impressed with "The Kate" as a venue, and the Sweetback Sisters for their talent and showmanship.  The music included many original tunes and covers of songs by Willie Nelson, Bob Wills, Josh Ritter and a favorite by Roger Miller, "My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died".  The talent of the six band members was impressive as they moved through a variety of musical styles, passing instruments back and forth and achieving harmonies that were stunning.  You can see highlights of the performance The Kate at this link; and their version of Patsy Cline's "Love Me Honey Do" from a previous performance here.

By comparison the rest of the weekend was fairy quiet and included typical household chores, and a FEW preparations for the Christmas holiday.  Our holiday preparedness seem to be hampered by the unseasonably warm temperatures.  Let it snow, let is snow, let it snow.