Fall Paddle on the Pawcatuck

The leaves change early along the banks of the Pawcatuck and Wood Rivers which are only just above sea level.  On a few occasions when the leaves were at peak color here at Hangman Hill we have headed to the rivers for a paddle only to find the leaves were already down.  This year we ventured out at the first sign of color.  While the leaves along the Pawcatuck weren't as colorful as we hoped, we spent a beautiful warm Sunday on the Pawcatuck.  We shared the river with many turtles, a heron and some small fish.  

Our Recent Island Vacation

We recently spent a few days on Martha's Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, with friends Mark and Jen  We stayed at a lovely house, off the beaten track just outside of Edgartown.  The house was situated in a field of wild flowers with plenty of outdoor seating which allowed us to enjoy the sunny, warm, and dry weather that makes September in New England such a great time of year.  The weather was also perfectly suited for trips to the beach, swimming, kayaking, walks with Kokee, and trips by bike to various towns and the local farm stand for produce and pastries.  It was great to spend an extended time with Mark and Jen discovering some new places together and of course sharing some very nice meals.  We enjoyed cooking dinners with locally grown produce from the farm stand and also spent a few evenings out for dinner exploring some of the local restaurants.  We found it very easy to travel around 'the vineyard' with Kokee - she made lots of new friends and was welcome in many shops and galleries around the island.  With many different places to walk, swim, and explore we look forward to a future visit.

See some highlights of our trip are in the photos below, or click here for a more complete album.

Gay Head

 Lunch at Larsen's Seafood

Kayaking accross  Chillmark Pond to the Atlantic Ocean

Hike and Swim

 Japanese Garden on Chappaquiddick

Ferry  Ride to the Island

Celebrating 10 Years

This year we are celebrating our 10th Anniversary.  To celebrate the anniversary of the Grand Garden Party held on August 3rd, 2002 we invited some friends to join us for a casual dinner at the Mermaid Cafe in Westerly.  We have become regular customers for breakfast at the Mermaid.  We were delighted when Carolyn the owner and Chef agreed to help us host a private dinner on a Sunday evening in August.  The evening was perfect, and thankfully not as hot as it was in August of 2002.  The food was wonderful, and the company a delight. We are so grateful to have each other, such lovely people as friends, and that we live in a beautiful spot on the Connecticut-Rhode Island Border.

More photos can be found here

Back in 2002...

In 2012...

Milwaukee weekend

Earlier in August we made a short trip to Milwaukee (WI) to visit our friends Eric and Jo.  They live near to the lake (Michigan) and the University district, so we enjoyed a few days exploring this neighborhood.  Things started perfectly on Friday evening with a visit to the local outdoor biergarten to sample German brews and giant pretzels.  On Saturday the first part of the day was spent at the Wisconsin State Fair, with the usual flora and fauna as well as all manner of unhealthy foods.  This included the "world famous" cream puffs that are all made by hand!  After a home cooked meal on Saturday evening featuring produce from Eric and Jo's garden, we took in some of the local highlights with a short walk.  On Sunday we sat on the beach and were entertained by low flying aircraft taking part in a local air show.  Overall it was a very relaxing trip and it was great to see our good friends settled into their new home. Perhaps we will be invited back when there is snow on the ground, and then we can bring our skis with us!

Hurricane preparations

The hurricane season is approaching, so we decided to make some preparations in case we lose electricity (like last year!).  We purchased a generator and had an electrician come to set things up for a direct connection to the house.  We still need to make a few finishing touches, but we are now prepared for "off the grid" living if needed.

Concert at Jonathan Edwards vineyard

On Thursday we packed up a picnic and walked up the hill with Kokee to the Jonathan Edwards vineyard.  We enjoyed a concert by local musicians as the sun set.  Not many bugs and a warm evening made for a very nice evening.

Latest from the garden

We've reached peak productivity in the garden and have lots of produce and flowers to harvest/pick each day. This season always sneaks up on us, and we now have a back-log of potatoes, onions, etc to deal with.  Here are a few pictures that include bumper crop of damsons and our first crop of fennel.