Litchfield Part 2

We had a lovely couple here for 4 days (they were in town visiting their daughter, who is a student at Wesleyan).  I wanted their last breakfast to be special, so I made Eggs in a Nest and my sister's famous Braided Blueberry & Cream Cheese Pastry.  It was a hit!

Took Dean to the airport and from there I drove back up to the Litchfield area to do some more exploring.  First stop, Topsmeade State Park...

It was beautiful, but about 20 degrees colder than East Hampton and I was not prepared for it, so I didn't stay too long.

From there I went to Washington Memorial State Park, where there is a cool little museum about the local history and ecosystem.

(This is a picture of a picture, btw, not an actual landscape, it's the view from another nearby spot called Apple Hill... next time.)

I learned about taxidermy (which I didn't know I was interested in).

And here's a piece of bone that looks like Darth Vader, because... why not?

Probably my favorite exhibit was this night scene where you look for local critters.  I found all of them except the mouse, which must be freaking invisible.

The best was this guy, who was clearly up to no good...

I mean, look at that face and those curly fingers...

Look at the sneakiness...

Also, who knew Beaver dams were so thick?  I didn't...

Took another hike through a pretty area nearby...

It was all fun and games until I took this crazy long hike on the marshland boardwalk...

It just went on and on and on...

I found this pretty spot, which I have officially named The Blushing Woods.

And this spot, which I named The Witching Tree.

I was getting cold, tired, hungry, and over it by this point, and I wasn't especially confident about how to get back to the car.  I hoped that the trail made a complete loop, but I wasn't sure.  Luckily, about a half hour later I passed a nice guy on a bike, and he informed me the little bridge I'd seen at the beginning was just around the bend.  Thank goodness.

Got home, found this sweet note from the guests, and Jess and I made a yummy dinner and watched "This is Us."

I'm a little behind in my Nanowrimo project, but I'm still making progress.  Onward!