Connecting in Connecticut! A Very Good Connection!

Dear Herm’s Hikers,

Time and miles are fleeting. In and out of Connecticut in 4 days. Good thing too because this part of CT is very upscale, trendy, and expensive. The trail is CT is excellent for hiking, some mountains, valleys, and river paths, but the mosquitoes are horrendous. The trail book said that when you hit Kent, CT, you hit the mosquitoes. The book has never been more correct. You have to lather yourslef in bug spray every few hours if you don’t want to be eaten alive. Combine the bug problem wih the constant rain that occurred this week and you have yourself a major disaster movie about killer mosquitoes.
Stayed at the Cooper Creek B&B. Thank you Cooper and Mary for a wonderful stay, the tour of the house, and the history lesson about Helen Botway, Cooper’s grandmother. In the 1920’s Helen started her art career as a still-life painter in New York, befriending some of the biggest names in the art businesses. She was your typical artist, eccentric and ecclectic until the end of her life, and all the while still painting and sculpting. A remarkable women with an fascinating life story. She was a liberated woman (married at least 5 times to some rich and famous people) in the Roaring 20’s long before the women’s liberation movement. Kent is home to Henry Kessinger. Celebrities such as Michael J. fox, Joan Rivers, Lynn Redgrave, and Meryl Streep live in the nearby villages, and that’s just a partial list. No you can see why everything is so expensive. While in Kent, I stopped at a thrift shop to buy a shirt while I was doing my laundry. For 10 cents, I picked up a great t-shirt (I left it at the B&B) that described the hike to a T (no pun intended). On the front of the shirt it said “Cabaret National Touring Compnay,” and on the back it said “Life is beautiful in here.” Is that beautiful or what! Great stuff! It was just too heavy to carry in my backpack.
Also in Kent I became I met a bank teller with that name of Travers. She told me that she had extensivley researched her family history and is able to trace her ancesters back to the some small village in Ireland to around the 1500’s. She said the Travers name was Irish in origin. I’ll drink to that. Now I know why I have developd a fondness for Guinness and Irish whiskey.
Spent a Sunday in the picturesque village of West Corwall next to the Housatonic River. As a matter of fact I liked it so much that I camped there that night. What a delightful night next to the white water of the river, even with the bugs! Since then I have obtained a bug bucket which is a hat with an overhanging bug screen. Thank you Just Tim for your generosity. Your book will be on its way when I get home.
To Steve at Baird’s General Store and Lisa and Mike at the Smokin’ BBQ in west Cornwall, thank you for your generous donations to Herm’s Hike. And to Bianca at the Wish House, thank you for your hospitality and assistance in sending a BD card to my oldest daughter. Hey Cindy, Happy Birthday this Sunday!!!!
Some here I am on a late Sunday afternoon in the tiny village of West Cornwall, now nearly deserted, looking to kill some time until dark. Crossing the street I look up to see this victorian house that is the Wish House, a boutique that sells paintings, books, and women’s clothing among other gifts. It was as if the building just appeared out of nowhere. Right out the Twilight Zone, I’m telling you. I can hear Rod Serling now saying “You have just entered the house of your wishes in the Twilgiht Zone.” As I entered the store with my backpakc still on my back, I almost knocked down a card stand. As I turned around to see what I hit, I standing fact to face with a rack of birthday cards. And, boom, then it dawns on me that next Sunday is my oldest daughter’s birhday. With the help of the store owner Bianca, I bought a card and stamp and then mailed it off just across the street at the post office. Since I couldn’t have the wish to be with my daughter on her birthday, my wish of sending her a BD came true. Yes, be careful what you wish for in the Twilight Zone.
Tuesday it was on to Salisbury where I had the pleasure of staying at Maria’s house. It was just like home. Maria was the German version of my mom (who by the way is Polish), and I say that as the ultimate compliment. Her motherly doting and devotion to was quite welcomed and refreshing. We watched the rain fall as she fed the fox in her yard and talked about the good old days. If you stay with Maria, make sure you cook your 3 eggs in the morning or she will be upset that a hiker went hungry from your house. Maria, thank you for a wonderful stay! I enjoyed your company immensely. Also visited the Salisbury Historical Association during my stay. Great visit ti a wonderful society. Salsibury was famous for cutlery and knife handles in its heyday.
Have to cut this entry short. The library is throwing me off the computer. Hike in peace and hike with your angels! It’s off to Massachusetts!
Son-Dancel