Today is Friday, September 22nd, or as my good friend and News 8 Chief Meteorologist Gil Simmons would say, it is the “Autumnal Equinox.” Fancy! And really just another way of saying Fall (smile). Fall in Connecticut means it’s that time when folks can truly enjoy festivals, fairs, carnivals and outdoor expos.
Speaking of festivals, on Saturday, September 16th I had the distinct pleasure of attending the 10th annual Garlic Festival at Olde Mistick Village in Mystic, CT.
Free admission and free parking so I expected it was going to be crazy busy and I was so-ooooooo right…
I must admit I’ve always had a fondness for Mystic…you see I grew up in Groton, CT (right next door to Mystic) so I spent a lot of time in that town (especially while in high school) visiting friends, eating Mystic Pizza, working after school at the ABC Film Lab, hanging out at “The Village,” as we called Olde Mistick Village back in the day, walking downtown during the annual Mystic Arts and Crafts Fair, chilling out at the Marina, visiting the Seaport, watching my sister Casandra conduct tours during her kick a– Summer job at the Mystic Aquarium, etc…
So I was looking forward to spending time at The Village once again, albeit now through the eyes of my middle-aged old self (smile).
On that particular Saturday, as luck would have it, the weather was sunny and delightful – – perfect for walking around and enjoying the sights and sounds.
Folks (couples, singles, families, dogs, and babies) came from all over Connecticut and beyond.
One of the first things I did was head over to the duck pond. I was not disappointed…
Sampled the wide varieties of olive oil and artisanal honey at Sticky Situations, which was jam-packed with folk!
Bought a souvenir gift from Sophia’s Magical Christmas Shop.
Hung out at Franklin’s General Store for free samples of delish fudge and the experience of a trip back in time…
Spent time at Garden Store Specialties to check out the whimsical gifts for the lawn and garden.
Even made time for lunch with my client Joyce at my new fave, Pink Basil…delish!
Enjoyed a ‘cold one’ at Jealous Monk, a social hall and beer garden.
Garlic galore! You cannot get away from it – which is of course the whole point (smile).
You don’t even need to like the taste of garlic to attend this annual festival as there is truly something for everyone. There’s live entertainment, farm fresh goodies, specialty food carts, vendors, crafters, artists and even authors. And it all takes place at the coolest Village in Connecticut!
I just came back from a week-long vacation in Lewes, Delaware so I haven’t been to the gym in a minute and being the active girl that I am, one of the first places I hit was the Edge Fitness Club in Hamden.
At Edge Fitness Clubs I am a member of Edge Strong which is a “team training” program led by the personal trainers. Edge Strong consists of 5 different types of hourly workouts guaranteed to get you the results you are looking for: Foundation, Strength, Burn, Speciality and Exclusive. I work out religiously Monday through Friday in the Edge Strong “Early Bird” workout classes which begin at either 530am or 6am depending on the week day. I like working out with a team as it helps to keep me motivated and I also like that the workouts are led by Personal Trainers because these trainers tend to keep you from slacking off or not pushing yourself to your true fitness ability.
As it turns out, it’s Labor Day today and like Memorial Day in Connecticut, which signals the unofficial start of Summer, Labor Day signals the unofficial start of Fall. By this I mean we still have some days left in the month that will feel like Summer (temperature wise) but the early mornings and late nights will start to get a bit nippy…
At the gym, I like to warm up on the machines before class actually begins:
But after just ONE WEEK OFF FROM THE GYM(!) this is more how I start:
However, there’s still hope as by week’s end, LJ, as I am known in the gym, gets her groove back:
And before you know it, I’m back in gym shape and ready to face the challenges of the day (smile).
I can’t believe it’s August already which means that Summer is almost over, Boo! To add insult to injury, the changeable weather in Connecticut has me feeling kinda blah…If you too are finding yourself feeling some kinda way and are looking for solutions, here’s my list of ways to shake it off (smile).
First things first, Count Your Blessings. I’ve been known to throw a pity party and not invite anyone but myself and that never ends well. The quickest solution is to start counting my blessings no matter how large or small. Works like a charm…
Take a Mental Health Day – sometimes you just need to forget about work and take the day off, strictly for the purpose of resting and relaxing your mind…
Get organized – Declutter – Put things back where they belong – sometimes just getting organized takes a load off your mind and makes you feel accomplished (smile).
Surround yourself with positive people. Life is too short to be made miserable by another person(s). You can truly ‘do bad all by yourself’ as mama used to say (smile).
Listen to music that you absolutely love – the 70s is my Go-To decade so you’ll find me listening to one or more of the following musical genres: Soul, Rock, Pop, R & B or Disco. It instantly puts me in a good mood.
This is not necessarily going to be easy but try turning off the desktop, the laptop, the cell phone, the iPad, etc., for even a few half hours at a time. You’ll be amazed at how good you feel.
Read a book by your favorite author or grab a self-help book. Either one will do the trick.
Take a power nap – quick, short naps not only rejuvenate you but they improve your mood, alertness and performance.
Exercise for life – make working out a part of your daily life – not a dreaded thing to do. Whether you belong to a gym, or work out at home, it’s one of the best ways to stay in shape, be healthy, combat stress, reduce fatigue and improve your sleep.
Get involved in a sport that you have not played in years. I used to be able to jump rope for hours at a time as a child so trying it again recently brought back some fond memories.
Play with pets – whether they are your own, your friends or your neighbors – pets can easily bring a smile to your face and make your worries go away.
And finally, Count Your Blessings, again…if you have a sound mind, good health, family, faith, friends and work, you’re already ahead in the Game of Life.
There are plenty of fun things to do in Connecticut this Summer (or next Summer if you missed one or two here) and lucky for you they are all within driving distance. For now here are just a few (in alphabetical order):
Bluff Point State Park, Groton, CT
This state park in Connecticut is not so easy to find by car but once you do locate it, you are in for a pleasant surprise…You will discover that it is a fantastic place to take the family for a picnic, to go for a swim at the beach, to go on a long hike, to clam, to fish, to go jogging…
Me and my fam enjoying Bluff Point State Park
Me and my partner with my great nephew Harlem
Captain’s Cove Seaport, Bridgeport, CT
This Seaport is, in my opinion, one of Bridgeport’s best kept secrets!
It’s cute, it’s quaint and it’s a great way to while away an afternoon. The outdoor shops, the fresh seafood, the live bands, the livelier crowds, most definitely a must-see in the Park City!
Picnic tables galore at Captains Cove
Big fun at the Seaport
Catamaran Lighthouse Cruises, New London, CT
My sister Casandra and her husband Alfredo went on one of these lighthouse cruises last Summer and had such a good time, they convinced me to try one (smile). I love catamarans, traveling on water and educational tours so I’m looking forward to the good time I know I’ll have (smile).
My sister Casandra on the Lighthouse Ferry boat ride
International Festival of Arts and Ideas, New Haven, CT
The arts become alive in New Haven the first 3 1/2 weeks in June and, as they say, there is truly something for everyone. And most events are free and open to the public. This year (2017) there were over 200 events(!) from walking tours to workshops to master classes to concerts on the Green to film festivals…This is by far one of the best ways to learn about the arts and culture in the city of New Haven without breaking the bank.
2017 International Festival of Arts and Ideas concert
Jonathan Edwards Winery, North Stonington, CT
I’ve heard nothing but good things about this CT Wine Trail winery and vineyard which is nestled in the hills of Stonington, CT. I’m looking forward to going for a taste or two this Summer…
Olde Mistick Village, Mystic, CT
I grew up in Southeastern, CT so Olde Mistick Village or “The Village,” as it was affectionately known, was the destination for shopping, for movies, for hanging out with friends, for enjoying ice cream or candy or fudge…
As an adult I find it’s an even better place to make memories – the movie theater now sells alcoholic beverages and snacks, there’s even a Brewport on premises! TheVillage itself is dog friendly(!); the one-of-a-kind shops feature a variety of authentic, unique wares; there are a good number of restaurants serving breakfast or lunch and/or dinner. There’s even a Sushi restaurant – Pink Basil – Yay! And Franklin’s General Store is the place to go for unique gift items and free samples of “America’s Best Fudge.” Yummy!
Me in front of one of my fav restaurants Pink Basil
Joyce Reskinoff the owner of OMV with News 8’s Co-Chief Meteorologist Joe Furey
Me, my sister Casandra and my gf Thais at The Taste of Mystic
Travelers Championship, Cromwell, CT
The 3rd week of June is special in Connecticut because Travelers Championship (part of the PGA tour) takes place right at nearby TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, CT. I love seeing live sports up close and personal because I find it is such a great way to connect to the sport as well as to its individual players. And you don’t necessarily need to be a golf fan to enjoy Travelers as there is a Fan Zone with lots of unique booths, a Kids Zone for the children, plenty of food booths, ice cream trucks, beer tents and even live entertainment. It’s truly a happening time~
Me and James and my cousin David from Newport RI who was working the event
I was having a tough time deciding where to go away on vacation this year as funds were tiiiiight! However I kept at it as I knew we both neededand wanteda place far far away from Connecticut to unwind and decompress. And we were looking for a place that involved the sun, the sand, and the beach.
As luck would have it, my friend and broadcast industry colleague Marnie listed her Freeport, Bahamas timeshare on Social Media. Turns out that she and her family were not able to use their 2 weeks this year. So she ended up selling me a one bedroom condominium unit for one of those two weeks for just $750 – the price of their maintenance fees! We were, however, on our own for airfare, ground transportation, food and drinks…
We chose the last week of May (which included the Memorial Day holiday) to go on our 7 day vacation so that we could use 4 of my vacation days instead of 5 (smile).
We flew from Bradley International Airport on Saturday May 27th and returned the following Saturday, June 3rd.
We arrived at Island Seas Resort on the Saturday (2 flights and one taxi cab ride later) at midday and boy were we starving!
It didn’t take us long to discover that there was only one bar and grille at the resort (Coconuts Bar and Grille) and one restaurant (Seagrape Grille).
We also found out from our new “friends” that the resort’s Wi-Fi, although ‘free’ in the units, was at best, ‘spotty.’ They did however tell us it was completely clear as long as you were poolside…
Our new vacation “friends” – we hadn’t even changed out of our traveling gear yet!
Enjoying good but pricey resort food
So after inhalingour lunch at Coconuts we finally headed to our unit. Island Seas Resort consists of 10 buildings – all named after mammals – we were booked at Dolphin and found, to our surprise, that our building was just one of two buildings on the resort that were deemed ocean side!! Yay!
Long shot of the two oceanside buildings on Island Seas Resort
We literally had an ocean view – we walked right out of our balcony deck into the sand – yay!
On Monday morning we (and a bunch of other resort couples) took advantage of the complimentary shuttle into Port LuCaya for the Island Seas Grocery Run. It was a trip though because we had exactly one hour to shop for groceries or we would be forced to take a cab back. I felt like we (and the other couples from the resort) were all on a reality game show as we dashed around with our shopping carts from one aisle to the next frantically searching for the right food and other stuff to make it through the week. Not easy to do when you first of all don’t know the store, or the merchandise, or the prices. If it wasn’t so serious it would have been funny but at the time we were on a ‘mission’ (smile).
Lucky for us our Condo had a kitchenette
The 1 bedroom oceanside unit was comfy and spacious
On Tuesday night, after spending all day on the beach, we headed to the ‘Bonfire on the Beach’ event which we heard cost just 20 bucks and included BBQ, 2 drinks, and live entertainment.
On our way to “Bonfire on the Beach” – we could not help but take advantage of this beautiful beachy backdrop and perfect photo op
On Wednesday (after finding out that we could not participate in any of the tours that we were looking to book due the effects of Hurricane Matthew) we spent the day at Port LuCaya Outdoor Marketplace for shopping and the much talked about fresh conch salad at the marina…we inhaled the yummy fresh conch salad prepared right before your eyes!
We were officially on Island Time now and can I tell you?!? It was sooooo nice sleeping in late everymorning despite being greeted at the crack of dawn with bright rays of sunshine and 80 degree temps.
Picture perfect weather each and every morning
Can’t help but take selfies when its this nice out!
And how freeing it was regularly sporting shorts, tank tops and flip-flops and eating fattening fried foods (smile).
The buffalo wings were to die for!
The fried conch balls were heavenly!
And I won’t lie, decisions still had to be made, so here is what became the biggest decision of our loooong, leisurely sunny days…
The ocean…
Or the pool…
At night our decisions were a tad simpler:
The Mango Bahama Mama or the Frozen Strawberry Margarita…
By the way, before I forget, here are some good local spots to support that are within walking distance of the resort and which serve up authentic Bahamian food and drinks:
The $2 dollar Bar at the end of the beach (wish I had a picture of it…)
and Michelle’s Kitchen located right on the beach – mouthwatering island grub & good prices!
Michelle’s Kitchen – good prices!
Delicious food!!!
Michele’s Kitchen is the best!
On our final night (Friday) we took the last free shuttle from the resort back to Port LuCaya Marketplace for some outdoor shopping/dining/bars/marina activities. We had just spent the entire day there a couple of days earlier but had heard it was much more interesting and exciting at night.
It took us while to find a restaurant to eat dinner at as there were so many to choose from — each with attractive food and drink specials — but we finally settled on Agave and were not disappointed…
Dinner and Drinks at Agave Restaurant – delish!
Afterwards we walked down to the marina to hear live entertainment. We saw and heard a really talented 3 piece band at Port LuCaya Marketplace.
We ended up taking a cab back to the resort as it was late and the resort’s shuttle service had already ended at 615pm. It was real easy hailing a cab and it felt very safe.
We awoke early the next morning (Saturday) and made preparations to leave. We felt sad saying goodbye to the cool ocean breezes, the bright sunshine and the lazy, carefree days. Truly our new Happy Place…
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