Higher Grounds East Haddam, Conn.

Kim Page has another success on her hands at the new location of her coffee shop in East Haddam. If the name Higher Grounds sounds familiar, it because it is familiar. For many years her shop was located at 70 Main Street in downtown East Hampton. 

About six months after it closed at that location they reopened here in East Haddam and things are going better than ever. Much of what we all loved about the former shop can be found here. Local art and talent are featured as well as great coffee and delicious baked goods. 

We stopped in after we visited the Nathan Hale School House and just managed to sneak in before the 2 p.m. closing. I was really craving a bagel and a cappuccino. While we were waiting,  Al tried some of the little apple muffins that had been rolled in cinnamon sugar, oh my, that is a delicious combination.   

With my everything bagel, I opted for the olive cream cheese. I am a believer!! Wow, I love it. Who would have thought of all those different olives in the cream cheese, it took my bagel to a whole other level. Al had a plain bagel with plain cream cheese but he was a happy camper. 

He took a sip of my cappuccino and agreed, it was a winner. I highly recommend Higher Grounds for breakfast or lunch and I can't wait to go back and have more olive cream cheese!!

Nathan Hale School House East Haddam, Conn.

Presently located on a small hill behind the Episcopal Church on Main Street in East Haddam, the Nathan Hale School House is one of two schools where our Connecticut hero taught after he graduated from Yale. 

East Haddam was his first assignment and for a young man who had just come from the excitement of New Haven, the rural atmosphere didn't have much appeal.  He wrote to a former Yale classmate about "remote life in the wilderness called Moodus". It probably explains why he only stayed for five months and moved on to an assignment at Union Grammar School in New London. Perhaps, he might have lived to be an old man if he had stayed away from the influences that got him into the spy business but I guess we will never know. 

He was a popular teacher here in Moodus, He was only 18 years old when he arrived fresh from Yale. Life as a teacher in rural Connecticut in 1773 was not easy. He had 33 pupils aged 6 through 18, all attending the one-room schoolhouse from seven in the morning until nine in the evening, with only one free hour at lunchtime.

School in this time period was coeducational and Nathan was popular with boys and girls. "He was a happy and faithful teacher, everybody loved him. He was sprightly, kind, intelligent and so handsome."  

If he had not become a spy and come to a horrible end, his time here would have gone unnoticed no doubt but he became our first American hero and luckily the school where he taught has survived. 

When we visited on a Thursday in September the school was not open but we were able to walk the grounds and to read about the schoolhouse and Nathan on the plaques. We have gone into the school before and it has desks that would be correct to the time period. 

In addition to the schoolhouse, there is an oak on the property that was grown from an acorn of the original Charter Oak. 

Chasing Rainbows shines at Goodspeed

If you have ever wondered about the life of Judy Garland before the Wizard of Oz, wonder no more. Chasing Rainbows introduces us to Frances Gumm, who would later took the stage name Judy Garland, as a young child and brings us through the production of Wizard of Oz. 

Her childhood was a mixture of drama and love. Her relationship with her tortured father is one of the highlights of the show. Ella Briggs is absolutely charming as baby Frances and she has quite a singing voice as well. 

Ruby Rakos as Judy has a powerful voice and it was hard not to give her a standing ovation during several of her songs during the production. On one hand, we were all envious of the talent that Judy was gifted with and the famous people who were part of her everyday life in Hollywood. On the other hand, we very much feel for her as she is made to feel fat and a plain Jane by Louis B Mayer and most of the studio employees and given drugs as a 13-year-old child to help her lose weight.

Great singing and dancing make this a show that you will enjoy immensely, we certainly did. This was by far our favorite show of this year's schedule and it may even be our favorite of all time at Goodspeed. 

Plenty of tickets are still available. I suggest you call and get yours, it will be a fun evening. 

Pumpkins N Pooches Autumn Fair and Dog Fest in Colchester

Save the date: October 1, 2016

Place: Colchester Green

Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The 18th annual Pumpkins & Pooches Autumn Fair and Dog Show will be held on Saturday, Oct. 1st, 2016 from 11 - 3 on the Colchester Town Green. Sponsored by the Colchester Lions Club, this major fundraiser has grown in size every year. 

Top Dog Portland

If you have driven up route 66 in Portland when the weather is warm at lunch time you have no doubt come across our very own pop-up restaurant Top Dog!! It is hard to miss, it is a hotdog shaped trailer pulled by a bright yellow cab!! 

For many years I noticed it but never stopped. It's hotdogs after all, what is the big deal? Well now I know, It is delicious steamed hotdogs that are perfectly cooked and topped with a delicious variety of toppings. Al always gets the hotdog with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard. Me, I like a traditional dog with yellow mustard, relish and onions. 

We just stopped yesterday and ate in the car. You can sit out at their Adirondack Chairs and unbrellas but we were in a bit of a hurry. The only things other than hotdogs offered are chips and cold drinks and it is a real bargain for a delicious lunch. 

The next time you see

the hotdog mobile, stop and and give them a try. I am sure you will be a convert!! 

Yale University Art Gallery New Haven

Last week, Al and I took a bus trip from the Middletown Senior Center to the Yale University Art Gallery. I had never been there. Years ago we went to the British Art Center which is across the street but had never visited the Art Gallery. 

First of all entrance is free. Not just for seniors for everyone. That in and of itself is wonderful. Parking can be difficult, the museum is located on Chapel Street and while there is metered parking on the street, as you can imagine that wasn't much available. Pay parking lots are available with not too much of a walk and if you visit on the weekend, I would imagine parking might be a little easier. 

The Art Gallery is located over four floors. The collection includes everything from ancient artifacts from Africa and Asia to modern works. My interests are more in the European works and the American Art prior to 1900. Pick up a gallery map at the front desk, it will help you find your way around. 

The gallery has no dining facility what so ever which is annoying and it is in two buildings so you must be careful which elevator you take. The one closest to the desk, the west elevator and the center one will get you back to the main floor so you can exit, the farthest one away, the east elevator,  will not. 

We arrived at 10 a.m. when the gallery opened and spent a very entertaining two hours before heading across the street for lunch. I would allow at least two hours for a visit here and even more if you love art. 

I was very surprised at the depth of their collection which includes a Rembrandt, a Titian, several Rubens and much more including a Lucas Cranach. 

Decorative arts are also a part of the collection. 

I found this to be a very well thought out collection that is beautifully displayed. Plenty of seating is provided for you to stop and enjoy or just to take a breather since it is a rather large museum. 

Currently, they have a special exhibition on Weaving in the Andes and it includes some very old fabrics as well as other items of interest. 

Hebron Harvest Fair Sept 8-11

This annual tradition is 45 years old and offers everything that fairgoers love, food, entertainment and good old fashioned fun.

Thursday September 8	4pm - 10:30pm	$12.00	$12.00	FREE before 5pm $5.00 after 5pm
Friday September 9	Noon - Midnight	$12.00	FREE before 4pm $12.00 after 4pm	FREE before 4pm $5.00 after 4pm
Saturday September 10	9am - Midnight	$13.00	$13.00	$5.00
Sunday September 11	9am - 8:30 pm	$13.00	$13.00	$5.00

Active Military Members with ID Admitted FREE!  (Just stop by the Ticket Booth for a Free Ticket)

Military Family Members and Veterans with ID receive a $2 discount.

No readmission by handstamp allowed after 7pm, a new ticket is required.

Children 12 and under are always free when accompanied by an adult.

Friday is Senior Citizens Day! FREE Admission for All Seniors until 4pm.

5th Annual Middletown Town Wide Tag Sale

Save the date: September 17, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 :30 p.m.

The Tag sale is sponsored by Holy Trinity Church on Main Street in Middletown. To get a map of all the locations where tag sales will be happening, stop by the church the week before the sale. There will also be a tag sale on the grounds of the church on Saturday,  September 17th. 

Rossini's Italian Restaurant East Hampton, Conn.

Rossini's Italian Restaurant occupies a building that for many years was Walt's Dairy Bar. This family operated restaurant serves hearty portions of Italian food.The décor is simple and consists nice roomy booths with a second small room with tables.  

A popular pizza restaurant, they do a steady business in take-out. Their crust is delicious, thin and chewy and they offer good selection of toppings. I love their Hawaiian, served with precooked bacon, pineapple and ham on a white pizza. It is perfect. If you want your bacon precooked, you have to ask for it specifically on most pizzas, on this one it comes that way.

They serve schicciata which is a stuffed pizza with potato, sausage and either spinach or broccoli. Their calzones have lots of options. You can order them with sausage, meatball, mushroom, pepperoni, peppers, eggplant or broccoli along with ricotta and mozzarella. The calzones are served with a cup of tomato sauce.

In Connecticut, hoagies are called grinders. They serve them in one size here, 12 inches. They make vegetarian, cold cuts such as roast beef, turkey and ham or the more Italian style like eggplant, meatball, sausage or chicken or veal parmigiana.  

A couple of homemade soups are always offered usually one of them is chicken noodle and the other minestrone. They have a good selection of appetizers, fried mozzarella, fried calamari and of course garlic bread.

What kind of Italian restaurant would they be without lots of pasta dishes? They have basic marinara, just plain butter, meat sauce, anchovies, garlic and oil, Alfredo, puttanesca, primavera ala vodka and if you ask them they will make a fresh pesto for you. One thing that we love about Rossini's is that they are willing to create a special dish for you. Just tell them what you want and they will put it together.

They have a full menu of entrees, chicken, veal and seafood. From the simple to the sublime, Marsala, piccata, parmigiana and Milanese, you can't make a bad choice. They also serve American entrees steak and BBQ ribs and also a few daily specials.

Our favorites are the Baked Italian Specialties, things like baked ziti, Rossini's Special Eggplant and lasagna. We usually have the sausage and pepper parmigiana which is as it sounds like sausage, peppers and sauce covered with cheese and baked to gooey perfection. Entrees are served with a tossed salad, pasta and a basket of Rossini's magnificent chewy bread. 

If you really can't decide which of their parmigiana dishes to choose, the perfect choice is Tony's Combination with combines meat balls, sausage and eggplant and bakes it with a cheese topping. A really excellent choice.

If you have any extra room ask to see the dessert tray or do what I do, enjoy a delicious cappuccino.

There is plenty of free parking at Rossini's Italian Restaurant.  Prices are competitive and certainly in line with everyone else in the area.

September at Cedar Hill Cemetery Hartford

Cedar Hill Cemetery is the final resting place for some of Connecticut's most famous former residents. I loved visiting this cemetery and recommend that you give a visit when you have a chance. Taking a tour will make sure that you don't miss a thing. 

Mystery Scavenger Hunt

Saturday, September 10, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Admission: $5.00 per person
Reservations Required – Call 860-956-3311

It's time to solve another mystery! Learn about Cedar Hill while deciphering creative clues that direct you around the historic sections of the cemetery. Teams of up to four people each compete in the fun. Once teams have collected all the clues, it’s time to solve the mystery. It’s a race to the finish, as prizes (and bragging rights) will be awarded to teams who solve the mystery the fastest.