Random Thoughts From A Known Traveler

I had not been on an airplane in eighteen months. My pandemic travels had been limited to a couple of short drives to Nebraska and one to Colorado, plus a few weekends of in-state RV camping. That's it. So when our son and daughter-in-law purchased a home in Connecticut in June we decided we would go for a visit before winter. October seemed like a perfect time due to mild weather there this time of year and the spectacular autumn colors throughout the New England area.  I was nervous about flying, especially into New York City. It seems like everyday in the news and on social media there are stories of fights involving people refusing to wear a mask where required or other incidents caused by any number of ridiculous reasons.  Luckily for us it was smooth sailing (or flying in this case) all the way there and back. Our TSA Known Traveler status helped us breeze through airport security, and our flights all arrived early at our destinations. 

The entire trip was wonderful. The house is a beautiful historic colonial era style in a scenic rural setting. And we were close to everything we wanted to see and do. Here are some highlights and observations:

1. Pizza is big deal. We saw so many pizza restaurants. They were everywhere. Small towns, big towns, downtowns and on the edge of towns. 

2. Dunkin Donuts shops are also plentiful. There are over 4,200 locations throughout New England. (I looked it up). That's a lot of donuts.

3. Psychics. Probably not as many as Dunkin Donuts. But, still, I saw a lot of psychic shops. 

4. Antique stores...in every town and along nearly every country road. And these are the real deal. They are not second hand stores masquerading as antique stores as you will find in abundance around here. We visited several and saw a lot of history in those places. Real antiques, ranging from early twentieth century to as far back as the 1700s. 

Mill House Antiques   Woodbury, Connecticut

The buildings that house this antique store date back to 1745. The store and its contents have been featured in Architectural Digest magazine. They had an antique wooden table priced at $12,000. We didn't buy it. 

5. Everything is either ten or twenty minutes away. It was a running joke with our son. Whenever we asked him how far it was to the next town or location we were driving to he would say, "About ten minutes." Or, "About twenty minutes." Most of the time, if not every time, he was right. 

Also - no chickens. I see a lot of chicken decorations here. Pictures of chickens, chicken statues, vases and knick-knacks of all kinds. Every store has a chicken for sale in some form. Not out there, though. I think I saw two chickens during the entire trip. And one of those was pretty abstract so I'm not sure it even was a chicken. 

Lots of art, too. But we have that here. I found this photograph tucked away in one corner of a small town main street store.

On the back is the name of the artist - Trude Knutson. It's titled "Self Portrait - Shadows." Most people will likely find nothing exceptional or interesting about it. But I really like it for some reason. Can't explain why. I just do. The price was right so I bought it. So now a piece of Trude's art has made its way to South Dakota. I wonder if she would take any satisfaction in knowing that. Maybe I will try to look her up and tell her. 

Roger O'Dea.    10/24/2021