January and February – Sooooo COLD!

What a cold January and February we have had. Consistently below freezing with windy days and nights. There was no break in the cold, no traditional “January Thaw.”  We even had frequent smallish snow falls. I love the winter snow so I am not complaining about that.

We can handle the winter. We just have to make our own fun.

We met Mary Jo & Dean and Patrice & George in Essex at the Connecticut River Museum. In 1974 The Connecticut River Foundation at Steamboat Dock in Essex was established as an all-volunteer organization with a vision of a museum that would preserve the history of the Connecticut River and its people. The vision became a reality with the purchase of the 1878 Steamboat Warehouse building, docks and surrounding property. It is a perfect location for the museum as Essex was a major stop for the steamboats going from Hartford to New York.

This carved wooden eagle sits on the bench outside of the museum, still wearing his New Year’s Eve regalia.

Eagles are a big deal on the river. There are “Winter Wildlife Eagle Cruises” from mid-February through early March specifically for sighting eagles .

From the website —
“As the river, lakes and ponds to our north freeze, Eagles and others make their way to the lower CT River for their favorite food – FISH. Join us on this approximately 2 hour “on-the-water” cruise to search for eagles and other winter wildlife. In the past we have spotted up to a record 41 eagles, 3 types of grebes, fox, 3 types of swans, 3 types of mergansers, many different gulls, loons, golden eagle, coyote, deer, many hawk species, 3 types of seals, and even a bobcat. We will have Naturalists on board to narrate and make sure you don’t miss a thing!”

I think I would like to do that someday. I’ve lived in Connecticut almost 40 years and have never done this.

For this day, the six of us were there to see Steve Cryan’s 31^st Annual Train Show. Cryan, an artist and train enthusiast constructs a new model train layout every fall for the holiday season at the Connecticut River Museum.

Steve likes to add humorous touches to his layout. If you look closely you can find them —

My favorite exhibit on the first floor was “Bushnell’s Turtle,” the first operational combat submarine — 1775!

Our afternoon ended with a delicious lunch at The Griswold Inn, one of the oldest continually operated inns in the country, opened in 1776.

Al and I look for fun things to do together during these chilly months. We may not be boating at the moment, but going to the Hartford Boat Show in January was one way to get a “boat fix.”

Curiously, the “Hartford Boat show” was not in Hartford, not even close. It was held at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, near the shore in the eastern part of the state.

February 1st – ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST DAY !! This one is for you, Ellen. 😉 Of course we had to indulge and celebrate such a fine day.

Another really fun and different thing, for us, was to go to another performance at Hartford Stage.

Winter is basketball season and our favorite teams are in Milford and Canton. All three grandkids played basketball this year.

It is now March and although the snow has mostly melted away, the air is still chilly. But March is a turning point and we can begin to think about the 2025 boating season. Sixty-eight days until Kindred Spirit launches!