Saturday managed to get the chance for a short drip down to the coat of CT. We (that’s me and Ian R) went to Mystic Seaport. The drive was through much woodland that had turned to magnificent shades of orange, red and yellow.
Mystic Seaport is an old port which constructed wooden whaling and fishing boats. They are in the process of renovating an 1841 wooden whaleship the Charles W. Morgan Alas we failed to visit the reconstruction yard. Time being short.
I nearly forgot this. I was sitting in my room at the hotel Tuesday evening, working at my desk, when I noticed the table moving and shaking a bit, and slight vibration in the floor. Went on for several seconds. Yes it was an earth quake, and I now have confirmation in a news paper article.
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/16/nation/la-na-nn-earthquake-rattles-new-england-20121016
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake likened to an off-balance washing machine shook New England as far south as Connecticut on Tuesday evening. No damage or injuries were immediately reported.
The earthquake occurred at 7:12 p.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicenter was four miles from Hollis Center, which is about 20 miles west of the state’s largest city, Portland. Initially, the USGS put the magnitude at 4.6, but later downgraded it to 4.0.
Either way, New England is not used to the earth shaking.
Driving into work, there was some commentary about the recent case in Bedfordshire, UK where the police had tweeted a picture of a cannabis plant, commenting it was the largest cannabis plant they had ever seen. You must have heard this in the last week or so. Duly it was dug up and confiscated. The owners of the plant, a retired couple, had not known what is was, but they had liked their spiky looking plant. They said they had bought it a car boot sale.
Now this is where it gets funny. One of the commentators asked what a car boot sale was; the reply from the other was it was a police sale. When you don’t pay your fines, they put a boot on your car and proceed to sell it and the contents of the car. Hence the name car boot sale. I have verified this terminology with the people I am working with. The other commentator thought this was hilarious; the UK police selling cannabis plants.
I have to say this was on American radio, and I can only comment on how far are common language has parted. As you well know a boot is the back of the car, (trunk in American) and a car boot sale is where you empty your house into the boot, drive to a sale field, and then proceed to sell the contents of the boot. (In American parlance, this is a flea market)
Now we have a group of Americans in Connecticut who think the UK police are crazy, selling drug plants to old age pensioners. This is how myths are made.
I am back in America for a two week trip, while our customer completes testing and go live with a new release of Software. I have been here for a few days now. Headed to Heathrow airport on Thursday from Aylesbury Parkway, and arrived here in Connecticut on Thursday in day light. This time I have an all American Car, a two seat Black Mustang. So I am out cruising the highways, living the American dream. I do love accelerating away at the traffic lights, leaving others behind in the rear view mirror. The roar of the exhausts as I take off. At least I am not paying for the (gas) petrol.
On Friday, made it into work, and prepared for the disaster recovery server upgrade, which was starting in the evening. I was not required for the Friday evening work, or Saturday work, this was the server being upgraded. My turn would come on Sunday. I headed into the office on Sunday to perform my tasks, which in the main went well.
So what have I been doing, well visiting the usual eateries, the Tilted Kilt on Thursday evening, the Red Lobster on Friday, and the Tilted Kilt again on Saturday. The bar staff at the Tilted Kilt, in the short skirts and short tops are a definite draw. Last night had a quieter meal at the Wood-N-Tap, which does have a quite lounge bar where you can have a conversation. Alas my conversations are with people on Twitter, so a bar without free internet access is a no no. Wood-N-Tap is cyber wired, so I was not lonely. Odd I was following a link on twitter to the red top newspaper The Sun and it was stopped, not for good taste, but for nudity. Puritanical Americans.
Saturday was going to be a good day weather-wise, though a tad cold in the morning, there was still ice on the car at 10.00 am in the morning. Saturday was a day of learning. Drove first to old Wethersfield, which claims to be the oldest town in the US, and is remarkably well preserved in its original form. Visited their museum and was take around three historic houses by a guide, who had lived in Oxford (UK) back in the seventies. The Webb Deane Stevens Museum taught me about the revolutionary war diplomat, Silas Deane, who went to Paris to get the French on board in the fight for freedom from the British. Typical French joined in, any excuse to bash the Brits, they still are at it now.
In one of the houses, the Webb house, the French commander Rochambeau met Washington to plan battle strategies. The house is now decorated with murals commissioned by Wallace Nutting celebrating that meeting and the victory in York Town.
Old Wethersfield most definitely looks the part of an fairy tale American town. Now its near Halloween, the verges were adorned with pumpkins and figures made out of all types of garbage. The place is also a far cry from the area where I am staying, and is only a few yards off the Silas Deane Highway. Now I know why its called Silas Deane.
I then continued into Harford, was a bit scared, there had been announcements on the radio about traffic being a bear. All to do with a Marathon and Half Marathon being run. Turned out where I was headed, there were no runners, and pretty well everyone else had been scared off. Did get accosted by one lady runner who wanted me to take her photograph. Parked in an empty lot, which had signs that you would be clamped. A passing stranger said, no problem, you can park there during the weekend. It was the city hall car park.
First visit was a traditional old clap board house on Main Street in between the modern concrete buildings. It was the Butler-McCook house. It had been lived in to 200 years by the same family and was now owned by the Connecticut Landmarks. Had yet another personal tour of the house.
Next up was the art museum, another longest continuous serving museum in the USA. The Wadsworth Atheneum had some fabulous Renaissance pictures, and yet again I had a guide to show me around. Not one to one this time, but almost by the end as she lost people through her tour. Some modern art, Picasso and recent stuff like the cube of cocktail sticks, a good meter cube, which holds itself together without glue. Wallace Nutting, from Wethersfield was also a large contributor to the American furniture section.
Finally I had a recommendation to go and see Elizabeth Park, I would expect its fabulous earlier in the year. Its famous for its rose garden. Huge rose garden, but of course at this time of year Rose flowers are rather sparse.
Sunday as I mentioned before was a work day, was in the office by 7.00 am, still pitch black. It was very quiet in the office, I was the only one there. Lights kept going off, unless I moved. I had thought of taking my music player in, but had decided not to. Wish I had now. Worked through to 16.30, and then went out for a meal. Had a lovely succulent gristle and fat free steak. The steak was as thick as wide, and was tender and rare as requested. I have to agree with JCC that these American steaks, which might be fed vast quantities of hormones, do taste pretty damn fine. I did start with some blue finned tuna and salad, panned seared, lovely and red in the middle. One mistake I made, I ordered a starter, the tuna, which came with a salad. Main course invariably come with a salad as well, served before the main. No problem said my waiter, we can change the second salad for chilli, and you can take it home. Good idea, I can microwave it in the office for lunch. Trouble was he did not place it on the table, said I could collect it from the counter when I left. Darn, totally forgot about it.
This week I have been up north, and what rather pissy weather it was. Drove up in constant rain on Monday. Rained all day, but at least I was indoors. I was almost last leaving the office, only one other person, who is in charge of locking-up, was there. The office is set in parkland and is in quite a nice setting, surrounded by wooden rail fences. Would be better without the rain. After I left, I sat in my car for a few minutes, phone calls, and satnav setting. Ready, I set off to the hotel, to be immediately confronted by a shut gate, major irritation cos I would get have to get wet, opening the thing. Oh no, it was padlocked. The person in charge must have left, and locked the gates without checking the car park. No problem, I know these 5 bar gates, you can lift them off at the hinges. Not this one, specially made so it could not be lifted off. Gypsy proof. Back to the office, all lights were off, no cars in the car park, I was well and truly stuck.
I had no mobile phone numbers, so nothing for it but google maps to find a local taxi service to come out and pick me up. One came out for me, had to get him to stop at a cash machine on the way to the hotel so I could pay him and tomorrow morning’s driver.
The hotel was a welcoming site, except ominously they seemed not to have my booking through laterooms.com, but all finally sorted. The hotel was in refurbishment mode, and the bar cum lounge was covered in plastic sheeting.
Well, it continued to rain for most of my stay there, only clearing up for the drive home on Thursday evening. Met Rosemary, and then she was off on the Friday back up the motorway to Prestwich for the weekend. Yes we met like passing doves in the night.
Now she is back, and hopefully will be giving me a fond farewell as I am off to Plymouth in the morning.
Yes I am a sad bunny and played this Blondie song from my Galaxy 3 to the poor bar tender who went by the name Denise. Actually she had used me to bypass the rather persistant man who had started to inquire on her married status, who had also tried to strike up a conversation with me on motor cars. He was dreadful, but she did her best to smile and be polite to him.
I ate at the Red Lobster last night. Definitely a strange and different set of humanity dine there. The food was acceptable, the bar tender was nice. I know this sounds snobbish, but the clients, well ….. I don’t really know what to say.
Was woken at 4 in the morning with a women in the parking lot screaming at some man, ‘You got another girl, You got another girl’ and then sounds of slamming doors and car leaving at high speed.
Last day here, off home from Boston Logan in the evening. Then back out here again in a little over two weeks.
The row of beer taps in the Tilted Kilt in Wethersfield. Had a nice blackened chicken pieces served with fettuccine, artichoke and tomato sauce. Pleasant, filling and worth the 13 dollars. Same bar staff as before, so must be a reasonable place to work, or the tips are great.
Went to Starbucks for a Cappuccino today, and was asked if I wanted it wet or dry. I looked perplexed, thinking I had misheard, I am often told I am going deaf. I still asked and was informed that wet had more milk, and dry had more froth. So I have now learnt a new American phrase and new possibility when ordering my coffee to take out.
Made it to the hotel after just 35 minutes waiting in the American immigration line, the rest went smoothly and I was on the road by 9.35pm.
Traffic was quite bad on the interstate, not helped by the number of roadworks. In a two and a bit hour drive there must have been five lane closures for resurfacing. Moral, don’t drive at night when road surfacing is a night task.
Arrived at Comfort Inn by 11.40pm and soon tucked up in bed for a 3 hour sleep. Body clock soon stepped in and kept me awake. Off to work now in Glastonbury.
This weekend Rosemary and I attended the Ruby reunion of the 1972 Matriculation year of Gonville and Caius. We decided to make a weekend of the event, and arrived on Saturday. Went for a punt on the River Cam, heading towards Granchester. Stopped for lunch at Granchester Meadows, checked the GPS and decided we were only half way to the pubs, so headed back. Examining my hand, I see I have a blister now. There was one dastardly man who was challenged by a group on the bank.
You are punting from the wrong end of the punt, Sir.
Ah, I come from the other place he replied.
Supper was in a Thai restaurant near to Harvey Court / Stephen Hawkins building where we were staying for the night. Afraid is was OK, not excellent.
The Sunday was spent meeting those Ruby alumni, first for coffee in the Stephen Hawking building, then at lunch in the old buildings. We had a tour of the library where there appeared to be some embarrassing memorabilia. The Junior Common Room comment book, and the college directory for our year.
Back to Stephen Hawking building to get changed into Black Tie, then church service in the chapel, Champagne reception and evening meal. We sat with the Old Gits, Richard, Andrea, Norman and Valerie. Ravi who was coming was unfortunately unable to make the event. Good food, lots of wine and fun time.
I am sitting writing this waiting for my plane to Boston, I have 4 days work in Glastonbury CI. I have caught a latish flight, so don’t expect to be tucked up in bed until midnight, (5am UK time). Better go and drop my bags at the bah drop and get through security.