A Texas city girl in a small New England town …
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~ 11/04/2011 ~
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This morning, we experienced our first frost of the season in Connecticut. But this didn’t stop Kevin and me from driving to the Kent Falls State Park and doing a little mid-morning hike along the falls. We made sure we wore an extra layer of clothes. And up the trail, we went. The part of the Kent Falls, seen at the bottom of the trail, is only a small portion. The falls have a total drop of 250 feet. Since they wind around the corner, they can’t be seen simultaneously. Kevin and I had to hike up a steep trail to get an idea of how big and how long the falls were running through the hill. Unfortunately, we still haven’t reached the top. However, the part of the trail we’ve hiked was so worth it.
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– 11/03/2021 –
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🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁
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Author: Clyde Watson
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☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩
The wind is strong, the rain is a soaker, and the leaves are falling. It’s a perfect day to stay indoors and drink some hot chocolate.
☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩☂🍁🌩
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After I dropped off Sara at school, I drove to Echo Lake Park. I wanted to see how far Autumn had come along. Two weeks ago, there were barely any signs. Now, it looks quite different. Let’s give it another week or two, and the green might be completely gone. The dew and the fog helped to give it an Autumn feeling at the lake. A half a dozen ducks and a bunch of Canada Geese enjoyed this sunny morning as well.
🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁
– 10/12/2021 –
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Before I drove Sara to school, I warmed up the car and captured some photos with my Nikon. The sun just rose above the horizon when I could see the fog past the trees in the valley. While we had no fog up on the hill in Watertown, Oakville was covered in a blanket. Sara’s school is about 300 ft lower in altitude than our home. The Autumn fog looked so pretty this morning.
🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁
~ 10/12/2021 ~
🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁
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: https://ctparks.com/parks/stratton-brook-state-park
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When Kevin and I reached the Heublein Tower, we went to the shop to purchase some water and snacks. While we ate, we enjoyed the view over the Farmington River Valley. It is prohibited to eat or drink at the observation lounge.
When we were ready to go upstairs, we had to climb 120 steps to the sixth floor to get to the Heublein Observation Lounge. From there, we had a 360° view. From the tower, Hartford can be seen at a short distance. When the skies are clear, the view reaches all the way across Massachusetts into New Hampshire. I spent some time on the bench up there and soaked in the panorama.
After resting for a little bit, Kevin and I hiked down the Tower Trail. My arch in my right foot was aching. So, I had to take it easy. New insoles or hiking shoes should fix this problem. Thank goodness, there is a shortcut trail that led us down faster. We took in the beautiful Autumn sights. After all, it was a perfect day to hike up the hill. The temperatures were in the mid- to upper 50s (12℃ – 14℃).
Simsbury, Connecticut – October 10th, 2025
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~ THE END ~
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Yesterday, I planned a trip to the Heublein Tower at Talcott Mountain State Park. When we arrived at the park today, I wasn’t aware that we still had to hike 1.25 miles (2 km) with an elevation gain of 427 feet (130 meters) to get to the tower. Once we climbed up the steep gravel path, we reached the top of the ridge, where we encountered the western-facing view over the Farmington River Valley. The rest of the trail is almost flat with some gravel and tree roots along the way. I had to sit down a few times to take in the beautiful view while I was resting. But I was motivated enough to make it all the way to the tower. I was well rewarded.
Simsbury, Connecticut – October 10th, 2025
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… to be continued …
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🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁
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– 10/07/2021 –
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For my DIY Autumn Shelf Sitter, I used one of those wood-pressed Mason Jars. I removed the original paper sign, galvanized metal, and bow before I sanded the “jar”. I cleaned it of the sanding dust and glued on the plaid scrapbook paper. Once the glue had dried. I sanded off the edges of the paper. For a nicer edge, I used antique wax on the sides of the “Mason Jar” and the “Hello Fall” wooden cutout sign. I waited a day to let the wax dry thoroughly.
The following day, I cut a styrofoam pumpkin in half and painted it with matte red, orange, and yellow from Folkart and Apple Barrel. And as a finish, I painted it with some gold. To bring out the ribs of the pumpkins, I painted the creases with antique wax. I also painted the stem for a more natural look. For all that, I used a thin brush.
In the meantime, I hot-glued the tie, bow, galvanized leaf, and “Hello Fall” sign to the “jar”. Since the pumpkin had some blemishes, I used some moss to cover them up. It worked perfectly sitting on the haybale. When I added the pumpkin on the haybale to the sign, I noticed that the shelf sitter can stand perfectly by itself. So, I didn’t have to add anything else. Usually, I glue a wood block for stability in the back. But it is not necessary, this time.
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🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁
🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁
🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁
🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁
Under The Harvest Moon 