Day Trip to the Connecticut Shoreline + A Birthday Surprise

Harkness Memorial State Park

July 13th was my mom’s birthday. Numbers don’t matter, but let’s just say her AARP membership is now fully legit. My brother Brian and I thought long and hard about the best way to mark this occasion and there was only one answer: Brian would secretly fly up from Texas for the weekend and we would surprise her, video tape it, and then put it on a blog. That’s what modern 30-somethings do to their 60-something parents right?

Brian flew to Hartford from Dallas under a cloak of secrecy on Friday night, and Saturday morning, we headed to her house in Farmington. I went to the door to get her, Brian hid around the corner, and Mike grabbed my camera to video tape the surprise. I think it’s pretty safe to say she was shocked and happy. I had to edit myself out of the video because I dissolved into tears as soon as my mom saw my brother. It is a rule that when your mom cries, you have to cry as well.

Next we headed to lunch at Lenny and Joe’s Fish Tale in Westbrook and then hit up Harkness Memorial State Park at Mike’s suggestion. I have never been before, and it is really impressive and beautiful. Side note: Since my parents are New Yorkers and we usually go to the beach on Long Island, I have long turned my nose up at Connecticut beaches (no waves!), but I’m starting to come around. Harkness has a small beach, but expansive grounds and a beautiful old mansion.

We took a walk on the beach and collected some shells for my 4-year-old nephew, Heath, and then walked the grounds and the gardens around the mansion. I have to admit that I haven’t been using my camera much lately so my pictures do not do this place justice. Our final stop was Chamard Vineyard in Clinton, which will definitely be receiving a return visit as well.

/// View of the New London Ferry crossing the Sound from the lawn of the Harkness Mansion.

/// Very “Sound of Music” looking, no? Also, I was too lazy to open up PhotoShop and tilt-shift this straight, but you get the idea: these gardens are legit.