Fourth of July in Connecticut

Stars and Stripes, Yankee Doodle, and gee the day was just Dandy! Rick did some paperwork in the morning and we took off for a drive in the afternoon. We drove a bit, and found a different public beach along Long Island Sound. If you're planning a vacation and want to head for a beach, I don't recommend anything we've seen along the sound. You understand that in my mind I'm comparing the beaches of Florida and Alabama with the beaches of Connecticut. And as far as playing in the water... The warm water of the Gulf vs. the cold water of the Atlantic, well it's a personal preference, but I'll take the Gulf.

I saw a girl walking along the shore, wearing her tiny little bikini, (the temperature was 74 degrees) and she had goose bumps. Big ones, from head to toe! I told Rick that maybe someone should tell these folks that you don't go to the beach half naked and get all wet when it is 74 and the wind is blowing. You've got to have the "mind over matter" thing down really well to call that a fun day at the beach!

The beach was not really crowded, but there were plenty of folks having a good time.This little guy was running around leaving his webbed footprints in the sand. The people were leaving their cigarette butts. We didn't hang around long.

Our afternoon drive took us on to New London, Fort Trumbull, and the Thames River.New London had some beautiful old buildings, but I didn't get any close-ups. We were pushed for time and the streets were so narrow I couldn't get far enough away from the buildings to get a good shot. One of those things you just have to experience.I'll let you look up Fort Trumbull and read the history for yourself. The visitor's center was closed so we didn't get to tour the fort, but we enjoyed walking around, seeing the view, and reading the markers anyway.This building was built in the 1700s--the oldest part of the fort still standing.Part of the fort we walked around. The walls were very thick to protect against attacks from the water.The "big guns" date back to the 1800s.

Here are a couple of pictures of the Thames River. It is no West Texas creek! I'm talkin' big river--and a couple of islands.There's enough river to handle this cruise ship. She's the Explorer of the Seas, part of the Royal Caribbean cruise line. Some of the locals told us she was on her way to Canada. A long way from the Caribbean! In this photo she was headed back out to sea after a stop in New London.Massive boat! I've never seen a cruise ship up close before now. The people on the decks looked like, well, like little specks. And God cares for--no, He loves so much He died for--each of those little specks. Huge forts, big guns, deep wide rivers, gigantic ships, and the freedom of man. It is for freedom He sets us free. I challenge you to keep a list of all the things you see around you that reminds you of your "independence" and your freedom.

Trying to post this has taken me most of the day because of slow connections. Saturday Rick worked all day but Sunday we had a little fun. I'll tell you about it later.