Per usual, this ends up being one of the best posts I write all year. I have been writing these "year in review posts for a few years 2016, 2015, 2014 and it is always fun to see how life has changed. When I sit down to write this at the end of December, I get to sit back and pour a coffee (or glass of wine, depending on the time of day of course) and reflect on the year I have had. All the trips, long weekends away, weekdays spent with friends, weekends spent lounging around this little town, and time with my four-legged clan. I can't say 2017 was bad, or absolutely amazing, but I will say it was a good year. I went to some amazing and unique places (Iceland and Mt. Katahdin to name a few).
But 2017 you were good, and I was so grateful for time spent with family and friends doing so many of the things I love. Hiking, riding, diving and relaxing, it was a year of everything. Happiness and Health- how lucky am I? With that being said, 2018 has a LOT of great adventures already planned. In a few weeks, I will be soaking up the sunshine of Florida and a few weeks after that, dogsledding through Banff National Park in Canada. But before we get carried away with the New Year, let's look back on 2017. A hike in each New England State, a trip to the west coast, and a journey to the world's most Nothern Capital. Here we go!
Newport, Maine, Vermont
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| New Years Eve 017 |
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| New Years Day on East Beach, Rhode Island |
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| Cliff Walk, Newport, RI |
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| Congdons Donuts, Maine |
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| Ben & Jerrys, Vermont |
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| Stowe Ski Resort, Vermont |
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| Ashley's 30th Birthday Party |
Northern Vermont, Rhode Island
February is my birthday month and I had some big plans. I got together with a few friends and spent my 29th birthday in a Yurt in Northern Vermont. We went out on a Winter Hike to Camel's Hump, Vermont, a sunny day with a ton of snow on the mountain (where we wee a little unprepared and sort of lost). On our way back to CT, we stopped in Montpelier Vermont for coffee, tacos, and to see Vermont's capital. Back home, a birthday dinner was in order at Mystic's Oyster Club. The month ended with some local adventures, checking out Grey Sail Brewing in Westerly Rhode Island and Whalers Brewing Company in South Kingston, Rhode Island. It was a snowy month and the horses (mostly) got a break. On a sunny day I took Olive out to Gillette Castle to walk the grounds and enjoy the views of the Connecticut River.
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| Maple Farm Yurt, Vermont |
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| The Yurt Group |
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| Hiking Camels Hump, Vermont |
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| Bithday Dinner, Oyster Club, Mystic, Connecticut |
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| Snowstorms in Stonington, CT |
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| Winter Walks in Old Lyme |
Grand Cayman
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| Stingray City, Grand Cayman |
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| Swimming with a Sea Turtle, Grand Cayman |
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| The group in Grand Cayman |
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| Compass Point Dive Resort |
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| Stony Creek Brewery, Branford, CT |
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| Proclamation Brewery, Rhode Island |
Vermont
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| Smuggler's Notch Ski Resort, Vermont |
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| Moxie, Madison, CT |
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| Lost Nation Brewing, Vermont |
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| Castle Craig Hike, Connecticut |
California, New York City, Boston's Freedom Trail and Newport
May was another month of big plans and trips out of the state. To start, I took a trip out to California to see the LA area. There, I hiked Sandstone Peak in Santa Monica, spent the day in Joshua Tree National Park, and biked around Venice and Santa Monica. After playing tourist, I had a chance to play tour guide when Amanda came to New England. We spent the day in Boston on the Freedom Trail, and spent two days in New York City. Day 1 we saw the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway (my first Broadway show!), walked the highline, and visited Chelsea Market. Day 2 we walked the Brooklyn Bridge, saw the 9/11 Memorial, and walked through Central Park. We ended Amanda's trip with a weekend on Block Island for Memorial Day Weekend. We also made a quick day trip to Newport to see the mansions and walk Cliff Walk.
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| Venice/Santa Monica Boardwalk, California |
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| Santa Monica, California |
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| Joshua Tree National Park, California |
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| Joshua Tree National Park, California |
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| Boston, Massachusetts |
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| New York City Skyline |
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| Times Square, NY, NY |
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| Block Island, Rhode Island |
Belmont horse race, bridal shower, Manhattan
I started the month with my first "real" horse race, heading to Long Island to watch the Belmont Stakes, the last race of the Triple Crown series. I spent lots of time around Stonington, paddle boarding, swimming, diving and soaking in the New England summer. We celebrated Kristen at her Bridal Shower on a gorgeous spring day in Old Lyme. I ran a 10k with some amazing friends (and Olive) in Niantic. My youngest brother Philip graduated high school. I also went to New York City for an afternoon at a private event on a roof top bar on the Upper East Side. The month ended celebrating Courtney's 30th birthday party.
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| Waylands Wharf, Stonington, CT |
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| Niantic 10k |
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| Belmont Stakes, NY |
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| Belmont Stakes, NY |
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| Bridal Shower, Old Lyme, CT |
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| 2017 LOLHS Graduation |
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| Courtney's 30th Birthday, Essex, CT |
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| Courtney's 30th Birthday, Essex, CT |
Lobster, Newport, Stonington Summer Days, White Mountains of New Hampshire
When July 4th rolls around, summer is in full swing here in Connecticut. I celebrated Independence Day with friends at a beach house in town where we had a good ole fashion New England lobster bake. Next up, I went to a soccer game, to watch U.S.- Ghana play at Rentschler Field. We celebrated Kristen again but this time for her bachelorette party in Newport Rhode Island, spending the day at Newport Vineyard, enjoying dinner at the Clarke Cooke House, and watched a polo match at the Newport Polo Grounds. The month involved many weekends at Waylands Wharf and afternoons swimming off the jetty. I took Bradley to Westbrook Horse Show (again) where we spent a beautiful summer day showing in a few jumper classes. I took my bike out on some road rides around Mystic and a went to a few Oyster Club Happy Hours ($1 oysters!). The month ended on a great note up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Thatcher, Olive and I hiked the Franconia Ridge Loop, often called one of New England's best day hikes. We also found a new brewery with great food and local beer at Schilling Beer Co. We ended the month celebrating National Hammock Day on a quiet lake in New Hampshire.
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| Westbrook Hunt Club Horse Show |
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| Westbrook Hunt Club Horse Show |
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| Westbrook Hunt Club Horse Show |
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| Newport International Polo Field, Newport, RI |
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| Newport Bachelorette |
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| Brunch at the Yacht Club |
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| Franconia Loop Hike |
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| Franconia Loop Hike, New Hampshire |
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| Schilling Beer Co, New Hampshire |
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| Scuba Diving, Stonington, CT |
Block Island, Mount Monadnock, Scuba Diving in Gloucester, and Mount Katahdin
The month started and ended on Block Island, Rhode Island. I also went to the vineyard down the road, Saltwater Farm for one of their summer concerts. In preparation of hiking Maine's tallest peak, Mount Katahdin, I met a friend in Massachusetts and we crossed the border into New Hampshire and hiked Mount Monadnock. The water was finally warming up so I headed to one of my favorite coastal New England towns for some great local diving in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Finally, I made the trek to Northern Maine for a weekend of camping and hiking and FINALLY made it to the top of Mount Katahdin and camped at Baxter State Park in Maine, my last New England Summit. The end of summer came quick and we spent another weekend in Block Island, soaking up the last bit of summer.
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| Mount Monadnock, New Hampshie |
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| Diving Gloucester, Massachusetts |
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| Diving Gloucester, Massachusetts |
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| Saltwater Farms Vineyards, Stonington, CT |
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| The gang on Mount Katahdin, Maine |
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| Mount Katahdin, Maine |
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| Mount Katahdin, Maine |
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| Olive and Thule on Block Island |
A wedding, Mount Tom, the Big E, Breweries and Iceland
The month started off with a fabulous wedding when Kristen got married on a perfect summer day in Fenwick, Old Saybrook. Soon after, I started taking two classes, a wetland ecology class at the University of Rhode Island and Marine Ecology online. I helped organize a cleanup dive during the International Coastal Cleanup and continued the lobster roll tour at Captain Scotts in New London. After checking out some new trails in Rhode Island and breaking my bike frame, we checked out Revival Brewing in Rhode Island. Mid September I headed north and hiked Mount Tom in Northampton and checked out two new breweries in the area. To end the month, I met some friends at one of New England best fairs, the Big E, where we ate our way around the fair. The highlight of the month was when I packed my bags and headed north to spend 10 days exploring Iceland.
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| Bridal Party - Kristen's Rehearsal Dinner |
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| Robertson Wedding Day |
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| Hiking Mount Tom, Massachusetts |
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| Northampton Breweries |
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| International Coastal Cleanup, New London, CT |
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| Big E, Massachusetts |
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| Glacier Hike, Iceland |
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| Iceland |
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| Iceland |
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| Iceland |
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| Iceland |
Vermont and Fall Fun
We arrived back in Connecticut after a cold (wet) 10 days in Iceland. Just four days after getting back to the country, I was back in the car for another journey north, this time to northern Vermont for another tradition, the yearly Kingdom Trails mountain biking trip where Olive and I hiked Burke Mountain. The rest of the month was spent soaking up New England fall fun, carving pumpkins, visiting the Witch History Museum and other historic sites in Salem, Massachusetts, handing out candy, and of course some local fall hikes.
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| Hiking Burke Mountain, VT |
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| Hiking Burke Mountain, VT |
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| Hiking Burke Mountain, VT |
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| October in New England |
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| Bradley |
Hopyard hikes, Brewery and Thanksgiving
November was mild and I had one last horseshow to end out the season. Then it was enjoying the last of the leaves at a hike in East Haddam at Devils Hopyard. And of course, another month, another brewery but this time to Fox Farm is Salem, Connecticut. Our dive club had a great photograph expo featuring our local photographers and I shared a few pictures from that years trips. I went to the local brewery down the road to celebrate their anniversary (5 years of Beerd!). I spent Thanksgiving with my family, and per tradition started the day off with a 5-mile run with friends on a sunny Thanksgiving morning.
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| Bradley |
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| Devils Hopyard, Connecticut |
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| Devils Hopyard, Connecticut |
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| Fox Farm Brewery, Salem, CT |
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| Photo Exhibit, New London, CT |
Snow storms, christmas trees, and New York City
December in New England- you never know what to expect. This year, we saw several (small) snow storms and some freezing temperatures which meant fall turned into winter quicker than any of us would like. On a snowy day, I headed to the local tree farm where I picked out my 6' blue spruce. I baked cookies, trimmed the tree, and took Olive on a local hike in the snow. I took a trip to New York City to the Natural History Museum and to soak up all things Christmas in the city. The month ended with an indulgence of good food and great wine, celebrating the holidays with families and friends.
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| Stonington, CT |
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| Natural History Museum, NY, NY |
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| Stubborn Beauty Brewing, Middletown, CT |
Happy New Year !
Katie Wanders
What a year! So many amazing trips.... but maybe more Bradley on the blog next year?
ReplyDeleteYes! 2018 will be the year of the horse ;)
DeleteIt's funny isn't it, we can think we haven't done much if we don't look back. Looks like 2017 was a good year, but I wish you a better 2018 anyway :)
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it always happen like that! It is so nice to sit down, reflect, and remember all the great trips (and how lucky we are to take them). Thanks for reading! Wishing you a happy 2018 as well.
Delete