December in Connecticut

20 inches of snow covered the boulders in Jodi & Larry's front yard shortly after I arrived.

This view from the family room window was awesome!

The tree house sat quietly in the snow..... at least until Pa arrived and started a snowball fight!!

The bright red cardinal perched in a tree in the backyard!
(click on this picture and you will see him well!)


Jaki, Jeff and Jeremy drove in from Chicago. One day we took a drive to Hammonasset Beach.
It was covered with snow and beautiful but COLD!!

Back on Denison Drive we all spent many hours working on a 1000 piece puzzle. The pieces were small and the magnifying glass was helpful!
We also played games, watched football and movies by the fire, did crafts, learned to make potholders and knit, did homework, read, ate, hiked and played in the snow!

We worked into the wee hours every night!


One day we went to eat hamburgers at Louis Lunch on Jeff's recommendation. He had seen it on the Travel Channel. On a street near Yale we found this restaurant that was about 20 ft. square, including kitchen and eating area. It had one table and was packed with people. They still cook hamburgers on the original grills. The story goes like this........One day in the year 1900 a man dashed into a small New Haven luncheonette and asked for a quick meal that he could eat on the run. Louis Lassen, the establishments owner hurriedly sandwiched a broiled beef patty between two slices of bread and sent the customer on his way with America's first hamburger.
Cheese, tomatoes and onion are the only acceptable garnish.......no true connoisseur would consider corrupting the classic taste with mustard or ketchup.
Today Louis' great grandson, Jeff, carries on the family tradition.


Root beer was served in bottles. No Coke allowed!
The hamburgers were excellent!
Great experience!

Then we took a walk around the Yale Campus. It was bitter cold and windy, but the old buildings were very picturesque in the snow. The first building of Yale College was errected near this spot in 1718!

Nathan Hale's dorm room was in this dorm.

Then we went to Hammonasset Beach with Pa. It was different to be on the beach in the snow!
The sky was clear and we could see Long Island across the sound.

The scenery was gorgeous!

The sun was setting on the Faulkner Island Light House!

December 24, 2009

We all attended Larry & Jodi's church, St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Old Saybrook on Christmas Eve.

Jaki, Jeff & Jeremy

Jodi, Larry

Christen & Connor

Granny & Pa

Christen, Connor & Jeremy

We were all missing Olivia and Gavin! ) :

Jodi, Larry, Jeff, Jaki

Connor, Granny, Jeremy, Pa, Christen

We had our traditional Danish Medistepolse for dinner. Larry made it with Grandpa Art's recipe. We had Rice Pudding with an almond for dessert. The person with the nut gets a prize. Then we danced around the Christmas tree and opened gifts!!

On Christmas Day we had Aebleskiver. Yum!!

Montana and Bandit had a good time also!

December 26, 2009

Today was our 44th wedding anniversary. Larry and Jodi took us to dinner at one of the oldest continuously operated inns in the country, The Griswold Inn. Nestled on the banks of the Connecticut River in Essex, CT, it opened its doors for business in 1776. It is an inn with the most extraordinary atmosphere in the nation. Indeed it is doubtful if another inn can go so far back in the country's history. There is no other place to compare with its atmosphere, in hospitality and the excellence of its cusine. The Christmas feast menu included bison, venison, rabbit and moose. During the course of our meal, Christmas carolers took our requests and sang at our table. Awesome! The kids were so well behaved! Unfortunately, we had no camera to record the event! ) :

Now for a bit of history..........The largest naval disaster on United States soil occured in Essex, CT in 1814. 28 ships were burned and sunk in the Connecticut River. The British commander barged into the local inn demanding a "hunt breakfast" be put together to feed his victorious troops. Minus the ship burning, the traditon of hunt breakfasts still continue on this site. Every Sunday the Griswold Inn serves a tradtiional hunt breakfast with venison, turnips, standing ribs and yorkshire pudding, within the walls that saw that first event.

What a special place.......thank you for the special memories, Larry & Jodi!!

Love, Mom & Dad