Last Full Day in Connecticut

We decided to take it easy on my last day in Connecticut. I didn't want to spend too much time in the car knowing I had a couple 12 hour driving days ahead of me. So we hung out at Offspring #1's apartment. I wanted to see more of the ocean so we drove to the University of Connecticut campus and walked around the grounds next to the shore. They have their own lighthouse there and the grounds are very pretty. Unlike the colleges I attended, St. Cloud State University and the U of Minnesota, U Conn faces the water and appreciates the view. They have picnic tables near the shore and a brick walkway along the bluffs. We had lunch at a famous Groton landmark, Pasta Pete's. After lunch we visited a Revolutionary War Site, Fort Griswold. Benedict Arnold, a traitor to the American cause, was familiar with the fort and the area because he was born and raised one town away (Norwich). He drew the plans of the fort and gave them to the British. Arnold told the British ships how to avoid being fired upon while coming up the Thames River. Arnold was there when Captain Ledyard surrendered to the British and took the sword from Ledyard's hands and killed him. According to the plaque I read, the British massacred the rest of the men as well resulting in 80+ deaths. There is a

monument there dedicated to the men who gave up their lives after surrendering to the British. Much of the fort was underground and we were able to walk through a portion of it. The fort is at the top of a long hill facing the river. I learned much about war during this trip. There are some very definite ways that Connecticut differs from Minnesota. I saw more small businesses in Connecticut than I do in Minnesota. I saw one Home Depot and a couple Targets but I saw more Mom and Pop style stores selling hardware and clothing and pizza and lumber. The homes were older. I saw very few residential developments where all the houses are the same style and colors. And the lawns had grass with weeds in it and dry spots - not the single species, overwatered and over manicured lawns we have here. The roads were in better condition and they allow trees to grow closer to the side of the road than here. And the blue hydrangeas - oh, they were plentiful and awesome. Maybe it's the salty, sandy soil or the fresh ocean air but hydrangeas in Minnesota do not get as blue as the hydrangeas in Connecticut.