Talcott Mountain Mini-Hike

May 18th, 2013

Earlier this summer went hiking and explored some of Connecticut's natural beauty. Reese heard of a place called Talcott Mountain from a friend from work and it was surprisingly close to where we lived, (in Bloomfield, CT). Since it was only about 10 minutes away we decided to make a day trip to the mountain and check it out. 

It ended up being a very beautiful mountain and it wasn't a very difficult hike. We saw a few other people, one was a mother and daughter who were about 10 minutes ahead of us. The daughter was about 3 years old and strapped to the back of the mom in one of those child backpack things..she ended up letting the child walk from about half way up. It was a steep, but short hike, it took about 15 minutes to reach the top.

The view was really pretty but the edges of the mountain were a bit dangerous, you had to be really careful not to get too close to the edge.. I was shocked to see that they were not fenced off since it was probably about 100 or so ft to the bottom.. a deadly drop off.. and the gravel was also quite loose. So unsafe.

We explored the top of the mountain for an hour, choosing different trails and searching for animals. We ended up seeing a bird that was singing a really interesting song, a few squirrels, and a very large woodpecker. 

On our drive back to the apartment, we passed our favourite local market. It was full of fruits, veggies and other homemade treats like jams and baked goods. We had visited the market the previous week and bought a jar of delicious homemade strawberry rhubarb jam and a couple fresh honey sticks that came from a nearby bee farm. Both were amazing and I’m looking forward to going back someday! 

enjoying our honey sticks

Taking a Step Back in Time: Washington, DC Trip

Reese had his 15 year reunion in Washington DC back in May on a Saturday, and on the Friday of that weekend he had another shoot in NYC, so we decided to make it a weekend trip and go visit his family in nearby Maryland as well. The drive from Connecticut was about 6 hours in total but since we were in New York most of Friday, it ended up breaking up the trip into 2 hours (to NYC) and 4 hours (down to Maryland). 

THE US CAPITOL BUILDING

In Maryland, we spent a lot of time with his parents and sister. I like his sister a lot, we are the same age, both love to play soccer and we have a similar personality, reserved and quiet natured. His parents are incredibly nice people, very welcoming and friendly. I enjoyed every minute of the time I spent with his family, including the trip I made with his mother and sister to a little thrift shop type place to pick up a table.. apparently his mother shops there a lot because the people knew her by name. I actually think she is their best costumer.. It seemed that she either bought, or planned to buy, everything there (not quite, but almost!). His sister and I had a pretty good time laughing the whole time in the store about how much she loved to shop and get a good deal.

After the boat trip through Washington, D.C

The reunion took place on a boat in Washington, D.C. since Reese went to a private school there when his was in high school. I got to see (well...drive by) the White House and the Capitol building on our way to the harbor where we were getting on a boat. 


It was neat to meet all his old friends, but it was even more interesting to sit and talk with all the wives and girlfriends. It seemed like the majority of them were from another country, which made me feel comfortable being a Canadian.. I was exotic too! Ha! I met a few really nice girls and had some great conversations. 



Overall, the trip was a success and we ended up visiting, or at least driving through, 7 States at some point during the weekend...Washington (D.C.), Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania (and Connecticut but I didn't count it because we live there). 

Shooting a Video:Parkour in NYC

Traffic on the way to NYC from CT

On March 23, we made a day trip into New York City because Reese was doing a shoot for the web-series "Mansome" about Parkour. For those of you who don't know what parkour is, it is like outside gymnastics and you're trying to get from point A to point B in the fastest, most efficient way possible. That's the easiest way I can describe it. And for those of you who have watched the movie "Mansome", the web-series is a spin-off of the movie.. basically short how-to videos for "manly" things, which I found amusing because the person teaching Reese how to parkour was a woman.

The parkour expert and teacher was Nikkie Zanevsky, and the idea of the show was to have her teach Reese, a regular fellow, the basics of parkour. I had the chance to chat with Nikkie while the crew and Reese were setting up and getting ready. She told me that when she first started, she was the only female in New York doing parkour. She now goes around to speak at schools and other organizations, teaches parkour lessons, and does video shoots like this one. I could tell she was really passionate about it and I was impressed to see she made a living doing something as obscure as parkour.

The shoot took place at a park called Tomkins Square Park in the Lower East Side of New York City. It was such a neat experience to be in a real NYC park (in real life, it really is exactly how you see it in the movies). There were so many people everywhere.. men and women were walking their dogs..  families were making use of the play structures.. a group of guys were playing a game of pick-up basketball.. various groups were working out and using whatever was available in the park.. and we, (well, not me really), were taping a show right in the midst of it all. The producers and film crew were somehow able to claim the monkey bars for the first part of the shoot, perhaps the expensive looking cameras and large equipment scared people off..


We didn't realize the shoot was taking place outside when we left CT, or maybe Reese knew but forgot to mention it to me, or he told me and I forgot.. I probably forgot. I had assumed that we would be inside so I wasn't dressed to be outside for long periods of time. It was a windy Spring day (yes, Spring in March!) and I was fairly cold from standing outside for a few hours, so I went to find somewhere to warm up for a bit. The shoot was also getting a little boring. I didn't know it would be so repetitive.. it was really interesting when I was watching the first few takes, but the producer had them go over every scene again and again, and then again from different angles. It's surprisingly tedious work to make a video, and now I know how actors memorize their lines so well.


There was a library across the street from the park so I tried there first. In addition to being cold from being outside for a few hours, I also needed to use the ladies room. I entered the library thinking I could find a quiet place to sit and read and also use the washroom... but I was wrong. I guess in big cities like New York, it is not easy finding a bathroom to use ANYWHERE. I couldn't believe the library didn't have a washroom for the public to use (or I just couldn't find it.. even though I wondered around for a long time looking for it).

I decided not to stay at the library. It was much too crowded and I wanted to go somewhere more peaceful. I walked a few blocks, (and mom don't be horrified, New York isn't as scary as you think, it was very safe), and found a cute little restaurant and decided to check it out.


Knowing they would have a hot beverage and a bathroom for me, and seeing that there were very few people inside, I determined it was the perfect place to set up camp for an hour or so.


I ordered a coffee but I didn't have any American money on me and they didn't take debit cards.. which was really strange to me. I used a bank machine and luckily it worked.  Once I finished sipping my New York City coffee, I headed out for a walk around the block. The side streets really caught my eye, at least in this area.. they were unexpectedly beautiful and bright. After admiring a few buildings from afar and taking pictures like a tourist, I began my journey back to the shoot. On my way back, I stopped to visit the nearby dog park to watch the overly excited dogs enjoy their freedom for a few minutes. Despite the fact that they were all unleashed and chasing one another and their toys, I didn't even see one dog attack another dog.. or owner. I was impressed!

When Reese was finished shooting, he showed me where I was supposed to use the washroom. The film crew had made arrangements with the barbershop across the street.. which also had a restaurant and a sitting area in the back.

I should mention, every person I met that day.. the film crew, strangers on the street, the library people, the waiters and owner of the coffee shop.. were all incredibly friendly people. I have yet to experience an overly rude or mean person in NYC..


Click the link to watch the final produced version of video:

 Mansome 174: Parkour Part Deux

More pictures from the day..

Nikkie and Reese discussing parkour



Reese doing a take

Taking a break in the back of the barber shop

Getting his audio hooked up

Introducing the video

A van we passed.. lesson learned: don't own a white van in NYC

From Canada to Connecticut

I was trying to catch up on my blog by going in chronological order but there's far too much to write about and I don't want to forget the details of recent events, so instead I'm going to write about both past and present events and adventures. I'll be sure to have the dates on each post to avoid confusion.

The morning of Sunday, July 28th, I began my journey back to Connecticut. My wonderful friend Ginelle was kind enough to pick me up from Sarah's place in Winnipeg at 5am to take to the airport for my 7:30am flight out. Ginelle knew how anxious I was about getting to the airport and the whole process of getting back to Connecticut because I told her the last few times I took a cab in the city that late (or early depending how you look at it) I had very interesting/creepy cab drivers... so creepy that I questioned whether they were taking me to the airport or not. Having Ginelle drive me, I felt much better about getting to the airport safely, plus she is a very punctual and reliable person, not to mention an impeccable driver. I always feel safe and calm when she is driving so I'm very appreciative that she drove me to the airport that morning (thanks, Ginelle!).

Once at the airport, everything continued to go smoothly.. I was the only one in line to go through security so it was really quick and easy, and the customs gentleman was the friendliest one I’ve had yet. It was a great start to my journey back to Connecticut, in addition to the pleasant drive to the airport with Ginelle earlier. I was feeling good. Before boarding my flight, which was on time (yay!), I also enjoyed a bagel and coffee from Tim Horton’s.. which was a little sad because I knew it would be the last of Tim’s coffee for a long time.. (however, I think we are going to New York City next Thursday and they have a few Tim Horton's there!).



Flying through the clouds into Chicago

The connecting flight was in Chicago which meant I didn’t have to go through security or customs again like I would have if my connecting flight was in Canada. This was especially nice because I had a fairly long layover which meant plenty of free time to explore the enormous airport, as well as time to relax before my next flight. I’m still astonished at how massive Chicago’s airport is in comparison to Winnipeg's tiny little airport. Chicago O'Hare is basically its own city! I found out that it's the world's second busiest airport and this does not surprise me at all. One time, I had to walk basically from one end of the airport to the other and I remember I almost missed my connecting flight because it unexpectedly took me over 25 minutes to get there not only because of the really long walk, but also because it was so crowded. It felt like I was having a nightmare and we, thousands of sweaty tired travels, were trapped in a never-ending airport maze that just kept going and going and going..

Nothing too exciting happened during the layover. I was aware of the enormity of the airport and knew how long it would take to get to my gate so I just moseyed about the airport with coffee in hand as I checked out the variety of shops. After I was bored of that, I went to my gate to patiently wait for my next flight and read a book. I felt a little uneasy because I don't currently have cell service in the US, and I didn’t feel the need to spend the extra money to get a few hours of Wi-Fi access at the airport. It’s a really vulnerable feeling to not have the freedom to text or to use the internet, especially in an unfamiliar place like Chicago (however, I was a bit less uneasy than I would normally be in this situation since it wasn't my first time at this airport). I often wonder how people a few decades ago managed to survive without internet, cell phones or smartphones. I barely remember those days.. pay phones? Paper maps? Talking to strangers..? Weird.

My second flight was from Chicago to New York City. Reese was driving in to meet me to take me back to Connecticut, a two hour drive away. The flight left on time and everything was going according to schedule until about an hour and a half into the flight. This flight was only supposed to be an hour and a half, so when the pilot came onto the intercom I thought he was about to tell me that we were landing. The pilot, instead, informed us that there was an intense storm over New York and we were unable to land. To allow the storm to pass, we had to fly around in the sky, I think in circles, and go through A LOT of turbulence for an extra hour until it was okay to make our descent into NYC. I wasn’t too pleased that the flight time had doubled, but when we landed at LaGuardia Airport, I was just happy to be safe on the ground and alive. I really dislike flying and don't plan on going in another plane for a long time (unless we go to the Air and Space Museum in CT!).


I had just awkwardly pulled my two fifty pound luggage bags off of the arrival baggage carousal and then Reese appeared out of nowhere to greet me! We left the airport and NYC shortly after and made it back to Connecticut without hitting any traffic on the way, then went out for sushi and called it a day.. a perfect ending to a very long day of an almost perfect day of travelling.