Kwaree Blog

Visiting Madison Center, CT

Have I told you lately that I enjoy the Connecticut coast?

So it snowed on Saturday night. We didn’t let that stop us on Sunday. Sunday’s weather was perfect for a ride in the car to see what was going on down in Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Clinton, Madison Center and Guilford Center. I really wanted to see what Branford Center looked like, but we were getting a little ahead of ourselves. We’ll have to visit that another day.

It’s so strange to see a totally different culture from what we’re used to around here. I mean, it’s not totally different, but people along the coast seem to enjoy boating and golfing a bit more than we do. Also, if the number of restaurants is any indication, they enjoy eating too.

Okay, I’ll give you the 2 minute rundown of what I witnessed on our drive through these areas:

- Old Saybrook has a nice coast line. Too many people in that town for my taste.

- Westbrook has a few huge marinas, so if you are into boating, that’s your place to be. They also have the Water’s Edge Resort and Spa which looks very nice.

- Clinton was pretty cool. They had a huge nursery called Clinton Nurseries that appeared to hold a massive amount of compost behind a fence. When I say massive, I mean massive. The main street was tight and historic looking. Good for getting out of the car and walking around.

- Madison looked like it was the most wealthy of the towns we visited. There was some sort of a Santa gathering on main street and perhaps a parade. There were all sorts of people around who appeared to really love their town. If I live there, I would probably love it too. It’s really nice.

- Guilford Center was nice as well, but smaller than the rest. It’s a great looking town with a fairly large green. I bet I would like that during the Summer.

Once we hit Guilford, we turned around to head back. As we were driving, my lady indicated that she would be interested in visiting a beach. Since I have always wanted to walk on a beach in Winter, I thought it was a great idea.

The first beach type area we came across was Madison Beach. It was a pretty cool area and was located right past Madison Country Club. We hung out for a while and took some pictures which I will post below. The funny thing about this beach was the wind. On shore, there was a bit of wind, but not really all that much. When we walked out on a rocky area that jutted out about 100 feet into the water, we could hardly stand there because it was so windy. Strange. I’ll tell you, when it’s 37 degrees, the wind really cuts right through you.

After that, we stopped off at Hammonasset Beach State Park. Now this was the bomb diggity. I didn’t even know that Connecticut had beaches like this (again). The park is pretty huge and even offers camping. I could totally see us walking up and down this beach for our daily exercise. Great sand, great water and interesting features. I’ll post the pictures below.

After that, we stopped off at a diner in Old Saybrook and headed back. It was getting dark, so I figured our day out on the Connecticut shore was just about over. Till next time…

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Red and Yellow Delicious Semi-Dwarf Apple Trees

Since it was fairly cool outside today, I am in the mood to write. Yes, outside temperature has an impact on indoor activities. If it’s too hot out, I tend to get lazy. If it’s chilly out, I get to work. Today was in the lower 70s and that’s just fine for me. Now this evening (right now) is in the 50s and that’s even better for me. I think I might have to order that big hoody I have been wanting a little early.

Anyway, I decided to run up to Lowe’s this afternoon after my companion and I finished discussing how much better Lowe’s nursery is than Home Depot’s. Actually, I have seen some good Home Depot nurseries out there, but Lowe’s does seem to have that area down.

I wanted to pick up a few things. I needed to get some fruit trees, some evergreens, a *** and a ***. I will leave those last two as a surprise for my next post.

Okay, so I got to Lowe’s. I quickly browsed their garden area and found that they didn’t have any small White Pines or Norway Spruces. What else is new…nobody ever seems to have any of them. I mean, sure, whenever they get them in stock, they sell out immediately. Hmmm…gee. Weird that they don’t order more to satisfy the hungry evergreen crowd. No, that would make too much sense. Just keep filling the aisles up with those medium sized evergreens that never seem to leave. Yeah, everyone wants those. Okay, sarcasm over.

I went shopping inside to get the other items I went there for and then I returned to the garden area. I looked through the fruit tree area and picked out two apple trees that I believed my better half would like. I was given a slight nudge from my partner before I left. She wanted something what would grow some fruit on it and no more of those crabapples that I love so much. Hey, if it’s good enough for my mate, it’s good enough for me (okay, I’m out of funny names for her).

The two fruit trees I decided on were a Red Delicious Semi-Dwarf Apple Tree and a Yellow Delicious Semi-Dwarf Apple Tree. I don’t think either of these types of apples are on our most favorite lists, but they were the only ones there and I needed something to plant in the front yard. Also, I have eaten Yellow Delicious apples and I don’t hate them. Red Delicious I can do without.

I got back and grabbed the shovel. I also grabbed the wheelbarrow and dug up some compost from my little compost area. That stuff is coming along very nicely and is chock full of worms. You just have to see it. I supposed I should have taken some pictures of it, right? Maybe next time. Sorry about that.

I brought the compost and trees up to the front yard and got to work. It took a few minutes to dig the holes because they were larger than I normally dig them. I thought it would be neat to follow the directions on the back of the tag for once. You know, “Dig the hole twice the size…blah blah blah.” Yeah, I did that and used the majority of the compost I dug up from the pile. We’ll see what happens. Usually, if I follow the directions on a plant, it ends up dying. Although, I did read somewhere that if you plant a tree correctly (instead of just shoving it in a shallow hole like I usually do), it will grow twice as fast as it would if you plant it incorrectly. I guess it has something to do with the roots being able to get out there in the dirt.

So, here are the photos of the two trees I planted today.

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Autumn Plantings for the Triangle Garden

As I have said a million times, or maybe about eight times, the best time to go to the nursery is in mid to late October. The nurseries are just about ready to throw everything in the dumpster out back, so either go in and purchase what you want for half price or wait until nightfall and take your chances at the dumpster.

I got everything for half price…even the mulch. The first type of plant I picked up today was a Silver and Gold Chrysanthemum. These are really pretty cool looking and grow to about 12″-18″. I planted three of them and I think they will fill in quite nicely. As stated on the site I linked to above, you can divide these after a while. That’s great, because like bulbs, once you make the initial investment, you can play for years to come.

The second type of plant I picked up was an Ilex Glabra Shamrock. This one grows about 3′-4′ tall, so I planted it towards the middle, so it will surround the new pear tree. This is a really good looking shrub because it has glossy leaves and some berries. I will have to keep my eye on these because of the deer.

Lastly, like I mentioned above, I purchased 2 bags of great looking “Black Forest” mulch. This will keep all the bulbs and iris covered and protected during the winter. It also just looks so damn good. Take a look…

I am really looking forward to Spring so I can take some pictures of all the freshly sprung bulbs…almost as much as you’re looking forward to it, I’m sure.

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