Yesterday I went to Putnam to meet up with my friend Sprite. Putnam is located on the Quinebog River in the Quiet Corner of Connecticut. Putnam is a pleasant place, sort of touristy in a slightly offbeat way. We like it for its location (roughly halfway between her location in CT and mine in RI) and because we always discover interesting things to look at while we’re there.
Of course, the combination of river and fall foliage is always beautiful. I took these shots as we walked down the Putnam River Trail.
Cargill falls
Foliage Along the Putnam River Trail
The trail is lined with many types of trees, including this one, which has interesting fruit. My guess is that it’s a kousa dogwood.
And then there is this tree, which looks like it produces both apples and some kind of cherry.
Weird! But a closer look at its base reveals that it is actually two types of trees growing close together.
The local critters often run away before I can snap their pictures, but the birds don’t seem to mind posing. I wasn’t sure what this one was, but after looking through my bird guide, I’m guessing double-crested cormorant. My friend guessed cormorant at the time, so I think that was a good call on her part!
We have always found the businesses of Putnam to be very welcoming. They go out of their way to add new things for us to see.
Scarecrow Contest in Progress
We often eat lunch at the Main St. Grille, because they are friendly and serve great food at a reasonable price. But they close fairly early in the day, so sometimes we have to go elsewhere. On this occasion we had lunch at The Stomping Ground, which looked like a great spot to catch a live show. We were not there at the right time for music, but the “Van Gogh” grilled cheese sandwich was excellent.
No visit to Putnam would be complete without a stop at the Victoria Station Cafe for a hot cup of tea or coffee, especially when the weather gets chilly. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. We opted to sit outside to enjoy the crisp autumn air.
Alas, yellow jackets love both autumn and sweet beverages, and one of them, in its excitement over my friend’s chai, broke an unwritten rule of human/wasp relations by trying to climb into her nose. Thankfully she was able to shoo it away without getting stung. It was not the first time some sort of animal had “jumped” one of us in search of food, and we reminisced about the time a duck jumped in my lap to steal my sandwich. For the record, I’d much rather be harassed by a duck than a yellow jacket!
The scary yellow jacket aside, it was a lovely visit. I am looking forward to returning later this year.