While going from town to town in Western Connecticut, we were pleasantly surprised by the people we met. They had a Midwestern-type of friendliness to them. Seriously, they were just crazy nice. People young and old would strike up conversations about our B&B, wine preferences, or where we were from.

We were also surprised by the massive show of American pride. It must be the “Yankee” pride we’d heard about growing up…we were in The Constitution State, after all. And nearly every home had an American flag out in front of their yard or mail box. Many also had yard signs showing support for Obama/Biden or McCain/Palin. (Although the home with an Obama/Biden sign out front, an American flag by the driveway, and a Confederate flag in the backyard was a little curious…)

So, when we spotted this dude in his Old Glory jumpsuit, I had to stop him for a pic. I was half expecting a crazy man, but once I stopped him, I realized he was hardly crazy. He was from Eastern Europe and had come to the U.S. years ago before joining the Marines and fighting for our country. He was simply in love with his “new” country. It was fabulous to hear his story. But to make the picture “better” he ran across the street to his pick-up truck and plucked one of three flags for us to hold behind us. I have to say, I think it turned into a pretty nice pic…

Had a great weekend this one past. My college pal and I took a trip North/East to see the fall foliage Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills are famous for.

Gorgeous! Seriously. I mean, I grew up in a hilly part of the Midwest and thought we had pretty autumns. But Missouri’s leaves have nothing on the vibrant colors up there in New England. I honestly have never seen such a variety of yellows, oranges, reds, and purples. Amazing. Really.

If you ever get a chance to head up there in October, definitely don’t pass it up. And although Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire are supposed to be pretty fab during the fall, Connecticut does have the Wine Trail…