Autumn Arrives in Bolton

Autumn arrived over the weekend in Bolton. It felt like summer, but fall was here. Shep and I took a cruise around town to stretch the legs after the NEMBA Fall Fiesta. We walked through our neighborhood, then checked out the Bolton (Connecticut) Town Green. This coming weekend, there is a ceremony to unveil a new memorial honoring Bolton’s combat veterans (2oth and 21st century wars). The momument was under a tarp.

Most of the time, I’m just passing through the center of town. This time, I actually stopped and read some of the neat signage. Bolton is an old town, by US standards. It isn’t quite 300 years old, but it is still old.

Bolton has a Revolutionary War history. Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, a French general, led his troops through Connecticut on his way to Yorktown, Virginia, where he met up with George Washington’s army and helped defeat the British. The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) National Historic Trail passes through Bolton and is one of the town’s most historical significances.

I recently commented on the National Park Service plan that is being drafted to preserve the history of this trail. When you live in New England, you are used to seeing some cool historical stuff. Knowing that Rochambeau and his forces camped at Rose Farm, right near our house, makes it even cooler.

Puerto Rico In a Flash!

I had a short trip to Puerto Rico last week. I presented at a family business seminar. I saw the airport, the hotel, a friend’s house, the beach in front of the hotel, the hotel, and the airport again.

Getting there was a bit of a pain. Everything was set up for an early Monday morning direct flight from Hartford, Connecticut to San Juan. Everyone boarded the flight and we were strapped in. I noticed that it was too quiet for us to be ready for take off. The engines were eerily silent as we sat on the tarmac. Then, the pilot came on the PA system to make the dreaded announcement that I was anticipating. The flight was going to be delayed due to a problem with the weather radar.

It turned out to be a four hour delay, which is just awful. I was stuck in Terminal C at Bradley International Airport with a dodgy internet connection. Fortunately, I was able to get some work done by making calls and cleaning up my e-mail. It was nice of American Airlines to proactively deposit some frequent flyer miles in my account.

I eventually made it to PR and enjoyed the trip. I look forward to a return trip to the island so that I can learn a bit more about the culture.