And Here We Go…

This past Wednesday, we left home to begin our trip. Before heading to Spain, we wanted to stop for a visit with my cousin Tracy and her beautiful family. To say that I was excited to see her would be an understatement.

Tracy was born nine years after me. Being older, I loved taking care of her and her sister Suzanne. After I moved to California though, I lost touch with both of them. That always bothered me because I cared about them very much. Years later I reconnected with Suzanne but for various reasons was not able to do the same with Tracy.

In 2019, Suzanne passed away unexpectedly and Tracy reached out to me over messenger. I did not realize I had a message from her until a year later. From the moment I contacted her, we’ve been in contact via text, phone calls, Zoom and in person. I’ve enjoyed every second we’ve been connected and getting to know her as an adult. We have found that we have many things in common and that includes travel and good food. I foresee some future trips together with amazing gastronomical experiences.

For this trip, Stephen and Tracy have been our gracious tour guides in Connecticut and it has been fabulous. We’ve eaten great pizza at Pepe Pizzeria, delicious Mediterranean salads at Orem’s Diner, and creamy ice cream at Arethusa Farm; taken the train into NYC and visited the Tenement Museum; hiked part of the Saugatuck Universal Access Trail; and walked through the Yale campus. Connecticut is small in size but rich in history and things to do. One interesting fact about Connecticut is that it is the only state that colonized a part of another state – Ohio. Our cup runneth over with gratitude to our cousins for their kindness and love. We’re looking forward to our next visit already!