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NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts tagged “Jacqueline Bennett

Destination: Buell’s Orchard – Eastford, Connecticut

Posted on August 24, 2015

  Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Buell’s Orchard in Eastford, Connecticut is a treat!      Tucked in the countryside of the northeastern part of the state, Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner”, Buell’s can be a bit tricky to find – it’s easy to drive past the small sign indicating the turn to reach the orchard.   Upon arrival – on the day of my visit last October – it seemed like a New England fantasy oasis come to life amidst deep red, orange and yellow leaves. Alluring rich hues that enveloped the orchard turned due to the cold nights accompanied by warm days characteristic of the autumn season. In mere weeks, Buell’s is primed to look that way again as the regional late…

Exploring Groton Long Point

Posted on August 21, 2015

        Write-up by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com Photos courtesy of Melane Larned   Groton Long Point in southeastern Connecticut is about a six minute drive from the University of Connecticut Avery Point branch, where marine science and maritime life is studied. As well, it is located near a popular lobster shack called Abbott’s in Noank.   Until recently that was the extent of my knowledge about this shoreline spot. Then I received some photos of my nieces Michelle and Maryann with their cousin April – & company – enjoying themselves at a beach on Groton Long Point (GLP). I was intrigued by what looked like a lovely area, a corner of the Nutmeg State that I had yet to explore. So a…

A Visit to the USCG Cutter Barque Eagle – “America’s Tallship”

Posted on August 17, 2015

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Visitors to the Barque Eagle, “America’s Tallship”, were hospitably greeted Sunday by members of the United States Coast Guard at New London Harbor. A training ship for cadets, having completed the 2015 summer cadet training, the “Eagle” arrived in its homeport of New London near the USCG Academy on Friday, August 14. The Eagle is scheduled to depart this morning en route to Portsmouth, Virginia.    On this sunny and hot summer day, curious visitors eagerly boarded the massive ship walking up a boarding ramp then immediately down a steep row of steps before touring the vessel – a World War II prize of war. Constructed in 1936, it was originally commissioned as the Horst Wessel by the…

A Facelift for Connecticut’s Old State House

Posted on August 14, 2015

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   The Old State House stands in beauty and dignity on the west side of the Connecticut River, the “high land side” in Hartford, Connecticut. Declared a National Landmark in 1960, it remains a constant, greeting visitors to the capital city.   Blue scaffolding currently engulfs this historic building as it undergoes exterior renovation and roof repair. However, the building is open for touring.   Construction of the original meeting house dates back to 1636, one year after the first settlers arrived in what would become a colony which quickly outgrew that earliest structure as noted on the Old State House website. Following a fire in 1792, it was rebuilt. Visit http://www.cga.ct.gov/osh/timeline.asp to view a full timeline.…

Mom’s Recipe Box: No Eggs Tomato Soup Cake

Posted on August 7, 2015

                    No Eggs Tomato Soup Cake   With the cost of eggs on the rise, when my sister Candy came across a No Eggs Tomato Soup Cake recipe in our mother’s recipe box she thought it would be timely and helpful. It is one that Mom wrote out on an index card – we both always enjoy seeing the recipes written in Mom’s penmanship. My sister recently tried the recipe herself for the first time. It came out great.   The end result was so good that Candy said she will definitely bake this cake again – perhaps next time using a can of low sodium tomato soup. The recipe calls for a whole cup…

Deci’s Drive-In – Gone But Not Forgotten

Posted on August 4, 2015

By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Just a few weeks ago, my nephew Mike, my sisters and I were reminiscing about Deci’s. Once a drive-in restaurant in Manchester, Connecticut, it was one of my father’s favorite places. I was so young when I first started going to Deci’s Drive-In that my father used to carry me inside with him. Located at 463 Center Street, I’m sure Dad discovered Deci’s – which was a about a half way point from our home to the east – on his way to work in downtown Hartford. On his days off, he sometimes brought my mother, my sister Candy and me there, as well as, Mike and his younger brother Johnny and my niece Debbie. In talking about our…

Fresh from the Root Seller/Comte Family Farm in Nottingham, New Hampshire

Posted on July 29, 2015

  Article by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com Photos Courtesy of the Comte Family      Vegetables fresh from the Root Seller/Comte Family Farm in Nottingham, New Hampshire are clearly a taste buds delight. Folks travel to farmers markets – stretching from the New England seacoast and inland – just to get them.   “Busy, busy, busy,” that’s the word from family members about this year’s growing season.   Maple syrup production dominates the late winter and early spring here, but come planting season the Comte Family – Dan, his wife Susan and their three sons, Tyler, Andrew and Anthony – are hard at work with the fields. Potatoes, peas, carrots, radishes and a variety of beans – “naturally grown without chemical fertilizers or synthetic pesticides”,…

Hartford Yard Goats, A Name That ‘Got People’s Goat’ – At First

Posted on July 27, 2015

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   It appears to have been part of the plan – a masterful marketing strategy. When the “Hartford Yard Goats”, the name of Hartford, Connecticut’s new Double A minor league baseball team, was announced in March of this year it was met with less than enthusiasm by the general public. One might say, it got people’s goat.   “Hartford fans were crestfallen. While the city was preparing to welcome a professional baseball team, the team owners were orchestrating a circus,” Kristen Hussey wrote in a piece in the New York Times.   Fans of the Eastern League Rock Cats, the team set to be transplanted the 14 minute drive from New Britain to the capital city and…

Mom’s Recipe Box: A Summer Twist on B&M Raisin Brown Bread with Crockpot Simmered B&M Boston Baked Beans

Posted on July 23, 2015

                    “Roll out those lazy, hazy crazy days of summer……”         Awhile back Aimee Seavey wrote a delightful food piece titled “B&M Brown Bread in a Can” for Yankee Magazine’s newsletter “New England Minute”. She spoke of canned B&M Brown Bread and B&M Beans made in Portland, Maine as a New England Saturday night supper favorite. True. Growing up in my Connecticut home it was especially popular during the autumn and winter months served with poached egg topped corned beef hash.   With the hot weather having settled in, and my recent discovery of B&M Raisin Brown Bread at Price Chopper ( the raisin variety is what I like best, but until…

Beautiful Weekapaug Jetty in Westerly, Rhode Island

Posted on July 20, 2015

    Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Not far from the crowded sands of Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly, Rhode Island is the beauty and tranquility of the Weekapaug jetty. Though only a short distance traveling down Atlantic Avenue from buff bodies strutting their stuff, shops, restaurants and even a carousel, it feels a world apart. Serenity reigns here.   The alluring jetty of rocks seems like a sea siren beckoning one to the water. It is a popular fishing and viewing spot. Careful footing is required every step of the way! Visitors can often be seen having trekked to the outer end of the jetty. Motor boats make their way from nearby docks out into the mighty Atlantic Ocean along…