The Nathan Hale and Strong-Porter Homesteads

/ mariezhuikov / 13 Comments
The Nathan Hale Homestead in Connecticut

Andover Connecticut was our next stop in the Great New England Road Trip. Russ was having a mini family reunion there with his cousins, one of whom I hadn’t met yet. We stayed at his cousin’s home, which backed up to the Nathan Hale Homestead and state forest. After socializing, we decided on the spur of the moment to visit the homestead.

Because we hadn’t planned our trip well, the homestead museum was closed, but the grounds were open. Nathan Hale, Connecticut’s State Hero, was born on the property in 1755. After working as a schoolteacher, he was recruited as a Patriot spy but was caught and hanged by the British in 1776. He’s known for uttering his famous last words: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Statues of Hale stand in the Connecticut state capitol, at Yale University, the headquarters of the CIA, and more. 

Hale’s dark maroon Georgian-style home has remained intact. If we had been able to go inside, we would have seen that it is furnished with family possessions and other period antiques. As it was, we wandered the grounds and enjoyed soaking up the colonial ambiance. It was easy to imagine a young Nathan frolicking in the nearby forest and working in the family fields.

The Strong-Porter House

Not far down the road we found a museum that was open. The Strong-Porter House was built by Nathan Hale’s great-uncle and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the same dark maroon as the Hale homestead. The oldest part of the saltbox-style house dates from 1710 and admission is free. The museum is open Sundays during summer and fall.

The dining room-turned museum in the Strong-Porter House.

The helpful docent showed us the dining room, which was filled with historical information about the importance of taverns in colonial times. We found this of keen interest because we planned to visit a historic tavern that’s associated with my ancestors the next day. (Synchronicity!)

The home’s floorboards were much wider than usual, a testament to the huge trees they were made from. The main parlor has exposed beams, wide paneled wainscoting, and a fireplace cupboard that suggests a much larger chimney once stood there. 

We left with a greater appreciation for the basic comforts and hardships people must have experienced during the early years of our country.

Next up: Theodore Parker Church and the Parker Tavern in Massachusetts

For previous posts about our New England trip, view:

Wickham Park

The Katherine Hepburn Museum

Governor’s Island

Wickham Park

/ mariezhuikov / 16 Comments
Part of the Oriental Garden in Wickham Park.

The next stop on our New England road trip was Manchester, Connecticut, and the beautiful Wickham Park. We chose this particular park because one of Russ’s cousins was a long-term manager of it, and it has connections to Russ’s family. Although Russ’s cousin Jeff is retired, he still works at the park “part-time” as director emeritus. That’s in quotation marks because, although his official position is part-time, we suspect he spends much more time at the park!

Just off Interstate 84, the park is managed under a nonprofit, private foundation and was created in 1961. It contains 280 acres of gardens, fields, woodlands, ponds, and sports facilities. People can even get married there in one of two stunning venues, including a log cabin. The entry fee is very reasonable ($7).

This log cabin was being set up for a wedding. It sits on a hill with a stunning view of Hartford, CT.

The majority of the park was a gift from businessman and inventor Clarence Wickham. If you’ve ever used an envelope with a little plastic window in it for the address, you’ve used one of Clarence’s inventions.

We received a personal tour from Jeff and his wife. We didn’t have time to tour the entire park (which would take more than a day, anyway), so we only saw the Irish Garden, the Italian Shrine, the Lotus Garden, the Oriental Garden, the Scottish Garden, and the Nature Center.

The Irish Garden and Wickham Park.

The highlight of the trip was a tour of a new garden that’s not open yet to the public. It’s named for Jeff and Russ’s family. (I’m not going to divulge that name here, but if you go to the park, it will be obvious). It was conceived by Jeff and his wife, financed by the family and donors, and built with the help of park staff. It celebrates the relationship between art and the natural world, showcasing sculptures and other art forms, including topiaries sculpted from plants. It even sports an observation tower and labyrinth. Some bureaucratic matters are still being finalized, but as soon as the paperwork is complete, the art park will open to the public.

The view from the observation tower in the “family art garden.” The building in the background used to be the carriage house but now houses the park office.
Russ and I interact with an art piece in the family garden.

The place exudes peace. If we lived in the area, I’m sure it would be one of our favorite places to visit and hold family gatherings. As it is, we live over a thousand miles away. So, we’ll have to visit it in our memories.

Next up: Two historic Connecticut homes.

For previous posts about our trip, view:

The Katherine Hepburn Museum

Governor’s Island

The Lotus Garden

Seeing Red

/ mariezhuikov / 19 Comments

Here’s yet another side detour from my New England travelog. Don’t worry, I’ll get back to it!

The other night Russ and I meandered around the backroads north of Duluth, joining many others who parked their cars in random spots and looked up to the spectacle happening in the sky.

That spectacle was the northern lights. I took these photos the second night of the show at about 8:30 p.m. It was so kind of the aurora to happen before bedtime! We found a spot on a gravel road where we could see a whitish curtain of aurora on the horizon. We first stopped at a town hall but there were too many lights, so we went back down the road until we found a dark area. I took a few test shots with my phone camera and wowza! Jackpot.

A green curtain filled the sky, with some red overtones. As the lights continued to dance, the red intensified. This color is rare in auroras.

Here’s an explanation from a local astronomer, Astro Bob (King). I don’t totally understand it, but here’s what he said about that storm:

Red aurora occurs high up in the atmosphere at an altitude of around 150-300 miles. Green emission happens at lower altitudes, around 75 miles. Both are produced when incoming charged particles strike and energize oxygen atoms. After the impacts, the atoms release that energy in the form of green and red light when they return to their original relaxed state.

At high altitude, the number of atoms drops sharply — it’s basically a hard vacuum up there. After it’s struck by a charged particle, an oxygen atom needs almost two minutes to release that energy. If a neighboring atom were to bump into it during the transition, it would short-circuit the process. But because there are so few atoms at that altitude, oxygen has time to release red light before a collision occurs.

There’s so little oxygen to begin with at high altitude, a strong storm is required to crank up enough oxygen atoms to produce the red aurora. Seeing red is a good sign that a significant storm is underway. Overall, the Nov. 11 storm reached the G4 (severe) level, with aurora reported in all 50 states (including Hawaii) and as far south as the tropics.

A farm house and barn stood off to the side and provided more visual interest to the shots. Eventually, the cold got the better of us and we crawled back into our car to return to our modest home filled with artificial light.

Cover Reveal!

/ mariezhuikov / 25 Comments

I’m interrupting my New England Road Trip travelog to reveal the cover of my latest book. It’s my first collection of poetry. As I mentioned in this previous post, the book came together fast because it’s locally (but professionally) produced. The designer and I had fun playing with ideas for the cover but we settled on this one quickly.

The book’s comprised of poems I’ve written over the past 38 years. Many were published in literary journals, including the one for which the book is named. Here’s a taste:

High Fire Danger

The flame is still there,
sparking,
small and warm.

It was all I could do
to dampen it.
Your breath
kindles it brighter.
Neutrality only a
smoky dream.

I will give you
what breath I can,
but my house burned once
and I must protect
my family from fire.

The paperback is available now on Amazon for $15. Visit this link to buy. I’m so happy to see the book out in the wilds! For info about my other fiction and nonfiction books, please visit my book page.

Katherine Hepburn Museum

/ mariezhuikov / 20 Comments
The entrance to the Katherine Hepburn Museum.

We continued our New England Road Trip by taking a train from New York City to Old Saybrook, Connecticut. This is where Russ spent many of his formative years. We rented a car and toured his old neighborhood and saw his family home, which is still standing. We even spent a little time greeting the Atlantic at the town beach.

The docent told us that Kate liked this photo of herself, so it’s featured prominently in the front of the museum.

Before we left Old Saybrook the next day, we had a few hours to kill so we visited the Katherine Hepburn Museum. Hepburn lived near Old Saybrook after her family bought a summer home there when she was five. The day before, we’d driven through the exclusive oceanside neighborhood (Fenwick) where her home was located. It sports a golf course and a lighthouse. We wanted to visit the lighthouse, but couldn’t due to public access issues. We also weren’t able to see her home, where she retired in 1996.

If you’re not familiar, Katherine Hepburn (aka Kate) was a feisty actress of great renown who had a six-decade career in Hollywood. She’s best known for movies like The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen, and On Golden Pond. With her athleticism and outspokenness, she broke the mold for women in Hollywood.

Kate and her husband Ludlow Smith. They were married for six years.

At the museum, we were given a comprehensive introduction by a helpful docent, who was excited to learn that Russ was a hometown boy. The museum features eight exhibits that focus on Kate’s family, her athleticism, her Fenwick home, her career and other special topics. Wedding gowns were the focus of the special exhibit when we were there, including Kate’s own wedding gown from when she was married early in her life.

I always enjoyed Kate’s movies, and she’s been an inspiration to me to keep active. I recall watching her on a television talk show once when I was younger. I believe she was in her 70s and she proudly showed the host how she could still bend over and touch her toes. I remember thinking, I want to be able to do that when I’m 70! I’m happy to report that I can still accomplish this feat in my early 60s. 😊

Kate’s wedding dress. It’s a tea gown made of silk velvet with gold embroidery in a pattern inspired by North African apparel. It was purchased by a wedding gown company and remained in storage for 20 years before being purchased by the museum.

The museum is also a cultural arts center, hosting lectures, workshops, and film screenings. Admission is free but there’s a suggested $10 donation per person.

According to one placard, “Although her legendary career catapulted her to dizzying heights of international fame, Connecticut’s local girl never really left home. The road always led her back to her family and to her refuge in Fenwick.” Katherine died in her Fenwick home in 2003. Her grave is in a cemetery in Hartford. She didn’t want a service, nonetheless accolades for this special actress were given throughout the country in many other ways. It’s good to know that her memory and passions are preserved in this little piece of Old Saybrook.

Do you have a favorite Hepburn movie?

Governor’s Island, New York City

/ mariezhuikov / 13 Comments
A view of Manhattan from a Brooklyn pier.

Russ and I decided to see New England in the fall. We began our road trip earlier this month in New York City even though this mid-Atlantic state is not technically part of New England. We landed in NYC because Russ’s son lives there. We wanted to visit him and he planned to join us for the first few days of our ten-day trip.

Besides the colors, our other goal was to visit sites relevant to ourselves and our ancestors.  But first, some fun in NYC! This was not our first visit. In 2019 we dropped in just before COVID hit. (See “Unicorns in New York City!” and “Images.”)

We booked a hotel in Brooklyn. The place looked great online but when we arrived, we were surprised to see it lay in a gritty neighborhood filled with graffiti. We never felt unsafe, but we definitely knew we were not in Duluth anymore!

A sculpture atop the fort on Governor’s Island, NYC.

We’d agreed to spend most of a day on Governor’s Island, a 172-acre former military installation in the heart of the harbor that’s reachable only by ferry. Native Americans used to fish there and gather nuts from the island’s plentiful trees. After colonization, the Dutch promptly set about cutting down those trees, and established a sawmill and fort. The island’s location made it a strategic military base. It was occupied later by the British and the U.S. Army. In more recent days, the island was the site of an historic meeting between President Ronald Reagan and Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Now the island is managed by several entities, including the National Park Service. The island is a car-free zone, so after disembarking from the ferry, we walked around. Later, in a fit of classic tourism, we elected to pedal the island in a dorky four-person bike surrey.

The Field Station of the Melancholy Marine Biologist art installation.

Besides old brick army personnel quarters and homes, the island sports eateries, an urban farm, a private spa, and art installations. Given my Sea Grant background, my favorite artwork was named “The Field Station of the Melancholy Marine Biologist.” Ensconced in an old military building, the mixed-media work “suggests an abandoned research outpost filled with scientific objects, instruments, artifacts, and samples. Through the windows, the viewer finds a scene preserved in time—a staged moment that invites you to imagine the life of a solitary researcher faced with the realities of a dark future defined by declining ocean health and climate change.” (Art installation sign text.)

A view of the Staten Island Ferry and Manhattan from Governor’s Island.

The island offers great views of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and the harbor. Once back on the mainland, we attended the Broadway musical “Six,” which is about Henry the 8th’s six ill-fated wives. Given the topic, one would expect a depressing show, but it comes off full of female empowerment and strength. I highly recommend it!

Day 2 took us to Russ’s hometown of Old Saybrook, Connecticut. More on that, next.

Flipping Fishing on its Head

/ mariezhuikov / 17 Comments

A new sport has reached the shores of Lake Superior. It’s called microfishing. Think birdwatching, but with tiny fish. Quite a change from trying to catch the largest possible fish!

You can read all about it if you’re a subscriber to Lake Superior Magazine. My story is in the October/November 2025 issue. I learned about this unique sport when I interviewed a local department of natural resources fisheries biologist for a different story. Once I retired, I had time to pursue a magazine story. The sport is practiced all over the world.

If you’re not a magazine subscriber and want to learn more, visit microfishing.com.

A Fall Bike Ride

/ mariezhuikov / 21 Comments

Last month, Russ and I continued our quest to cycle different sections of the Mesabi Trail, which crosses northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. Amid the crunch of fallen leaves and the brilliant red of sumac, we biked from Nashwuak to Calumet with a side trip to Pengilly.

A warm breeze offered one of those final temperate days between summer and fall. The trail began in Nashwauk at a nondescript parking lot near a closed restaurant with the suggestive name of Big O’s Chef House. (Maybe that’s why it went out of business?) Except for a few frost heaves, the mostly flat trail was in good condition. It parallels the highway ,so the distant noise of cars is ever-present.

Much of the land surrounding the trail is owned by Mesabi Metallics Co., an iron ore and taconite mining company. We passed huge piles of mine tailing waste and overgrown past mining roads as a few vultures circled overhead.

In the sleepy Sunday town of Calumet, we rested at a public picnic shelter. The only evidence of life was a man throwing a ball for his black lab. Then we turned around and made our way back to Nashwauk. Along the way, we took a short spur trail to the town of Pengilly just for a change of scenery.

Scenery along the trail.

Once, a pair of teenagers on an ATV surprised us (they’re not supposed to go on the trail). Several times, we had to dodge Halloween-colored (black and orange) woolly bear caterpillars inching their way across the trail. Folklore says they can predict how harsh the winter will be by the width of the colored bands on their bodies: more black equals a harsher winter. We were trying too hard not to squish these fuzzy forecasters, so we didn’t notice their band patterns.

Apparently, science has not confirmed the caterpillars’ weather-forecasting abilities. Even so, the woolly bear remains a symbol of autumn. Its presence offered us a gentle reminder that the season is turning, and nature is preparing for the quiet, cold months ahead. This will probably be our last long ride of the season.

Total distance: 14 miles. For more information about other sections of the trail, please see these previous posts:

Bicycling from Keewatin to Nashwauk

Biking the Mesabi Trail from Ely West

The Mesabi Bike Trail from Mt. Iron to Kinney, MN

Biking the Mesabi Trail from Hibbing to Chisholm

Biking Along the Giant’s Ridge

Biking Across Minnesota’s Tallest Bridge

Jane Goodall

/ mariezhuikov / 19 Comments
Jane Goodall
Story from the Minnesota Daily, May 7, 1986, page 1.

You may have heard that chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall died recently. As a young college environmental reporter, I had the chance to meet her once. Here’s a story that I posted in my blog previously and included in my Meander North book. Not only was Goodall a great scientist and advocate for nature, she was a wonderful human being.

Here’s a link to my story: https://mariezwrites.com/2014/09/23/how-i-got-jane-goodall-to-stick-her-head-in-a-potted-palm-tree/.

We’ll miss you, Jane!

Two TV Show Recommendations

/ mariezhuikov / 1 Comment

I’m so far behind on my blog posts but thought I could write this one before I head off meandering again. (Plus I’m still finalizing my poetry manuscript.)

Actor Filip Berg from Trouble. Image courtesy of Netflix.

My first recommendation is the movie Trouble. This Swedish action comedy is a remake of a 1988 movie by the same name. An electronics salesman and handyman innocently gets caught up in a home invasion and murder. What follows is a farcical romp involving corrupt police and relationship drama. The movie is streaming on Netflix with English voiceovers. I thoroughly enjoyed it and laughed a lot!

Red slipper replicas that were in the Judy Garland museum when we visited in 2021.

The second is Ruby Red Handed. It’s a tongue-in-cheek documentary about the case of the missing ruby red slippers that Dorothy (Judy Garland) wore in The Wizard of Oz. This theft happened a few hours’ drive from where I live. Russ and I visited the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, after the theft happened, so that’s why the movie intrigued us. (See my post about our museum visit.)

Solving the crime took years and the help of the FBI. It involved clueless criminals (who thought the shoes contained real rubies) and buried treasure. Spoiler alert: the show has a happy ending, but if you’ve been paying attention to the news, you know that already. It’s available for free on Hulu and was produced by a Minnesota-based company. You’ll get the inside scoop on all the juicy details of the crime.