I hear Erin Napier’s voice everytime I think of what I love about my hometown. You know, the intro to her show Hometown.

This time of year, I just love all the trees with their full, green leaves. I love the glimmering sunlight on Long Island Sound and Lake Mohegan. I love seeing everyone’s boats on the harbors and the sail schools out on the water.

I also love our town’s unique nod to our history with the British Redcoat fire hydrants! And, how our history museum celebrates the town’s past with events.

I love how the little kids on my street play all day long and the teenage boys play basketball well into the night. And how the adults hang out in the front yards to interact with each other.

Living in New England, everything is just so green and lush in the summer. I’ve heard people who live in other parts of the country comment about this and how all the shades of green here are just so awe-inspiring to them.

Connecticut may be a small state that’s often overlooked, but there is so much beauty here. Beauty that’s both in your face and hidden and feels like a gem when you stumble across it!

One of my favorite stories is from my Main Squeeze. He picked up a kid who had just flown here from another country. And this kid was so amazed by how different the landscape was from his home land. He just sat there, staring out like a baby discovering his toes.

My hometown has the added bonus of being located along the shoreline. It’s extremely difficult to beat coastal New England! Especially with the historic homes and buildings.

I mean, there’s everything! There are miles of beaches, both large and, my preference, the smaller ones that are only available to residents. There is a marina and harbors. The only thing we don’t have is a restaurant right on the water, unfortch. However, lots of people pick up or pack a picnic dinner and bring it to one of the smaller beaches and enjoy gatherings with each other or friends on the picnic tables there. I mean, eating pasta salad, sipping on wine and watching the sun go down over Long Island?! I dare you try to beat that!

And then there are the parks. Baseball games pretty much every evening are a staple around here. It’s like living in the b-roll footage for a classic American movie.

Add in people walking their dogs, kids playing, people fishing and you’ve seriously got the quintessential American idealized life.

It’s wonderful. I love it. And I’m so grateful to call this town home!

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