24 Hours in Bed

24 hours in bed... I wish... Make it 72 hours in Rowayton... Stagger out of bed... Decide to cancel the airbnb in Woodstock and stay holed up in Rowayton for a few days ... They say that if you can remember being at Woodstock then you were not there.... By the same logic... I cannot remember being at Woodstock so I must have been there!... Missing out on Woodstock this time around therefore not the end of the world...

Slowly... Slowly.. Wander the immediate environs.. The Oystermen's Row... Old houses... 1880's... 1890's.. Timber shingle to roof and walls... Renovated... Renewed... Once the abode of the traditional Oystermen of the Long Island Sound... now the property of another class... Those that work the trading desks of Wall Street... A few of them weekenders for those who choose not to commute... A few of them holidays houses for those who made their nest egg before the Financial crisis of 2007–08... Their owners return from their European abodes to occupy them for the duration of the Connecticut summer... A decision to buy here five years ago a good choice... A decision to buy here now would require a wallet of a size that would make my wallet feel like the wallet of the Oystermen of former years...

The streets narrow.. The trees large.... Park on this side of the street the signs say... Everyone complies... The locals feel safe... Many of their cars left with windows down... Doors unlocked... goods on view..... The affluence seems to breed safety..

The drivers.. All.. Slow... Stop signs religiously observed... Cyclists treated with respect... Patience abounds... Haste and impatience reserved for the turnpike.

Round the corner... 200 metres... The local boat ramp... Perfect for grandkids and their kayak.... A marina... Perfect for the well healed to laze their retirement.

Spring has arrived.. Snow and ice has gone... The squirrels run wild... The trees blast into leaf.. The grass grows... The sun shines... People walk the streets... The environment shows off... The sea food restraurants overlooking the river fly their flags... Their valet parkers squeeze expensive cars into impossible parking slots