Waterbury, CT

When you're little, the concept of your parents being born anywhere other than where they live at that exact moment seems so foreign. Then, as you get older, school projects prompt you to ask more questions about your roots. The one thing I always remembered about my mom was that she was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. Might as well be a million miles away as far as a kid whose whole life was spent in the West was concerned.

But it figured that sooner or later, in my travels with my job, I would come near Waterbury, and today was that day. It was right on my way, so I called my mom to let her know. She remembered her old street address, so I plugged it into the Garmin to check it out. She speculated, "It could be a ghetto now." I offered, "Maybe they bulldozed it and it's a Best Buy." Neither of us was right. It's the same duplex she remembered as a kid, in very good condition considering its age, complete with a pretty spiffy view from the side yard (my camera doesn't adjust well to shade, but you get the idea):




Here are some nearby houses, to give you an idea of what the neighborhood is like now:



My mom also remembered that her grandmother had "pancake pictures" taken in front of a family gravestone in a Waterbury cemetery. (I can't find anything online as to what pancake pictures are, but she says it's like a formal photo session.) But without an address, that would be more difficult to locate. As I whizzed by on the highway, though, I saw this from the road:


Maybe it's one of those...

***

It's October in the Northeast (well, it's October everywhere, but Fall up here has certain expectations), so the leaves are turning, but as you can see, there's still a lot of green.



It was a gorgeous day today, perfect for scenic driving. Making my way to breakfast at a diner in Mt. Kisco, NY, I saw this quaint sight:


I'm hoping tomorrow I'll get to go to the Mark Twain House and maybe also the Harriet Beecher Stowe house. Hartford has lots of historical sites, that's for sure!