Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Windsor Locks, June 10

This part of CT is nothing but hills and more hills. Never ending. Ugh. 

When I got to North Canaan I was ready for breakfast and wonderfully the Collin’s Diner appeared. It’s an original 1941 diner that has sat across from the train station since then. It’s a National Historic Landmark.

Inside there are six booths and about a dozen stools. The countertop is black marble, worn from thousands of people who have leaned on it. The diner is named for the original proprietors who started their business with a horse drawn eatery during the early 1900’s. Since the late ‘60’s the diner has been owned by the Hamzy family, which for the past 16 years has produced New England’s largest free poetry festival in front of the eatery.

This is another place where everyone knows your name. When one guy walked in everyone started singing Happy Birthday to him. Eating my pancakes at the end of the counter I felt like an invader but soon I was asked by one of the two waitresses where I had come from and where I was going. That led to “You gotta be kidding!” “For real?” “What, are you nuts?” from the regulars. By the time I paid my bill I had been wished “Good luck,” told to have “Safe travels” and to “Be careful out there.”   http://www.collinsdiner.com/

I arrived at the Ramada near Hartford’s Bradley Airport about 30 minutes before Dee. This is the first we’ve seen each other since I left for Key West in late April. Whoopee!

To understand why I'm riding and raising money, please go to the first post--April 26.
To make a donation to the ALSA, please go to: http://web.alsa.org/goto/deirdresride


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