I left New York by commuter rail to New Haven, Conneticut and rode over to the house of a fellow Naomi who is studying music at Yale. Naomi and I hadn't seen each other in probably a dozen years, but thanks to the wonders of small world syndrome, my mom had put us in touch after they had run into one another a few months ago and Naomi had heard I would be in New England. It was great to spend some time reconnecting, eating Thai food, and getting a grand tour of the Yale campus. I especially enjoyed getting to hang out while she rehearsed with some friends and hearing about life in a college town such as New Haven, which certainly has some of the same university-town challenges as Sackville.
After a morning walk in the sunshine around the campus with Naomi (and drooling a bit at their infrastructure and architecture), I headed off on the Farrington Canal rail trail. What a great trail! Other than the fact that it is a work in progress and therefore disappears for a dozen miles or so between two towns, it was blissful riding: well-paved, flat, well-marked, and lots to see along the way. Glorious! Because it was a Sunday afternoon, there were tons of people out in the sunshine.
Imagining life at the Yale campus |
A fellow Naomi! |
I was enjoying a day of semi-solitude, in that there were lots of people around but I was quite content to simply smile and nod rather than try to start up conversations. After so much time in the city, it was kind of nice to be able to hear myself think and embrace a basically car-less day of riding. When I passed a middle-aged woman running the other direction in the late afternoon, she hesitated before asking if I had any water to spare. Apparently she had not accounted for the warm weather and had another 5 miles to go til home. I was happy to hand over what I had left, based on the fact that it was much easier for me to go find some more, and her gratitude was unbelievable. She could not stop thanking me (and saying "God Bless, a blast from the past). Not a big deal, but the warm fuzzies it gave me afterwards was a good reminder that often by asking for help, and giving someone else the opportunity to do so, both people get the winning end of the deal. Thought of the day.
I got off of the rail trail and rode over to the home of the Benjamins, Warmshowers hosts in Springfield, MA. I had been outside for only a moment before Peter rode up to the house to greet me and get me settled in. I really enjoyed my evening with the Benjamins, and I really felt at home in their house as I got a taste of Peter's homemade pizza and watched some basketball on TV (no Dad, the pizza was not "better", just different than yours!).
The Benjamins, my lovely Warmshowers hosts in Springfield, MA |
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