Black Rock Fort / Fort Nathan Hale / Fort Wooster Park: New Haven, Connecticut — November 28, 2022

"From this superb and sightly spot, in clear weather, the mountains west of Hartford, 37 miles distant to the northward, may be seen and the Long Island hills 25 miles southward are visible, giving from point to point a prospect of between 50 or 60 miles with the naked eye. Here on this hill in Indian times was the fire place of the Quinnipiac Indians, from which they sent up great clouds of smoke to attract to their harbor the early Dutch traders, and here also was their Palisade Fort and northward their burying ground."

“Tu files un en mauvais cotton” / Thanksgiving / Tuba & Euphonium — November 22 – 26, 2022

The French idiom filer un mauvais coton translates literally to, "spinning a bad thread." The word coton actually means cotton, but is understood as thread. A French-to-French definition of the expression is se laisser aller, which means to let oneself go. Here are some French-to-English translations of filer un mauvais coton: to be heading for trouble; to be going downhill; to be in a bad way; to be going to pot.

Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, New Haven, CT — September 26, 2022

"'Bear Sets Record For Frozen Yogurt.' On Sunday, July 28, 2013, at TCBY's 2nd Annual Summer Fun Day, Jamie 'The Bear' McDonald, competitive eater and Chef / owner of Bear's Smoke House, set a world record by consuming two gallons of TCBY frozen yogurt in 10 minutes, 43 seconds. With a huge crowd gathered around and cheering him on, McDonald consumed the entire bowl of frozen yogurt provided by the Simsbury TCBY. 'This was one of my toughest challenges, I am proud to say I have completed it,' said Jamie McDonald. 'I am willing to do any food challenge in the name of charity, especially ones that involve kids.'"