Long Brook, Short Beach, Stratford

What's the best way to prevent cabin fever? Get outside! We bundled up and went in search of treasure in Stratford, starting out at Long Brook Park. Hey, no crowds! The stone work, which I understand was quarried from nearby Roosevelt Forest, is especially striking in the winter. The picture below shows an arch bridge, walk, and built-in stone bench.

A flock of mallards clung to the last bit of open water on the brook.

Biscuit, who was on a flex leash, seemed a bit intimidated by the ducks when they didn't flee. She never even tried to charge them. Ha!

There's also a walk up above the dam. This park was created in the 1930's using stimulus funds, also known as the WPA, to create a park out of a 34-acre swamp and put people back to work.


After a stop at Wendy's to warm up (the car's heat was busted) we stopped at Short Beach. Again, no crowds! Just a vast empty (and cold) shoreline. We found what we were looking for (in a hurry to stay warm) then went for a brisk walk down the beach.

As the sky began to turn pink one small plane after another headed into Sikorsky Airport.

Here's the playground at sunset. You can see the Stratford Lighthouse in the distance. It's the white building with the reddish roof.

Although it was nippy with no heat in the car, we were content to get off the computer and TV and out of the house for a spell.