Beyond Mystic

A Day in Rockport, Massachusetts: September by the Sea

During my camping trip in Seacoast New Hampshire, I made the hour drive south to Rockport, Massachusetts. I can’t tell you how long this place had been on my bucket list of places to visit.

I don’t know why I ever slept on this quaint town! There were photography opportunities around every corner. I was overwhelmed and ran out of time. While I was walking around, I was already mentally planning my return trip.

I visited in mid-September during the week so Rockport was quiet. Some stores didn’t open until near lunch time. I was able to find street parking easily right in the heart of the town square. Lunch was at Roy Moore Lobster Company — it came highly recommended. It is an adorable town full of charm and I can’t wait to go back.

The photos were taken around Rockport, Massachusetts in September 2025.

Prints are available for purchase. Please make request here.

Inside the Connecticut Fire Museum in Manchester, CT

Every year on May 4th, International Firefighters’ Day [St. Florian’s Day] is observed. The date was chosen because St. Florian had passed away on this day. St. Florian, the patron saint for firefighters, he was the first known commender in firefighting. 

I did a day trip up to The Fire Museum in Manchester, CT. The Connecticut Firemen’s Historical Society was established in 1970. Many of memorabilia and history were becoming lost to other states. The society was formed of firefighters who worked to preserve the history and keep it in Connecticut. The museum is in a restored fire station. The United States Navy Seabees and many other volunteers helped to fix up the station. Now it is a museum that stores some apparatus, firefighting equipment and more.

Fire Museum — Manchester, CT.

I was stunned at how beautiful it was, the collections were preserved so carefully it was very impressive. The self-guided tour through the 1901 wooden firehouse took at least a hour.

The fireman’s pole is still intact here, but couldn’t do a slide on it!

In one of the rooms, there were photographs from the CT Fire Photographers Association. It was neat to recognize some photographers that I follow on social media.

The photos gallery of CT Fire Photographers Association.

It is an impressive collection and I throughly enjoyed touring the firehouse. I would highly recommend it to anyone for a visit. The admission is by donation and the volunteers who are there are happy to chat about Connecticut firefighting history.

Posing with one of the apparatus at the museum.

Thank you to all firefighters for what you do to keep the communities safe and always being there for us!

Cherry Blossoms in New Haven, Connecticut

The month of April always welcomes the beautiful cherry blossoms in New Haven, Connecticut. It is located at the Wooster Square Park. This is every photographer’s dream as the park is surrounded by beautiful historical homes. Usually the Historic Wooster Square Association hosts a cherry blossom festival the first Saturday of April.

As a photographer from Mystic, CT — I love to check out the cherry blossoms in New Haven. I usually can find parking right by the park. Do keep in mind, I have only gone during weekdays. I have no idea what the parking situation is like on the weekends. Since I drive an hour from Mystic, I also tend to make a day out of it in New Haven. Yale campus is a beautiful spot for photographing!

Two hours parking Mon-Fri from 8am-7pm all around Wooster Square Park.

It is a short walk around the Wooster Square Park but I take my time to enjoy the beauty of the cherry blossoms. It is stunning! There are a few benches around the park, I’ve seen people do picnics and bring their dogs there to play around on the grass. As I mentioned, the park is surrounded by beautiful historical homes. I’ve walked along some side streets from the park to admire the details and photograph them.

While you’re at Wooster Square Park, you always can smell pizza from one of the famous New Haven pizzerias that are nearby. If you’re hungry for a bite, look no further than Frank Pepe Pizzeria or Sally’s Apizza — you really can’t go wrong with either. Both are just 5 minute walk from Wooster Square Park. Modern Apizza (the only one that offers gluten free options) is not within walking distance but only 5 minute drive.

Enjoy the snaps I captured of the cherry blossoms (and surrounding scenes at Wooster Square Park and Yale campus) during April 2024 & 2025 season.

April 15, 2024

April 17, 2025

Connecticut Maple Weekend in Hebron, Connecticut

It’s time of the year for maple! I consider myself a maple syrup connoisseur. My love for maple started as a kid living on the border of New York/Pennsylvania. I would hop over to Pennsylvania to this tree farm that would sell maple flavored cotton candy. When I moved to New England, I noticed that many states do a maple weekend so naturally I had to go see what a maple weekend was like!

Last year, I visited East Hampton and Hebron. It also colluded with the annual Hebron Maple Festival so there were even more activities to do. While I didn’t get to see what the festival offered because I wanted to focus on touring the open houses of several sugar houses.

If you plan to go to that area, I recommend this list (in order):

RICK’S SUGAR SHACK 69 COLLIE BROOK RD EAST HAMPTON, CT

I’m so glad that this was the first stop because Rick, the owner was VERY informative! I never seen the process of a sugar house so Rick really explained the process, showed a lot and was willing to answer questions. There was a small store offering maple syrup, maple flavored cookies and brownies, maple candy and more. Don’t miss the tasting room where you can sample the products before purchasing them!

WENZEL SUGAR HOUSE 522 EAST ST HEBRON, CT

The sugar house was similar to Rick’s Sugar Shack, but instead of collecting the sap in bags they used tubing system. I learned more about that process. This location was known for their maple pudding cake too, it looked delicious (but I couldn’t enjoy it because of my allergies unfortunately!). They also offer maple syrup for purchase.

WOODY ACRES 80 CONE ST HEBRON, CT

Here, I learned more about the amount of sap needed to collect to make one small tin of maple syrup. It is fascinating how much goes in a pint! Maple syrup and maple candy are also available to buy here.

WINDING BROOK 254 SKINNER LANE HEBRON, CT

The biggest sugar house, with a bigger machine to produce 300 gallon of maple syrup (other sugar houses produced 60 gallon). The machine used oil to operate, while the other machines I saw used wood stove. I learned more about the differences of the machines. Maple syrup was available for purchase, and you could taste them beforehand.

MORE SUGAR HOUSES IN THE AREA:

  • BRIGHT ACRES FARM 46 OLD KINGS HIGHWAY EAST HAMPTON, CT

  • BUELL’S DRAGONFLY FARM 105 OLD GRIFFIN HIGHWAY EAST HAMPTON, CT

  • GOSHEN HILL MAPLE 1040 GOSHEN HILL RD EXT LEBANON, CT

There were a few more sugar houses I planned to go, but time ran out for me. I plan to return and visit them as well see more of the Hebron Maple Festival! It’s a fun weekend to celebrate our local farmers and the hard work they put in to providing us delicious maple syrup!

Cod-tober is my favorite season: Fall trip to Cape Cod

I’ve gone to Cape Cod for a few summers now and I knew I’d want to come back to see it during fall. I made the trip during a long weekend in October 2024. This is what my weekend looked liked:

Day 1

Chatham is my favorite town to walk around on the Cape. The downtown was festive with pumpkins decorated everywhere - the church had an adorable pumpkin patch too! I came across the Witch Paddle at the nearby beach which was a fun surprise!

When I stay on the Cape, I’m in Brewster and minutes away from the beach. I’ve always gone to the beach for every sunset. This particular sunset was amazing with the golden hour light AND my pup was welcomed to be on the beach (usually no dogs allowed during summers).

Day 2

Chatham Fish Pier is probably my most favorite spot in Chatham. I had to go there at sunrise. There’s always something to photograph. The fishing vessels, the low tide, beautiful colors of sand/water in the distance, and even the seals! It never fails to see something amazing there.

General stores on the Cape are adorable! I particularly love Brewster General Store and Pleasant Lake General Store in Harwich. Both towns are lovely to drive around. There are plenty of antique shops in Brewster.

It’s a tradition with every visit to the Cape, to do a beach bonfire. You are allowed to do a beach bonfire on Cape Cod National Seashore beaches with a special permit you can get from the Visitor Center (over phone or in person). The seals always make an appearance during the bonfire — it’s so cute!

Day 3

It rained all day so it was a low key day indoors until sunset. The clouds started to break at sunset so I ran over to Brewster Beach in hopes of a colorful sky. I didn’t get one but it was pretty to capture the stormy mood at the beach and I was surprised with plenty of piping plover birds everywhere!

Day 4

Before departing Cape Cod, I had to see a sunrise so I drove over to Bank Street Beach in Harwichport. I was not disappointed! Gorgeous colors in the sky. I’ve never ever seen this amount of horseshoe crabs in my life. There were several piping plovers again.

It was such a memorable weekend! The Cape is truly beautiful during any season. I got a lot more of time on the beach during the fall trip because my pup was allowed. I enjoyed seeing more of the sunrises/sunsets on the Cape. Until next time!

All photos are available for purchase. Please make request here.

A novel day in New Haven, CT

I celebrated my birthday this past weekend. It’s always hard to plan a fun getaway in the middle of winter. I decided that my love for books would make New Haven a perfect destination. I got the inspiration from two women who were bookstore hopping in Kent, CT during fall. I thought that was a brilliant idea!

In New Haven, there are so many bookstores, libraries and museums within walking distance, and all indoors! And it was very low cost as I only had to pay for parking and snacks. I ate lunch beforehand and didn’t stay long enough to eat dinner in New Haven, so if you do - look into the pizzerias. New Haven is known for their pizza!

Here is the itinerary of my bookish day:

Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Library

For the longest time, I’ve been seeing photos of this library on Instagram. I had to finally check this off my bucket list! The largest building in the world devoted to books. There were over a million books, manuscripts and more. It was a beautiful sight to see all the books. I took my time, sitting in one of the comfy chairs around the library to take in the sights!

Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library

I’ve passed this iconic library several times on my walks around Yale campus but have never gone inside. On reason why is cause I’ve always had my pup with me. It was too cold for her to join me this weekend so I finally got my chance. I WAS BLOWN AWAY. The library was GORGEOUS. It is built in the collegiate gothic style (resembling a European cathedral). There are many beautiful stained glass windows everywhere (later on, I read there is a total of 3,300!). All the study spaces were stunning, I’m jealous of the students who gets to enjoy the beauty of the library on a daily basis! It would be a dream to work there!

Grey Matter Books

A small bookstore with many used books! The books were mostly unique, rare and unusual. I enjoyed looking through the older editions of classics. The atmosphere was very laid back and relaxing. Chairs were scattered throughout the bookstore for people to take a seat while browsing. There were multiple piles of book stack everywhere.

Atticus Bookstore Cafe

Located on the first floor next to Yale Center for British Art, it is a small bookstore and cafe. The bookstore had beautifully curated organized sections of books. I loved browsing through the ‘staff recommendations’ and ‘best books of the year’ sections. The cafe was bustling, with nearly every table occupied.

Yale Center for British Art

This isn’t a ‘bookish’ spot but worthwhile to check out! It had a large collection of British art. It was organized by time period, making it easy to maneuver through the gallery. They suggest starting at the 4th floor and working your way down. My favorite was The Long Gallery on the 4th floor. A gallery with the walls covered in paintings. I could see myself take a seat and study the art!

Yale University Art Gallery

The oldest university art museum has four levels of extensive art collections from African Art, Asian Art, paintings, sculptures, Early European art, photographs, drawings, coins and many more. It had plenty to see! I didn’t get to see the entire gallery because of timing, so be sure to plan at least half a day for this. I was excited to spot some of my favorite painters like Monet. The building itself is also gorgeous!

Book Trader Cafe

This bookstore was really crowded when I visited. I didn’t get to see much of it unfortunately, but I did see that it had a good selection of used books from $1-$10. The atrium side of the shop was really busy, it is a cool spot where the tables were surrounded by bookshelves. The cafe sold coffee, drinks, pastries and more.

The Yale Bookstore

Every time I come to the Yale campus, I always pop into Barnes and Noble (The Yale Bookstore) to browse through the Yale memorabilia and souvenirs. Of course, I also browse through the books, especially the Yale authors section. Did you know that the author of Ninth House and Hell Bent, Leigh Bardugo is a Yale alumni?

It was a fun book themed day and I enjoyed my time in New Haven! I love Yale with all of its gorgeous gothic architecture. There’s so many details that I continue to find new-to-me every time I visit. New Haven has plenty more that I didn’t share here such as shops, restaurants, more museums, so forth. It’s easy to do a day trip here during the winter! I had the perfect evening at home reading Ninth House which the opening scene was at the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts Library while drinking delicious tea in my brand new Yale mug!

Fall Road Trip Through Southern New Hampshire and Vermont

For the long weekend in October, I wanted to go on a camping trip so I went to Hancock, New Hampshire. Located in southern NH, on the border of Massachusetts. Hancock was perfect because it is only 2 and half hours from Mystic, CT.

I also wanted to go somewhere that had amazing foliage! It’s often recommended to go more northern into the White Mountain region (Conway, Franconia, etc). So many New Englanders love going to Vermont or New Hampshire for leaf peeping. I have never gone further north than the CT border during fall, I had to see what I was missing out on!

My itinerary looked like this:

Day 1 — Hancock

I arrived in Hancock, NH around 3pm. After setting up the camper at the campground, I went exploring the small town of Hancock. There was a downtown historical village. A beautiful historical church with old horse stables. The pond behind the church had a small beach. This turned out to be a perfect spots for photographing the foliage! My favorite had to be the gazebo in the town green and Hancock Market. The market was one of those small town stores with a beautiful facade. Very quintessential New England!

Hancock Market in Hancock, NH.

Quintessential New England home in Hancock, NH.

Day 2 — Peterborough/Dublin/Jaffrey/Rindge

A day of road tripping on the rural roads. I stopped in Peterborough first, a good sized small town with a downtown. A lot of antiques shops! There was a large plaza with many stores and restaurants. Of course, I popped in the bookstore which had a section of discounted used books. I fell in love with a cafe that had excellent gluten free options. I had ‘The Southern Comfort’ which was chicken and waffles and it was AMAZING. I even came back to get two meals for the road/leftovers to store at home. Unfortunately they have since closed their doors permanently.

Peterborough, NH.

A beautiful church in Peterborough, NH.

A woman reading a book in a Peterborough park.

Dublin was an even smaller town. There was a historical village district with town hall, police station, fire department, church, library and home of Yankee Magazine. There isn’t much to see here, but it’s very picturesque! There happened to be a touch-a-truck event at the fire department so we took our Dalmatian to photograph her with the trucks. While at the event, someone recommended I drive up the road to the water. It was the best recommendation, some of my best photos were taken right there! It was so gorgeous with the foliage.

My pup with the Dublin Fire Department truck.

Dublin Pond in Dublin, NH.

Jaffrey was another small town with a downtown area. It was adorable to see their scarecrows event. I drove over the border to check out Cathedral of the Pines. An open-air cathedral with panoramic views of Grand Monadnock. It was so stunning! My jaw literally dropped at the views (remember… even more beautiful with the foliage!). While I was there, the space was being set up for a wedding. I only can imagine the beautiful wedding photos with that backdrop!

Cathedral of the Pines.

Day 3 — Brattleboro, VT and Keene

I never had been to Vermont. Brattleboro was less than a hour drive from Hancock. I walked around a downtown filled with many shops. I enjoyed Brattleboro Books, a used books store. Brattleboro had a very artistic vibe with many murals in town. I do have to mention that it was really difficult to have my pup because many shops did not allow pets. I stopped in Against the Grain, one of my favorite gluten free brands. Their warehouse had a small store with their products and bakery goods. I grabbed some whoopie pies, muffins and brownies. So good!

Brattleboro Books.

Keene was the biggest city I visited in New Hampshire. The downtown was only blocks away from a college so there were many shops, restaurants and businesses. I spotted the Parrish Shoes mural on one of the buildings and was excited to learn that the movie, Jumanji was filmed there! My favorite store was the Hannah Grimes Marketplace. It had many local artisans goods. Also, if you’re into fire stations - the Keene Fire Department was pretty impressive with an older building across the street from the current building.

The Jumanji mural in Keene, NH.

The Main Street of Keene.

Keene Fire Department.

STAY: Spacious Skies Seven Maples Campground / Hancock, NH

I stayed at Seven Maples campground. It was a very idyllic setting, surrounded by the trees. The campground was very spacious, had a fun game room and clean facilities, the people there are friendly. Very family oriented campground with many activities for families to participate. The weekend we were there, they had hayrides, Halloween costumes parade and trick-n-treating. A beautiful pond where you can go catch-and-release fishing.

Enjoying a good book by the campfire!

Southern New Hampshire isn’t really a tourist destination, being a very rural area, but it was simple and relaxing. It definitely is the ideal photographers destination! I saw so many photographers everywhere. There was plenty of spaces where you could easily pull off the road. I loved exploring on the rural roads, taking us through many historical districts. I appreciate how many historical buildings we have in New England. The area also had plethora of covered bridges too! The weekend in NH was very enjoyable. It motivated me to plan a trip more north of NH during fall another time!

One of few maple sugar shacks I saw in NH.

One of gorgeous sceneries I saw on the back roads in NH.