Little Adventures

Hey guys! I hope everything is going well with all of you. We talk of family and friends often. This past week has flown by for the two of us! We have gotten more time to relax and explore some of the places beyond Yale. When we first decided to move to New Haven we set off on a search of some of the places in New England to hike. One of the first places we heard of was East Rock. This is not a surprise, given that it is about a mile down the road and the red face of the cliff can be seen from much of the city. We began at the Eli Whitney museum (quick quiz: What is Eli Whitney's most famous invention? answer at bottom of post :)). The hike was a clear, well-maintained trail until the portion called the 'Giant Steps' which is a very accurate description. We made it to the top and enjoyed the monument and view. From the top of East Rock you can see all of New Haven and if you look hard enough you may be able to catch a glimpse of Long Island across the Long Island Sound.

This picture doesn't do it justice but this is the view
 

Friday we ventured over to Guilford, a short twenty minute drive east. Many of the towns in this area were settled in the 1600's and this specific town is known for it's history. We toured the home of Henry Whitfield, a pastor who came and settled along with some other Puritans in the early 1600s. We were slightly confused whether it is the oldest home in Connecticut or the oldest STONE home in Connecticut because we saw both claimed. The museum had some old furniture and miscellaneous household items in it but lost some of its charm in the1930s. The guide told us that in the 30's the thought was to make the old historic places look as comfortable as possible to almost rewrite history, thus losing the history, as is what happened here.  Saturday we got to go grocery shopping. Through Yale Divinity school we heard of a local meat market. We made our way over there and it was surely an experience. I felt like I was in New York City (I guess we really aren't so far) and it was pretty busy but we found good, safe chicken on the weekly special (1.79/lb!!!) and some Italian sausage. Sunday we went to a local church and will try another next week. It is exciting to look forward to plugging into a church. The last couple of days have been pretty calm around the Harris apartment. Joshua continues to study and I am working on a knitting project, and have experimented with baking French bread and bagels. Don't worry, quilting will begin shortly :). Joshua is feeling sick today and some thunderstorms are coming in tomorrow. We like to spend our evenings on a little walk around the quad (what students call the Divinity school), playing Frisbee (which was actually invented here at Yale), reading and blogging. There is an observatory just past the Div school which allows the public to use the telescopes on Tuesday nights that are clear so we are looking forward to going there at some point. Still no word on jobs but we are hopeful. Joshua has orientation next week and I am signed up as well and get to go with him. We would love your continued prayers as we are still transitioning. If you have any questions or anything else just comment on the post! Love you guys!

Joshua and Alissa
Answer: cotton gin- There are a lot of things Eli Whitney right around here and his home is just a few miles away