I’ve said many times over the years that the fall foliage color is never truly bad, that, yes, some years the leaf color is better than others, and, yes, some years maybe it is not as dazzling. Well, this year is one of those off years. There is color to be sure, and there are some spectacular trees out there – there always are – but overall, the season is a dud.

Until yesterday morning it had been at least 40 years since I’d paddled on Pachaug Pond in Voluntown, in southeastern Connecticut.

Wow, has it changed.

Spent a recent week kicking around Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire for the first time in years. My daughter, Allison Sterner, her husband, Sean, and their boys, Cy, who will be 5 in October, and Andy, who turned 2 in May, had a cabin maybe 100 feet away from the one Susan and I rented.

The Henry Buck Trail in American Legion State Forest in Barkhamsted, CT, is such a good spot for spring wildflowers. The strange thing is that until now I had never hiked the entire trail, and it is only a little more than 2 miles long.

I’ve thought for years that the Steep Rock Loop Trail in the Steep Rock Preserve in Washington, CT., is one of great hiking trails in the state. It has it all – a hike up to an outlook with long views of forest and farmland, a nice mix of mature forest species, wildflowers, birds and a long section of the trail following one of the prettiest rivers in the state.

I’ve been saying for years that there is no bad year for fall foliage color in Connecticut. One year may be slightly better or worse than another, but, be assured, there will be brilliant color.

There are those of us who simply will not sit or lie on a beach all day. Not that sun, sand and surf are not wonderfully relaxing and rejuvenating. The question is, how much time are you going to bake in the oven, even with sunscreen?

A terrific morning birding along the Appalachian Trail with great old friends Steve Kotchko and Judd Everhart. With the Housatonic River to one side and deep forest to the other, this section of trail is a special place to take in the grand spectacle of spring migration.

Sometimes you just need to seize the moment. I was about to return to Connecticut after six weeks in Florida when my son, Scott, asked if I had any interest in traveling to Europe or the western U. S. for 5 or 6 days.

Along the densely settled Florida coast between Route 1 and the Atlantic Ocean is a remarkable natural remnant, Savannas Preserve State Park, which stretches 10 miles from Fort Pierce to Jensen Beach.