That a wildlife refuge shares Merritt Island off Florida's Atlantic coast with NASA's Kennedy Space Center might seem incongruous.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida, is a wetland created to serve as a percolation pond, returning clean water back to the water table.

Wind, Water, and the wall on the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park in Texas.

Perhaps a mile north of the Baldwin Bridge carrying Interstate 95 over the Connecticut River, I slipped my kayak into the river, New England’s largest at 410 miles. It is easily a mile wide here near its mouth.

Took advantage of a day of decent weather – sunny, temperature eventually getting well up into the 70s – and drove to Nehantic State Forest in Lyme a few days ago.

It had been too long since I last paddled this stretch of the Farmington River. Perhaps 30 years ago, maybe 40 years ago, maybe 45 years ago.

Topsmead State Forest in Litchfield has forest aplenty, for sure, but this is not your typical Connecticut state forest.

I’d seen references to Lake of Isles in North Stonington, CT, over the years, including one in “A Fisheries Guide to Lakes and Ponds of Connecticut,” published in 2002 by what is now the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.