Kayaking on the Farmington River - Collinsville, Conn.

Ahhhh. Sun, warmth, and water.
This is what summer is all about.

Have you been taking advantage of this amazing summer weather???

Perhaps you've been to the beach, attended a few picnics, or maybe even gone hiking. 

All very well and good. Here's one more suggestion: A fantastic few hours spent kayaking on the Farmington River. 

Don't own a kayak? No problemo; neither do we. Simply head to Collinsville Canoe & Kayak - set in a lovely spot by the river in a quaint, adorable little town in central Connecticut - and rent one. 

Rental costs are very reasonable, but vary depending on how many people you want in your kayak - and for how long (see costs outlined below). 

My husband and I each opted for our own kayak - just $12 for one hour, and that includes the life jacket and your paddle. If you are really enjoing yourself in the water and go beyond the hour, they'll charge you a few dollars extra for each additional 15 minutes. 

It was pretty much the perfect day. The weather was fantastic, the sun wasn't too hot, and the water was calm and an ideally refreshing temperature. 

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

My husband eyeing the paddleboards.

• What You'll Find: Kayaking on the Farmington River - a most amazingly refreshing day in the outdoors. 
• Where You'll Find It: Collinsville Canoe & Kayak, 41 Bridge Street, Collinsville, Conn.
• When to Go: The season starts around May 1 and runs through to around October. Rental hours are M-W & F from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sat. 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sun. 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (FYI: If you're headed there on a summer weekend, it's usually wise to make a reservation. I called the morning of and was fine.)
• What It'll Cost: $12 for a solo kayak for one hour. Tandem (two-person) kayaks are $20 per hour. These prices include the life jacket and paddle. You can also opt for daylong (3 hours or more) on-site rentals (solo kayaks = $40 per day; tandems = $50 per day). There is even an option, for an extra charge, to take the kayak for up to 24 hours off-site. 
• By the Way: You can rent other things here, too. Namely, bicycles for the nearby Farmington River Bike Trail, which overlooks the river, or paddleboards. As I learned today, Collinsville Canoe & Kayak occasionally offers paddleboard yoga! I hear it's a great core workout. Might have to try that next...

A New Source of Scrumptious, Simple Recipes

Crazy delicious pasta e  fagioli,
courtesy of Chef Silvio Suppa.

Wish you knew how to cook up a fantastic marinara sauce? Think making fresh pasta from scratch is absolutely out of your league? Longing for amazing recipes that require only simple ingredients?

As I've learned in recent weeks, some of the dishes I'd always assumed could never be part of my repertoire are, in fact, deceivingly simple. Where did I learn this? Cooking classes.

No, I'm not talking about stressful, pricey lessons that for last weeks on end. No, you don't have to spend extra cash on kitchen supplies. And no, you certainly need not possess Iron Chef-like skills.

I'm talking a single two-hour weeknight outing that will prove to be fun, delicious, and educational - not to mention it's a lovely way to acquire some unbelievable new recipes while coming upon the revelation that cooking up some really great food is shockingly doable.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: Several options for fabulous, user-friendly cooking classes.
• Where You'll Find it: Two of my latest finds include the Viking Center at 4 Laser Lane in Wallingford, Conn., and Martino's Italian Market  at 948 Terryville Avenue in Bristol, Conn.
• When to Go: Check their websites for upcoming class schedules, prices, and other details - Find Martino's classes here and the Viking Center's here.
• What It'll Cost: Usually around $60 a person, although you can find deals - like I did! - on LivingSocial, Groupon, and other deal-of-the-day websites. 

Liquid Lounge: Perfecting the Science of a Good Party - Hartford, Conn.

Yes, you may have finally found an excuse
to wear that cape of yours in public.

Let's be clear: Geeks rock. And, they know how to get their freak on.

Particularly at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, Conn.

I am fairly confident that you'd be hard-pressed to find another venue that offers live music, drinks, karaoke, and dancing (... wait for it), along with roving magicians, interactive science exhibits, and superheroes who provide massages and one-on-one coaching in yoga - all in one place at the same time.

Welcome to Liquid Lounge, a four-story party that periodically descends upon downtown Hartford, each time with a different (awesome) theme.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: The most fun you've ever had in a science museum. It's a 21+ party, complete with four floors of music, drinks, games, and more.
• Where You'll Find it: The Connecticut Science Center, 250 Columbus Blvd., Hartford, Conn.
• When to Go: Stay tuned to the Science Center's Facebook page to find out! This event returns every few months. 
• What It'll Cost: A mere $15! ($12 in advance) Bring some cash for drinks. Note: This event is shockingly popular. You've been warned.

Yes, the event is held at a science museum.

But no, this does not mean you are relegated to observing the exhibits quietly and dutifully.

3 Eggs-cellent Omelets in Central CT

Reflecting on the awesomeness of diners.

Bleary-eyed and ravenous, you have awoken on a fine weekend morning to discover your fridge devoid of groceries. What to do?

If you're in the vicinity of central Connecticut and a fan of omelets, then you, my friend, are in luck.

I'm here to share my three favorite picks for some of the most reliably tasty omelet-makers around.

I Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts - Hartford, Conn.

Should the spirit move you ...

OK, that's not quite true.

Ghost stories creep me out. Horror movies have been known to prevent me from getting a good night's sleep for days at a time. I would certainly not hesitate to characterize myself as a wuss. 

But curiosity can often get the better of me.

If you happen to be an aspiring ghost hunter or a believer in the paranormal - or perhaps just a harmless history buff, or a lover of literature like me, it's time to get yourself to the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Conn., which every so often invites brave souls to embark on nighttime ghost tours at the former home of famed author Samuel Clemens - otherwise known by his pen name, Mark Twain.

That's right, the house in which Mark Twain lived and wrote the classic Huckleberry Finn is reportedly very haunted. And even 120 years after he, his family, and his servants have moved away, the house's daily visitors, tour guides, and security guards continue to come across ghosts - seeing them, hearing them, and, yes, even feeling them.

Believe it or not, two of the people in our own tour group - including my husband - reported their own brief encounters with the dead.

Built in 1874 for just $45,000, this house was what
Twain apparently was known to describe as part medieval castle, part riverboat, and part cuckoo clock.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: A haunted house. What could be intriguing?
• Where You'll Find it: The Mark Twain House, at 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Conn.
• When to Go: Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours will return for March 30, and for April 27 and 28. Tours take place at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m., and are by reservation only. Call 860-280-3130 to make a reservation. Tours regularly sell out.
• What It'll Cost: $20 for adults age 17 and up; $16 for members of the Mark Twain House; $13 for children 16 and under. (FYI, the ghost tours are not recommended for kids under 10 years old.)

Talks of the Town

Sound advice: Go see this movie.

I've mentioned before how cool some of my co-workers are. They are, in fact, the wise folks who urged me to start this blog in the first place.

Luckily, in addition to getting me through the workday, they have also proved to be fun outside of the office, during book clubs, happy hours, and game nights.

Most recently, a handful of us decided it would be cool to plan occasional trips together to movies, plays, museums, and other fun, arts-and-culture-type outings.

So we've created what we're now referring to as our very own Culture Club. (Mr. Burdique, you so get credit for the genius name.)

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: A cool movie theater and a fabulous pub to visit afterward.
• Where You'll Find it: The theater is at 330 New Park Avenue in Hartford, Conn.; the pub is at 1046 New Britain Avenue in West Hartford, Conn.
• When to Go: Check showtimes at Bow-Tie Cinemas here. Meanwhile, The Corner Pug offers lunch and dinner every day, including food till 11 PM Thursday and Saturday, and until midnight on Fridays.

For our first outing - this past weekend - six of us ventured out to Bow-Tie Cinemas in Hartford, Conn., to see The Artist, a French movie that's gotten a lot of hype - for good reason.

But take note: Although it's been nominated for an Oscar in 10 different categories (including Best Picture) and honored with a 97% rating from Rotten Tomatoes, The Artist has also reportedly been a major source of outrage for many moviegoers worldwide.

That's because it's 100 minutes worth of film without spoken dialogue.

The Art of R&R - New Britain, Conn.

Me, marveling at the museum's giant wall o' color
(made of paper and plastic cups painted in bright colors and
nailed to the wall by the thousands), by Lisa Hoke.

The holidays can get a tad overwhelming.

Particularly if you're, say, hosting a big holiday dinner, having family and friends from out of the state stay over, or trying to fit in all the last-minute shopping, gift-wrapping, and cleaning around your day-to-day life.

I'm doing all of the above - and let's just say I was in dire need of an afternoon filled with nothing but peace and quiet.

For you Connecticut peeps, it may come as a surprise that of all places, Hard Hittin' New Britain offers just such an oasis.

My husband and I recently ventured to the New Britain Museum of American Art, a great spot to spend a relaxing couple of hours just ... unwinding. Here, you can take in the art at your own pace, check out whatever exhibits interest you, wander around the outside grounds to see cool pieces of sculpture, and, perhaps, find a bit of inspiration and calm.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: A wonderful place to de-stress during the holidays. 
• Where You'll Find it: The New Britain Museum of American Art
• When to Go: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays noon to 5 p.m. (Closed Mondays!)
• Cost: Admission is a super reasonable $10 per adult and free for kids under 12. Senior admission is $9, and student admission is $8.

Whale Watching ... in Downtown Hartford

This is what a midprice ticket will get you:
Pretty awesome seats.
(We were in the sixth row.)

Winter's settling in. Even if you aren't a fan of sledding, building snowmen, or braving New England's freezing temperatures to ski or snowboard, all is not lost.

Whether you've got a family to entertain on the cheap or are just looking for a fun night out with a couple of friends, perhaps it's time to check out the Connecticut Whale.

I'm talking about hockey here for those of you not familiar with the Whale. Not NHL, of course, but still the very worthy American Hockey League, where the top Whale players still score six- and seven-figure annual salaries.

The best part is, you won't have to go broke buying tickets. They run about $12 apiece for kids (ages 2-16) and between $12 and $25 per adult. And this is for very decent seats. (Good luck finding prices under $100 apiece - even in the nosebleed section -  for any Boston Bruins game.)

Not a sports fan? Well, me neither, technically. I assure you, the Connecticut Whale's got something for everyone.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: A fun, inexpensive night out, no matter who you are - sports fan or no, child or adult
• Where You'll Find it: The XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
• When to Go: All winter long (through April 2012)
• Cost: Usually around $12 a ticket for kids, ages 2-16; $12-$25 per adult, depending on the game (and you won't be in nosebleed)

The Most Comforting of Comfort Food - Hartford, Conn.

My "Babcia," having a grand old time
at my wedding five years ago.

This past week, our family lost its matriarch - my grandmother, who emigrated in the late '60s from Poland to the United States, along with my grandfather, mother, and several of my aunts and uncles.

Known to me and my cousins (14 of us in total, not counting my grandmother's nine great-grandchildren) as "Babcia," my grandmother was a fixture at every holiday gathering, contentedly sipping her ever-present mug of Lipton tea and quietly observing our banter - a lively mix of Polish and English - from her seat at the head of the table.

At our family breakfasts each Easter, my cousins and I would try unsuccessfully to stifle our giggles as Babcia murmured what seemed like never-ending, unintelligible prayers in her native language. Every Christmas Eve at our traditional Polish feast, Babcia would watch our annual grab-bag antics with amusement, laughing heartily whenever she chose the gag gift, even if she never quite understood what was so funny.

Babcia and her six children.

But no matter what the event - anniversary parties, holidays, birthdays - our aunts and uncles would at some point inevitably insist that all the cousins surround Babcia to mark the occasion with a family photo. We'd roll our eyes and dutifully squeeze ourselves and our significant others in around Babcia to smile for the eight different cameras haphazardly snapping photos all at once.

For the first 14 years of my life, I was lucky enough to have Babcia living with us in our house as part of my immediate family. As a child, I remember following her and our dog around the backyard garden among the tomato plants and sitting with her on the porch while she snapped the ends off of freshly picked string beans, that cup of Lipton tea eternally at arm's reach.

Where Girls Become Roller Girls - Vernon, Conn.

Break out your skates, ladies.

Back in the day, roller skating was one of my favorite activities - not only as a kid, when I attended birthday parties for my elementary school friends, but even as an adult, when I descended upon The Roxy with all kinds of characters for late-night Roller-Skating Wednesdays when I lived in New York City for a time. Sniff.

Unbeknownst to me, roller skating rinks actually still exist in Connecticut. And better yet, roller derby.

So when I heard through a fabulous Twitter follower that nearby Vernon, Conn.'s Ron-A-Roll hosts twice-a-week practices for the Hartford Area's Roller Derby (otherwise known as H.A.R.D.), I could not wait to pull on my colorful knee-high socks and roll on up to the rink.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: Roller skating! Need I say more?
• Where You'll Find it: Ron-A-Roll in Vernon, Conn.
• When to Go: If you're interested in the roller derby league, stop by Sunday nights or Monday nights (practice typically runs from 5-7 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m., respectively). If you just wanna skate, Ron-A-Roll's schedule is available here. (I will so see you there.)
• Other Info: Ladies only, of course, and you must be at least 21 years old. Bring a skateboard-style helmet and mouthguard (You can borrow pads and skates for your first time if you don't have your own). No experience needed, though it seems you do need some semblance of athleticism to be a contributing member of the team. 
• For the guys: H.A.R.D. is looking for referees (male or female, actually), if you're interested!

I'd hoped to rope in a few of my gal pals for the tryouts. No dice. My 30-something friends appear to have better sense than I. And OK, perhaps I am too old for this kind of thing. Sigh. So, I instead opted to go check things out from the safety of the rinkside with an obliging friend who, like me, was considering getting in on the action.

This isn't your average roller skating, people.
These Roller Girls mean business.

How Laughing Can Help the Homeless

I'm a massive animal lover. I've got three dogs of my own, but give me a couple of acres, and I could easily start my very own dog farm. If - ahem, I mean, when - I win the lotto, you can so count me in as the Crazy Dog Lady.

My super, uber-fabulous retired racing greyhound, Reba, who I
adopted from REGAP in Bethany, Conn., about five years ago.
I know you're not supposed to have favorites,
but I can't help it.

Later this month, Funny Bone Comedy Club & Restaurant in Manchester, Conn., will host a show to help support the Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary, a local nonprofit that's based on the idea that there's "a proper home for nearly every pet." (Bravo to that!) Comedians for this year's show include Josh Gondelman and James Dorsey. (Though I've not seen these guys live, I did go to this event last year and had a great time.)

IrishFest

OK, so it's officially called the Greater Hartford Irish Music Festival. But it's so much more than music.

The St. Patrick's Pipe Band

Let's just say that if you're in Connecticut - or have the means to get here - in late July, you must make it a priority to get to this shindig. This year, it took place July 29-31. Rain or shine, it's just a great time regardless of whether you have any Irish in your family history (I don't).