Valerie Osterhoudt, ABR ~ Cromwell, CT Real Estate ~ 860.883.8889

THE BACK PORCH

142 FERRY ROAD, OLD SAYBROOK CONNECTICUT

Last evening I ventured to the coast for a change of scenery and a seafood dinner. I had heard about The Back Porch, but never had the chance to go... until last night.

I dined outside overlooking the marina.

The attire was casual, and the atmosphere was relaxing. How can you go wrong over looking the Connecticut River?

The appetizer of "Lobster Bon Bons" was delicious. I started to laugh when I ate these, because now I can say I sat around and ate bon-bons all night :) The French Martini that accompanied these went down real well too.

For the entree I had Seared Georges Bank Scallops With Braised Littlenecks, Sweet Corn and Chorizo Broth, which I would recommend highly. The combination of flavors in this dish was phenomenal.

The General Manager Mike McMahon, came around frequently to make sure everyone was satisfied, and my waiter Ed had me in stitches.. great sense of humor.

When you are in Connecticut and are in the Old Saybrook area, I would recommend you checking out this restaurant.. you won't be disappointed.

Have any of you ever been here? I'd like to hear what you thought of this restaurant.

Info about the author:

Valerie Osterhoudt is a Cromwell Connecticut Residential Realtor who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of real estate in the Middlesex County of CT, as well as the surrounding areas. Please visit me at www.CTrealtorMLS.com for all your relocation and/or local needs.

Valerie Osterhoudt, ABR - Johnson Real Estate, Inc. - 860.635.0387 #2 - valerierealtor@sbcglobal.net

Copyright © 2008 By Valerie Osterhoudt, ABR, All Rights Reserved...*THE BACK PORCH IN OLD SAYBROOK CT*

Do you remember being a child and all the fun you had at summer camp. Looking forward to seeing the friends you made the previous summer, and meeting up with them again, and thoughts of making new ones.

Learning to swim for the first time? Taking archery lessons, but most importantly, getting away from your parents and just being a kid for a while. Are high priority on a child's mind.

YMCA Camp Ingersoll in Portland Connecticut has this and more. For the past 3 summers my sons have gone, and can't wait to go back again this summer. What is nice for the parents is that they are active all day, and by the time they come home, they eat dinner and fall asleep (with no arguing by 8pm).

If you are interested you can contact either

Patrick Connelly Helen Peaslee
Outdoor Center Director Camp Registrar
Ph. (860) 343-6237 Ph. (860) 343-6230

Fax (860) 343-6254 Fax (860) 343-6254
p.connelly@midymca.org h.peaslee@midymca.org

I went to a Farmer's Market in Durham, CT yesterday afternoon. I planned on blogging about that first, but this is going to be about a couple of honest and decent people that worked as vendors there.

All we hear about nowadays is negativity, high gas prices, political candidates and all the back stabbing that goes on. Hardly ever do we hear about the nice things that people do.

At this farmer's market I was taking pictures and getting information about the different vendors. At one booth, I took out my GPS from my purse to get out a pen and some paper. I took pictures and made notes of names and businesses. After an hour I left to head home. Knowing my way back I did NOT use my GPS. It wasn't until I got home; I realized I didn't have it.

For all realtors out there, you know that we uses these on a regular basis. This GPS I had, has Bluetooth capability so I can par my phone to it. I can also voice activate it and have it call numbers if needed. This Garmin just came out last year, and was VERY expensive. The thought that I lost it makes me sick.

I was going crazy trying to remember where I left it. I called the coordinator of the farmers market to see if perchance someone found it, and turned it in. I'm laughing to myself thinking this is a small item and anyone who saw it would just pocket it. People break into vehicles to get these, if someone saw this in the open, they would just take it. I might as well kiss it good-bye.

This morning I received a call that it was found. I left it at the Star-light Gardens booth (this is where you can get fresh herbs). The owners Ty and Dave found it and wanted to make sure it got back to the rightful owner.

I could not thank them enough for this kind gesture. So, if you are ever in Durham, CT during the summer on Thursdays stop by the green and check out the Star-Light Garden booth. Not only do you get the freshest of herbs, but also you are dealing with down to earth, and honest people.

They mentioned that they should have a herb stand up for the summer on Fowler Avenue, so if you are in Durham, CT during the week, check it out. Not only will you get fresh organic herbs, but you would be dealing with down to earth and honest people.

Thank you Ty and Dave.

Set at the base of the scenic Ragged Mountain, Timberlin Golf Club in Berlin, Connecticut is one of the best 18-hole public golf courses in the State of Connecticut. Timberlin Golf Club has the most amazing rolling terrain, a challenging placement of rivers and bunkers and greens maked this course seem easy to play, but golfers beg to differ.

When you have a chance, you should check this course out... I've heard nothing but good things about it.

Timberlin Golf Club
330 Southington Road
Berlin, Connecticut 06037
860.828.3228

Maybe most of you know about this approach to marketing yourself, but it is new to me, and I thought I would pass it along in case you don't.

Recently I started a new group here on AR called "Connecticut What Makes Us Great". This is a place to post about sites, events, reasons why we live here.

The other day, I started taking pictures at Cromwell Landing, which is a great place to fish, picnic, play music, etc. There were a few people there, and while I was taking pictures, they were curious why I was doing so. I would let them know how I work for Johnson Real Estate, here in Cromwell CT, and I am trying to make people aware of what we have to offer here in Cromwell, as well as, the state of Connecticut. I would ask them casually, would they mind if they might be in a picture that might appear online promoting this? No one yet has said no, but I am sure that will occur.

What I have found interesting is that most have asked for my business card. I'm thinking they want to make sure I am a legit realtor... little did I know I would get a call from one of them.

I don't know how far it will go, but I wanted to pass this along to all realtors as a way of promoting yourself... without really promoting yourself. Most people I have found take an interest in the area, and if you take an interest in the area, I believe they feel you will take an interest in them.