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Whenever I go to Connecticut, there are two places that I always visit. I have written about them in a previous post, but they are precious enough to mention again… and again! Both places are in Madison … my all-time favorite town in Connecticut.

1) The independent bookstore, R.J. Julia Booksellers.

When you walk in the front door (pictured above), this is what is on the right. It is a nook where classic literature is shelved and where I was compelled to buy Jude the Obscure during one of my visits, a few years ago. YIKES!

I love the hard wood floors and all of the wooden book cases. This store really feels like home to me. It is cozy, with just enough light.

When you browse the shelves… not sure what to read… no fear! The staff has suggestions and they write little reviews on index cards to help you. See the example below:

The bookstore has a second floor! I get excited when bookstores have a second floor. The stairway is beautiful, too. This store is more to me than a place to buy books. It has architectural features that take my breath away.

The creaky stairs add to the ambiance! Maybe it’s just me…

…and just when you’ve had your fill of browsing and you finally pick out that special book… R.J. Julia Café is the perfect place to read while you have lunch!

I took this picture in the middle of winter, but this is the outside patio. I like to sit out here in the summer. The bookstore sets up iron chairs and tables (pretty black ones) in the courtyard.

It is a nice place to relax while eating one of their many salad, soups and sandwiches. When I go there, I always have the salad with cranberries, candied walnuts, mandarin oranges, goat cheese and chicken. Yum!! I like to order the French Sparkling Lemonade. On a cold day, I order a bowl of Butternut Squash soup or Tomato Bisque.

I almost forgot to mention the book signings!!

Thanks to the R.J. Julia Booksellers book-signing events, I have met Peter Jennings,  Giada De Laurentiis and Jacques Pépin (a Madison, CT resident.) Last Valentine’s Day, I gave my husband a signed copy of Jacques Pépin’s “More Fast Food My Way. It meant a lot to him… and Giada is as nice in person as she is on her Food Network programs.

After going to R.J Julia’s, I drove south on Route One to my other favorite destination in Madison…  Hammonassett Beach, on Long Island Sound. I arrived in time to capture the sunset. It was about 28 degrees outside, but I was bundled up, so I was able to walk up and down the beach without getting cold.

The seagulls were amazing. They were floating on the water, way off of the shore. They didn’t seem to be diving for fish. They were just hanging out on the frigid water.

In the image below, I like the juxtaposition of snow on the sandy beach.

I like how the sunlight rests on the rocks in the image below:

…and the sun sets…

In the image below, notice how the clouds reflect on the water directly below the clouds. The left half of the water is colorful and the right half of the water is not. Cool, huh?

Love those seagull silhouettes!

… and finally, it was so dark that I could hardly photograph anything. This was the last picture that I took:

Hope you enjoyed our little online field trip to my favorite places in Madison, CT.