Get Your Picture on the Seafarer's Trail

If you see Bailey and I walking around town, stop me and I will take your photo and post it to this blog. You were, after all, sighted on the Mystic Seafarer's Trail!

Meet Mystic Seafarer's Trail Author and Hound Today

Saturday, May 18, 9a.m. – Noon

Mystic Seafarer’s Trail book signing

West Marine Mystic
14 B Clara Dr, Mystic, CT 06355. More info: (860) 536-1455
Meet author Lisa Saunders and her hound Bailey to learn the secrets behind Amelia Earhart's Noank wedding (see certified copy of Earhart's marriage license obtained from Groton Town Hall), the "7 Wonders of Mystic," and Captain Sisson's hunt for gold

Mystic Seafarer’s Trail Presented This Saturday at Monte Cristo Bookshop

Mystic author Lisa Saunders will be presenting the story behind her recently released book, Mystic Seafarer’s Trail, at the Monte Cristo Bookshop in New London.

 

Saturday, April 27, 1 p.m.

Lisa Saunders presents her adventure book and map, Mystic Seafarer's Trail

Monte Cristo Bookshop
13 Washington Street
New London CT 06320

860-608-5902, montecristobookshop@gmail.com

www.montecristobookshop.com

 

While searching for the “7 Wonders of Mystic,” author Lisa Saunders uncovers the secrets behind Amelia Earhart’s Amelia Earhart's reluctance to marry after visiting Groton Town Hall and the eventual Noank wedding, the shoes found at the wreck of the Titanic and Captain Sisson’s ill-fated search for gold. But will she ever find an adventure of her own? One that will make her thin and famous? When she meets a blind sailor who invites her on a long winter voyage, can this landlubber defy squalls, scurvy, and her fear of scraping barnacles to survive this epic journey?

 

About the Author: Lisa Saunders is a speaker, award-winning writer, and local TV co-host living in Mystic, Connecticut, with her husband and beagle/basset hound. She works as a part-time history interpreter at Mystic Seaport. A graduate of Cornell University, she is the author of several books and winner of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations Gold Medallion. She is the parent representative of the Congenital CMV Foundation. For more information about Lisa and her work, visit www.authorlisasaunders.com or write to saundersbooks@aol.com

 

###

Media may contact Saunders directly for a review copy of her book. Her Mystic Seafarer's Trail map can be found at: http://www.authorlisasaunders.com/files/67468220.pdf

Saunders can make adjustments to the map if the media wishes to print a version of it.  

 

Find Adventure on the Mystic Seafarer's Trail!

Figuring I must be a resident of Mystic, Connecticut, since I'm seen out and about walking an oddly shaped hound (half basset, half beagle), visitors stop me to ask where they should eat or what they should do. (In truth, the first question I was ever asked by a tourist upon moving to Mystic three years ago was, "Do you realize the back of your skirt is tucked into your underwear?")

Many tourists, I was surprised to learn, only stop in Mystic for a meal on their way between New York City and Boston.

The most frequent question I’m asked? 

"Where is Mystic Pizza?"

The movie Mystic Pizza, starring Julia Roberts and filmed in Mystic, certainly put Mystic on the map for non-seafaring folks--and that's a plus. But there is so much more to Mystic than pizza! After all, Mystic was named one of the top “100 Adventure Towns” by National Geographic! This quaint seacoast village is so picturesque that even Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart honeymooned here.

Wanting to learn myself what Mystic had to offer when I moved here in the summer of 2010, with the help of locals, I found "The 7 Wonders of Mystic," tried several adventures--including a few misadventures--and chronicled them for inclusion in my latest book, Mystic Seafarer's Trail. During my research, which included interviews with bridge tenders and historians plus looking through dusty old files, I uncovered the secrets behind Amelia Earhart's Noank wedding, Captain Sisson's ill-fated search for gold during the clipper ship era, plus the stories revealed by the shoes found at Titanic's watery grave. While walking my hound Bailey along the Mystic Seafarer’s Trail (which includes Noank, Mystic and Stonington), I even met a blind sailor who invited me to join her on an epic winter voyage.

Upon discovering the route one should follow for the best views and adventure potential, I finally found a way to quickly advice tourists who hold up traffic on Route 1 to shout questions to me. Getting the idea from the Boston Freedom Trail, I now hand visitors my free Mystic Seafarer’s Trail map. By following the trail highlighted on the map*, tourists will be sure to walk, bike or drive past "The 7 Wonders of Mystic" plus the haunts and homes of the area's famous adventurers--living and dead--including the discoverers of the Titanic and Antarctica. Along the way, are plenty of places to shop or grab a bite, bike, boat ride or kayak.

People shouldn't just stop in Mystic for one meal, they should spend a whole week here—at least!

One doesn't even need a car to find adventure in Mystic. The Mystic Seafarer’s Trail map includes Amtrak train and Peter Pan bus stops along with how to find information on accommodations, restaurants, points of interest and events from the Welcome Center & Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce. To download a copy of the map, just click on: http://www.authorlisasaunders.com/files/66442776.pdf.**

If you would like to learn more about my book, Mystic Seafarer's Trail, the first couple of chapters are available for free by clicking on the LOOK INSIDE feature. I will be discussing and/or autographing my book at the following upcoming events:

Saturday, April 27, 1pm
Monte Cristo Bookshop
13 Washington Street
New London CT 06320
More info: (860)574-9056

Saturday, May 4, 10-1 pm
Bank Square Books
53 W. Main Street Mystic, CT 06355
More Info: (860) 536 - 3795

Saturday, May 18, 9a.m. - Noon
West Marine Mystic
14 B Clara Dr Mystic, CT 6355
More info: (860) 536-1455

Thurs, June 20, 6:30 p.m.Local Authors @ The Groton Senior Center
"Amelia Earhart and the Mystic Seafarer's Trail."
More info: 860-441-6750 

Visit my website for more information about my other books and availability to speak at: www.authorlisasaunders.com

*I designed the trail using, with permission, maps from the book, Landmarks You Must Visit in Southeast Connecticut, by Constant Waterman.
 
**If businesses would like to include their own information on the map, they may contact me directly at saundersbooks@aol.com and I can help with that process (at no cost to the business).

 

Kayaking in Mystic Area by Cindy Modzelewski

Cindy Modzelewski of Mystic, Connecticut, in her kayak.

Cindy featured on TV talk show, "Dreamers & Doers"

Co-hosted by author Lisa Saunders and Julie Russell, LCSW

 

Cindy Modzelewski says, "I shared my love for this easy, relaxing sport by forming my own personal Paddle Yakker Club with friends I was making. Instead of meeting over a cup of coffee, we chatted while paddling.I was fortunate to have a spare kayak and equipment to share and my favorite kayak mover, Big Blue (pick-up truck).

I am kayaking with my friend Elizabeth Saede of Stonington. We are about to kayak under the Mystic River drawbridge. If you would like a kayak buddy, shoot me an e-mail! Write to CLM1208@aol.com and put kayaking in the subject. (Note: I am a featured friend in the new book, Mystic Seafarer's Trail, by Lisa Saunders.)

1. Ten reasons to kayak:

- it’s fun

-to be close to nature

-to be with friends

-for exercise

-for adventure

-for relaxation

-as part of another activity

-to stay cool in the summer

-is a sport for all ages

-for love

2. Five questions to ask before buying a kayak:

-what type of water will you be kayaking on most of the time?

-how long will you be on the water?

-what style kayak would you prefer?

-what size paddler are you?

-what kind of budget are you working with?

3. Kayak transportation systems:

-kayak roof racks

-kayak carts

-kayak trailers

4. Three types of kayaks:

-flatwater

-whitewater

-fishing

5. Kayak clothing and kayaking apparel - how to dress for kayaking

-base layer

-outer shell

-feet, head, and hands

6. The CT Boater's Guide put out by the State of CT Dept of Energy & Environmental Protection in Hartford. Their link is www.ct.gov/deep. It lists tidal waters by town and lakes, ponds and inland streams; it tells you location, where to launch, regulations, size of location, number of parking spaces.

-tidal waters: Stonington – from the town dock with access to open ocean or back to the coves

-tidal waters: Westbrook (you can sometimes park at a local marina and pay nominal $5 parking fee if you are a“car top carrier”); lovely spot with high density of marinas before getting to open ocean

7. Mystic area paddle spots include:

-Williams Beach (behind the YMCA), Mystic

-Mystic River, under the bridge

-Billings Lake (97 acres), 100 Billing Lakes Road, Stonington

-Long Pond (109 acres), 690 Lantern Hill, North Stonington

-look for the boating sign

-Click here for a Kayaker's Guide to the Mystic River.

8. The CT Central and Eastern street atlas to use in conjunction with the boater's guide to find the places, also the laminated river map (from local bike shops): www.americanmap.com

9. Where to rent a kayak locally--there are several spots. One in downtown Mystic by the drawbridge is the Marine Consignment Shop: http://marineconsignment.com/ 

10. Groton Parks and Recreation offers being an annual member that can access the equipment at their Spicer Ave., Noank, location. See: https://register.parksreconline.com/wbwsc/groton.wsc/wbsearch.html?xxmod=AR&xxtype=BOAT&wbsi=96a442ca-bfed-09a3-e211-609c8cba76de

11. Noank Rowing Club: http://noankrowing.org/

12. Paddle trips

Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, Chickadee Newsletter

See www.dpnc.org(860-536-1216) for adults member rate $20/person, offer 2 each month, meet at nature center at 9 or the put-in at 9:30. Figure 9-3.

-Connecticut Coastal Kayaking (brochure at visitor center), May-October

See www.CTcoastalkayaking.com(860-391-3837)

Example Bluff Point, Thimble Islands

Demonstrations:

Watch me launch myself in a kayak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQDOq9eiLsw

Watch me launch my friend, Nicky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJUOxZFeIFk

Mystic Seafarer's Trail: When you are finished kayaking and want to try some walking adventures, click here to follow the Mystic Seafarer's Trail! or http://www.mysticseafarerstrail.com/files/64513930.pdf

Water safety: Operation Paddle Smart
-see U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety at www.uscgboating.org

Kayak magazines for you to enjoy:www.outdoorplay.com/community-kayaking-magazines

adventure kayak

canoe roots

canoe & kayak

kayak angler

kayak fishing magazine

kayak session

paddler

rapid magazine

sea kayaker

stand up journal

Amelia Earhart Married in Noank, CT, 82 Years Ago on 2/7/1931

When I discovered that Amelia Earhart married George Putnam in Noank in February of 1931, I couldn't wait to learn more--such as why she was such a reluctant bride and how, in the days before global warning made headlines, could she have gotten married outside as portrayed in the 2009 Amelia movie starring Hilary Swank?

Excerpt from my new book, Mystic Seafarer's Trail:
Learning I was including Amelia Earhart's wedding in a book about the area, Mary Anderson, Curator of the Noank Historical Society, said, “You tell everybody that the wedding scene portrayed in the movie [Amelia] is inaccurate. My husband’s grandfather, the Groton probate judge, performed the ceremony, and my father-in-law, Robert Anderson, a young Noank lawyer at the time, attended as a witness. Before and after the ceremony, Amelia spoke to him about a new kind of aircraft she was promoting. When the judge congratulated her after the ceremony, calling her Mrs. Putnam, she replied, ‘Please sir, I prefer Miss Earhart.’”

Amelia Earhart met George Putnam, an arctic explorer, publicist and heir to the GP Putnam publishing company, in 1928 while employed as a social worker in Boston. Putnam had become famous as the publisher of Charles Lindbergh’s book about his solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927. Now George Putnam was helping sponsors look for a woman to become the first woman to fly the Atlantic in the trimotor Fokker, Friendship, previously owned by pioneering aviator and polar explorer, Richard E. Byrd. Amelia was interviewed by the flight sponsors in New York City at the offices of G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publishing Company. Upon concluding the interview in George Putnam’s office, George accompanied Amelia to the train station. Shortly after returning to Boston, she received the offer to make the historic flight.
Putnam, who was reportedly smitten by Amelia, brought Earhart to Noank to visit with his mother, Frances Putnam, and on November 8, 1930, he convinced Amelia to visit Groton Town Hall to apply for a marriage license.

Wanting to follow Amelia’s trail, I visited Groton Town Hall to see if I could learn anything from looking at the license. Just before I entered the building, a friendly, owner-less golden retriever greeted me. Calling the phone number etched in his tag, I assured the owner I would hold onto him until she could drive over to collect him.

As I sat on a bench with the dog at the entrance of the 1908 brick building, I pondered what Earhart was thinking before she stepped through that doorway more than 80 years earlier. My first trip to Groton Town Hall occurred two years ago when we first moved to Mystic. It wasn’t for any life-altering reason—I was just required by law to register my hound Bailey for a Connecticut dog license.

Amelia, on the other hand, was apparently extremely apprehensive when she entered Groton Town Hall. She wasn’t sold on the idea of marriage in general (her parents had divorced six years earlier in 1924) and had rejected other marriage proposals, including Sam Chapman’s, whose proposal included the insistence that his wife not work outside the home.
Once freed from my dog sitting responsibilities, I visited the Registrar of Vital Statistics office, the same office where I applied for Bailey’s dog license.

When I told the clerk I was looking for Earhart’s marriage license and gave her the
wedding date, she found it immediately. “We’ve had many requests for that,” she
said...

To learn more about Amelia Earhart, the fib I discovered on her marriage license, and certain events leading up to and following her wedding in Noank, see my book, Mystic Seafarer's Trail, available online and in area shops.

About Mystic Seafarer's Trail:
While searching for the Seven Wonders of Mystic with her beagle/basset hound, author Lisa Saunders uncovers the secrets behind the Titanic's shoes, Captain Sisson's hunt for gold, and Amelia Earhart's Noank wedding. But will she ever find an adventure of her own--one that will make her thin and famous? Enough to afford a housekeeper? When walking the Mystic Seafarer's Trail (which Lisa designed for those who don't like to go uphill), she meets a blind sailor who invites her on a long, winter voyage. Can this plump writer defy squalls, scurvy, and her fear of scraping barnacles to survive this epic journey?
Mystic Seafarer's Trail, can be previewed by clicking on the "LOOK INSIDE" feature on Amazon. It is also available in area shops that include, A Taste of New England, Bank Square Books, Franklin's General Store, Carson's Variety Store, and Monte Cristo Bookshop (a new shop in New London).
###



PRESS RELEASE:
Earhart married Putnam 82 years ago on Feb. 7, 1931 in Noank, Connecticut

 

Mystic, CT— Mystic Seafarer’s Trail, the latest book by Mystic author, Lisa Saunders, includes little-known details about Amelia Earhart’s wedding in Noank, Connecticut, on February 7, 1931. Saunders’ research included interviewing the grandson of the judge who performed the ceremony.

Most accounts of Amelia Earhart's life barely mention her wedding, except to say she got married—reluctantly. The 2009 movie "Amelia," starring Hilary Swank, shows her getting married outside, despite the early February date.

Excerpt from Mystic Seafarer’s Trail:
Mary Anderson, Curator of the Noank Historical Society, confirmed what my breakfast companion Barbara told me—that Earhart was secretly married in a simple civil ceremony in the square, flat-roofed house I found on Church Street. Learning I was including this information in a book about the area, Mary said, "You tell everybody that the wedding scene portrayed in the movie [Amelia] is inaccurate. My husband's grandfather, the Groton probate judge, performed the ceremony, and my father-in-law, Robert Anderson, a young Noank lawyer at the time, attended as a witness. When the judge congratulated her after the ceremony, calling her Mrs. Putnam, she replied, 'Please sir, I prefer Miss Earhart.'"

Mystic Seafarer’s Trail is available as a soft cover in Mystic area shops and as an e-book through: www.amazon.com/author/lisasaunders (Media may contact Saunders directly for a review copy.)

About the Author: Lisa Saunders is a speaker and award-winning writer living in Mystic, Connecticut, with her husband and beagle/basset hound. A graduate of Cornell University, she works as a part-time history interpreter at Mystic Seaport and is a member of the Mystic River Historical Society. Her other books include EVER TRUE: A Union Private and His Wife (published by Heritage Books) and Anything But a Dog! The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV (published by Unlimited Publishing LLC).

For more information about Lisa, visit www.authorlisasaunders.com or write to saundersbooks@aol.com  

###

Book Details:

Mystic Seafarer's Trail

Subtitle: Secrets behind the 7 Wonders, Titanic's Shoes, Captain Sisson's Gold, and Amelia Earhart's Wedding

Authored by Lisa Saunders

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 29, 2012)

Softcover Price: $ 12.95

ISBN-13: 978-1480085848; ISBN-10: 1480085847

FREE Mystic Seafarer's Trail today-Feb 4

I made the e-book version of Mystic Seafarer's Trail free today through Monday, Feb. 4, on Amazon. It includes little-known details about Amelia Earhart's wedding in Noank, CT. You don't need a Kindle to download it (it can go to your computer or phone). Visit: http://www.amazon.com/Mystic-Seafarers-Trail-Titanics-ebook/dp/B00A3RX85E

There is also a Mystic Seafarer's Trail map available at: Mystic Seafarer's Trail Map

If you don't want to down load it, you can read Chapter One and Two by clicking on the “LOOK INSIDE” feature, or you can read Chapter One below:

Wanted: Epic Adventure

Shortly after stepping out of my new home with my hound for our first stroll through the historic seacoast village of Mystic, Connecticut, a woman pulled over in her van and yelled, "Excuse me."

Assuming she was a tourist wanting directions to Mystic Pizza or some other attraction, I wasn't prepared for what she really wanted to know.

"Do you realize the back of your skirt is tucked into your underwear?"

What a debut in my new hometown—I don’t think this is what National Geographic meant when they named Mystic one of the top 100 adventure towns in the United States.

Once recovered from my wardrobe “malfunction,” I continued toward downtown Mystic with Bailey, a beagle/basset hound mix, to embark on a new life and shake off my old, sedentary landlubbing ways.

No longer did I want to be known as the lady who always talks about losing weight but never does it. No longer would I sit around daydreaming about becoming thin and famous so I could hire someone else to clean my house. I had a real shot at it now that I lived in a place where I couldn’t help but fall into a swash-buckling adventure—the kind that might inspire me to write a bestseller.

Straddling both sides of the Mystic River in the towns of Groton and Stonington, the village of Mystic takes its name from an Indian word, “river running to the sea.” With its scenic views of tall ships, islands, lighthouses, and secluded coves, it has attracted such legendary honeymooners as Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It is a place where those who cross the oceans gather to swap stories and repair their boats. It is where famous explorers are born, visit, get married, or come to live.

To launch my career as an adventuress, I decided to walk Bailey to the haunts and homes of such celebrated adventurers as Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; Dr. Robert Ballard, the discoverer of Titanic’s watery grave; Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, the first aviator to fly over the South Pole; and Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer, who accidentally discovered Antarctica.

Now was the time for me to join their ranks, to start living life on the edge. Maybe I could become thin and famous like Amelia Earhart. Like her, I am fairly tall, my middle initial is M, I have a gap between my two front teeth, and until I looked it up, I couldn’t spell medieval either (more on that and her wedding day later). Unlike Amelia, I wasn’t skinny, but that was about to change. I would stop lying around reading about adventurers and do what it took to become one.

My husband, Jim, and I were transferred to the Mystic area by his company, which meant I had to quit my job as a full-time writer for a college and search for a new one in a community revolving around life at sea—not easy for a confirmed desk sitter like me. Finding the area already teeming with underemployed writers and publicists, I was grateful when my former employer hired me back as a consulting writer. Although freelancing allowed me to work from home in my pajamas, it offered no retirement benefits—hence the need to become famous. Being famous not only helps pay the bills, but it gives you an edge when trying to accomplish other goals.

Now was the time for me to follow in the path of prominent authors such as Herman Melville who went to sea on a whaler (a ship designed to catch whales and process their oil) when he couldn't find a job. Although he deserted and had to live among cannibals for a time, he found the inspiration to write his first novel. Further sea adventures, which included mutiny and hearing about a whale that rammed and sank the Essex, led to the creation of his magnum opus: Moby Dick. I, myself, could barely get through this “Great American Novel,” but somebody must like it. And now that I lived within walking distance of the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world, I felt that was a sign. Perhaps I could enlist on it as a deck swabber on some epic voyage. The house we purchased came with a brass, whale-shaped door knocker. That had to be a sign.

If following in the footsteps of a whaling writer didn’t work, there was always the chance I could get famous by finding a dead body—just like Bailey and our older daughter had. Although it didn’t make her into an international celebrity, I use it as a party stopper whenever I want to be the center of attention. Of course, I should really find my own body, preferably of a well-known person. Celebrities are always coming to Mystic to film movies or vacation.

Since I couldn’t count on finding a dead body, famous or otherwise, I decided to start small. First, I planned to compile “The 7 Wonders of Mystic”—something quick I could shout to the tourists who rolled down their car windows asking what they should see (besides my underwear).

National Geographic’s website suggests that Mystic adventurers bike what it calls the 25-mile Vineyard Loop that includes “some hairy climbs that stops at two of the best wineries.” Hairy climbs? I hoped to get thin, but did I have to go uphill to do it? I thought not.

Instead, I would conquer a trail of my own design—one that would avoid hills where possible—and call it the “Mystic Seafarer’s Trail.” It would include “The 7 Wonders” (once I figured out what they were), plus the stomping grounds of legendary explorers. It would encompass the Mystic, Stonington and Noank area and even include where Kate the acupuncturist weighed her newborn on a lobster scale after giving birth on a schooner and rowing to shore.

With so many potential wonders to consider and adventures to try, I had a lot of ground—and water—to cover. So, every afternoon, I checked my skirt and off Bailey and I went to follow a scent of our own.

Read Chapter Two by clicking on the “LOOK INSIDE” feature of the Mystic Seafarer’s Trail at: http://www.amazon.com/Mystic-Seafarers-Trail-Titanics-ebook/dp/B00A3RX85E