Retired Guy and I took the TomTom over the border into Connecticut yesterday, in part to see how the little guy did in a strange country and in part to visit the tropical landscape inside the Big House greenhouse of Logee's in Danielson. A family business since 1892, Logee's is an institution in the plant world, specializing in indoor tropicals, many of them grafted from stock that's more than 100 years old. The most famous of these is a 108-year-old Ponderosa lemon tree that grows 5-pound lemons the size of footballs.
We weren't buying, just looking and drinking in the fragrant humidity in anticipation of spring. The jasmine was in full bloom, the tree camellias were showing a last burst of color, and the hibiscus shown here looked luscious enough to eat. We chatted with owner Byron Martin, third generation of the Logees to carry on the business, and noted he had not only a green thumb but a green forefinger, these he said, an occupational hazard from the dyes in the fertilizer he had been using.
Oh, and TomTom did just great, getting us from Providence to Danielson in about a half an hour. Next, we challenged him with a detour to East Hartford, but more on that later.
