A few months ago, my very own Avalonia Land Conservancy closed on a spectacular 400-plus-acre property not too far us that currently bears the name Tritown, since it straddles the borders of North Stonington, Preston, and Griswold. Or, at least, I've been told, exceedingly often, that it's spectacular... but for a number of reasons, in the year the preserve has been available for exploration, I've never been able to get there. This morning, with a recent Lantern Hill trek under my belt, I decided to join the inaugural group-hike to Tritown and finally see it for myself. The hilly and heavily wooded preserve more than lived up to its advanced billing, and as I walked, more or less slowly, both out of desire to see and hear everything and because my body now requires a lower pace, I was more than a little sad I hadn't been a member of the superb crew that made Tritown available to the public. But my spirits were soon buoyed by congregations of Wood Anemones and Ovenbirds, so any inkling of the blues was short-lived. The sighting of a very vocal—and close—Scarlet Tanager put all thoughts of depression on the run. The fiery bird seemed to be saying, "Forget the past, you're here now... and you'll be here to do good work in the future... Believe it."