Be Careful Out There

New Year's Eve is a time for a parties and too much drinking.  The police will be out in force running sobriety checks.

Be careful out there.  You want to see and enjoy 2012.

Happy New Year!

Bushnell Park Carousel

The carousel at Bushnell Park was only open Saturday and Sunday nights in December.  But I was there in the afternoon when it was dark, closed and locked up tight.  So, I pressed my camera's lens hood against the window glass and clicked the shutter button, to see what happened.  I got surprising light and clarity in the middle and a diffused reflection at the edges.  I liked this dreamlike effect.  You will see it again!

For more reflections, click here.

A. C. Petersen

A. C. Petersen is an old dairy on Park Road.  It is so much better eating ice cream at a local place instead of a chain restaurant.

Horse Farm

This horse farm is on Main Street in South Windsor, the street shown in the last two posts.

Grazing

The reindeer grazed on a lawn on Main Street in South Windsor.

Nutcrackers

In my book, it is not too late to post holiday-oriented pictures.  I like this time of year, so I will stretch the season with Christmas pictures for a few more days.

These nutcrackers guard a double door on Main Street in South Windsor.

I am linked today to Monday Doorways.

Merry Christmas

Tapestry in the Strasbourg Cathedral, Strasbourg, France


The Strasbourg Cathedral has a series of 17th century tapestries that were intended for Notre Dame in Paris.  When Notre Dame changed its mind in the 18th century, Strasbourg bought them. 

 I hope you have the happiest of Christmases today, with your family and friends.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Pond and Fountain

You have seen the pond in Bushnell Park in January and in April, but not on a December evening.  Here it is dressed for the holidays.  (The skating rink is at the top, right.)

For other photos with reflections, click here.

Tobacco Barns

Back in Hartford.  The Connecticut River valley north of Hartford has been the home of tobacco-growing farms for 150 years.  Tobacco is grown under netting in the spring and early summer.  After harvesting, it cures in sheds like these.  Connecticut Shade Tobacco's broad leaves are used for wrapping premium cigars.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Fort Myers

I spend some of the winter in Connecticut and some in Florida.  In mid-December, I was in Florida. 

Out of the Jurisdiction: Columbus

Two weeks ago I was in Columbus, Ohio, for two days.  German Village is a wonderful historic district immediately to the south of the downtown.  The residents have a real sense of community and take holiday decorations seriously!  When I worked in Columbus, my house was around the corner from the house with the green awning in the top photo.

Garlands

Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut

I am having a brain freeze.  These aren't doorways, because they don't have doors.  They aren't arches, because they are square.  Maybe they are portals.  Help!

Connecticut Science Center

The science center, dressed for the holidays.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Christmas Markets

So, why would anyone voluntarily take a Rhine River Cruise in December?  The grapes have been harvested.  The skies are gray.  The days are cold.


Because of the Christmas markets, of course! 

Out of the Jurisdiction: La Petite France

Strasbourg's La Petite France (Little France) district is a beautiful neighborhood featuring picturesque half-timbered houses, often with balconies and nearby waterways.

For other photographs with reflections, please visit James' website, Weekend Reflections.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Heidelberg

Did I promise a few more pix from my recent trip?  OK.  

It was a river cruise up the Rhine.  Central Europe is suffering a severe drought, so the water levels were low.  We could only get as far south as Koblenz on the ship.  The rest was by bus.  Not perfect, but still a good trip.

Heidelberg had nice details.

Treva Two Ways

Treva opened a year ago on West Hartford Center's main strip.  I went past the restaurant in the morning and again at night.

So far I have not yet tried Treva.  I hear that it is good and it gets good ratings on Open Table, Yelp, TripAdvisor and other rating sites.  Knowing that the owner is a former chef at the Max restaurants -- my favorite local restaurant chain -- is the best recommendation.  Here is a link to a bunch of photos that ran on the Hartford Courant's website showing Treva's food and other stuff.

Kimberly Boutique

Kimberly Boutique is a store on the main street of West Hartford Center.  I have never been in the store, but I always check out their creative window displays. From what I can tell, they sell fashionable women's clothes, casual and dressy.  You saw one of their clever displays in the summer.

Above is a window display from the fall, bragging about being named to Connecticut Magazine's list of best stores for 2011.  Below is the current holiday display.  This stuff is VERY casual.

Lights! Camera! Action!

West Hartford is all aflutter.  Scenes from a movie are being filmed here!  "Pawn" is a movie that should hit the theaters in 2013.  It is about small time crooks who commit a robbery at a diner, unaware that the diner is a front for the mob.  The movie crew has transformed a recently closed restaurant in West Hartford Center into a pretty convincing diner. 

The movie features Forest Whitaker and several other actors whom I am supposed to know.  But don't.  The police officer at the left in the top photo is Whitaker.  I think.

The crew starts filming at 4 p.m. and continues well into the early hours.  I took these photos at 8 p.m. because I need my beauty sleep.

On Guard

This mounted Hartford police officer watched over the skating kids last Monday night.
You saw his horse and him in the summer, quietly providing security for another Bushnell Park event.  He finds a spot out of the action, where he can calmly survey the scene without attracting a lot of attention.

Hallelujah Chorus!

During the Festival of Trees, school and community singing groups performed throughout the day at the Atheneum's Aetna Theater.  While I was there, the Hall High School Concert Choir sang the Hallelujah Chorus.  It was an unusual choice to perform it with a small mixed choir, but it was beautiful.

Festival of Trees

The Wadsworth Atheneum's Festival of Trees is always held in the first part of December.  Artists and community groups decorate trees and wreaths, which are put up for sale to provide supplemental funding for the art museum.

To see more pictures with reflections, please click here.

More skaters

More skaters at Bushnell Park's winter skating rink. I like the boy's open-mouthed joy at how fast he was going . . . that sweet face! . . . and the girl's hat and concentration!

Luis

Luis and his sister Danny were on skates for the first time.  He would come over with a big smile, skate awkwardly away, then return with an even bigger smile.

Skating in Bushnell Park

I'm back.  Dirty clothes have been washed, dried and put away.  Mail has been sorted and bills have been paid.  Chores are up to date.  So, last night I went out with my camera.

Last year Hartford erected an ice skating rink in Bushnell Park for two months in the winter.  It was so successful that it has been doubled in size this year.  It will be open most of the winter months.  When I visited Monday night, there were about 50 skaters at all times.  Many of the kids renting skates told me that this was their first time on ice skates.  (It kind of looked that way . . . )

For the next couple of days, I will post some pictures of skaters.

Fan Window

Essex, Connecticut

 In the US, windows above doors are called transom windows, which is kind of a blah term for one as nice as this one in Essex.  Wikipedia says that the Brits call them "fanlights," regardless of their shape.  Today I am going with my friends from across the pond.

This is my contribution to Monday Doorways.

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