Classics

After spending two weeks looking at Venetian, Greek, Roman, medieval and baroque antiquities, I have begun noticing some of the classical details around Hartford.  This neglected warrior and the cherubs-and-garland are above the door to a wing of the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford's art museum.

JoAnne and Vinnie

JoAnne and Vinnie graduated from high school in western Massachusetts in 1946.  He still lives up there and she lives in Hartford.  They were visiting Hartford's Elizabeth Park this week, near the peak time for roses.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Venice IV

Finding interesting reflections in Venice is like taking candy from a baby.  Here is a photo taken in the window of one of those ubiquitous shops selling masks for Carnevale.

Thanks for your comments yesterday.  Many viewers encouraged more photos from my recent trip.  I will have some Hartford photos tomorrow, but I will intersperse travel photos -- including more Venetian reflection photos -- with local photos for a while.

You can see other photographs with reflections on Weekend Reflections.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Venice III

The first night in Venice was spent in a lovely small hotel just north of Piazza San Marco.  The back of the hotel overlooked a canal, and I spent some enjoyable time taking photos of the gondolas from my hotel window.

Despite several pretty good gondolas-from-my-window images taken with my DSLR, the one I liked best was of a traffic jam, which I took with my iPhone so I could send it easily to my kids.

Now that I am back in Hartford, I am conflicted about whether to show more photos from my trip to Venice -> Croatia -> Greece or to start showing new photos from Connecticut.  I think that tomorrow I will show a Venetian reflection photo for Weekend Reflections, then I will start showing Connecticut photos again.  But, from time to time I will slip in more photos from the trip.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Venice II

The Basilica San Marco glistens in the evening.  But, with all of the golden glory around me, I couldn't take my eyes off the dazzlingly beautiful stone floors.  This image is supposed to show both the intricacy and the simplicity, while also suggesting the other visitors to the cathedral by their shadows.

The bottom photo shows what everyone else was looking at.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Venice I

Everyone who goes to Venice takes this shot.  

I like the mid-day shot.  It communicates the sizzling sun on a summer day in Venice.

  But,  I love the evening shot, showing the golden hour on the other side of the canal 

and the arrival of twilight on my side.

Comstock Ferre

Comstock, Ferre & Company is America's oldest continually operating seed company.  It was founded in 1820 on the main street of Wethersfield, Connecticut.

There was a  time when Comstock, Ferre supplied seed to the whole country.  Today it seems to specialize in supplying heirloom garden seeds.

Woody

This "woody" is available at Guy's Garage in West Suffield.  It can use some money and some love.

I get back late on Monday.  See you soon.

Trash Can

Isn't this an interesting trash can for a rose garden?

Yes, I was in Elizabeth Park again.  This is Rose Weekend in the park and I am missing it.  But, I will be back in Hartford in a few days and will be checking the park out to see how the roses look.

The Southwick Jog

If you look at maps of Massachusetts and Connecticut, you will see an odd notch west of Springfield, Massachusetts, where Massachusetts dips into Connecticut for a few miles.  The two states argued about the border between them for a hundred years and in 1802 they finally reached a compromise that gave the "Southwick jog" to Massachusetts.

I can see why Massachusetts wanted this bit of Southwick so much.

Louis Comfort Tiffany

The New Britain Museum of American Art is presenting a new exhibition showing art works of Louis Comfort Tiffany.  The exhibition focuses on Tiffany's paintings, with more than one hundred paintings from the Nassau County Museum on display.  Many of the paintings illustrate scenes he witnessed in Egypt, Turkey and other exotic locales in the middle east.

In addition, there are forty works in glass, furniture, jewelry and other objects from Tiffany's studio, loaned by the Mark Twain House.  Tiffany's experiences in the east influenced his designs.   The exhibition runs through September 29.

On the way out of the museum I saw a mention that photography is not permitted in this exhibition, so I decided that a wide angle photo mainly showing part of the galleries would be better than a closer photo of specific works.

Atlantic Screw Works

Be polite, people.

This building on Charter Oak Avenue in Hartford is in a less than sterling neighborhood.  But, it has undergone a pretty good renovation.

The Look-Out

When George Jepsen was elected the current Attorney General of Connecticut, he bought this private home across the street from the Governor's Residence (shown yesterday).

Is he keeping an eye on the governor?  Or hoping to shorten the distance to move his furniture after the current governor leaves office and vacates the Governor's Residence?

Governor's Residence

The official residence of the Governor of Connecticut is this mansion on Prospect Avenue in Hartford, on the Hartford - West Hartford line.  I showed it once before.

Connecticut Science Center

The Connecticut Science Center has been shoehorned into a small site on the Connecticut River, next to a riverfront park, the convention center and a hotel, and across the street from a couple of insurance companies.  It is a difficult location to get a decent photo of the building.  I have taken and deleted numerous photos of the science center in the past.  Here are two recent ones I didn't delete.

Union League Cafe

The Union League Cafe is a very fine restaurant in downtown New Haven, across the street from the Yale campus.

A sign on the wall proudly reports that the building is on the site of the home of Roger Sherman, who had the privilege of signing the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.

I am traveling with questionable access to the internet.  But, I have posts scheduled while I am away. Please enjoy your visits.

Metropolitan District Reservoir No. 1

Metropolitan District Reservoir No. 1 is on the north side of Farmington Avenue in West Hartford, west of Sunset Farms Road. Opened in 1867 to supply Hartford and West Hartford with pure water, this reservoir is the oldest component of the present regional water system.

This brick structure is known to everyone in the area, but no one seems to know what it was.  A gate house?  A pump house?  A caretaker's house?  While we are at it, what is that white structure on the reservoir, behind it?

I am away for ten more days but I have posts scheduled.  See you when I get back.

Ice Cream!

I scream.

You scream.

We all scream

For ice cream.

On Wethersfield's Main Street.

Simeon Belden House

This old house is on Wethersfield's main street.

I am traveling and don't expect to have reliable access to the internet.  

But, I have scheduled posts.  See you when I get back!

Everybody Runs

This runner is eighty one years old.  He finished first in his age category.

Of course, he was the only runner in his age category.

Today I should wake up in Venice,  I will be away for two weeks.  Internet might not be available and time will be tight, so I am not likely to be visiting any blogs for a while.  But, posts are scheduled for every day I am away.  I hope you enjoy them.

5K

On Sunday morning, Celebrate West Hartford! sponsored a 5K race.  The seeded runners are on the front line at the start.  Number 788 (the bearded runner at the left) won the race and number 3191 (in red at the right) was the first woman finisher.




Number 751 is only 12 years old but still came in 12th overall.

Sometimes the best drama is later in the race, where the runners are struggling to finish.

Some runners smile as they approach the tape, some grimace and sprint in the effort to finish one place higher.

And sometimes a child comes out of the crowd to help mom finish.

Celebrate West Hartford!

Every year Celebrate West Hartford! has arts and crafts vendors, booths for civic organizations, many food opportunities, games and rides for kids and musical performances by the local schools.

You can't please everyone.  

Wethersfield Farmers Market

Cindy sells yarns and crafts made from Alpaca wool.  Sometimes she brings an alpaca to the market.

I bought a dianthus and a salvia for two holes in my garden that needed some perennial color.













This I passed by, but I have a friend who is a weekly visitor.

David has been making marmalades for three years and selling them at farmers markets like the one in Wethersfield.  I bought a jar of orange marmalade.

Every Thursday evening in the summer, a farmers market is held next to the historic Solomon Welles house in Wethersfield Cove.  Food.  Crafts.  Plants.  Entertainment.  Fun.

Collinsville

Collinsville is a village within the town of Canton.  The Collins family built 

an axe and machete factory alongside a waterfall on the Farmington River.  This
is the powerhouse on the opposite side of the river from the factory.

To see more photographs with reflections, please visit Weekend Reflections.

Music of the Spheres

The ceiling of the Belding Theater at Hartford's Bushnell Performing Arts Center has a colorful mural called "Music of the Spheres."  The mural portrays comets and stars in a simulated art deco style.  The art deco style was probably chosen because the larger, adjoining Mortenson Hall is a 1930s art deco hall.

Kendall, Tanya and the Steg

Tanya and Kendall were an attractive couple, both dressed in black and blue.  They stood out as they walked toward me.  I thought they were the right people to pose in front of Alexander Calder's Stegosaurus.

Going Down

Some buddies gathered atop an abandoned bridge abutment in the
Farmington River in Unionville.  There is only one way down.  

And, when your buddies are watching, you've got to show your best stuff.

While I was approaching, an earlier friend did a backward somersault off
the abutment.  Missed it!  That will teach me to walk with my camera aimed.

Wiggs and Sarah

Wiggs and Sarah were walking through the rose garden in Elizabeth Park.  Wiggs asked me to take their photo with his iPhone.  I did that and then asked if I could take their photograph with my camera.  Here it is.

Jennyfreckles from Salt & Light recently commented that I could probably do a blog exclusively with photos from Elizabeth Park.  Yes, I could.