Thursday, August 1, 2013

Street Lamps


What do you do when the monthly theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "street lamps" and the local streetlights are pretty boring?  They are energy efficient and they light wide areas well, so they do their job.  But, most Hartford streetlights are bland and inconspicuous.

So, I went half an hour east to Willimantic.  Close enough.  The Thread City bridge celebrates both the city's heritage as a textile manufacturer and the 1754 War of the Frogs.   One night in June 1754, there were loud noises, and the citizens thought they were under attack.  So the men took their muskets and fired into the pond where the noises originated.  The next morning the citizens found hundreds of dead and dying frogs, which had been fighting for their lives as a drought was drying up the pond where they lived.

The bridge's four corner columns are topped with huge frogs atop spools of thread.  And the streetlights on the bridge are more interesting than most Hartford-area streetlights.

Click here to see other interpretations of the "street lamps" theme.

31 comments:

EG CameraGirl said...

Has anyone ever kissed that frog to see if it would turn into a prince? Just askin'.

Red Nomad OZ said...

HAhaha! That's a fantastic story!!! And I SO admire your dedication!!

Birdman said...

Now, that's quite a story to pass along. Much better than lamps too.

Birdman said...

ps
No did not see the Sox. Cruise of harbor, rode trolley all day. I do like the trade also. I- ends up hitting, I's say 'bout .270.

Kate said...

Great legend and wonderful composition of the scene for theme day.

Luis Gomez said...

Great post! Wonderful picture Jack!

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

Your dedication to drive to find a better street light is admirable.

I could not find the August Theme Day page until I found your link. Thank you for you superior skills in that regard.

CaT said...

amazing! that frog!!!
and wow, its august already?! totally forgot....

Lynette said...

Wowsers! Never, ever would have expected this, Jack! Thanks!

Lowell said...

Great photo, Jack. Love that frog! And what a funny story! I laughed out loud.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

What a great story Jack..poor wee froggies :) they got their revenge by coming back really big haha! Love the little bit of delicate fretwork on these lights going over the bridge.

Sylvia K said...

Oh, a great story indeed, Jack! I love the frogs -- and the spool of thread! Great photo and what a fun start for my day!! Enjoy yours!!

VP said...

Better safe than sorry! Love the huge frogs...

Sharon said...

What a fantastic story. The street lamps are great but, that frog is simply wonderful. Poor frogs, I'm glad they have been remembered with these monuments.

Karl said...

You tell us a nice and incredible story today, Jack.
Love the great frog!

cieldequimper said...

Lol @ EG! Now why frogs though?

RedPat said...

I Love the frog!! And the story. ;-))

LOLfromPasa said...

Smashing story, Jack. Super photo too!!! Good on you to take the theme day to heart and travel a little.

Kay said...

So glad that the War of the Frogs isn't going to be lost in the mists of history...

Great story and a wonderful post. Well done! I couldn't muster enthusiasm for the theme and the lamps I found were evidence of that.

Suzanne said...

Only in Connecticut! I'll have to drive up to have a look.

Taken For Granted said...

Jack, that is a great bridge and story about the frogs. The wilderness can be a scary place if one doesn't know what fighting frogs sounds like. Is the H.S. mascot "The Fighting Frogs?"

Dianne said...

Oh! those poor frogs ... at least they now have pride of place atop that elegant bridge with it's pretty lamps. Well worth the trip Jack.

William Kendall said...

Quite a story, and quite a location for a pic!

Ed said...

Great photo, Jack. I like your composition much better than mine when I photographed this bridge last December. It is an interesting bridge, and town.

Randy said...

Love that frog!

Virginia said...

La grenouille! J'adore!
V

Bob Crowe said...

Moral of the story: either a stitch in time saves nine or don't shoot until you see the yellow of their eyes.

There are really cool.

Mo said...

Forget the lights, just love that frog

jennyfreckles said...

Certainly unique - what an interesting story!

Unknown said...

The frog is just fabulous! And what a story, Jack! :-)

Cezar and Léia said...

That's a huge frog!
God bless you!
Cezar