Taylor

Taylor was just a little boy when we moved into the West Hartford house.  He was back in West Hartford to visit his parents, who have lived next door for more than 33 years.

These days he lives in Massachusetts, has a wife and two
children and sells software. 

Joe

Joe is West Hartford's Assessor.  The office was closed when I stopped at town hall last Friday
to get a document.  I stood at the door, mulling over which of the swear words in my arsenal
to mutter under my breath.  Joe walked past, asked what I wanted, and got it for me.

What a nice guy.

The January theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Photo of the Year."

It's Not My Fault

If you don't want me to take your photograph,
don't sit near me in a coffee shop and look interesting.

Three from West Hartford.

One from Naples.

Camera on the table, finger on the shutter button,
me looking innocent, waiting for a good expression.

The January theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Photo of the Year."

Hydrangea Hedge

I don't give out much personal information here.  But, last year I opened the window 

just a little bit and showed you my newly planted hydrangea hedge.

Rolling forward, here it was eight months later, in July, when the flower heads were white.

And here it was in September, when rose and burgundy began to appear in the flower heads.
Don't the new fence and Japanese maple set it off nicely?

And here it was last week before the snow melted, still looking good with brown flower heads, 

when most of the garden has given up for the year.  

The hedge did well in its first year.  Give it one or two more years 

and it should be completely filled in.

The January theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Photo of the Year."

Flags

International visitors to the United States frequently remark about how often Americans
display the flag.  These houses are on Raymond Road in West Hartford.
I liked the white houses and the snow on a sunny day.

The January theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Photo of the Year."

First Church of Christ Congregational

2013 has been the tricentennial of First Church of Christ Congregational, established in 1713.
The current church building on South Main Street in West Hartford is
the fifth building to house the congregation.

The snow we had a week ago has melted.

The January theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Photo of the Year."

Merry Christmas

This ivory carved shrine with Virgin and Child is
from the north of France, around 1250.

In the Cloisters, New York City.

The January theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Photo of the Year."

It is Christmas Eve

And a jolly elderly man is suiting up for a long

trip tonight.  Don't tell the little ones.

We want them to be surprised.

The January theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Photo of the Year."

Humans of West Hartford

Don't you just love Humans of New York?
We have some humans here, too.

Gary Craig is a longtime Hartford radio personality,.  He was in the Toy Chest collecting toys 

and raising money for his charity, We Are The Children.

I bought seven toys and gave them to Gary.

John and I met last summer in a Hartford art gallery.  He has had a tough year.

Several ventures he started didn't work out.  Three friends died.

John is going up to Vermont for the holidays and hoping for a fresh start in 2014.

Manoj and Megan work in a men's store in West Hartford center.

My suit-buying days are probably over but I

bought something for my son.

The January theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Photo of the Year."

City Sidewalks, Busy Sidewalks, Dressed In Holiday Style

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas.

Especially at Rockefeller Center in the afternoon.

And, at night?  Rockefeller Center is nuts!

There are ways to avoid the crowded sidewalks

(if you are out early in the morning on a weekend).

But, if you like the press of crowds, you can visit the busy Christmas market at Columbus Circle.

A peaceful way to avoid the crowds is to take the A Train to the Cloisters,

 at the far northern end of Manhattan.  It is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum 

dedicated to medieval art.  Spectacular!

The January theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Photo of the Year."

Patek Philippe Geneve

Yesterday I took a commuter train into New York for the weekend.

My fellow passengers were pretty interesting.

Decorated for Christmas

The Governor's Mansion on the Hartford side of Prospect Avenue.

A favorite stately home on the West Hartford side of Prospect Avenue.

Red and green.  Christmas all year round on the Hartford side of Prospect Avenue.

A lovely home on the Hartford side of Prospect Avenue.  This one is near the top of the hill.

If you could look out from the back of this house, you would have a

stunning view of the Hartford skyline in the distance.

A nicely decorated home on Walbridge Road in West Hartford.

The January theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Photo of the Year."

Back in Connecticut

Don't you love the way that the owners of this home on Kenyon

Street in the West End of Hartford decorate for Christmas? 

It snowed all day on Tuesday while I was flying north.

Fortunately, the flights weren't delayed.

And, fortunately, the snow was only 3 - 4 inches deep.

Christmas Cottage

Down a Naples side street.

Everyone's A Photographer

The Naples Players is a 60-year old group that

offers about 220 performances a year in the Sugden Theater

on Fifth Avenue South, the main shopping

street in Olde Naples.

Pity Nikon and Canon and Olympus, etc., now that

everyone has an iPhone or iPad or their equivalents.

I used a Canon DSLR on a tripod, but

his photo was probably just as good.

And his equipment was lighter.

Danielle

Danielle watched while I photographed her friend Kate (see yesterday's post).

When I asked to photograph her, she was reluctant, but Kate persuaded Danielle that the world needs to see her beautiful eyes.

Danielle used to do faux painting but now she is studying cosmetology.  She would like to have a salon like Kate's.  Her son is 2-1/2.

Kate

Kate and Danielle were engaged in an animated conversation when I interrupted to ask Kate if I could photograph her tattoos.  She was charming and showed me many looks.  Isn't she great?

Kate owns a salon where she cuts and colors hair, paints nails and does all the other female beauty enhancement things I can only guess at.  She had her fifth child just four months ago.

Come back tomorrow to meet Danielle.

Ghost Bike

For the past year, this "ghost bike" on the causeway between Sanibel Island and the mainland has been chained to a sign advocating bicycle safety.  (What irony!)  It is a memorial to a young woman killed in 2011 in a collision with a car whose driver had fallen asleep after taking illicit drugs.

Yesterday the Department of Transportation removed the bicycle after receiving a few complaints.

I am disappointed.  Memorials like this act as graphic safety reminders to motorists and cyclists alike.

Attitude

I like a woman with attitude.  This one is a mannequin
posing in a Naples store window.

Click here for other photos with reflections.

Statues and Fountains

Which statue do you want for your garden?

Remember Christine?

I am going to resume posting photos from Southwest Florida,
unless the spirit moves me to show more South African
photos and until I go north in a week.

*     *     *     *     *
The Tower Gallery is a cooperative art gallery on the island of Sanibel.  

The artist members take turns in the gallery.

When I visited, the artist minding the store was Christine, whom I had photographed 

at an outdoor art show a year ago.

Don't you love the way Christine coordinates her dress and jewelry with her paintings?

Farewell, Madiba

Today is the memorial service for Nelson Mandela, part of a ten-day mourning period before the December 15 burial.  Last Saturday was a national Day of Prayer and Reflection.  We went to the neighborhood of Nelson Mandela's most recent home in Houghton, a suburb on the northeastern side of Johannesburg.

Crowds in Houghton were blocks long and big.  The atmosphere was a blend of sadness, calm, respect and joyful celebration.   Hawkers sold Mandela memorabilia.  Grieving citizens laid many flowers and lit many candles.  And, every now and then loud, frantic, rhythmic singing and dancing erupted.

It was a memorable experience to witness part of South Africa's loving farewell to Madiba (Mandela's clan name).  It was like being present for George Washington's funeral.