Capri

Hotel Caesar Augustus is in Anacapri, at the edge of the cliffs, high above the Gulf of Naples.

It offers spectacular views back over Marina Grande, Capri town, 

the west end of the island of Capri, and the Sorrentine peninsula in the distance.

As the sun begins to set, people wander out to the terrace

to wait for the sunset.  Last night the sky was unusually

clear, so there were not enough clouds to provide a gaudy sunset.

Napoli

Napoli Saturday night.

Napoli Sunday morning.

I will be traveling for the next two weeks.  There will be posts every day

but I will probably not have time to visit other blogs.

Two Stairwells

Hartford City Hall

Essex Peabody Museum, Salem, Massachusetts

Stairs

Looking through the archives, I realized I had some nice photographs of stairs

that have not yet been seen on this blog.  Here are three that I like.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston is a grand Italianate palace built by 

a wealthy Bostonian to house her art collection.  There is a new modern addition.
I waited for someone to come down the stairs of the modern addition.

This is the Caldwell Hart Colt Memorial in Hartford.  I followed a man up the stairs.

The Cameron Gallery is an outbuilding on the property of Catherine Palace in Pushkin, Russia,

half an hour out of St. Petersburg.  Alas, the entrance is roped off,
so I could not place anyone on the stairs.

Hartford at Night

The sunset wasn't much, so I lingered a bit longer, waiting for darkness.  It wasn't bad.

From left to right, the convention center, the Marriott hotel, the Connecticut Science Center, the Travelers tower, the "boat building" (home of Phoenix Insurance) and --  behind the 

lights on the right -- XL Insurance and 1 State Street.

A park developed by Riverfront Recapture sits on the banks of the Connecticut River.

More photos with reflections are here on Weekend Reflections.

West Hartford Reservoir

Last evening.  I almost left too soon.

Bushnell Park Carousel

The Bushnell Park Carousel is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

Envisionfest

Envisionfest was held this past weekend.  It is a community festival with
food, arts, music and information about Hartford.

Nicole distributed brochures with information about the different school options in Hartford.

Jeannette is the Popcorn Powered MaMa.  She catches popcorn in her mouth. 

Hartford's Gay Men's Chorus entertained with beautiful a cappella music.

This singer and guitar player was good but I couldn't get her name without interrupting.

Tom is an artist who makes prints.

Beth and other volunteers from HYPE (Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs) dressed
like Waldo and walked around answering questions and giving directions to visitors.

The tall gentleman in the red coat is one of Anne Cubberly's NightFall puppets.

Diana (left) makes "upcycled" fashion from discarded clothing.  Her niece Samantha helps.

Rochambeau Remembrance Service

The First Company Governor's Foot Guard held a Rochambeau remembrance service on Saturday.  

A French expeditionary force led by Comte de Rochambeau came through Connecticut in 1781 to meet George Washington in Hartford.  The combined forces proceeded to Virginia.  The siege of the British forces at Yorktown and the Battle of the Chesapeake led Lord Cornwallis to surrender. 

The Governor's Foot Guard marched from the Old State House, where Rochambeau
met Washington, to Center Church (founded in 1632) for the service.

And They're Off!

This weekend there are numerous events in Hartford to support bicycle riding,

including a 100 mile race yesterday, beginning in Bushnell Park.

Parking Meters

This summer the old parking meters were replaced by the most modern and sophisticated versions.

The problem is that our drivers are not all the most modern and sophisticated versions.

The Genius of Connecticut

In 1878 the sculptor Randolph Rogers crafted an 18 foot tall, 3.5 ton bronze angel to stand atop the Connecticut State Capitol.  Her popular name is the Genius of Connecticut.

The hurricane of 1938 damaged the statue so she was removed and stored.  During World War II she was donated to the war effort to make ammunition.  The plaster cast to make Genius was painted bronze in the 1980s and placed in the Capitol's north lobby.

Later, a laser copy was made in bronze and was placed under the Capitol's dome.

Some people want her put on top of the Capitol again.
The rest of us have other things to worry about.

Autumn is on the Way

The days are getting shorter and cooler.  The blankets have come out of the closet.

Autumn is on the way.

Driving on a pretty street in South Windsor, I came across a field of pumpkins.

In a month, they will be at every house in New England,
waiting to greet trick-or-treaters.

State Library and Courthouse

Another night photograph.  The building houses the State Library.

The Connecticut Supreme Court holds its sessions in a room at the front right.

Albany Avenue

Let's get back to Hartford.  We will visit Albany Avenue, the main street of the
predominantly African American part of the city.

A mural on the side of a convenience store honors

63-year old Johnny Armstrong, who was murdered by his roommate in 2012.

Charles wears an "I'm a Winner" shirt.  He tells me that every day is good.

There has been a big investment in social services for this low income area in the past decade.
This big community health center is next to a huge new YMCA building.

And, this little girl was delighted that her jump scared away a flock of pigeons.

Essex Peabody Museum

Salem, Massachusetts, was a leading seafaring city in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Essex Peabody Museum has fabulous exhibitions featuring American and

Chinese export furniture, ceramics and maritime artwork and artifacts.

Basketball

This weekend I have been in my hometown.  I went to the high school.

This ball was lying on the basketball court, so old that I probably left it there when I played.

That was a long, long time ago.

How long ago?
Let me put it this way.
Our trophy is the oldest one in the display case.

Green Street

The Green Street Art Center in Middletown gets support from Wesleyan University.

One project was to put murals on the side of a building up the street from the center.

I rarely have a photograph I like better in black and white.  This is one.
The old men from the neighborhood stand out better than they did in the colored version.

Hartford Skyline

This is the Hartford skyline from a park on the East Hartford side of the Connecticut River.  

It was taken on a recent evening, when the sunset was underwhelming.  

But, I liked the pink and gray tones.

See more reflection photos on Weekend Reflections.

No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time

9/11 Memorial Museum, New York City.

This wall has tiles with about 3,000 different shades of blue,

each representing a person killed on September 11, 2001.

Sunset at the School for the Deaf

Monday night I saw rosy clouds and headed for the American School for the Deaf, 

to see how the new triangular glass entrance and the old cupola looked.

Not bad.

Comstock Ferre & Co.

Comstock Ferre & Co. in Wethersfield is the country's oldest continuously operating seed store.

They have a dazzling array of seed packs for heritage vegetables.

Irina is the store's manager.

Utility Boxes

About a dozen utility boxes on Hartford's Franklin Avenue were painted colorfully last month.

This one is in front of Naylor Elementary School.

Jose was very proud of this one.

Monique and her brother Choice were not afraid of the huge insect.

This box was keeping an eye on the young woman walking on the opposite side of the street.

I liked this one, but the young man had no interest in it.

This post is linked to Monday Mural.