Drummers

 

There are lots of side shows during Water Fire.  In one, a troupe of drummers pounded out quite a performance.  A row of standing men beat a rhythm on tall drums.  In front, three or four small women enthusiastically pounded their drums in a tightly choreographed, 

almost acrobatic pattern.  I loved it.

Water Fire

I was in Providence this past weekend.  There was a Water Fire event in the downtown.  

Rows of pillars run down the center of the river.  On top of each is a brazier, a holder for logs.

After dark, staff light the logs and huge loudspeakers project music.  Water Fire is a popular event.

The river banks and nearby parks are full of people.  Great fun.  

Memorial Day Parade

I always like West Hartford's Memorial Day Parade.

Capewell Horse Nail Co. Office Building

The office building next to Capewell Lofts has also been renovated.  It was already looking pretty good, but after the pressure washing it must have glistened.

Capewell Lofts

In 2015, 2014 and 2013 I showed the badly deteriorated Capewell Horse Nail Co, factory in the Charter Oak neighborhood of Hartford.  Since then, a $27 million renovation has taken place 

(with help from lots of public funding) and it is now a quite attractive loft-style apartment building.  

The buildings in this area have always had "good bones," but the area had become rundown.
On a recent visit, signs of renovation were prevalent.  Room for optimism.

American Gothic

Seward Johnson's God Bless America is based on Grant Wood's American Gothic

.

It stands on the grounds of the Simsbury Historical Society.

Simsbury Art Trail

The nearby town of Simsbury, Connecticut, is exhibiting 32 life-sized bronze sculptures by Seward Johnson through September 15.  (I showed several Johnson sculptures from The Grounds for Sculpture outside Trenton, New Jersey, a month ago.)

One of the sculptures -- featuring President Abraham Lincoln and a modern man -- was exhibited outside the 1876 Probate Court building.  I will show more over the summer.

Show House

The Junior League has a Show House on alternate years.  Local designers decorate rooms in a big house that is for sale, and tickets raise money for local charities.  

This year's house was built by friends in the 1980s, so I was curious what the designers had done.  The answer is, nothing I need. 

JoAnne

JoAnne is a retired professor and college dean.  Her last position was at the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford.  She lived all over the Midwest before coming to Connecticut.

How do you like the tree bark in the background?

Peony

One of the first peonies to bloom this year was huge, bigger than my hand can stretch.

13th Annual Great Tomato Celebration

Susie called.  "There is a break in the weather, I have bundled the girls into the car and we are going to White Flower Farm for their annual sale of tomato plants.  Want to meet us there?"

I don't have to be asked twice.

Bill Hosley

Bill Hosley is a Hartford historian who gave an impassioned talk about Elizabeth Colt, wife of Hartford gunmaker Samuel Colt,.  Mrs. Colt left a big imprint on Hartford.

The talk was in the afternoon after the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

I thought it was unnecessary for Hosley to wear a fascinator, but he did.

And an experienced speaker should really know better than to mug at a camera held by a guy 

with a finger on the shutter button and good reflexes.

Two Swans

They can't hide from my long telephoto lens.

Cherry Petals

The cherry blooms were beautiful, but now the petals are falling to the ground.

Hazel is beautiful even when she falls to the ground.

A Walk Along the Hartford Side of Prospect Avenue

Prospect Avenue divides Hartford from West Hartford.  The stretch between Farmington Avenue and Asylum Avenue is home to some lovely homes from the turn of the 20th century.

Nice details.  Palladian window.  Bow windows.  Turret.  Bright colors.

The embellished portico contrasts with an otherwise plain façade.

Lots of nice cornice, window and door details.

 If you like green . . .

Gate, column, house.

This Tudor house is nicely maintained.  I should have photographed it after the lawn was mowed.

Something to Do When Stopped in Traffic

A photographer?  A hacker?

A fan of the University of Kentucky sports teams.

Get you one.  A generous owner of a Mercedes Benz.

Someone happy to move from Ohio to Florida.

I saw NAPLES-FL and many other interesting plates while racing along at high speeds,
but I'm not going to try to photograph a license plate at 70 miles per hour.

Hall's Kitchen

Fresh food and bakery on Park Road in West Hartford.

Country Club of Farmington

Tulips, an enviable Japanese maple tree and a dogwood tree.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to the mothers out there.

And to those who are with their mothers.

And to those who wish they could be with their mothers today.

Barbara Keane (1918 - 1989).