Coltsville National Historic Park

The old factory complex of Colt Manufacturing is slowly being renovated into apartments, artist spaces and small business spaces, while the National Park Service has turned part into a historic site.

Buttonwood Farm's Annual Sunflowers for Wishes Fundraiser

Sunflowers for Wishes is an annual fundraiser at Buttonwood Farm in Griswold.  They plant 10 acres with sunflowers and cut 300,000 blooms every summer.  They sell bouquets and give rides through

 the fields. 100% of proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut.

Where's Waldo?  A well-disguised man carries his bouquets of sunflowers through a field.

This reminds me.  The Boston Celtics have signed Tacko Fall, a 7'7" basketball player from Senegal. 

A tractor pulls kids and parents around the field in cow cars.

Where's Waldo.  A bee hides.

Another tractor pulls a pair of wagons through the field.

Steam Fire Station No.6

A fire station on Hartford's Huyshope Avenue was decommissioned 35 years ago.  Today it houses a homeless shelter.  Along the way, two colorful women's profiles have been painted on the doors.

I couldn't find any information about the artist.

See Monday Mural for more posts of murals.

A Summer Weekend? Time for Elizabeth Park Weddings

I got back in Connecticut yesterday morning.  After dealing with laundry and mail and the other necessities of life, I walked to Elizabeth Park in the afternoon.  Wedding parties everywhere.

One group gathered on the stone bridge.

The biggest wedding party gathered in the rose garden, in front of the gazebo.

Having the bride's son walk her down the aisle was a nice touch.

And, across the road, a third group gathered in the perennial garden.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Guimarães

The small city of Guimarães north of Porto is called the birthplace of Portugal.

An old castle that was heavily renovated under Salazar contains tapestries telling Portugal's story.

Portugal's President and Prime Minister stay in the castle when visiting the north of the country.

The city has picturesque squares and streets.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Lamego

The town of Lamego has a cathedral on the top of a hill, with elaborate symmetrical
 tiled terraces leading down to the town.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Terraced Vineyards

We visited a small town in the Douro Valley with churches and shops, and a winery.

But, the most interesting things were the patterns of the terraced vineyards.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Salamanca

Today the ship docked on the Douro River on the border between Portugal and Spain.

We took a bus ride to the old Spanish town of Salamanca.

The town hall is in the center of a very large plaza.  The stone in Salamanca is golden.

Must see features of Salamanca are adjoining cathedrals, the old cathedral (on the right, built between the 12th and 14th centuries) and the new cathedral (on the left, built in the 16th through 18th centuries), and the university, one of the oldest in Spain and in Europe.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Along the Douro River

Today we visited a small town along the Douro River, Vila Real.  Outside the town is the palace of the current head of the Mateus family, Casa de Mateus.  A modern sculpture of a nude woman

lies in the reflecting pool, left over from a previous art exhibition at the palace. 

The rear of the palace is as fine as the front of many other grand houses. 

 It leads to rose gardens and topiary hedges.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Porto at Night from the Douro River

We arrived in Porto in the late afternoon and boarded the ship.  

After dinner the ship took a short trip to show Porto's lights.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Odibos and Coimbra

On the way to Porto from Lisbon, we stopped at Odibos, a charming hill town with an old castle that has been turned into an inn and a lively shopping street.

The last stop before Porto was in Coimbra, a university town, one of the oldest in the world.
We toured the university.  Here is a chapel's elaborate ceiling and part of an ornate gilded decoration.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Sintra and Cascais, Portugal

Sintra is a lovely town in the hills outside Lisbon. Wealthy families and royals spent time in Sintra.  The Moorish- and Manueline-style Sintra National Palace has a variety of styles on the exterior. 

The palace windows offer fine views to the villas and estates on the hillsides. 

The palace interior is distinguished by elaborate tile work and decorated ceilings.

Very nice restaurants and shops are on two sides of the palace

and also run up and down the steep hillside. 

Cascais is a popular seaside town.  

Many Portuguese sidewalks and plazas have elaborate black and white cobbled patterns.

The plaza in front of the Cascais town hall was particularly good.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Lisbon II

Lisbon's National Coach Museum has a collection of the carriages used by Portuguese royalty over the centuries.  They are stunning.  These three were used in a triumphal procession orchestrated by King Joao in the 16th century to celebrate his fleet rounding the Cape of Good Hope.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Lisbon

There is time for one photo from Lisbon tonight, so it has to be Belem Tower.

It is an early 16th century tower on the Tagus River built as a fortress but, just as much, as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon.  It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.

Ridgefield Victorian

Just steps off Main Street, a meticulously painted and maintained Victorian house catches my eye.

Tomorrow:  Lisbon, Portugal.

Leila and her friends

I spotted Leila coming toward me.  In a leopard pattern.  And a tiara.  A bare midriff.  And braids.

She was happy to be photographed, but she picked a location with harsh light and shadows.

I told her I didn't think the lighting would work.  These two pics could he saved by heavy cropping.

Then, around the corner came the friends who were meeting Leila for lunch.  Square pink glasses and a sundress.  A shaved head.  Tattoos everywhere.  We found a nearby place where 

an awning provided the necessary shade.   

Meet Sunny (square pink glasses), Alexis (black dress), Rockie (shaved head and tattoos), Olivia  (black camisole and fish tattoo on her shoulder), Tiara (pink and black dress and wanting to be anywhere else), Jess (tie-dyed dress) and Leila.  The baby declined to be identified.