With masks coming off and places opening up, it was time for me to try doing some portraits again.
These are two of the deer that forage in the preserve behind my house. If I ask them nicely to eat the ferns and the swamp cabbages, do you think they will leave my newly planted flowers alone?
The Hauley (or Hawley) House is Ridgefield's oldest. Many of the very old buildings in town have become museums or similar nonprofit homes, but this one looks like it is still in private hands.
It was built around 1714 for an early minister. He also served as town clerk.
There are wonderful Museum in the Streets historic signs all around town. They would make for a fun history walk, but so far I have just been checking them out one at a time when I happen upon them. This one is near the Hawley house and gives some background.
I have shown exhibitions at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum before. Twice.
But I think this is the first time I have shown the museum itself (on the left) and the administrative building (on the right). On a beautiful spring day with great light.
Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church is on what used to be the Village Green on Ridgefield's Main Street. The people of the church recently created a temporary wall where passersby can write public prayers on a chalkboard or put private prayers in a locked box.
I'm a Boston guy. Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, Patriots. Even when I moved to Hartford, the balance was still maybe 55-45 Boston over New Yawk. But, now that I am in southwest Connecticut in the summer, right up against the New Yawk state line, there are daily reminders that this is Big Apple country.
They are not my favorite birds. (Poop everywhere.)
But a stately Canada goose and its reflection warrant a photo.
The Scott House was built at a prominent location on Ridgefield's Main Street in 1713 by an Irish immigrant, David Scott. It passed through many hands over the centuries. By the end of the 20th century it had become decrepit and was no longer suitable for occupancy, especially in the center of town.
In 1999 the Scott House was acquired by a preservation trust and a fundraising campaign began. The house was disassembled and, when enough funds were raised, reassembled several blocks away from the center of town. It is now occupied by the Ridgefield Historical Society.
The library is a fine asset, at the northern edge of Main Street and the downtown commercial district.
It combines a handsome building from 1903 with an expansion in the 1980s that more than tripled its size and another major renovation and expansion completed in 2014..
The towns across the New York state line are loaded with horse farms and wholesale nurseries. On the way back from an errand on Friday, I stopped to admire JT Farm in South Salem.
It is a big, 51-acre fenced property with horses grazing in fields out of this picture.
I went across the New York state line to get something yesterday. On the way back I came across Kensico Cemetery and Gardens, so I turned in. The entrance and tower gate are attention-getting.
The 250-acre cemetery dates back to 1889, when New York City cemeteries were running out of room. It was built on farmland in Valhalla, because of railroad access. Noted baseball players and entertainers are buried here. I saw mention of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Anne Bancroft
Outside Hoo Doo Brown's back door is a colorful array of old advertising signs.
I see some space for additions.
Ridgefield's favorite BBQ place is Hoo Doo Brown. Some outlaws on the wall have been masked.
They appreciated the meal I provided.
A veterinarian in South Salem, New York, has a pair of dog statues out in front. This week they are wearing dresses and bonnets, perhaps in honor of Mother's Day.
The fiddleheads are still tight but showing signs of popping into ferns very soon.
Tulips are also usually gone before I arrive back in Connecticut. This year I am still seeing many colorful stands of tulips. This plot is in front of Milillo Farms, a small shop behind Main Street in Ridgefield. It sells fresh produce and groceries, everything from steaks, seafood and prepared foods to freshly baked pies, cookies, breads, fruits and vegetables. In season many of their products are locally sourced.
They are nearing the end of their bloom, but it was still a treat for me to see them.
I stayed in Roanoke on the way back to Connecticut, as I did on the way south last October.
The Hotel Roanoke and Convention Center is a beautiful, classic hotel in downtown Roanoke, high on a hill across the tracks from the railroad station and the downtown.
The hotel connects with the downtown through a glass and steel elevated passageway across the tracks .
On the other side is the Taubman Museum of Art. It closes at 5. I arrived at 5:15.
A brick wall in the City Market area welcomes visitors with a simulated old-fashioned advertising sign.
Between City Market and the railroad station there were throngs of well-dressed young people who looked like they were coming from a graduation or going to a prom, or both.
In an upper level of the railroad station, there is a big round 2010 sculpture by Edwin White. Beneath the Roundhouse emulates the roundhouses that turned trains around.
On my way back to Connecticut, I stopped in Savannah the first night.
On past trips between New England and Florida, I often stopped for dinner at Six Pence Pub, but this time it was mobbed and masks were rare. I have been vaccinated, but still prefer not to push my luck.
