The Patron Saint of Beer

 I went to Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Tuesday.  (More about that later.)  I walked past the windows of a brewery and spotted this poster in an office.

I decided to take the photograph with my iPhone pressed against the window glass to eliminate unwanted reflections.  (I thought!)  But, the poster was a bit higher, so I lifted the top of the iPhone slightly.  The result?  Some clouds sneaked in.  I liked it, so here it is.

Red Pre-Revolutionary Houses

 In recent drives, four red pre-Revolutionary houses caught my eye.

The Ridgefield Historical Society is housed in the 1712 David Scott house.  It has been relocated twice.

The Betts-Sturgis-Blackmar House from about 1740 is one of the buildings that houses the Wilton Historical Society.  Wilton is the town immediately to the south of Ridgefield.  "Wilton Works" is a current exhibition about the transformation from an agrarian society to a manufacturing hub.

The Beers House on Ridgefield Road in Wilton is an attention-getter with a prominent location.  It has a sign indicating it dates back to 1756, but it has undergone centuries of updates and restorations.

A 1740 pre-Revolutionary house is two houses past the New York state line in South Salem.  A yoga studio is in an extension at the rear of the house.

Community Center

 This house was built for Phineas Lounsbury in 1896.  Lounsbury was Connecticut's 53rd governor.  The house is on Main Street at the southern edge of Ridgefield's downtown.  Today it is an event space.

Neighborhood Parade

 The town's parade was called off because of forecasted rain.  Kids were disappointed, so neighbors put on an impromptu parade.  Well done, parents.

Memorial Day

 Ridgefield's Memorial Day parade was scheduled for today.  Most years that would produce a flood of photographs of marchers on this blog tomorrow and subsequent days, but there is a forecast for daylong rain, so the parade has been cancelled.

Parade or no parade, this is the war memorial on what used to be the town green.

"TO THE MEMORY OF THE CITIZENS OF RIDGEFIELD WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IN THE WARS OF THE REPUBLIC

1775 - 1918"

Two Brothers

I read that two brothers began building identical houses side-by-side on Ridgefield's Main Street.  They had a falling out.  One brother stopped before building the rooftop cupola planned for both houses.

So, I went looking.

I decided that these two houses must be the ones.  A little time with Google confirmed it.  Ebenezer Hoyt owned the house on the left and Edwin Hoyt the house on the right. 

Edwin Hoyt's white house is probably about the way it was planned back in 1890, minus the cupola.

Ebenezer Hoyt's house with the cupola has had a front porch and sunroom added, as well as a beautiful blue paint job with other embellishments.  I found a photo on Flickr of the house in 2011 with a more subtle paint job.  It looks terrific either way.

Lasdon Park

 In 1939 wealthy founders of a pharmaceutical company bought a big farm in Westchester County, New York.  William and Mildred Lasdon had strong interests in horticulture, world travel and philanthropy.  They picked up unusual plant specimens in their travels and planted them on this property. 

 In 1959 they donated 22 acres to Westchester County.  In 1986 the county bought the rest of the property from the Lasdon family.  It is now a 234 acre park with woodlands, open grass meadows and formal gardens with flower and shrub specimens from all over the world.

The Lasdon family owned a Colonial Revival-style house on the campus that reminded me of Mount Vernon.  I was there last Tuesday, but the house is not open to the public until next week.

John Jay Homestead

 I am new to this part of Connecticut, so I spend time exploring it and the nearby parts of New York State.  A few days ago I went to Katonah,  New York, and visited the John Jay Homestead.  Jay is one of the country's Founding Fathers  He was one of three signatories of the Federalist Papers.  

Later Jay was a negotiator and signatory of the Treaty of Paris of 1783, second governor of New York, and first chief justice of the United States.

At its high point, the John Jay Homestead covered 5,200 acres.  The Jay family occupied it until 1959, when it was given to Westchester County, which in turn gave it to the State of New York.  It now has about 60 acres.

The house is closed and undergoing restorations.  But, a few of the outbuildings were open, with exhibits and signs about John Jay and his descendants, many of whom made significant contributions to the history of New York and the United States. 

Ballard Park

 Ridgefield is lucky to have a big park at the edge of downtown.  Ballard Park has mature specimen trees, open space, a playground, a gazebo and a bandstand.  And, at the northwest corner, a lovely garden.

It is early for many of the plants to bloom, of course, but there is good mid-Spring color.  My own lilacs are finished, but Ballard Park's lilacs still have good color.

Big peony blossoms will line the pathways in a week.

I loved the hosta plants in my West Hartford yard, but I can't grow them in my yard on a country road in Ridgefield.  There, hosta are considered "deer candy."  I like seeing them in this in-town fenced garden.

Volcano!

A hibachi dinner rarely disappoints.

Coffee and Cars

 On Sunday Prospector Theater hosted an event for car fanatics to show off their cars.

A Jeep enthusiast customized his car with orange seats, dashboard and other orange interior features.

I have seen Morgans before.  This one was unusual.

I'm not a car guy.  If I were, I would probably be attracted to every day cars from the past.

It wasn't the Corvette emblem I usually see.  But, it was pretty cool.

What photographer can pass by a deux chevaux without clicking the shutter button?