Uhhhh . . . What's This?

 

Ethan Allen Highway (U.S.Route 7), Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Walking

 

Three friends went for an active walk.

Some of the People at the Parade

 I always enjoy the people in the crowd at the Memorial Day Parade.

And, of course, close-ups of some of the people in the parade.

More about the Ridgefield Memorial Day Parade

Everyone participates!

What a smile on the face of this veteran!

Parents and kids filled many floats.

It wouldn't be a parade without men in kilts beating drums and others squeezing bagpipes.

Kids from many organizations march, but soccer was the clear participation winner.

In an old town like Ridgefield, there are marchers in costume from a 1772 tavern.

The Historical Society also sponsors a float.

The main streets in the Ridgefield business district are beautified by beautiful hanging flower baskets.

This woman and her dog water them daily, all summer long. 

Prospector Theater is very popular in Southwest Connecticut.  More than 75 percent of the employees self-identify with a disability.  The employees -- called "Prospects" -- wear purple and they "sparkle."  The Prospects received one of the loudest receptions in the parade.

The Memorial Day Parade

 Yesterday was a beautiful day for Ridgefield's Memorial Day Parade.  Today:  the formal part of the parade.  Tomorrow:  some of the special features.  And Thursday:  people.

Police and fire departments had a big presence.  The chief of police rode in a classic police car.

The sirens were so loud I covered my ears.

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.  Veterans Day (in November) honors those who served in the U.S. military. 

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

1775 - 1918"

Sacred Heart Church

 

Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic church in the historic district of Georgetown, Connecticut.  Georgetown is a neighborhood where Ridgefield, Wilton and Redding meet.  

The building is a simple but handsome Carpenter Gothic structure.

Ice Cream Social Today

 I noticed a colorful hand-drawn sign above the library's door in Bedford, New York.

  "Ice Cream Social Today."

  The party was scheduled for 3 p.m., and I wasn't going to be there.

So, I kept going.

Bedford Historic District

Passing through Bedford, New York, I came across signs for a historic district.  

The district is organized around a big triangular green dating back to 1680. 

 

A sturdy stone school building from 1829 stands at the south end of the green.  

It looks across a street to a handsome stone church, St. Patrick's Catholic Church.

An 1872 Presbyterian church is at the north end of the green.

And a handsome house sits above a stone wall.

I wish I had more time to investigate the historic district.  Maybe another time. 

Hinges

 I have been looking at lovely, intricate church door hinges recently.

These are on a church in Bridgeport's west end.

Ridgefield's First Congregational Church.

Asylum Hill Baptist Church, Hartford, Connecticut.

A church in Port Chester, New York.

Uncle Sam

A tall statue of Uncle Sam stood from 1971 to 1981 at the Great Danbury State Fair.   The fair was a very popular yearly exhibition that began in 1821 as an agricultural fair.  For more than a century, the fair was open for ten days every October.  But, in 1981 the land was sold to developers of a shopping mall.

After the fair closed, Uncle Sam was acquired for display at an amusement park in Lake George, 

In 2019 the City of Danbury acquired Uncle Sam, restored the statue, and placed it on the grounds of Danbury's railway museum.

Ordinary People

 I like to sit with a book and a coffee and quietly photograph ordinary people doing ordinary things.

 Here are some photographs from Sunday.

Haunting

 

Someone said this mural is based on an album cover for the famous jazz trumpeter, Miles Davis.

I just know it would give me nightmares if I thought about it.

Linked to Monday Murals.