A Pulchritude of Weimaraners

A pride of lions, a parliament of owls, a gaggle of geese.  Until I learn differently, I am going with pulchritude for two or more weimaraners. Especially, if they are Lola and Sequoia.

Daughter Susie lives on a farm outside Johannesburg with a husband, sheep, guinea fowl and a pulchritude of weimaraners.  It is summer there now.  A feature of  South African summers is rapidly emerging cloudbursts and thunder boomers.  Susie sent on a few photos of Lola (blue collar) and Sequoia (red collar) as the clouds rolled in, for me to share with you.

Guest Photograph: Festival of Trees

The Festival of Trees is an annual exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum.  I wasn't in town this year, but my fellow Connecticut blogger Sue took some photos and offered this image to share with the viewers of this blog.  There will be more on Sue's gardening blog, Idyll Haven.  Thanks, Sue.

It is confession time.  Since I retired in 2010, I have been spending half the year in Florida, mainly in the winter.  I have kept this blog filled with photos from Hartford because I take and store away plenty of indoors shots and non-seasonal outdoors shots in the months when I am back in Hartford.

But, there are some some winter events in Connecticut that I just can't cover without being there.  I have thought about having a summer blog for Hartford and a different winter blog for Florida, but that is just too much work and would probably be confusing to viewers.  So, this winter I will showcase occasional guest photographs from Connecticut and my own and guest photographs from places other than Connecticut -- like Florida for me and South Africa for my daughter Susie.

But, the anchor of this blog is greater Hartford, and the vast majority [90 percent?] of the photos you will see this winter will be my photographs of Connecticut, either taken on occasional returns to Hartford or taken back when the weather was a little kinder.  OK?

Lord and Burnham Greenhouses

The greenhouses at Elizabeth Park are about 100 years old.  In this season, they hold poinsettias that will be distributed around city buildings.

The greenhouses were made by Lord and Burnham, a glass house designer and manufacturer that was formed in 1849.  Elizabeth Park's greenhouses are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Clyde Lived Here

Twenty-five years ago, my co-worker Clyde lived here.  He had a special ability to explain 30-word concepts in 300 words or more.  Clyde drove me and many other Type A personalities nuts.

Then he died unexpectedly of a heart attack.  His service was packed to the rafters with an enormous number of friends.  We slowly began to recognize that Clyde was doing his best and that many people appreciated him.  Whenever I go past his house, I feel a little guilty.  These days I am a bit more patient and a bit more tolerant.  Not much, but a bit.

The Nutcracker

The Albano Ballet Company is presenting its version of The Nutcracker this season for the 50th year.  It has always been a shoestring operation financially, although I understand the Albano Ballet's performances are good.  This window sign advertising performances at Central Connecticut State University is found in a small antiques store on Park Road in West Hartford.

Gingerbread

They were decorating the Pond House's event hall and getting gingerbread houses ready for children to decorate.

West End

These houses are on Oxford Street in the West End of Hartford, late in November.

These are on Girard Avenue.