Red Dress Race for Women

The annual race to raise awareness of heart disease in women took place last Saturday.

The young runners always impress me.

I admire the less young ones, too.

This woman runs every year.  She was featured in my fifth post on this blog back in 2010.

The leader came through with her lipstick and make-up intact.  Now, THAT was impressive.
Brittany Heninger is a 27-year old former UConn runner with a doctorate in physical therapy.

Connecticon 2016

For four days, folks in costumes wandered around downtown Hartford.  Many were early teens, maybe thirteen through fifteen.  More were late teens through 20s.  More girls than guys.
Lots of wigs.  A rare few were nearly my age.  (Yikes.)
Most were looking for someone to photograph them.  I obliged.

Alexander Calder's Stegosaurus was a popular location for pictures.

On the Dock

Two women in black walked along a dock at Riverside Park, beside the Connecticut River.

One was dressed in traditional Muslim clothing (a burqa?).  The other was quite modern.

Mark Twain House

Deb and I walked through the Mark Twain House.  Here are a few features.

The front hall has elaborate stenciling.  To see a very cool virtual tour of the front hall, click here. 

A gorgeous ceiling is directly above the stairwell in the front hall.

There is a marvelous carved fireplace in the library.  Here is a virtual tour.

Mark Twain is the nom de plume for Samuel Langhorne Clemens.  He was devoted to his wife,

Olivia ("Livy") Langdon Clemens.  Her bust is in the drawing room.

The third floor billiards room was a favorite place for Twain to smoke,
drink and entertain his gentlemen friends.

Deb and the Front Door Project

Deb Cohen is the Chief Financial Officer of Hartford's Mark Twain House and Museum.  

I photographed her at the Twain House's front door. 

A few years ago, Deb was between jobs. She started walking around her West Hartford neighborhood and fell in love with the beauty and variety of the houses.  So, she started photographing them, focusing on their front doors.  A blog followed -- The Front Door Project -- and then
Facebook and Instagram.  Along the way Deb has become a member of her town's 

historic preservation commission, a researcher of historic properties and 

a writer/photographer for periodicals like Yankee Magazine.

Last of the Elizabeth Park Dancing

This was a cha cha.  The man was in his element.  His partner did her best.

These two were having a ball.

She danced just about every dance.  I think she is a professional.

More Elizabeth Park Dancing

The lawn was filled, to the rose garden and beyond.