They're Back!

 I was starting to wonder if bees and butterflies had abandoned my garden.

But yesterday the bees were out in force. 

Now it is time for the butterflies to come back.

Lights and Flowers

 Every summer the central business district of Ridgefield's Main Street comes to life with colorful hanging baskets of flowers suspended from street light posts.

Noah Webster

On a recent visit to West Hartford, the statue of Noah Webster near the town's library caught my eye (and my camera lens) against a beautiful blue sky and the steeple of a church.

Those who have looked at this blog for a while might be tired of me writing that Noah Webster, the compiler of America's foremost dictionary, was from West Hartford.  His home is now a museum, the library is named for him, and the newest shopping area is called Blue Back Square to honor his dictionary. 

Mount Washington Hotel

The historic Mount Washington Hotel in the town of Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, stands out against the peaks of the Presidential Range.  Today it is owned by the Omni hotel chain.  The hotel's website has an excellent self-guided historical tour.  It is worth a few minutes of your time.

As World War II was approaching its end, the U.S. government hosted an important monetary conference here in 1944, establishing the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, tying other currencies to the dollar, and creating mechanisms by which Europe could right itself after the war's disruptions.

Hummingbirds

 

The owners of Notchland Inn are crazy about hummingbirds.  There are feeders outside every dining room window, so the visiting hummingbirds can entertain the diners.

A Dozen Years

Today marks 12 years since I began this website.  I started it six days after I retired in 2010, as a way of making sure I didn't just hang around the house.  

Except for one period in 2017 when my son was very ill and another period in 2019 when I had a serious operation, I have posted every day.  (My consistency is a character flaw.)

So, today is a good time to return again to the Town of Ridgefield's community center, the Lounsbury House.  It looks great at all times of the day or night, in every season and on holidays.  This is a view from a few days ago, with the roses blooming.  I rarely pass Lounsbury House without checking it out.

 

Small Town Fourth of July Parade

 Notchland Inn is in Hart's Location, New Hampshire, population 51.  The next town is Bartlett.  Bartlett has a population of 3,200, if we count some unincorporated communities.  They put on a cute but small 4th of July parade yesterday.

Red white and blue and American flags were everywhere.  

With the onlookers as well as with the participants.

Vintage fire trucks from Bartlett and nearby towns ended the parade with horns and sirens blaring.

And the requisite pretty girl.