Connecticut State Capitol

This is the State Capitol.

The bottom shot was done manually with a longer exposure.
It gives more details, but removes some of the feeling of night time.  

Trade-offs.

I will be traveling for the next two weeks.  Internet might be spotty, 
but posts will appear every day while I am away.

Running Together

The Celebrate West Hartford 5K race was held yesterday.

Congratulations to the elite runners who won.  But, the fun is often further back in the pack.

It looks like the younger brother won.  Going to be some smack talked at home tonight!

Proud mothers ran with their sons.

Husbands ran with wives.

Dads pushed strollers.

Even a dad with a three-kid stroller.

And, an 82-year old man ran and finished the race again, as he always does.

Marquis de Lafayette

So, I went downtown trying to take some night photos on an evening when 

nothing much was happening.

This is a statue of Lafayette, in a traffic island on Washington Street.

Bushnell Hall is behind on the left and a State of Connecticut office building is on the right. 

Why?

Maybe we don't need to know "why?"  Maybe we can we just smile and enjoy the mystery.
On Wethersfield Green.

(And, here are some peonies, just because they are in bloom and I like them.
Hey, it is my blog, right?)

Tesoro Artisan Gallery

 Tesoro is an artisan gift shop in NoRA offering works made by local artists and craftsmen. 

There are textiles, pottery, photographs, paintings and prints, metal works, glass and items in other media.  Melissa is the owner.  She is sitting at a counter embedded with pennies.

If you like photos with reflections, click here to see James' meme, Weekend Reflections.

NoRA Cupcakes

NoRA Cupcakes sells exceptional cupcakes from the Middletown shop and from food trucks that go around to farmers' markets, fairs and other gatherings.

Melissa served me.  She has tattoos everywhere.  Melissa's boyfriend is a tattoo artist.  Some of her tattoos are Japanese-influenced floral patterns and others are swirling art nouveau.

Eli Cannon Tap Room

Jen and her husband were at Eli Cannon Tap Room in Middletown.

The quirky tavern is in NoRA, the part of Main Street north of Rapallo Avenue.

NoRA is becoming known in central Connecticut as a place for artsy shops, bars and restaurants.