History + photography = fun

Taking another trip back to a simpler time...

Welcome to the 18th Century in southern New England.


When Ralph, my mother and I were enjoying ourselves Sunday during an open house I wrote about here at the historic David Humphreys House, headquarters of the Derby Historical Society in Ansonia, Ct. , I tried to get 'artsy' with the camera.

I snapped some pictures through the front windows that look out on Elm Street.
The only problem was there are dark plastic films covering the windows on the inside to prevent the home's contents from getting faded from too much natural light coming in.


This is the Old Town Burying Ground (also referred to as Elm Street Cemetery) directly across the street. Too bad about the telephone pole, huh? I like the street sign on the far left with an arrow that seems to be pointing straight into the graveyard.

And two more cemetery scenes taken through the window ...

Looks like November to me.

Below is my attempt at being artsy! I fiddled with the photo a bit, with our free Paint.NET application. I like the photo, just wish the sign were a bit clearer.



Here is the Humphreys' family crest, hanging over the mantel in the other front room, a parlor of sorts.
This fireplace was not being used on Sunday. A string of orange lights was wrapped around the logs to give the fireplace a bit of a warm glow. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of that.

I liked this autumn grouping of colorful gourds and squash that was displayed atop an old trunk.

I sat next to it for awhile to enjoy some classical music being played by a docent at the house, who is a senior in high school this year. He is an accomplished pianist; we've heard him play many times before, at school concerts and piano recitals our children also were a part of in years past. I just don't know if he wants me to post his photo, so I won't.

I have still more photos of our visit, but I hope you enjoyed those that I've posted today.

Dogs, cats, birds, hamsters ~ u name it, we luv it

I'm reposting this because there were no comments Sunday and I feel like nobody saw it.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

A new blog about the pets we love

One of my editors and friends, Helen, has just started a blog with her daughter, Kiley, to try to cope with the death of their family's beloved dog.

Tesla, a Bernese Mountain dog, died last weekend.

Helen asked me to contribute to the blog. I sent her a post I had written when our cat, Humphrey, died in June 2007.

Their blog is called Tesla's Love. I recommend going there to visit.

If you have a post about a beloved pet, let me know and I will get you in touch with Helen. She is looking for contributors.

Posted by Patti at 8:40:00 AM

Friday morning "fun"

I like how Rigby makes sure his nose is exposed, for breathing purposes. He has an oversized tail. It seems to go on and on.

This is about all that's going on around here on this rainy morning.
How's your day going?

I couldn't agree more

"People on walkie talkies in the grocery enrage me."


nataliedee.com


And I liked this one from last week...


nataliedee.com

Check out Natalie Dee and you'll find some cute comics to brighten your day!

What the Hull?

Continuing a series of brief local history posts, I bring you Commodore Isaac Hull. He was born in Derby, Ct. in 1773.
At age 14 Isaac Hull became a cabin boy on a merchant ship, and that was the start of his seafaring career.
He is famous for being the captain of a frigate, the USS Constitution, commonly called “Old Ironsides” during the War of 1812.

According to Wikipedia, (you could look this up too – I’m just trying to help) “on August 19, 1812, the Constitution encountered the British frigate HMS Guerriere at sea and pounded her to a wreck that electrified the Nation and demonstrated that the small U.S. Navy was a worthy and dangerous opponent for Britain's otherwise overwhelming maritime might.”

So there. Guess he was quite the commander.

Here in the Valley there is a heavily traversed state highway bridge that spans the Housatonic River, near its confluence with the Naugatuck River.
It’s called the Commodore Isaac Hull Memorial Bridge. If you’re headed to or from Fairfield County and NYC from this area you will no doubt drive over it.

There used to be an elementary school in Shelton, Ct., just across the Housatonic River from Derby, called Commodore Hull School. It was closed in the late 70s. Some people believe Hull was born in Shelton. I'm not going to get involved in that dispute! Most people believe he is from Derby.

Also according to Wikipedia, the U.S. Navy has named five ships after Hull. They include: the USS Commodore Hull, (1862-1865); the USS Hull (Destroyer #7); USS Hull (DD-330); USS Hull (DD-350); and USS Hull (DD-345).

He retired in 1841 and died in 1843 at the age of 69 in Philadelphia.

~

That was short and sweet, wasn't it? But I hope it might whet your appetite to learn more about one of our local heroes.

Destroying our house and belongings, one claw swipe at a time

One of my destructo boys, Rigby, has had some fun times with what used to be an intact phone book. When I work I spread out on this computer desk, and there is not much room with the printer right next to me.
So the phone book often ends up on the floor. Just where Rigby likes it.
Cats are funny - they're so nonchalant. He'll just saunter over and go to town with his claws on the pages. He has destroyed the As, the Bs, and the Cs up to Ch.
But I just sit here and smile. I've never taken it away from him! We have more phone books and there is always the Internet these days to find phone numbers.

Now I have to catch him in the act and take some photos of his destructive behavior. I'm ready..

A General interest in local history

Gen. David Humphreys is someone about whom I've learned a lot in the last 15 years or so, thanks to my job as a reporter and as a mom.
I have visited his birthplace which is about a mile from our house many times, and always learn something new when I'm there.
The historic house is the headquarters of the Derby Historical Society.

Humphreys was born in 1752. He attended Yale University in nearby New Haven and became a teacher. He later became a close personal assistant, an aide-de-camp, to none other than the father of our country. Yes, GW, the man whose image graces our dollar bill.
Humphreys, as the sign tells you, was many things in his life.
In addition to being a soldier in the Revolutionary War, he was a poet, and the first U.S. Ambassador to Spain.
Humphreys brought black Merino sheep back to the United States from Spain, and started a woolen mill several miles from his birthplace, in what became known as "Humphreysville" and is now the town of Seymour, Ct.

Tea, anyone? (I just noticed these chairs don't match.)

On Sunday Ralph, my mother and I went to an open house that featured costumed docents (adults and several enthusiastic children) preparing a Thanksgiving-like feast over an open hearth.
Soup, roast turkey, cranberry sauce, cornbread with butter churned before our eyes by the children, squash pie, applesauce, and more. Visitors got to taste samples and it all was delicious.

I was happy that Ralph finally made it into the historic house, as you can see in the photo below of him watching the pumpkins roast. They cooked sliced apples in them. Yum.



The historical society presents a program for fifth graders, who are usually 10-years old, called "A Day in 1762," to show them what life was like for David Humphreys when he was their age.

After taking a tour of the historic district and learning about Humphreys' neighbors, the children are split into groups to learn about cooking, weaving, and spinning. I've covered the story for the paper, and also chaperoned when both of my children were in fifth grade and went on the field trip.
I've also attended special events at the house, and always come away feeling grateful that I didn't live in the 18th century.
At least I don't think I did.

The photo below is of Christine, a friend and history buff who is a docent at the house. I'm not going to give you any more history, I figure you can look up David Humphreys' life and times if you are so inclined.
Suffice it to say it's a fun and educational place for us to visit, and it's right nearby.

Each January the Society celebrates "Twelfth Night" to mark the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Hope it doesn't snow, because we plan to go.

Share and share alike

A marital blift...that's blog+rift for the uninitiated.

In the past two days Airhead 55 has stolen his loving wife's photos and blog post ideas. I haven't even read the posts, but I know what they are about.

I'm going to pretend he didn't, so I can post my own photos of the Veterans Day service we attended this morning on the Green in Derby, Ct.

Here is a photo I like and I'm not sure which one of us took it. I think I did. Not only do we share a computer, we also share a Canon PowerShot A550.

These American flags were distributed to local schools and organizations during the ceremony, as a way to acknowledge the organizations' patriotism in flying Old Glory on a daily basis.
The flags were among 810 that had flown in a "Field of Heroes" at Bushnell Park in Hartford last June, in honor of Flag Day.


Here you see Ralph watching the program. It was my turn using the camera. Woo hoo!

In the background is the stately Sterling Opera House. It opened in 1889 and was used as a theater until 1945.
After that it served as a City Hall and police station until 1965.



Below is a better view of it.



The historic opera house was the first building in Connecticut to gain a place on the National Register of Historic Places. A few years ago the roof was replaced and the Italian Victorian-style structure is undergoing major renovations. You can see construction workers on the crane.
The photo is a bit slanted because I was standing on a slope. It's hilly around these parts. (that's my excuse anyway)

In the good old days of vaudeville, audiences at the Sterling saw the likes of entertainers ranging from Red Skelton, John Phillip Sousa, and Donald O'Connor to Harry Houdini.
Amelia Earhart addressed a woman's club there in 1936.

And yes, that all was before my time.

Like many others, I hope someday to see the theater restored to its former glory.

A holiday repost

Sunday, November 11, 2007

* Happy Veterans Day *

I noticed as I was visiting blogs yesterday and today that many bloggers are writing about the importance of observing Veterans Day, which is today.
I am one of those people who believes we should all pause to remember those who served and those who are serving our country in the military today.
Tomorrow, a holiday for schools, banks and some offices, I will cover a program at a nursing home that will honor veterans who live there. A high school administrator/former history teacher will give a talk about Gen. George Patton, and the historical society plans an exhibit with memorabilia from the home front during World War II.
I'm looking forward to it.
This afternoon Ralph and I attended a service at a park on Main Street. There were about 100 people there, many of them veterans, of course.
We heard schoolchildren read contest-winning essays they had penned about what Veterans Day means to them. The senior center chorus performed patriotic songs.
A World War II veteran played Taps, which always lends an air of solemnity to any event.

We're glad we were able to be a part of this important show of respect and recognition to all veterans.

Ruby Tuesday

Well, this is it. Autumn's vibrant reds are disappearing.
The leaves of our Japanese maple tree at the bottom of the hill in our backyard are pretty much all on the ground.
It's time for that four letter word that begins with R. (Rake) Horrors.

This photo is of a weed tree growing out of/next to a stump. I don't want to rake. Help!

To see more Ruby Tuesday photos, visit Mary, The Teach, who hosts this fun meme.

Creative Photo #15 - Week 2

Last week I said my entry in Roger's Creative Photography contest might not be creative, but it was a capture.
Well, Sunday morning I captured the cats sunning themselves behind a window blind, so I can repeat myself here as I post this series... I know the photos are not creative, but I just think our cats are so adorable when they do stuff like this.

Is it me or does it seem that Rigby and Linus have all the fun around here? What a life.

So there you have it. My entry into Roger's contest this week.
To participate and to view some really fun and creative photos, visit him at Idaho Photo. Click on the Creative Photo tab and enjoy!

Sharing photos from a relaxing Sunday

I'm starting to think I take my best photos from the passenger seat of a moving vehicle.
This afternoon Ralph and I attended two educational and fun programs. One focused on local history and the second focused on art. We both may post about them later in the week.
Stay tuned. ;-)
I snapped these two pictures of the sky after we left the history program.

I took the photo below after we left the second event. Sunset sure comes early these days. It wasn't even 4:30 yet. This photo was taken when the van was stopped at a light.

In true potpourri style, I post photos of yellow weed leaves that caught my eye in this morning's sunshine. For this one I was standing on terra firma, not sitting in Ralph's van.

I hope you enjoyed accompanying me on my day.

A new blog about the pets we love

One of my editors and friends, Helen, has just started a blog with her daughter, Kiley, to try to cope with the death of their family's beloved dog.

Tesla, a Bernese Mountain dog, died last weekend.

Helen asked me to contribute to the blog. I sent her a post I had written when our cat, Humphrey, died in June 2007.

Their blog is called Tesla's Love. I recommend going there to visit.

If you have a post about a beloved pet, let me know and I will get you in touch with Helen. She is looking for contributors.

A lovely award with one condition ~ must do meme

Duchess Linda of Are We There Yet? received this from her friend, Connie, of Brain Foggles and she was kind enough to include me and Ralph among those she chose for this honor, and for that I say merci beaucoup.

The only problem is now I have to complete a meme, and come up with six things that make me happy. Ralph already did this, so it may be difficult for me not to copy him! Mine will no doubt be more succinct than his.

1. Spending time with my family.
2. Enjoying a delicious dinner on a Saturday night, prepared by Ralph, chef extraordinaire.
3. Looking at old photos, and taking lots more photos of everyday life.
4. Finding an interesting story to write for my job, and likewise for my blog.
5. Feeling a sense of accomplishment after teaching a Sunday School class.
6. Meeting new friends in the blogosphere, and passing on an award like this one to them.

And the recipients are: (drum roll, please)

1. Queen Mimi of Mimi Writes

2. Roger of Idaho Photo (I know you're on sabbatical but you can play someday)

3. Joan of The Erstwhile Librarian

4. Michael C of The Wonderful World of Nothing Worthwhile

5. Lynn of A Tired Mama (maybe this will get you back into the blogosphere)

6. Tammy of Queen-Size Funny Bone

Have fun!

Quick-hit history lesson

Another history post. Woo hoo! It's also about Hartford, like last Sunday's post that seemed to be well-received.

This photo shows the top of the historic Soldiers and Sailors Arch that graces Bushnell Park in downtown Hartford. I took it from inside our van (it's pretty clear, so we must have been stopped at a light, I can't recall) as we headed to visit our children at the University of Hartford, a few miles from there.

A bit of its history, taken from the Bushnell Park Web site:

"The arch was designed by Hartford architect George Keller, whose ashes were buried in the east tower when he died in 1935, along with those of his wife, Mary, who died in 1946. The arch was dedicated on September 17, 1886--the anniversary of the Battle of Antietam--to honor the 4,000 Hartford citizens who served in the Civil War, and the 400 who died for the Union. This Gothic monument is made of brownstone from Portland, Connecticut, and cost about $60,000 (from the city treasury) to build. Notice especially the terra cotta frieze depicting scenes from the Civil War, and midway below it, eight-foot-tall statues representing the various kinds of residents who left their homes, families and businesses to fight in the War: student, farmer, freed slave, stone mason, carpenter and blacksmith. The original terra cotta angels--Gabriel and Raphael--which crown each tower, were replicated in bronze and replaced in 1987 as part of a $1.5 million restoration."

It continues: "Be sure to read the bronze plaque under the freed slave which honors the 128 African-American residents of Hartford who fought for the Union. This plaque was the result of research by Airron Bethea, a seventh grade student in Hartford, who was writing an essay in 1987 for the rededication of the restored Arch."

Here's something about the Rev. Horace Bushnell, which I also took from www.BushnellPark.org.

"At his death in 1876, the Rev. Horace Bushnell, pastor of Hartford's North Congregational Church (now Immanuel Congregational), was Hartford's most loved and respected citizen and the leading American theologian of the nineteenth century. The author of 12 books, he was a true renaissance man, with interests--and genuine expertise--in many pursuits. He was an avid newspaper reader, followed politics with a passion, and expressed his opinions freely."

And a quote from when he proposed the park in 1853:

"...an opening in the heart of the city..., to which citizens will naturally flow in their walks; ...a place where children play; ...a place for holiday scenes and celebrations; ...where rich and poor will exchange looks and make acquaintance through the eyes; ...a place of life and motion that will make us more completely conscious of being one people."

He certainly liked to use semi-colons.

Learning this makes me want to see the monument up close and personal.
If you click on the picture you can see a sign for the indoor wooden carousel (shown below) that's in the park ... I smell a blog post.

~ ~ ~
I hope you enjoyed today's mini-history lesson.

An overdue meme ~ I was tagged a while back

Joan, our friend The Erstwhile Librarian in southern California, tagged me last month. Or was it September?
Now I finally get around to completing this simple meme. Sorry Joan!

Four places I go over and over

* Big Y

* CVS

* Target

* Crazy

Four people who e-mail me regularly

* my boss

* Duchess Linda

* Airhead-55

*

Four of my favorite places to eat

* Bertucci's

* Athenian Diner

* Olympic Diner

* Home (Does Chinese takeout count? We haven't been going out much lately)

Four places you'd rather be

* Cape Cod

* Paris

* Watching live theater

* At a concert

Four TV shows I could watch over and over

(not applicable, really. I watch news, The History Channel...what can I say?)

Dona Nobis Pacem

Today is BlogBlast for Peace ~ a day for bloggers everywhere to express on a peace globe of their creation their wish for world peace.
It's fitting that it comes on the heels of our Presidential election on Tuesday, for no matter who we supported, I think we all want our lives to be peace-filled.


To participate and to read more about the origins of Blog Blast, visit Mimi, founder of the Peace Globe movement in the blogosphere. She has an entire gallery of peace globes on her blog, sent to her from all over the world. It will inspire you.

May God bless America

I'm not affiliated with any political party. I voted for president yesterday, but not for the man who won.

I'm pretty middle of the road. I can see both sides of certain issues (wishy-washy, some might say).
But I fear what our President-elect has said he wants to do to change our wonderful country.

I respect his intelligence. I respect the barriers he was able to knock down and the history he has made, with his candidacy and his victory.

And I respect the nearly flawless campaign he ran, despite some of the over-the-top stuff. I was confused when he addressed the 200,000 or more people in Germany (they can't vote in the U.S. last time I checked), and when he used a Presidential seal lookalike.

My husband wrote this post first thing this morning to congratulate Barack Obama.

I disagree with how Obama plans to govern. But I congratulate him on his achievement. He will soon be the leader of the free world.
And I do wish him well, for the good of our United States.

Creative Photo # 15 - Week 1

Don't know if this is creative, but it is a capture! I'd enter these photos in the "series" category, if there were one. I snapped the pictures over about a two-minute time period.

Linus loves to poke around in shopping bags when I get home from the grocery store. Come to think of it, his brother Rigby does too. But this is all about Linus today.





Then he exited the bag. No more photo ops here.

This is my entry in Roger's Creative Photography contest this week.
To join in, visit him at Idaho Photo.

* Ruby Tuesday *

A bit of patriotic spirit for Ruby Tuesday on this Election Day in the United States.

I took this foliage photo last week at the condo complex where my mother lives now. Not real exciting, but there is red involved!

To check out lots of other participants and to share a photo or two of your own, visit Mary, The Teach.
If you start playing, you'll see the color red in places you've never seen it before.

A history lesson, Connecticut style

Now that Ralph is participating in NaPoBloMo (he shocked me when he told me he got involved!) I feel I should be writing more posts.
Call it friendly competition. Call it jealousy. Anyhow today I have a short and sweet history lesson to share.

It is inspired by a photo I took through the windshield two weeks ago, on the way to the University of Hartford to visit our children.

This is the scene from I-91 Northbound as you approach downtown Hartford, the "Insurance Capital of the World."
You can see the Travelers Insurance logo, a red umbrella, on the building in the center. My focus is on the old factory on the left featuring the eye-catching blue dome.
Cool, huh? It was built in 1855 by Hartford native Samuel Colt, an inventor who became a wealthy industrialist.

Briefly, very briefly, here is some of what I found on Wikipedia and other sites about Colt. He was born July 19, 1814, one of seven children.
He founded Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Co. in the 1830s. His standardized gun design required uniform machined parts, which led to the growth of the machined parts industry which thrives in Connecticut to this day.
In 1855 he built a huge factory, Colt's Armory, on the banks of the Connecticut River in Hartford in an area known as the South Meadows.
Although Colt didn't invent the revolver, he is credited with popularizing it.
Quoting from one Web site, the factory's "massive scale and Russian-style dome symbolized the power and international aspirations of the manufacturing revolution that unfolded within."
Colt had the dome topped with a rampant colt, made of cast bronze, apparently to ensure that Hartford residents and visitors alike would be intrigued to learn more about him and his life story.
He died on Jan. 10, 1862. He was just 47.
The Colt revolver has been called the gun that won the West.

As I said, this is a brief history lesson. I hope you learned something.
I would still like to find out why Colt chose an onion-shaped dome for his factory, other than to attract attention. But that would take research. And I don't feel like doing any. So there.
It's a blog post, not a term paper, right?

Halloween wrap-up ~ fading foliage

Yesterday's weather was perfect around here for trick-or-treaters.
And it wasn't even a school night for the 93 munchkins who happened upon our doorstep. Lucky kids!

I was impressed that they all thanked me for their treats, and many of them said, "Happy Halloween!"




Below, our Pumpkinhead neighbor across the street from us anxiously awaits nightfall, the time when he gets to greet all the Trick-or-Treaters.