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Back to the CT River Museum and Train Show in Essex, CT

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The Connecticut River Museum  is a favorite spot to visit.
I have produced other albums from previous visits and at other times of the year. Yesterday’s trip with some new friends gave us a chance to see the displays and the annual train show.

Mural depicting the April 1814 British invasion of Essex and destruction of its fleet
Amazing 3 story mural depicting the CT River from VT/NH to CT
Amazing 3 story mural depicting the CT River from VT/NH to CT
Part of the Annual Train Show 26 foot table layout
Part of the Annual Train Show 26 foot table layout

To see  more photos from yesterday’s trip, please go to my Picasa album:

‘Can’t wait to get back.  And, of course, to have another meal at The Gris!

Mares' tails in the sky at sunset over the CT River, indicating more snow for the night

Mares’ tails in the sky at sunset over the CT River, indicating more snow for the night

Filed Under: Blog, CT, Uncategorized

When the days begin to lengthen, the cold begins to strengthen…

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It’s darn right cold here- even in shoreline CT.  Nearly zero degrees absolute temp this morning. We had a teasing of snow Saturday before the Arctic Blast settled in.  Enjoy these few images from our Green and from our favorite provider of locally grown roses– Pinchbeck’s/ Roses for Autism.

The Congregational Church at the Top of Guilford's Green- 2015 Jan 4
The Congregational Church at the Top of Guilford’s Green- 2015 Jan 4
Guilford's Young Christmas Tree with a bit of snow- 2015 Jan 4
Guilford’s Young Christmas Tree with a bit of snow- 2015 Jan 4

Guilford Green- 1st snow before heavy rains wiped it clean- 2015 Jan 4
Guilford Green- 1st snow before heavy rains wiped it clean- 2015 Jan 4
Pinchbeck's/ Roses for Autism Greenhouse with snow squall approaching- 2015 Jan 7
Pinchbeck’s/ Roses for Autism Greenhouse with snow squall approaching- 2015 Jan 7

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, CT, Guilford, Uncategorized

Lots of NEW in Guilford to highlight our OLD: Dedications Weekend- June 6 – 8

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June 6 – 8, 2014 was an incredibly busy weekend in Guilford with 375th Anniversary related activities.  Bewteen Friday and Sunday four significant events unveiled 4 new sites for residents and visitors to enjoy and use.

First – Murals of Guilford iconic spots painted by Guilford school students were dedicated on the bridge over the East River on Sullivan Drive.  This bridge is at one of the trailheads for the East River Preserve.

 

South side of East River Bridge
Trail head for East River Preserve
Hiking through a field on the Preserve

Blazes on tree and East River below- just upstream from Foote Bridge
Guilford Train Station
New England Trail logo

Guilford’s Grass Island shack on the East River
September Guilford Agricultural Fair parade
Long Island Sound, etc.

 

Second – Rollwood Park at the corner of Stonehouse Lane and Old Whitfield Street was dedicated.  This little pocket park was once the site of the home of Governor Rollin Woodruff, 62nd Governor of Connecticut, who held the office from 1907 to 1909.  The Guilford Garden Club and the Town have been enhancing it with cleanups and plantings recently.  It is a lovely addition to the South Guilford District!

Michael McBride, Curator of the Henry Whitfield State Museum, telling about the property.
Michael McBride, Curator of the Henry Whitfield State Museum, telling about the property.
Words from the Guilford Garden Club
Words from the Guilford Garden Club
Flowering beauty
Flowering beauty
The iconic old fire place
The iconic old fire place

 

Third –  The Covenant Stone  that has the very powerful Guilford Covenant (aka “The Plantation Covenant”) and the names of our founders engraved in a large slab of Guilford pink Granite was dedicated. Located at “Covenant Point” at the intersection of New and Old Whitfield Streets across from the Whitfield State Museum (i.e. the oldest stone house in New England), the program included speeches and a re-signing of the Covenant by elementary school students. The original signed covenant and deed were on display in Town Hall, making this 2014 event even more meaningful.

Guilford’s Stone House Museum- built in 1639 – oldest stone house in New England. It was decorated in a fashion similar to its appearance for our 250th anniversary!
Enjoying the roses
The soon-to-be 2014 Covenant signers walking from the Stone house

Each student laid a rose on the Guilford pink granite stone
Raised hands of those whose ancestors signed the Covenant in 1639
Carl Balestracci, who successfully carried out his dream to have the Covenant Stone become a reality for Guilford

A current day female Guilford Covenant signer
A current day female Guilford Covenant signer
On display in Town Hall for one month- The Covenant with all the 2014 signatures
The original Indian Deed- Executed on September 29, 1639 and signed by Rev. Whitfield and Squaw Sachem Shaumpishuh, grantor of the deed and chief of the local tribe. Notice her bow and arrow signature.

 

Fourth- The Southern terminus of the New England Trail –  the latest and the eleventh addition to the the Nation’s National Scenic Trail system was dedicated.  Located at Chittenden Park, the day included music, speeches and a ribbon cutting for the boardwalk that leads from Long Island Sound to Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire.

The Southernmost point of the NET- leading over the beach to LI Sound
Dic Wheeler, Executive Director of ARTFARM in Middletown - stilter- with kids
Dic Wheeler, Executive Director of ARTFARM in Middletown – stilter- with kids
Walking on the board walk

Standing on the board walk – view from the beach end
Local hiker and organizer extraordinaire, Paul Mei, with one of the commemorative New England Trail posters
Local hiker and organizer extraordinaire, Paul Mei, with one of the commemorative New England Trail posters
Speaking above one of the NET signs- former Congressman John Olver (D-MA) who introduced the New England Scenic Trail Designation Act in 2007

The ribbon has been cut!
Some of the joyous attendees, standing on the board walk, for a group photo
Local blue grass duo- The Rosenthals- Phil and son Daniel

Thanks for viewing these images from our exciting dedications weekend! Do study the Covenant Stone.  Do hike the New England Trail and see the murals done by the students.  Do visit the Stone House Museum and rest a bit in Rollwood Park!

Peter

Filed Under: CT, Guilford, Guilford 375th, Uncategorized

Platinum Kroon’s Builders Photo Essay Released In Yale F&ES Sage Magazine

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AN EARLY INTERIOR SHOT Finally, with trusses in place, we could sense what the building’s form would look like. Two of Epifano’s workers Jesse and Ed are shown here.

AN EARLY INTERIOR SHOT
Finally, with trusses in place, we could sense what the building’s form
would look like. Two of Epifano’s workers Jesse and Ed are shown here.

In February my photo essay honoring the builders of Yale University’s Kroon Hall was published in the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies’ Sage Magazine. Click Platinum Kroon’s Builders to read my essay.  It was a thrill to see my essay finally on line for readers.  Since it is now the fifth anniversary of our School’s occupying Kroon Hall (January, 2009), it is a fitting time to write about the building in a way not previously done.   Previous articles have always focused on the design and sustainability qualities of this magnificent LEED Platinum structure.

My recent essay was created to thank and showcase with photographs the persons who constructed it. My thousands of images were distilled down to a dozen.  They will be an introduction for some readers and an update for others.

Take a look at the article.  If you are so inclined, please leave a comment either on my blog or at the Sage Magazine site.  Stay tuned for more information and more images!

Thanks for letting me share this story with you.

Peter

Filed Under: Blog, Yale University

375th Images seen in Guilford Town Hall and Print Edition of the Shoreline Times

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For the month of January the Guilford@375 Committee has the privilege of displaying documents and gifts and images about this year’s celebration in the display case of the Town Hall’s lobby.  We had a chance to visit the display today which is shown here.  One of my fireworks shots from New Year’s Eve is shown in the upper left corner.

Guilford@375 Display in Guilford Town Hall including Otis Fireworks Photograph

Also today the print edition of The Shoreline Times was delivered to homes along the shoreline.  On page 1 Sarah Kyrcz’s article A Blazing Kickoff for Guilford’s 375th appeared. This piece appears below for readers to see.

Shoreline Times, Jan. 10, 2014 “A Blazing Kickoff for Guilford’s 375th”

 

Shoreline Times, Jan. 10, 2014 – page 5 – “Guilford kicks off anniversary with bonfires and fireworks”

Shoreline Times, Jan. 10, 2014 – p. 5- continued

Thanks for letting me share this update with you.

Peter

 

Filed Under: CT, Guilford, Guilford 375th, Places, Uncategorized

Shoreline Times Uses Otis Guilford Generations Jubilee Photos

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Today Sarah Page Kyrcz’s article appeared in the online edition of the Shoreline Times.  Its title is A blazing kickoff for Guilford’s 375th.

Take a look at the article here.  She summarized the day’s activities and included a few of my photos for effect.

The article begins this way

” GUILFORD – NO, IT WASN’T THE FOURTH OF JULY.

But, blazing bonfires and fireworks lit up the historic Green and heralded the new year as Guilford threw a huge New Year’s Eve party, Generations Jubilee, to kick off 2014 and the town’s 375th anniversary.

“It was a First Night scaled to a community, the size of Guilford,” said resident photographer Peter Otis.”

Thank you, Sarah, for your description of this lovely kickoff to our year-long celebration. Four more major events to go!

Thanks for viewing this article. Send me your comments please.

Peter

 

Filed Under: CT, Guilford, Guilford 375th, Places, Uncategorized

Magical New Haven Tree on foggy Twelfth Night morning

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The weather has been absolutely fluky everywhere.  Shoreline Connecticut is no exception. In only a few days we have had brutal cold, snow, brutal cold, rain and then fog.

The annual Christmas tree on the New Haven Green is one of the most perfectly dressed ones anywhere, second perhaps only to the one in Rockefeller Center, NYC.  It takes the crew that places the lights on the branches seemingly weeks to tie the wires every few inches along every single branch.  The end result is a magnificent display that highlights every natural branch.

 

Magical New Haven Tree on
Foggy Twelfth Night Morning

 

Over the years, on my way to the evening Shore Line East train I have captured the tree in all sorts of weather conditions– brisk and clear, rainy, snowy, and even when there was a solid layer of ice on the ground that reflected all the ambient light in the area.

Until this morning I had never thought about this tree with lights burning during the daytime UNTIL I approached it and saw all the twinkly colors and the heavily fogged in background. In this shot one can see New Haven’s historic City Hall and the Financial Center barely to its right. In the flora department the deciduous trees that have lost their leaves and the coniferous Christmas tree provide very different and contrasting shapes.  Finally, the colorful ights of the tree and some street lights give it a final pop!

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany, Three Kings Day, the Twelfth Day of Christmas.  What a way to end this glorious season!

Thanks for letting me share this image with you!

Peter

 

Filed Under: New Haven

The Red Doors of Trinity Episcopal Church

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As we approached Trinity Church (“The church with the red doors on the Branford Green”) this morning, I was struck by our lovely red doors and the white snow that had blown into various sections in the latest storm.  What a marvelous contrast!  Over the past 15 years, I have gone in and out of these doors countless times, but never saw them the way I did today.

 

Trinity Church – Red doors & white snow

 

Trinity Church- Red front doors
ENTER INTO HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING

 

In addition to today’s closeup pictures, it seems appropriate to share one more from a very snowy morning at the end of 2012.  This postcard view includes Branford’s Town Hall and the Congregational Church.  Ahh, the beauties of winter!!

 

Trinity Church and neighbors on Branford Green after a snowfall

 

Thanks for letting me share these images with you.

Peter

 

Filed Under: Branford, CT, Places, Trinity Church, Uncategorized

Chaffinch Island and Long Island Sound – Down Right Cold but Beautiful!

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An addendum to my posting yesterday about Guilford’s 375th celebration on New Year’s Eve… take a look at today’s postingby the events web person Lisa Calderone.  My fireworks photo was selected as the  “Image of the Week” and quite a few other images made it into the slide show for the event.

Last night’s “New Year’s Blizzard” dropped only about 5″ of snow in Guilford.  Certain places in Massachusetts and other locations found themselves digging through 24″ this morning.  It was a crisp, breezy and tough day to be outside, but I decided to head to a favorite summer spot, Chaffinch Island Park here in Guilford, just before sunset. Absolute temp about 14 degrees.  Tomorrow morning’s temperatures are predicted to smash cold records.

Enjoy these shots that show colors very different from those we experience during the summer!!

Thanks for letting me share these with you.

Peter

 

haffinch Island looking East on a frigid late afternoon
Chaffinch Island looking East on a frigid late afternoon
Chaffinch Island- snow swirls and rocks
Chaffinch Island- snow swirls and rocks
DSC_4027 Chaffinch Island- chain shadow in snow
Chaffinch Island- chain shadow in snow

Chaffinch Island- Ice capped rock and Faulkner's Light in background
Chaffinch Island- Ice capped rock and Faulkner’s Light in background
Chaffinch Island- It’s a frigid pre-sunset on Long Island Sound

Filed Under: Blog, Guilford, Places, Uncategorized

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