BLANDFORD SKI AREA

Blandford, MA - OK, it's not Aspen but it is an example of many small ski areas that dot the New England Countryside. It is an affordable place to spend a Saturday skiing with the family without going broke. The terrain might not be that difficult but when you break it down, skiing is basically sliding down a hill with boards on your feet(spoken like a non-skier)isn't that the fun of it?. Years ago I used to ski at night, in the woods, at break neck speed, on cross country skis, alone. Now that is a good way to kill yourself...and it doesn't cost anything to do it.

SNOWY CLIFFS

Colebrook, CT - I took this photo in the Algonquin State Forest. It had snowed the day before; that wet sticky snow. The snow was sticking to the trees and makes for a great photo...shoveling not so much.

SHEEPGATE

Blandford, MA - From the center of Blandford I went east on Route 23 and stopped off at Sheepgate. Sheepgate is a cottage just full of handmade goods of excellent quality. In the winter they are open on weekends but in the summer they are open from Thursday - Sunday 11:00 - 6:00. If you would like to give them a call the number is 413-848-0990. In the summer or maybe if there is no snow, the sheep come right up to the back door of the store.

At their brochure says, "We would love to have Ewe visit!"




On my roadtrips I guess to meet some very nice people and owner Maureen Costello is no exception. I hung out for about an hour talking to Maureen. I found out that Maureen weaves many of the items you see in the store. The shearling slippers are from a farm in Vermont. There are many more items from various artisans. Oh yeah, her husband even teaches a Massachusetts Pistol Safety Course, if you are in to that.




Here is a view to the front of the store.



Buttons...buttons...and more buttons. If you need some unique buttons, this is the place.

BLANDFORD COUNTRY STORE

Blandford, MA - On one of my roadtrips I stopped at the Blandford Country Store. I was greeted by the friendly owners and we chatted for a while. One thing that struck me was that they knew everyone that came in and talked to them like they were old friends; as you would expect in a general store.




This is a photo of the inside of the store. In the back is a deli, I got it on good advice that they make a great sandwich. If you look in the lower left corner in the white boxes, those are Mrs. Murphy's Doughnuts from Southwick, MA, they put Dunkin Donuts to shame.




This is the cafe section of the store, it has a general store ambiance with old farm implements hanging on the wall as artwork from local artist. There is even a historical wall with photos loaned from the Blandford Historical Society.




And if you just want to hang out with a cup of coffee and a Mrs. Murphy's Doughnut, go sit in the "Hardware Corner" and watch the world go by. So if you ever wander through Blandford, stop in the the Blandford Country Store.

GREENWOOD GLASS

Riverton,CT - I took a short road trip and ended up in Riverton Connecticut. This building was the Hitchcock Chair Museum which has closed. The new tenent is Greenwood Glass Glassblowing Studio and Gallery. It was not open when I stopped by but judging from his website, it looks very interesting.

SNOWY BARN

I was on my way home today, camera at the ready, and this barn caught my eye. Today we had one of those wet snows where it sticks to everything. So as you can see the trees in the background are all covered.

UNCOMFORTABLE CAT

Why do cats always get into the most uncomfortable places?

Just in case you wanted to know, he got through his "tutoring" just fine. He was bouncing off the walls the next day. This photo was taken before his neutering, just in case you see something that shouldn't be there.

WINTER STREAM

MAPLE FARMS MILK BOTTLE - REDUX

I 've posted this bottle before but I wanted to share a portion of an e-mail from the widow of a former president of Maple Hill Farms.

"I love your photo and thought you might want to know the concrete milk
bottle in "company colors" was commissioned on Cape Cod, MS (MA) during a family
vacation in the 1970's."

It is nice to get this kind of feedback, as well as the daily comments.

POOR PRESTON

Today Preston is going to the vet to get neutered. There was a cartoon I saw where one dog in a car was making fun of another because he was going to get "tutored". So that is what I tell everyone that Preston is going to get "tutored".

This is a photo when he was a small kitten, he is about 9 pounds now.

FORT McCLARY

Kittery Point, ME - This is part of Fort McClary. From this vantage point you can see the enemy coming in from the sea.

I have been working mega hours so I don't have time to do this posting justice. So hang in there and I promise to get back to this fort when I have more time. So for now, enjoy the photo - Bill

FACTORY ON THE FARMINGTON

Collinsville, CT - Many of the factories of old were located on water to run the equipment and get rid of waste. This factory is located in Collinsville Connecticut and if nothing else makes a great b/w photo.

TRINITY CHURCH - NEWPORT RI

Newport, RI - This is the Trinity Church in Newport, RI. The church was established in 1698 and the church was built in 1726. There is a cobblestone path to the church if you come in from the back. The path passes through what looks like a park and then through an ancient burial ground. The Rev. Henry Morgan Stone is buried there (see prior post).

Rev. Henry Morgan Stone - NEWPORT RI

This is the grave of Rev. Henry Morgan Stone who was a Pastor at the Trinity Church from 1899 - 1904 when he had to resign because of poor health. He was born in 1869 and died in 1908. There is a collection of some of his sermons called, "The Witness of the Heart and Other Sermons".

BEGGERS

This is Sophie and Preston begging for some food.

JUST ASK

All this woman had to do was ask and I would have taken her photo.

I have been putting in a lot of hours at work lately so I haven't had much time to get some good photos/postings lately. So, just to keep up my daily postings I have been putting up some photos that wouldn't normally make first cut. But, enjoy them anyway and I will be back with more soon.

CHARTER OAK PLAQUE

Hartford, CT - This plaque discribes how the Charter of the Colony of Connecticut was preserved; the plaque best describes what happened. The plaque says the charter was hidden in an oak. Hence, that is why Connecticut's state tree is an oak. See on top of the plaque.

This plaque is located on the Travelers Tower, home of Travelers Insurance, now St.Paul Travelers.

GOLD REFLECTION

Hartford,CT - One day while waiting for a bus I caught the reflection off the "Gold Building" onto this church. The Gold Building is covered with gold reflective windows.

A BIT OF BRITAIN

Newport, RI - Here are some buildings in Newport that have a bit of British look to them. Well, I expect the Royal Male Traditional British Clothing should.

SHOES ON WIRE

Can anyone tell me why people do this? Talk amongst yourselves.

(I've been very busy lately and this is all I had in a pinch)

THE OLD SALTBOX OR CAPEBOX

This is my house, I've shown it a few times but this time from a different angle. I've noticed a lot of people come to my site looking for old New England Homes, well, here is one. Actually, it started out as a Law Office and was converted to a house. I called this a "Saltbox" style house. Technically, it is not a traditional Saltbox. It is somewhere between a Saltbox and a Cape. My wife likes to call this style a "Capebox".

OLD MEETING HOUSE IN SNOW

Granville, MA - Last night we actually got some snow. It's February 2nd and we finally 3-4 inches of snow. So I went out and took a photo of the Old Meeting House which is across the street from my house.

WORLD WAR ONE MEMORIAL BRIDGE

Portsmouth NH – Kittery ME – This bridge is on Route 1 spanning the Piscataqua River between Portsmouth NH and Kittery ME. It was constructed between 1920 and 1923. The dedication plaque pictured above is located on the Portsmouth side of the bridge. It is a memorial for the sailors and soldiers of New Hampshire who participated in the World War 1917 – 1919.

I think this bridge could use a good coat of paint. It looks like the pigeons don’t mind it being a little rusty.

Info: Wikipedia

ORIGINAL LITCHFIELD FIREHOUSE

Litchfield, CT – The center of Litchfield had two devastating fires one in 1886 and again in 1888. In 1890 the Litchfield Fire Company was organized. The department started with 44 members and in November 1890 the company had a ladder truck. By 1891 the department grew to 75 members. A water system with hydrants and this new firehouse was donated by J.Deming Perkins. It is situated across from the green and behind the former jail. It had a finished basement, an equipment room on the first floor, a billiard and meeting room on the second floor, and a hospital ward on the third for injured firemen.

The building is now the First National Bank of Litchfield

Info: Litchfield Fire Department