Fishing on the Farmington

Riverton, CT - I took a few photos of this gentleman spending a nice afternoon fishing on the Farmington River in Riverton.


This photo caught the light just right to illuminate the river.


Waiting for the strike.

Tom Fiorini Sculpture Artist

Lenox, MA - Tom Fiorini is a self described Hillbilly Hippie, has been sculpting in junk metal for 30 years. He also works in wood sculpting the wood with only a chainsaw. Being the hippie type, he does not own a computer but luckily his daughter is very computer literate and created his website http://www.tomfiorini.com/. Go to his website and see what new items he has created. If you want to contact him, it is best to give him a call before 8pm @ 413.637.5606. His sculptures have been shipped all over the world to collectors and fans of his work.



Milk can pigs.


New that mosquito will give you such a bite or is it bit?


Some of his chainsaw work, colorful fish.


This dog is one of my wife's favorites. I think his name is Singer.


Spring dogs.

Once my Grange House is finished, we would love to have one of his sculptures displayed in or in front of our house.

Back from the Lodge Meeting

We pass this beaver pond often and I will occasionally see this beaver. When we don't see it, my wife always says, "It's at a lodge meeting". Just in case you don't know, a beaver's house is called a lodge...get it?


The beaver cruising next to his dam.


I threw these in for some color; they were growing at the edge of the pond.

The Colt Dome and the Rampant Colt

Hartford, CT - If you have driven through Hartford, CT on I-91 then you have seen the Colt dome. I have been trying to find out how to photograph the dome for a few years. The perfect place would be right on the highway but for safety reasons, that was not going to happen. So I went in back of the building and got these photos, not as good as the highway but much safer.


There are a few stories on how the dome came to being, one story is that it was shipped to Samuel Colt from a Turkish Sultan who was grateful for guns shipped to him during the Crimean War. Another was he was inspired by Byzantine churches he saw in Russia.*


On top of the dome is the Rampant Colt. The Rampant Colt is the symbol of Colt Firearms. The "Rampant Colt" is an ancient symbol of a Stallion carring a broken spear continuing the battle after his rider has fallen.* The Colt and Dome have been replaced over the years.


The front of the Colt Building.

* Info from New York Times

The Wandering Peacock

Westfield, MA - When in Westfield, MA, stop by The Wandering Peacock for some unique gifts. Their specialty is Nantucket Baskets made by Karen Novak the proprietor of this shop. If you want something more personal why not make one of this baskets by yourselves. They run classes to teach you how to make one of these baskets yourself. They also run other kinds of classes, art, knitting, and even fishing rod making; I took this class and now have a new fly rod I made myself.


These are some of Karen's work.


Basket Molds, Nantucket Baskets are made around these molds.


A view inside the Wandering Peacock.


Another view, go to visit, there is even more to see.

I stole this from their website Click Here ==> THE WANDERING PEACOCK <==

The Wandering Peacock is located in the Pilgrim Candle Marketplace at 16 Union Avenue in Westfield, MA 01085. We are in the same building as the Black Dog Gallery and Soups On Cafe'. The Pilgrim Candle Marketplace is conveniently located off Exit 3 of the Mass. Pike.

Go to the website to see hours, new classes, and directions.

What the....?

I took this photo of a bat on the ceiling of my new house. But for the life of me can't figure out if it is one bat, two bats, where is the head, what kind of bat. It looks like a bat wing with a black bears head sitting on it. The nose to the left, then the tan snout, and the eye is closed.

Any ideas?

Bats

I thought I better start posting on the blog before people start thinking I abandoned it. I have been lazy and have spent time posting on my other blog The Grange House. But last week I had a real reason to not post, I spent five days in the hospital with some complications from getting some kidney stones lasered out. I will also be spending next Tuesday and Wednesday in the hospital getting some more work done. So here are a few photos I posted on "The Grange House" but will work here also.


Here are two Brown Bats hanging out in my new house. There has been a disease going around called, "White Nose Syndrome" which is killing a large amount of bats in this area. Judging by these photos, I don't think these bats have this malady...at least not yet. The former owner said that he has counted 65 bats coming out of the building at one time. I have only seen three bats at a time but judging by all the guano(Bat poop), there are more than the three I saw. I can't wait until we can seal up the building and put in "Bat Tubes", devices that let the bats out but not in. There are enough places in the area they can go, old barns and such. I hope these bats have don't get this,"White Nose Syndrome". It is nice to have them around, just not in my house.


Another bat hanging out by himself.