May 31, 2011

The real Memorial Day.

This shot was taken of the window at the New Hartford Senior Center. Someone had decorated the window sill for Memorial Day. It was really pretty. Hard to photograph without getting the cars in the parking lot below!

I'm going to do FLAGS for June because June 14th is Flag Day. So I like to make the last picture of the month and the first picture of the new month have something in them from both themes. Hence the flags in the window.

May 30, 2011

The "Official" Memorial Day. We spent the afternoon at nephew Taylor's house, had a virtual family reunion by videoconference (we are spread out from Bainbridge Island WA to England!), and enjoyed perfect weather.

On our way home, we drove through New Canaan CT where I had hoped to find some nice doors and windows. This house sits up above the sidewalk by a lot; stone steps lead up to the front walk from the sidewalk below. It was late afternoon, so the sun was coming through the flag from behind. There were five flags on this porch: a standard American flag, the "Betsy Ross" flag, the British flag, and two others, including this one. Don't know what it is exactly.

I also got an awesome picture from my friend Naomi. It was taken in Winchester Center, CT. Wish I'd taken this one too. I don't get away from my beaten paths enough to find cool places like this! Thank you, Naomi!!

May 12, 2011

I just noticed that I skipped a day -- May 12th. That's what I get for posting two weeks all at once!!

This is a picture of a multi-family house in Winsted. I liked the play of shadows and the two lower windows being greenish.

May 29, 2011

I'm losing my touch with stained glass! I used to take beautiful pictures of stained glass windows, but today I just pointed my camera and clicked. I'll definitely go back and fiddle with the exposure so as to not get the blown-out light areas.

This is St. Agnes at Trinity Episcopal Church in Collinsville. She was a young virgin from a Christian family in late 3rd century Rome.  A local prefect wanted her to marry his son, but she refused, and the prefect ordered her to be put to death. In those days, a virgin was not allowed to be executed (she was only 12 or 13), so the prefect dragged her to a brothel, but none of the men were able to deflower her. She was then ordered to be burned but would not burn; eventually she was killed by the sword.

She is the patron saint of gardeners (hence the flowers) and is always depicted with a palm frond (a symbol of martyrdom) and either holding a lamb or with a lamb at her feet. The lamb (Agnus in Latin) is part of her iconography because the word is so close to Agnes.

Here is a link to another St. Agnes window I photographed in Stamford CT. http://stjohns-stamford.org/parishlife/glass/martyrs/

May 28, 2011

We drove out Route 44 this afternoon to Millerton, New York, which is a pretty little town with shops and galleries along Main Street, pretty much the only street in town.

This is one of the doors (not the central door) of the Methodist church which is the center of town.

May 27, 2011

An errand today took me to O&G in Torrington, and I looked everywhere along the way for an interesting door or window. Nothing much got my attention until I was facing this factory on Pearl St. While you'd think the place was vacant, with this much ivy obscuring the windows, there appeared to be an open garage bay and activity.

And I have another guest photographer, Nikki Deupree of Suffield. This picture makes me want to just throw all mine away! She told me where it was taken, but I don't remember. But isn't it just the BEST picture??? I wish I'd taken it! Muchas gracias, Nikki!

May 26, 2011

Spinning my wheels at home most of the day -- never got out to do anything except get the mail.

This is the Congregational Church in New Hartford, just up the street from the Post Office.