Category Archives: dogs

October 9, 2017

Great Island Common (New Castle, NH)

Date Of Visit: September 23, 2017

Location: 301 Wentworth Rd. (Route 1B), New Castle, NH, (1 hour northeast of Boston, MA, 1 hour southeast of Concord, NH)

Hours: Open daily 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Cost:

New Castle Residents:
– No admission charge if vehicle has current resident sticker.
– Residents may invite up to 25 guests at no charge – Over 25 guests, admission fees apply.
– Resident must be present for all guests.
Non-Residents:
– Admission charged from May to the end of September.
General Admission Fees
– Individuals:
0-5 yrs old free
6 to 65 years old $4.00
65 and older $2.00
Handicapped $1.00

Parking: There are about 50 or more parking spots available in the parking area

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes, seasonally (pets are not allowed in the park or on the beach from May 15 to September 15)

Website: Great Island Common

Highlights: lighthouses, beach, places to grill, pavilions

Tips:

When you enter the park, you must turn right. The parking area is at the end of the circular paved road
If you want to use a pavilion, you may have to call ahead and reserve the area

No other name than Great Common Island may be more apt for this park. Except it’s not really an island. But, it is great.

The park, with attached beach, sits on the shore of New Castle ( a small town of 968 according to their 2010 census) just outside of Portsmouth, NH). The park and beach area are only 32 acres. But what it lacks in area it makes up for in beauty and charm.

The park offers some great views of the water. It is a good place to watch the waves crash against the rocks, although the waves weren’t too strong during my visit.

Great Island Common is popular with fishing enthusiasts, boaters and the occasional bird.

You can view two lighthouses from Great Island Common.

Whaleback Lighthouse was established in 1830. The granite lighthouse that stands there now was built in 1872 and it was automated in 1963.

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, just down the road from the park, is also visible from Great Island Common. During the summer, there are open houses at the lighthouse on Sundays from mid May to late October from 1-5. Since I was visiting on a Saturday I was not able to attend the open house. Next to the lighthouse (to the left of the lighthouse in the photo above) is Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor and Fort Constitution. In the distance, past the lighthouse, you can see the foliage has just started to begin.

Wood Island Life Saving Station in Kittery, Maine, is also visible from the park. In 1827, Wood Island was given to the federal government so the U.S. Navy could build barracks. However, it would eventually be used to quarantine Spanish-American War prisoners who had Yellow Fever. It is presently not in use.

One of the biggest attractions at the park is a sculpture of a painter by an easel working on the scenic skyline.

Pretty good painting of me. It looks so life-like.

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Great Island Common is not just a park. A beach is also attached to the park.

The park is spacious for kids to play in with lots of big trees for shade.

Erected in 1984, the memorial honors all of the people of New Castle who have served the country in all wars and conflicts. Two benches sit next to the memorial, one on each side of it.

Great Island Common is dog friendly except from May 15 to September 15. Luckily, I was able to visit the week after ban ended. It was a picture perfect day with a calm breeze. So, it was a great day to bring your dog out!

Miley is a 8 year old Yorkie Poodle.

Tuck is a 6 month Cocka Poo (Cocker Spaniel & Poodle mix)

Remy (on the left) is a 10 year old Puggle and Phoebe (On the right) is a 1 and a half year old Puggle.

Jaelo (pronounced “J Lo”)is a 10 year old Puggle.

Below is a video by the shore of Great Island Common.

Posted below is a drone video of the Great Island Common area on Paul Moore’s YouTube page

6 Comments | tags: beach, birds, boats, dogs, lighthouse, New Castle, New England, new hampshire, Park, photographs, Photography, photos | posted in beach, birds, boats, dogs, lighthouse, New Castle, New England, new hampshire, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized

October 5, 2017

Mystic Seaport – Part III (Mystic, CT)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Visit: September 2, 2017

Location: 75 Greenmanville Ave. Mystic, CT

Hours: Open daily, 9:00 – 5:00 (hours may vary depending on the season)

Cost:

Adult – $28.95
Senior (ages 65+) – $26.95
Youth (ages 4-14) – $18.95
Children (3 and younger) – Free

Parking: there is a free parking lot across the street from the Seaport Museum. There is also additional parking across the street from the parking lot for overflow

Handicapped Accessible: Yes, but not all of the buildings are accessible to the handicapped. Approximately one-third of our buildings have wheelchair-accessible entrances; interior access varies. The village’s unpaved roads are generally firm and stable suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. All roads are basically level with a few slight inclines located near the Children’s Museum, Treworgy Planetarium and Membership Building. (see link below for more info)

Mystic Seaport Accessibility Guide

Dog Friendly: Yes, but they are not allowed in the buildings

Website: Mystic Seaport

Highlights: living museum with character actors, boats, replicas of historic homes, figureheads, lighthouse replica, play area for children

Tips:

For an after museum viewing treat, Mystik Village, an open area shopping mall is a mere.9 miles away on Coogan Blvd
the museum’s main parking lot can fill up quickly if you don’t get there early. Additional parking can be found in the lots off Rossie St on the other side of the main parking lot

In my previous posts about Mystic Seaport, I shown you the figureheads and the ships and boats of Mystic Seaport.

In this final installment, part three, I am going to focus on some of the buildings and historical items at the museum. I hope you enjoy!

The first exhibit room at the Thompson Exhibition Hall has many interactive exhibits and artifacts and exhibits from a bygone era.

The first interactive exhibit is called “Sea States.” At this exhibit, you can watch video of the water from calm

to blustery

and every other weather condition you can think of.

In the Thompson Building is a very large room packed with lots of historical items. And many of these exhibits and items have interactive devices that give more information and historical context to the items.

These carved etchings were made on teeth and bones of whales.

People may think captains and other sailors were not attached to their families, being away from them for so long and because of traditional family dynamics. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Sailors seemed to have a very strong connection to their families, especially their children.

Pictured below are a glove box, photo of Captain Richard Columbus Mears and his Nellie, his daughter (Nellie Goodsell Mears Van Valkenburgh) and some wood carvings he made.

Captain Mears, born in Accomack County, Virginia in 1829, was a merchant ship captain based mainly out of New York.

The black and gold item on the left is a glove box that Captain Mears sent to Nellie for her 13th birthday. Believe it or not before plastics were invented people made these objects out of turtle shell. This particular glove box was made out of a hawksbill turtle shell.

The photo next to the glove box is a photo of Captain Mears with Nellie. To the right of the display are wood carvings by Captain Mears. The napkin ring, also carved by Captain Mears has the letters N E L L I E with a heart next to it.

This crib also has turtle shell in its design. In the second photo you can see the turtle shell reflected in the mirror under the crib.

Most museums do not want you to touch their exhibits. But, the Seaport Museum has this replica of a turtle for people to touch to see what they felt like that. It was smooth and silky. I want one. A real one.

This bed from that era, pictured below, had some interesting designs on it.

These carvings are miniature figureheads. They are models of life sized figureheads that adorned ships of those days.

There are also several models of boats from the earlier days of the seaport.

Nikki McClure’s book To Market, To Market was on display at the Mallory Building. McClure, a papercut artist based out of Olympia, Washington, is an author and illustrator who mainly writes children’s books with an environmental theme. I love her art!

The were other works of art from her books Waiting For High Tide and Life In Balance.

I liked these pieces from her exhibit best.

I also loved the educational historical buildings with the re-enactors. The people in these buildings are very knowledgeable and friendly.

In this building, The Cooperage, coopers (barrel makers) were making barrels. The old fashioned way.

This is the Nautical Instruments Shop. They have many clocks and timepieces as well as nautical devices such as compasses in this building.

The Mystic Print Shop is a true to life replica of the print shops of the 1800’s. If you look closely at the photos in the corner, you will see how the template or blocks on the metal pad match up with the words on the printed sheets.

The people at the Shipsmith Shop and Hoop Shop reenact ship and mast builders.

There is also a replica of a lighthouse that you can enter. A short documentary plays on a loop in the lighthouse.

There are also several shops that are replicas of the buildings of the 1800’s.

The Geo. H. Stone & Co store is a replica of the stores of the time.

Of course no living history museum would be complete with a school house.

The drug store had some interesting remedies of the time.

The Seamen’s Friend Society was a place the seamen could go to read, learn to read or have a book read to them. Since sailors spent a lot of time at sea and began working at a very early age sometimes they were not literate. They came to places like to be tutored or just to have someone read to them.

Formerly located in Saybrook, Connecticut, the Buckingham-Hall House is a two story building with two bedrooms and several sitting and family rooms. Being self-sufficient people, there was also a sewing and quilting area with a variety of fibers. The house was owned by William Hall Jr., from the estate of Samuel Buckingham. I love how they used to design the windows in those days. They weren’t big as many windows are these days. But, they were much more fancy and, despite their small size, allowed for a good amount of light. There was also an open hearth cooking demonstration in the kitchen during my visit.

One of the other homes at the Seaport Museum is the Thomas Greenman House. The house was originally built for Thomas and Charlotte Greenman in 1942. THomas Greenman was originally from Westerly, Rhode Island but made his way to Mystic later in his life.

The kitchen and the second floor are not accessible to visitors. But the rooms on the first floor are decorated and furnished in the Victorian style of the 1870’s. I always think I want to live in these types of houses because of their ornate designs and their charm. Then I realize just how oppressive it must have been during the hot summers and frigid winters. Not to mention they didn’t even have WI-FI.

The Burrows House is a very small home, yet almost as big as my apartment, that stands as an example of many of the homes of that era. The house, which is said to have been built between 1805 and 1925, was the home of storekeeper Seth Winthrop Burrows and his milliner wife, Jane. That is some tight stairwell.

The Stillman Building has a variety of interactive displays and historical items collected over the years of the seaport’s history. My favorite part of their exhibits in this building are the notes children wrote about whales and the sea.

This timepiece, found by the children’s play area, acts like a sundial and gives precise times throughout the day. But, people seemed more interesting in using it for coat and backpack storage. I was tempted to check out that boat there.

Lastly, the walkways to the different buildings is level and handicapped accessible (although some of the older historic buildings are not). And there are lots of pretty views along the way. I love the old pumper, which had to be moved manually.

Mystic Seaport is a dog friendly museum (although they are not allowed in the buildings). These two cute curly dogs were hanging out by the bench with their guardians.

Fuzzy (the white dog on on the left) is a 4 year old female Goldendoodle.

C-Doo (short for Colossus of Doodle), on the right, is a 1 year old Goldendoodle

8 Comments | tags: connecticut, dogs, historic, mystic, Mystic Seaport, New England, photographs, Photography, photos | posted in connecticut, dogs, historical, mystic, Mystic Seaport, New England, photographs, photography, photos, ships, Uncategorized

October 1, 2017

Mystic Seaport – Part II (Mystic, CT)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Visit: September 2, 2017

Location: 75 Greenmanville Ave. Mystic, CT

Hours: Open daily, 9:00 – 5:00 (hours may vary depending on the season)

Cost:

Adult – $28.95
Senior (ages 65+) – $26.95
Youth (ages 4-14) – $18.95
Children (3 and younger) – Free

Parking: there is a free parking lot across the street from the Seaport Museum. There is also additional parking across the street from the parking lot for overflow

Mystic Seaport Accessibility Guide

Dog Friendly: Yes, but they are not allowed in the buildings

Website: Mystic Seaport

Highlights: living museum with character actors, boats, replicas of historic homes, figureheads, lighthouse replica, play area for children

Tips:

For an after museum viewing treat, Mystik Village, an open area shopping mall is a mere.9 miles away on Coogan Blvd
the museum’s main parking lot can fill up quickly if you don’t get there early. Additional parking can be found in the lots off Rossie St on the other side of the main parking lot

In part I of my blog posts about Mystic Seaport I showed you all of the figureheads and some other decorations and statues at the Seaport Museum. Since there were so many interesting things to see and photograph there, I decided to break the blog post into two or three installments . In this installment I will include photos of the boats and ships from the Seaport Museum (it is a seaport museum after all). I hope you enjoy!

The ship pictured above and the staple of the Seaport Museum is the Charles W. Morgan, the last of an American whaling fleet that once numbered more than 2,700 vessels. The Morgan, built and launched in 1841, is presently America’s oldest commercial ship still afloat. In fact, it is only second to “Old Ironsides”, the USS Constitution, in terms of age. It’s also very hard to fit the entire vessel in the frame of your camera’s view.

As I travel all over New England, I have become more aware of how all of the states in this region are interconnected. Evidence of this is how the Morgan was launched in 1841 in the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, an area that enjoys a prominent role in American fishing and whaling history.

Clocking in at 106 feet, 11 inches in length on deck and a beam measuring 27 feet, 9 inches, the Morgan was and still is one of the larger vessels in the New England area. Her main truck is 110 feet above the deck and fully-rigged, and her sail measures in at 7,134 square feet.

But, lest you think the Seaport Museum is a one trick pony, there are lots of other sea worthy watercraft at the museum.

The Calypso stretches 23′ in length with a 7’4” beam with a 2’5″ centerboard up. It is made of fiberglass in an old French wooden boat design. Built in 2004 at Latitude 46 Yachts, Ile de Re, France, the Calypso has a 9 horsepower Yanmar diesel engine. Yeah I don’t know what that means either.

Calypso spent a decade racing and day-sailing along the South Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers in New Jersey. After being damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the boat was fully restored. The boat is on exhibit and used for museum programs.

Designed by Nathanael G. Herreshoff, Aida was built in 1926 by Herreshoff Manufacturing Co in Bristol, Rhode Island. Aida measures out to 33’6″ in length with a beam of 9’2″ and it has a draft of 3’1″.

Aida was owned by author Maynard Bray who used it to sail the waters of Maine. She is planked with Longleaf yellow pine and Douglas fir and is framed with white oak. She is fastened with bronze. She is available for charter.

While there are other boats both on exhibit and available for charter, some of them were not available for photography. I did find this Smallboat Exhibit.

Originally launched as George Stage, the Joseph Conrad, an iron hulled sailing ship, is also docked at the Seaport Museum. She served as a training ship for American and Denmark sailors, separately, and has been used as a yacht in the past. She 100’8″ on her deck, her bean is 25’3″ and her draft is 12′.

They were raising her sails when I began photographing the vessel.

Speaking of figureheads and masts, check out the figurehead on the Joseph Conrad.

You never know what you’ll see at the museum. Randomly, a man who works at the museum began singing on this boat.

This boiler is from an old ship that was once sea worthy.

There is also a replica of a Verande which was used in the planning of a much longer Viking longship. The Verande would be sea tested by towing, rowing and sailing to test its seaworthiness, ease of handling, safety and speed.

In the Stillman Building, there is a replica of a captain’s quarters for the 1883 ship Benjamin F. Packard. It felt pretty cool being able to access the living quarters of a captain without actually having to go out on a boat.

It looks cozy for sure. The articles in the last photo are the figurehead, a billethead, and some of the other items that would be on the ship.

This concludes the ships and boats installment of my blog posts from Mystic Seaport. Next, I will post about the buildings and some of the historical items on exhibit at the museum. Thank you for reading!

Outside of the Stillman Building, I saw these two adorable Longhaired Dachshunds.

Clair is on the left and Chloe is on the right.

12 Comments | tags: boats, connecticut, dogs, museum, mystic, Mystic Seaport, New England, photographs, Photography, photos, ships, vessels | posted in boats, connecticut, dogs, mystic, Mystic Seaport, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized

October 1, 2017

Mystic Seaport – Part I (Mystic, CT)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Visit: September 2, 2017

Location: 75 Greenmanville Ave. Mystic, CT

Hours: Open daily, 9:00 – 5:00 (hours may vary depending on the season)

Cost:

Adult – $28.95
Senior (ages 65+) – $26.95
Youth (ages 4-14) – $18.95
Children (3 and younger) – Free

Parking: there is a free parking lot across the street from the Seaport Museum. There is also additional parking across the street from the parking lot for overflow

Mystic Seaport Accessibility Guide

Dog Friendly: Yes, but they are not allowed in the buildings

Website: Mystic Seaport

Highlights: living museum with character actors, boats, replicas of historic homes, figureheads, lighthouse replica, play area for children

Tips:

For an after museum viewing treat, Mystik Village, an open area shopping mall is a mere.9 miles away on Coogan Blvd
the museum’s main parking lot can fill up quickly if you don’t get there early. Additional parking can be found in the lots off Rossie St on the other side of the main parking lot

Once a major seaport, Mystic Seaport no longer functions as the busy hub of commerce and fishing or transportation. But, they have preserved some of the historical atmosphere while still incorporating modern technology.

Since Mystic Seaport is such a big attraction, I am posting my blog posts in three or possibly four installments. My first installment deals with the Viking ship display which was being featured at the museum as well as the figureheads, decorations and other sculptures at the museum.

During my visit, there was a Viking ship docked at the museum. Tours were being provided for a small charge.

By far, my favorite part of the museum is the figurehead museum. The dimly lit room, which made photography challenging, in the Wendel Building added to the mystique of these treasured works of art.

This scroll billethead figurehead is the oldest one in the museum. Many ships used these billetheads in lieu of figureheads because they were easier to carve and less expensive than the full sized figureheads.

There are several other figureheads in the museum which stood out to me.

This scary cat timber was used while lifting the anchor and keep it away from the ship so it would not damage the vessel.

Most of the figureheads are of people, though.

This figure titles Woman With A Comb. Although it’s hard to tell when some of these figureheads were made, it appears this figurehead was made during the 1820’s. This figurehead shows a hairstyle and clothing style that was popular during the 1820’s. Unlike some of the figureheads you may have seen previously where the figurehead leans forward and under the bowspirit, this figurehead stands upright, which was common until the 1840’s when they changed to the design that leans forward.

Woman With Roses has an interesting historical background. This figureheads, which resembles a portrait more than an actual figurehead, was originally called Belva Lockwood when it first came to the seaport museum. Belva Ann Bennet Lockwood, who this figurehead resembles, was a leader in the women’s suffrage movement during the late 1800’s. She was nominated for President of the United States in 1884 and 1888. Despite her historical significance and the likelihood that a ship would have been named after her, there are no records that show her name on any vessel.

Donald McKay is a figurehead made for the 1855 clipper ship Donald McKay. Named and designed after the famous ship builder and designer Donald McKay, this figurehead was broken off its vessel and stood unprotected, outdoors in the Cape Verdes islands off the coast of Africa. It was restored and repainted but it still shows the effects of being exposed to the conditions. The first figurehead for the vessel was lost at sea and this figurehead which replaced the original one was believed to have been carved by the ship’s carpenter while the ship was out at sea.

Seminole decorated the ship vessel of the same name for over 40 years. The figurehead, which was built by Maxon Fish & Co in 1865 in Mystic, CT, is believed to have been carved by James N. Colby and James Campbell. Colby and Campbell were prominent ship and sign carvers and decorators in the Mystic area from the 1850’s until 1877. Seminole, an offshoot of the Creek Confederation, means “separatist” or “runaway.”

Seminole carried cargo from New York to San Francisco and vice versa for over 20 years. It was captained by another Mystic, CT, native Joseph Warren Holmes. Holmes would go on to make 84 passes by Cape Horn, a record among captains at that time. Eventually, the Seminole ended up in the west coast lumber trade and was finally broken up at Port Adelaide, Australia, in 1904. The figurehead was salvaged and, 50 years later, Mystic Seaport acquired it.

Magdalena is the largest figure of the collection. Magdalena once adorned the bow of the 421 feet long British Royal Mail steam packet Magdalena which launched in 1889 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Iolanda is considered the second figurehead for the steam yacht of the same name. The industrialist Morton F. Plant of New York and Groton, Connecticut, had this figurehead adorned to his yacht when he made his 33,000 mile voyage to India, China, Japan and the Mediterranean.

After Plant, the figurehead had many more owners including a Russian Princess and the British Navy where she saw service in both World Wars.

The figured pictured above called Aleppo could not be identified since there are no records or photographs to match it to any vessel. I find this makes the figureheads even more mysterious and interesting.

This figurehead once adorned the Rhine shipping vessel which was built in Scotland in 1886. The harp and caduceus necklace are said to portray her as a classical figure rather than a portrait or national symbol. It is typical of the British sail and steam vessels of the late 19th century.

The Rhine transported laborers from India and China, jute from Calcutta and lumber from Boston. After being damaged by a fire after World War I, she was sold to a junk dealer for $925. Shen then became a barge in New York.

This ghost-like carving called White Lady is not a figurehead, despite its strikingly similarities to other figureheads. One of the reasons the museum was able to determine it is more likely a decoration or sign are because the posture is too erect. Figureheads were carved to fit the curving shape of the vessel’s bow. Another reason this was not a figurehead is that her outstretched arm would have been particularly vulnerable to damage at sea. Also, her elaborate scrollwork base is very unusual for a figurehead. Lastly, there is no evidence of the wooden or iron fastenings that would typically have held the carving to a ship’s bow. You know, the obvious reasons.

Cover your eyes! This unidentified figurehead which has been named Women With Goblet by the museum is said to have been the victim of well intentioned but overdone restoration. The flowers around the bae were reconstructed and the outstretched right arm with the goblet is not original. Typically, carvers made the arms close to the body because it reduced the possibility of damage by the sea.

This figured, The Great Admiral, was craved in the honor of and dedicated to Admiral David G. Farragut. Farragut was an Admiral in the United States Navy during the Civil War. In 1869, a new clipper ship, The Great Admiral, was commissioned in his honor with this figured on the bow.

The figurehead was eventually salvaged after the ship was wrecked off the coast of Oregon in 1906 and it eventually made its way all the way to Mystic.

Woman With Beads was carved in the classical British figurehead style. It is said to represent one of Victorian England’s literary or historic characters.

Abigail is believed to have been carved for the vessel of the same name which was named after the ship’s owner’s wide, Abigail Chandler. The figurehead was found after the ship crashed along the coast of Massachusetts in 1817.

Great Republic once adorned the largest American ship of its day, if only for a few weeks. This figurehead was once on Donald McKay’s clipper ship The Great Republic. Built in 1853, the 335 feet long The Great Republic is the largest cargo ship ever built in the United States.

The eagle, which was carved by S.W. Gleason & Sons of Boston, was on the ship for a few weeks when the ship was damaged by a fire. The eagle was then removed and kept by Captain Nathaniel Palmer of Stonington, CT. Captain Palmer had the burned out hull of The Great Republic removed and built into a smaller ship. A new bow carving was replaced on The Great Republic when it was repaired.

This bust of a woman is believed to be from the mid 19th century. Although it is not clear who the woman is portrayed in this bust, it is most likely a wife, girlfriend or relative of a captain or ship builder.

The Gray Man is a bust of a man from around the 1830’s. It really isn’t a bust. It was originally a figurehead on a ship. However, after it was removed from its original vessel, it was painted blue-gray and the base was altered which makes it look more like a marble statue than a figurehead

This carved gold leafed pine eagle pictured above is believed to be carved by William Rush but this claim has yet to be verified.

While this eagle with its arms extended may have been originally intended to be posted on the flat transom at the stern of the ship, it is also very similar to the décor on public buildings during the 1800’s. It is something that looks familiar to me as I have noticed decorations and sculptures like this on or inside older buildings while visiting the historic homes and area of New England.

This carving of a mountain sunrise, Mt Washington Lunette once adorned the steamship The Mount Washington, a steamship on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. This fan-shaped panel, called a lunette, was located at the center of one of the boxes that covered the steamboat’s paddle wheels. The half round paddle boxes served two purposes. They helped to protect the wheels from damage while shielding passengers from the turning wheels as well as the water that was thrown up by their blades.

There are other statues and decorations scattered through out the living museum.

These sculptures above, I believe of a sea mammal, were located outside one of the buildings.

This horsehead, located outside one of the historical homes, may have been used to tie the reigns of your horse.

This outdated statue was located outside a cigar and supply shop. It is displayed, I am sure, simply to give an accurate display of what the shops at that time looked like. The craftsmanship is impressive regardless.

The Carver’s Shop is one of the shops replicated to show how statues and other carvings were made and sold. The carving in the last photo (bottom right) may look similar to the cat carving at the figurehead museum.

These are two other cute decorations I noticed at the museum during my visit.

There were several dogs at the museum. Who knew dogs were so fond of the sea?

Since I am posting these blog posts as a series, I will post one set of photos for each dog or group of dogs I saw there.

I saw Brandi (On the left) and Colby (on the right) sitting by a bench with their guardian before I entered the museum. They are both 6 year old Chihuahua and Japanese Chin mix breeds.

See you soon with the next installment from my visit here!

Below is a short video of the figureheads and the restoration of figureheads from Mystic Seaport’s website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UkyhURU_F0

10 Comments | tags: carvings, connecticut, dogs, figureheads, Historical, museum, mystic, New England, photographs, Photography, photos | posted in boats, connecticut, dogs, historical, museum, mystic, Mystic Seaport, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized

September 24, 2017

Stratton Brooks State Park (Simsbury, CT)

By New England Nomad

***WordPress ate my original post (either that or I goofed up). So, I have reposted my blog post. Thank you for reading!***

Date Of Visit: September 9, 2017

Location: 149 Farms Village Road (Route 309), Simsbury, CT

Hours: open daily, sunrise to sunset

Cost: On weekends and holidays, admission tot he park costs $9 for residents of Simsbury and $15 for non residents. There is no charge during weekdays and during the off season.

Parking: There are a few parking areas with ample parking

Trail Size/Difficulty: The main hiking and biking trail is 1.2 miles (2.4 round trip). The trail is easy.

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes
Website: Stratton Brooks State Park

Map: Stratton Brooks State Park Map

Highlights: trails, covered bridge, beach, lake, swimming, fishing, cycling trails

Tips:

admission to the park is free during the weekdays and after Labor Day (or at least it was free during my visit the week after Labor Day)
Stratton Brooks is considered the first “completely wheelchair accessible” park in Connecticut
The nature center is open on certain days (it was closed during my visit)

There’s a reason why the Connecticut tourism website calls September the “second summer.” With the last vestiges of summer lingering and the sparks of autumn blooming, this is perhaps the best time of the year to visit the parks and attractions of New England.

The trails at Stratton Brooks are easy and level with hardly any inclines. The main trail goes past some residential homes. So, it’s important to stay on the trail.

Brooks Stratton, originally called Massacoe State Forest, was originally used to demonstrate forest fire control adjacent to railroads. The railroad tracks have since been replaced by a biking and hiking trail. White pines line the main hiking trail.

The covered bridge at the park was built in 1985, spans 45″. It offers pretty views of Stratton Brook.

The beach at the park is a popular destination during hot summer days. It has a decent sized beach area and enough room for everyone to splash around.

In 1996, this park became Connecticut’s first state park that is completely accessible by wheelchair. But, I think some areas, such as the main hiking trail which can be rocky and the beach area, may be hard to maneuver around.

Besides hiking, cycling, running and swimming, the park also offers an area for fishing, trout is the main fish people catch. During the winter ice fishing, cross country skiing, snow shoeing and ice skating are popular activities at the park. Besides the trout that swim in the pond, there are other inhabitants of the pond such as ducks and a few frogs.

There is lots of room for dogs to roam around and play. I saw quite a few cute dogs during my visit at Stratton Brooks.

Adisson is a playful one and a half year old Terrier mix,

Juju (short for Jujube) is a Chihuahua mix. Fun fact: Juju doesn’t care for other dogs but she likes cats and people!

Sage is a rescue dog. His guardian wasn’t sure what his breed or age is. But, he’s a sweetheart!

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6 Comments | tags: beach, bridge, connecticut, dogs, New England, Park, photographs, Photography, photos, Simsbury, Stratton Brooks State Park, trails | posted in connecticut, dogs, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Simsbury, Stratton Brooks State Park, Uncategorized

September 17, 2017

Granby D.O.G.G.S. Park (Salmon Brook Park, Granby, CT)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Visit: September 10, 2017

Location: Salmon Brook Park, 215 Salmon Brook Street Granby, CT (20 minutes northwest of Hartford, CT)

Cost: Free

Hours: open daily, sunrise to sunset

Parking: There are several parking areas. The best place to park for the dog park is behind the big soccer field at the end of the road at the main entrance.

Highlights: table, chairs and bench, 1 acre for the dogs to play in, water source, two entrances/exits, double gated entrance

Website: Granby D.O.G.G.S. Park

Tips:

each visitor is allowed to bring 3 dogs each visit
No children under 8 are allowed in the dog park
The dog park is located in Salmon Brook Park

The D.O.G.G.S. part of Granby D.O.G.G.S. Park may stand for Dog Owners of Granby Getting Social. But, it seems like the dogs that tend to get social there!

The one acre park, which has been open since November of 2005, has tables, chairs and a bench for dog sitter and guardians to sit and lovingly watch their dogs. The park also has toys and a water source. While dogs are allowed off leach at the park, they must be able to follow voice commands.

The large park, which has mulch over most of the park, gives dogs of all shapes and sizes lots of room to roam and chase each other and trees to play hide and seek.

During my visit to the dog park, there was a “Canine Swim” fund raiser at the pond in Salmon Brook Park, just a short walk from the dog park.

A $10 fee was charged for each dog that wanted to play in the water at the pond. The funds were being raised to put toward maintenance of the dog park.

The dogs loved running around and into the pond.

Some of the many beautiful dogs I met at the dog park and fundraiser are shown below:

Roxy is a 12 year old mixed breed. She is a therapy dog who likes to visit children, the elderly and anyone else who needs a little “dog therapy.”

Cooper is a 7 month old Boston Terrier. Cooper has complete heterochromia; he has two different colored eyes (his left eye is blue, his right eye is brown).

Gabe is a Great Pyrenees. His guardian wasn’t sure what his age was exactly. He and his parents found him on the side of the road and decided to take him in.

Heidi is an 8 year old Golden Retriever. She loves to “retrieve”. Get it!?

Molly the is a 5 year old Collie.

The aptly named Bear is a one and half year old Newfoundland.

From left to right, Ruby (named after Ruby Tuesday) is a 3 year old Saint Bernard. Her brother, Ollie (named after Olive Garden) is a 2 year old Saint Bernard. Anybody else getting hungry for lunch?

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Today’s featured link is a blog post by Out And About Mom about Salmon Brook Park, where the dog park is located. I have featured Out And About Mom on my blog before. She tends to blog about Connecticut attractions exclusively and she does a great job in her posts. Her post about the playground area at the park can be found here.

6 Comments | tags: Canine Swim, connecticut, dogs, Granby, Granby D.O.G.G.S. Park, New England, photographs, Photography, photos | posted in Canine Swim, connecticut, dog, dog park, dogs, Granby, Granby D.O.G.G.S. Park, New England, Salmon Brook Park, Uncategorized

September 15, 2017

Ogunquit Dog Park (Ogunquit, ME)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Visit: August 25, 2017

Location: Spring Hill Rd, off Berwick Rd., Ogunquit, ME

Hours: Open daily, dusk to dawn

Parking: There is room for about 4 or 5 cars by the entrance with additional parking on the side of the road to the park.

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Highlights: spacious park for dogs to play, kiddie pool, balls to throw, seating

Tips:

The park is located on a side road (Spring Hill Rd) with no other businesses or buildings, so there is ample parking on the side of the road if you can’t find a spot in the main parking area
I had some difficulty finding the park. The website says to use this in your GPS as the address: 323 Berwick Rd. Ogunquit. You will see a sign on Berwick Rd for the park. It is the turn after Meadow Lane if you are coming from the east. Or, if you are coming from the west and you see Meadow Lane you have gone too far.

Website: Ogunquit Dog Park

Since its opening on January 15, 2011, Ogunquit Dog Park has been a play land for dogs of all breeds. But, it may be it’s hidden history and a very special dog that makes the park so special.

Ogunquit Dog Park is spacious enough for lots of dogs to run around and play. There are also benches and chairs to sit at while your dog enjoys the park. And, of course, trees.

The one acre park is has a pool, shed, hydrant and tennis balls to throw to the dogs. The shed at the entrance was built by the students at the local vocational high school in Wells, Maine. The wood shavings on the ground give the park a pretty look.

Perhaps the highlight of the park is the memorial to Perkins, and all beloved dogs, that is set up inconspicuously near the center of the park by a tree.

After Perkins, a golden retriever who used to frequent the park, passed away on Monday, October 26th, 2015, the pet’s guardian (Martin) and some other people came together to set up a memorial for him. Perkins, whose “nana” worked in Perkins Cove, used to act as the “greeter” standing outside the door greeting customers and being cute. Eventually, Perkins’ dad would decided to look into opening the park. And, from there, the idea began to snowball. There is also a note from the dog’s guardian and some photos of him. I wish I could have met him.

For safety purposes during entry and exit of the park, the dog park is fully fenced with double gates. There is a separate section for small dogs and a small trail to thee side of the park. Water that is piped in from a 3 year old, 600 foot deep well at the Transfer Station is available from April 1 to mid-November. Also, the area is sprayed for ticks every 2 months with an organic solution.

There was a steady flow of four legged visitors during my visit.

Ruby is a 7 year old Wheaton Terrier. She also played an instrumental role in the opening of the dog park as she helped pull the yellow ribbon on the gate of the park to formally open the park.

Dice is an 11 month old Husky and Blue Heeler. If you look closely, you may notice he has one brown eye and one blue eye.

Drisky is 7 months old. Love his white socks!

Delaney is a mixed breed from South Carolina.

Rudy, the brown and white dog in the photos above, is a 9 year old Brittany Spaniel.

Today’s New England related link of the day is a poem dedicated to Perkins written by Richard W. Perkins:

Farewell Dear Friends

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6 Comments | tags: dogs, Maine, New England, Ogunquit, Ogunquit Dog Park, photographs, Photography, photos | posted in dogs, Maine, New England, Ogunquint Dog Park, Ogunquit, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized

September 10, 2017

ICA-Part II (Boston, MA)

By New England Nomad

*This is Part II of my 2 part series about the ICA Museum in Boston, MA. To view the first part please click here*

In addition to the works of Nari Ward, the ICA displayed art exhibits from a variety of other artists. One of these artists is Dana Shutz’s.

Dana, an American artist based out of Brooklyn, is widely known for injecting humor into her gestural paintings. She has studied art extensively , even studying abroad at the Norwich School of Art and Design in Norwich, England. While not all of her work had a description of their meaning or intent, I think many of them are fairly self-explanatory or, at the least, left to our own interpretation.

Elevator On Canvas, 2017, oil on canvas. This work is part of a series of paintings of an imagined struggle between larger than life figures and giant insects glimpsed between the gleaming doors of an elevator. Besides addressing people’s claustrophobia, the art may speak to the current heated debate, inner struggles or struggle for attention within the public arena.

Conflict, 2017, oil on canvas. This work portrays a quarrel, possibly between lovers, The couple in the painting are both embracing and fighting at the same time.

To Have A Head, 2017, oil on canvas.

Shame, 2017, oil on canvas.

Shaking Out The Bed, 2015, oil on canvas. This 18 foot wide canvas recalls the Western tradition of history painting. This painting differs from most history paintings in that it does not highlight noteworthy men and women in our history. Rather, her painting consists of everyday items that revolve around people in bed. All of the things we use and, dare I say, rely upon on a daily basis. A calendar, an alarm clock, day old pizza (a must) and a glass of water are some of the items Dana included in her painting. Dana said she “wanted the whole painting to feel like a book that was being opened, like you were shaking out of bed and all of the objects contained within are falling and suspended in front of the scene.” She went on to say she wanted to convey the feeling that “you just missed the alarm and the world is coming back to you in pieces.”

Flasher, 2012, oil on canvas.

In addition to Shutz’s work, there were a number of other artist’s work being displayed at the ICA.

Trace, 1980, by Nancy Graves made of bronze, steel, polychromed patina and paint. Trace depicts a dynamic, wind-blown tree with its bright-green forked trunk rising from a red and brown ground and curving toward the top. The amorphous crown of leaves is composed of layered, multicolored sheets of steel grating punctuated with geometric lines and grids. Graves likes to inject nature and the natural world into her works.

Hidden Relief, 2001, by Sarah Sze made of a halogen work lamp on tripod stand, rulers, spring clamps, levels, plastic, styrofoam, bamboo, toothpicks, branches, bottle caps, string, artificial plants, artificial moss, T-square, Alligator clamps, T-pins, cotton swabs, pushpins, dried plants, paint and glass (or pretty much everything but the kitchen sink).

Sarah uses everyday items, like the items included in this display, to create site-specific sculptures and installations that take on the character of landscapes, architecture and improvisational systems. She used a sample palette of white, orange, yellow, blue and black throughout the work which is brightened by work lights. Sarah also drew diagram-like lines using pins and string in this work of art.

Depose II by Keith Sonnier made of nylon sailcloth, metal. This inflatable design balanced a ready made aesthetic with painted geometric elements. The inflatable part of the sculpture assumes an anthropomorphic form that, when mixed with air from the blower, suggests a living being. Initially a limp sack, the sculpture must breathe and expand to assume its final form. The title references the act of being deposed, wherein a person is required to give oral out-of-court testimony. The person being deposed is often asked exceedingly personal questions. Perhaps the pinched or pressed inflatable alludes to the feeling of duress that might arise from having to tell the truth in a compromising situation.

Untitled (Topanga, CA, Umbrella 17) by Sam Falls made of nylon. Untitled displays the fabric of an umbrella without the support and pinned to the wall. Sam exposed some of the umbrella’s nylon panels in the California sun for a prolonged period of time. Then, he interspersed the faded panels with panels that had been kept out of the sun causing a contrast in the colors of the sculpture. Sam’s work of art invites speculation about the elements of time and change in art and nature.

The intermediate-Inceptive Sphere, 2016, by Haegue Yank made of artificial straw, steel stand, powder coating, artificial plants, artificial fruits, plastic twine, Indian bells and casters.

The Intermediate-Inceptive Sphere is an anthropomorphic sculpture that belongs to a series of woven straw works titled The Intermediates. The sculpture is adorned with items such as bells that are meant to hang from the necks of cows in India and Korean bridal headpieces. The work of art also invokes Asian folk cultures, shamanic figures and their rituals. Haegue used plastic straw to foreground the tension between the organic and synthetic in contemporary life.

Ashes, 2017, is a video by acclaimed director Steve McQueen.

Ashes presents footage on two sides of a freestanding screen. One of the sides, originally shot on soft, grainy Super 8 film, shows a young, carefree fisherman named Ashes balancing playfully on a boat. The other side shows a second projection, shot in 16 mm film, that shows Ashes’s unexpected fate. The videos conjure an easy vitality and a vivid description of place against the darker forces of society and fate.

The last, but not least, attraction at the museum is the view. Full length glass windows give stunning views of Boston Harbor. I bet it must be spectacular during sunsets.

On the way to the train station, we met these dogs taking a stroll along the boardwalk at Fort Port Channel.

Emmerson, a 13 year old Shetland, was very comfortable in his stroller

Archie, a 10 year old Yorkie peeking out from behind Emmerson, decided to get out and walk around.

There were also some pretty views of Boston at night along the way.

Today’s featured blogger is The Culture Club. The Culture Club visited the ICA recently. I thought his post would be a good companion to my post since he may have photographed pieces I may have missed or weren’t on display when I visited the museum. You can find his post here. The Culture does reviews, writes about music and entertainment and he’s got a cute dog!

5 Comments | tags: art, Boston, dogs, ICA, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, Photography, photos | posted in art, Boston, dogs, ICA, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized

September 10, 2017

ICA-Part I (Boston, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Visit: August 25, 2017

Location: 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA

Hours:

Tuesday + Wednesday: 10 AM – 5 PM
Thursday + Friday*: 10 AM – 9 PM
*First Friday of every month: 10 AM – 5 PM
Saturday + Sunday: 10 AM – 5 PM

Closed Mondays, except on the following national holidays, when admission is FREE for all: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day.

Closed on Patriot’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Cost:

General Admission: $15
Seniors: $13
Students: $10
Youth 17 and under: FREE

Admission is FREE for all eve

Parking:There are several parking options that are listed at their ICA parking info

Highlights: creative art displays, info sessions about the art

Tips:

parking is very limited in this area. The museum recommends using public transportation.
The museum only has art on the 1st and 4th floors of the building (mostly the 4th floor)

Website: ICA

*I had to split this post into two parts, as it was too big for WordPress to save. Part I of this post will center upon the works of the featured artist Nari Ward. The second part of this post will focus on some of the other art at the museum. I have also included half of the number of the cute dogs I photographed during this visit*

Always at the intersection of art and social issues, he ICA (The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston) recently highlighted the works of an artist who uses his art to make various statements about our social, economic and political climate. Even if you may not agree with or see his points of view, I am sure you will enjoy his artistic aptitude.

During my visit, Jamaican and American Nari Ward’s work was being featured in his “Sun Splashed” exhibit at the museum.

Sunsplashed, 2015, is the centerpiece of the art exhibit. The second work of art is called, Scandal Bag: History Feeds Mistrust.

Nardi, born in 1963 in Jamaica and currently based in New York City, uses everyday items to create works of art that play on the history, economy and social issues surrounding his environment. He also embraces cultural diversity.

Nari uses wood, metal, iron and other materials with everyday items such as soda bottles. Nari hits on some hot button issues such as migration, citizenship and economic disparity in his works.

One of the things that struck me about these works of art is the thought and creativity that went behind all of them.

The We The People exhibit by Nari Ward was one of the main works of art at the ICA. In fact, many of his works of art are being featured

If you look very closely, you may notice it is not written in ink. Rather, it is spelled out in artistic dangling shoelaces. This exhibit was being displayed a block away from the museum. It surely created a lot of interest and lured in quite a few visitors eager to learn more about Nari’s works of art.

Below are Nari’s works of art that were being displayed with a brief description and explanation of their meaning. Sadly, his art is no longer there as the exhibit’s last day was September 3. The first work of art is rather unconventional. But, it was very interesting.

Jacuzzi Bed by Nari Ward is made of headboards arranged around heating lamps and fans. The work of art is meant to produce an approximation of the Caribbean breeze. The name is meant to conjure association with pleasure and comfort. Nari says the work conveys his sense of nostalgic displacement.

Sky Juice, 1993, is made of an umbrella, iron fence, plastic soda bottles, photographs, Tropical Fantasy soda and sugar. The soda bottles, hanging from the umbrella, have photos inside of them. His goal was to create a work of art with disparate things from everyday life to create a work of art everyone can relate to. “Sky Juice” is the name of a Bahamian drink made from coconut milk and gin (yum).

During my visit, one of the museum guides led an open discussion about the work of art where visitors and she discussed the deeper meaning of the work of art and what the work of art means to them. She did this several different works of art during my visit.

Mango Tourist, 2011, by Nari, are “snowman-like” sculptures are made of burnt foam spheres that he decorated with mango seeds and small electrical parts. The small capacitors bear traces of the economic and industrial history of New England and of course the snowmen are a staple of our winters. The organic mango seeds resonate with his memories of Jamaica.

Happy Smilers: Duty Free Shopping, 1996, by Nari is made of awning, plastic soda bottles, fire hose, a fire escape, salt, sand, household elements, an audio recording, speakers and an aloe vera plant. Party music and background conversation from the speakers gave the display a feeling of sitting on a fire escape on a hot summer night.

This exhibit was inspired by a candy store not far from where he lives in Harlem, New York. While the store appeared to be a convenience store, it was really the site of a small scale gambling site. This gave Nadir the idea of making an exhibit that shows you can’t judge a place, person or thing by outside appearances.

The name Happy Smilers was derived from a band that was led by Nadir’s uncle that entertained tourists in Jamaica in the 1970’s. The fire escape and discarded furniture wrapped in fire hoses suggest an urban tableau. The salt and sand, aloe vera plant, speakers and bright yellow walls are drawn from the cultural context of Jamaica. The salt evokes a common Jamaican expression about the devil not being able to step over salt. The succulent symbolizes healing. Lastly, the soundtrack symbolizes one of the artist’s earliest childhood memories of lying in bed at night while he listened to rain fall on his tin roof in Jamaica.

The Naturalization Table is an exhibit based on Nari’s personal experience of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen, this interactive artwork gives museum visitors a better understanding of that process. During certain days, visitors could add their photo to the display.

Radha Liquorsoul, 2010, is a metal and neon sign made of PVC tube, artificial flowers, shoelaces and shoe tips. This was part of a work made from out of use liquor store signs that Nari removed from building facades in New York. Ward was interested in the many uses and impact liquor has in our lives. Nari also used shoe tips (which Nari considers a a signature material that symbolizes human presence), shoelaces and artificial flowers. Nari was partly inspired by impromptu street or roadside memorials.

Homeland, Sweet Homeland, 2012, is made of cloth, plastic, megaphones, razor wires, feathers, chains and silver spoons. The “Miranda Rights” which are listed on this work have appeared as a running theme on many of Nari’s works. The combination of razor wire, megaphones, leather and gold thread with feathers were meant to evoke a kitschy domestic memento and a heraldic government edict.

Rock, Booked, Scissor, Vice, 2010, is made of book, rock, scissors and vice. This exhibit was spawned from a mistake. When Nari first saw the “Black’s Law Dictionary” as a child he thought there were different law dictionaries for white and black people. Although his brother corrected, his initial thought stuck with him and inspired his work. To create this work, Nari cinched the dictionary with a vice, pierced it with scissors and weighted it with a stone. It is meant to symbolize a violent reenactment of the game “rock, paper, scissors.” It is meant to represent the seemingly arbitrary application of the law experienced by people in many of the communities in America.

Savior, 1996, is made of a shopping cart, plastic garbage bags, cloth, bottles, metal fence, earth, wheel, mirror, chair and clocks. Nari constructed the sculpture by utilizing the shopping cart, a common item, and using items to bling it up. In the blue bag you can see clocks. The sculpture had an accompany video titled, “Pushing Savior.”

Iron Heavens, 1995, made of metal pans, cotton and wooden bats came from Nari’s observation that the holes dotting the the metal surfaces of certain baking pans look like stars. Nari collaged pans together on a wall to evoke the night sky.

Nari used baseball bats to form a ground to the heaven above. The bats were burned, sterilized and had cotton applied to their surfaces. This was meant to convey violence and healing. The materials were also used to signify the American South, especially the older south. The cotton was used to signify slavery as that was the main crop slaves used to pick. The baseball bats were used to signify the violence many blacks suffered. The overall arrangement recalls the yard assemblages and sculptural folk traditions of the region.

Glory, 2004, consists of an oil barrel, fluorescent and ultraviolet tubes, computer parts, DVD audio recording, Plexiglas, fan, camera casing elements, paint cans, cement, towels and rubber roofing membrane.

The tanning bed is made out of old oil barrels. As this work of art was built one year after the Iraq attack, he used the oil barrels represent the political debates over the connection between oil and patriotism.

The oil barrel also signifies the issues related to identity and race. While in some cultures, a tan is viewed as a mark of leisure and privilege. However, “pigmentocracy” can ascribe a higher value to lighter skin tones in some societies.

As you stand by the Glory sculpture, you can hear recordings of voices and people talking in hushed tones.

Afroochase, 2010, made of ink, a found vinyl banner, cowrie shells, Afro picks and felt weatherstripping is built from a Chase Bank banner that he found mixed with various materials each of which have a symbolic meaning.

The cowrie shell has several possible meanings. The shell has been used as a form of currency, It is also used in divination ceremonies in African and North African and South African religious contexts.

Afro picks have been used as a symbol of black cultural identity and the shapes of the particular picks (the raised fist of the Black Power movement) refers to black nationalism and resistance.

Crusader, 2006, is made of a shopping cart, chandelier, trophy elements, metals, plastic bags and plastic containers.

Crusader has been described as a radiant poetic work that mixes the personal and political. Nari used comedy to make a political statement about his feelings concerning the second Gulf War. Oil plays a central theme in many of his works, evident by the oil canisters in this work.

Beat Box, made of an old New York City payphone, a drum and a fire extinguisher was made as a way of showing the different ways people have communicated. The old (the drums which have been used as nonverbal communication in some traditions ) with the modern (the payphone). After Ward had modified the pay phone he put it back outside where it had originally came from. Imagine the looks on the people’s faces when they tried to make phone calls!

I noticed how Nari likes to incorporate audio and videos into his exhibit. This is only one example of this. Those chairs look very comfortable!

Den, 1999, made of wood, chain-link fence, metal pole, tacks, rug and wooden furniture legs

Chrysalis, 2010, made of mirror, rope, foam, and a found paper bag

Vertical Hold, 1996, made of yarn and bottles. This sculpture was made from old, used glass bottles Nari found at a dump site and some bottles he found while he was in residence at a Shaker community in Sabbathday Lake, Maine. He wove the bottles together with string thus creating a web that he described as a quilt. This work was inspired by bottle trees, a traditional African, Caribbean and Southern black sculptural form that was believed to protect against evil spirits.

Canned Smiles, 2013, explores the intersection of art history and identity. Nari was influenced by another artist, Piero Manzini. Piero created Merda d’artista (Artist’s Shit) that consisted of 90 small cans labeled with the title that he sold. The art exhibit by Piero was a sarcastic way of saying that anything that belongs to an artist is worth value. It also was a commentary about how not all art may have merit.

Ward’s art display aims to question people’s perceived stereotypes and the reality of constructed values. Nari used the Black Smiles idea to play on the minstrel shows which used to be popular in America during the 19th century. The work inspires us to ask whether the notion of a smile trapped in a can is any more or less strange than the ideas we construct around identity.

During my visit, the ere was a social gathering on the desk of the museum. Music, food and refreshments were being served and there were a number of therapy dogs at the event.

A “cuddle zone” was created by visual artist J.R. Uretsky. The “Cuddle Zone” featured nine therapy dogs from Dog B.O.N.E.S. There was also quilted works for people to use as comfort aids. You will also some of the dogs wore or sat on these quilted comfort aids.

Hey, we all can use this kind of therapy!

In fact, the dogs were so popular and in such high demand, I was only able to photograph two of these special dogs.

Spider is a 5 year old chihuahua.

Ruby Pearl is a 4 year old pitbull.

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2 Comments | tags: art, Boston, dogs, ICA, Massachusetts, museum, New England, photographs, Photography, photos | posted in art, Boston, dogs, ICA, Massachusetts, Nari Ward, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized

September 5, 2017

Wheels & Waffles (West Springfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Visit: August 19, 2017

Location: Eastern States Exposition Center, Avenue Of The States, 1305 Memorial Ave, West Springfield, MA

Cost: Free

Parking: There is ample parking located at the entrance

Dog Friendly: Yes

Website: Wheels N Waffles

Highlights: classic cards dating back to the early 1900s, waffles

Tips:

The “Avenue of the States” (where the event was held) got the name because it has a replica of each state’s house of each state in New England on its premises
The Wheels & Waffles event is usually held at the Eastern States Exposition Center twice each summer, annually

What goes better together than wheels and….waffles? Well, that was what was on the menu at the Eastern Exposition Center last month.

There were some novelty card there too like this “General Lee” Dukes Of Hazzard replica car.

And this replica of Herbie The Love Bug

If only I was better at identifying cars with the years they were built. Unfortunately, that’s not my forte. But, I still appreciate the curves, style and power of these vehicles.

Look at those fins and designs. Those beautiful, beautiful fins…

Not all of the cars were from the 50’s and 60’s. In fact, some of you may have owned some of these more recent classics.

I’ve always loved long, shapely cars. So, of course this was my favorite.

Of course, as the name of the event suggests, there waffles provided by the Storrowton Tavern.

The “Avenue Of The States” didn’t get its name by accident. The grounds have a replica of each original state house for each of the six New England states. Below is the original state house of Massachusetts.