Outdoor Art #AtoZChallenge #WordlessWednesday

Today, for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and Wordless Wednesday, outdoor art installations from August of 2023 in North Bennington, Vermont.  This is an annual event called NBOSS and what you are about to see are works from the past 20 plus years this event has been held.

Here are some samples of more than 40 art installations we viewed during a visit in early September of 2023 after attending Bennington's annual Garlic Festival.

Gomorrah, originally built in 2000 by Stephen Davidson, who died in a car accident in 2003 at the age of 37.  Friends rebuilt the art in 2018 after a tractor-trailer accidentally knocked it down while backing down a driveway.

Blue Profile, by Liz Howe.

Fittingly called No. 2.  I don't have the artist's name for this.

By a restored train depot which is now the North Bennington town hall, a commuter waits for a train that is more than 50 years late.

Octopus's Garden by Joe Chirchirillo.

Trojan Horse. 

Angel of Death by Jack Howard-Potter.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

"O" day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:  Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected.

Shadow on the Journeys #ShadowshotSunday

For the final Shadowshot Sunday, here are some shadows from some of the trips my spouse and I took during 2023.

February, 2023, Greenville, South Carolina, balcony shadows.

June 2023, Coe Hill Historic House Museum at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, Oyster Bay, New York.   One day, I'll post some of the pictures I took of the spectacular gardens.

One of the educational posters on the Mayflower II in Plymouth Harbor, Plymouth, Massachusetts, July 2023.  "Life Before the Journey" is one of many educational signs that tell the story of the Pilgrims and their Atlantic Ocean crossing on the original ship Mayflower to what is now the town of Plymouth in 1620.  

The story of the Original Mayflower and the people on that vessel is a lot more complicated than the simplified (and somewhat inaccurate) story I was taught in school back in the 1950's.  It is also the story of Native Americans impacted by the arrival of Europeans some 70 years before the Pilgrims arrived

The Mayflower II was built in 1957 made the same crossing and was renovated several years ago.   I encourage you to visit if you are ever in this part of Massachusetts.

September, 2023.  The desk of Union general and later President Ulysses S. Grant, Moreau, New York.  Grant spent his final days here writing his memoir before his death from throat cancer in 1885.

September 2023, North Bennington, Vermont street art.

Last but not least, a room at the Lorenzo mansion at Lorenzo State Historic Site in Cazenovia, New York.  Colonel John Lincklaen, founder of the village of Cazenovia, built this mansion.  Unlike many other historic mansions, all the furnishings of this mansion are original to the family.  Interestingly, no one knows why it was called Lorenzo.  No one of that name was ever associated with the house, as far as we know.  The admission was well worth every penny.

Today, New Years Eve, let me again wish all my readers a Happy New Year. 

Joining with Magical Mystical Teacher for the final #ShadowshotSunday.

Bennington Battle Monument Skies #SkywatchFriday

Vermont is not a state of skyscrapers.  

The Bennington Battle Monument in Bennington, Vermont, is the fifth tallest structure in the state of Vermont at 306 feet (93 meters).  It was dedicated in 1891 and commemorates a battle fought during our Revolutionary War. (In contrast, the tallest building currently completed in Vermont is only 124 feet high (11 stories)).

There is an observation area inside at the top.  The first two times we visited Bennington, the elevator was out of order.  This time, on September 3, it was working, and we went up.  We were fortunate - it was closed for much of the summer because of flooding in many part of Vermont and the need for maintenance.

I forgot to note the direction I was looking at for each photo, but in at least one of them, you are also viewing New York State.  The shadow here is the shadow of the monument in the afternoon sun.

Here's an August 2022 photo of the monument.

The blocks are made of limestone.

We were fortunate to have a somewhat clear day.

Now that we've seen the view from all four directions, do you want to see the observation deck from the inside?  Of course you do.

As you would expect, there wasn't a lot of room up there.

Another interesting find:  fossils in the limestone blocks.  This picture was taken outside near the bottom.

Traveling is always an adventure.

Joining Yogi and other sky loving bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.

Early September Vermont Wildflowers

These pictures were taken Sunday, September 3, during a short visit to Bennington, Vermont.  

The Bennington Museum (highly recommended) has, outside, a sculpture and wildflower walk.  Let's do some exploring.

Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) is a perennial relative of the sunflower, and is grown for its edible tubers.  These were cultivated by indigenous people of what is now the central United States and eventually made its way to New England.

Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum).

I'm thinking this is New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) but if it isn't, I'm sure someone will correct me.  I'm far from a wildflower expert, and many of these plants were not labeled.

Great Blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) caught my eye.  Again, no label - I got this from my iPhone built in plant ID

One of the sculptures.

Sweet autumn clementis nestled in some ferns.

Last but not least, my first sighting of New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae).  I love this flower but it always makes me sad to see the first one, as I know the fall asters signal that the final curtain of wildflowers will be coming down soon.  At least it was in Bennington (USDA zone 5a) and not where I live in New York State (zone 5b).  I haven't seen one at home yet, although I see they have buds.

I invite you to join me tomorrow for SkywatchFriday.

Quilt #AtoZChallenge #WordlessWednesday

 For today's A to Z Challenge, I am choosing a special quilt that is so fragile, it is only displayed, at the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont, for a brief time each year.

I am not a quilter, but I can imagine the excitement the quilting community experiences when the quilt comes out for display.

This quilt was made by Jane A. Blakely Stickle of Shaftbury, Vermont in 1863 and is titled "In War Time, 1863".  At the time of its creation, Jane Stickle was a widow, and was also apparently bedbound.

Here is the story of this quilt, and an explanation of why this quilt is so valued and so unusual in construction.  It is so admired that it even has its own website (sort of).  Google "Dear Jane Quilt" and you will get even more information.

(I apologize; this museum sign isn't too legible).

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

"Q" day for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Diner #AtoZChallenge

The true diner is a small, one story structure that serves mainly inexpensive American cuisine. The original diners were converted train dining cars, but later, they were built as prefabricated structures. Many times, needing to be delivered by rail, they were of a width that allowed rail transport, and tend to be long and narrow, with stainless steel siding. 

Today, I introduce you to a 1940's Silk City diner in Bennington, Vermont called the Blue Benn.  If you want breakfast hot, delicious, and inexpensive, this is the place. There was outdoor seating due to the pandemic, but it wasn't operating the day we went there.

It wasn't that crowded by the time we finished eating, so I was able to take some pictures, trying to make sure I didn't photograph anyone.  Here is one of the tables.

The counter.

 

Ceiling.

The food? Delicious and I highly recommend their sourdough bread, which is made across the border in New York.

"D" day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:   "From Florida to Vermont With Stops In Between".

Overnight, we will travel to a new destination.  Please join me tomorrow!

Bennington Battle Monument #AtoZChallenge

 Bennington, Vermont is the fifth largest city in the state of Vermont.  If I told you its population was a bit over 8,600, you would get a feel for the fact that Vermont is mainly a rural state.

Bennington lies right on the Vermont/New York border, and when you cross over on the road from New York to Vermont, you are immediately in a different world - a world without billboards (Vermont bans them) and suddenly lower speed limits.

So, what if I told you that, if this was a building and not a monument, this would be the tallest building in Vermont?  This is the 306 foot (93m) Bennington Battle Monument, which commemorates a Revolutionary War battle in  August of 1777 that didn't take place in Vermont, but, rather, about 10 miles (16 km) away, in the colony that became New York State.  At the time, Vermont was an independent republic formed in January of 1777, and remained so until 1791.  This is a part of history I don't remember being taught in school, but maybe I wasn't paying attention.

The monument was completed in 1891.

There are 407 stairs to the top (not open to the public due to being unsafe), and an elevator (which was broken the day we visited, and we were told by locals this happens a lot). We weren't charged to get in because the elevator was broken.  There's a small museum in the base of the monument. 

Here is some of the stone that forms the base, a dolomite (type of limestone) rich in fossils.

Some history on this granite stone.

If you are interested in what the tallest building in Vermont is, it's an 11 story apartment building in the largest city, Burlington.

We'll spend a couple of more days (Monday and Tuesday) in Vermont, and then it's down to a different state and a different historic area.

"B" day for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:  "From Florida to Vermont With Stops In Between".