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The Rim Survived
Along The Raod - Eastern Upstate NYI have bragged about the weather, and it finally abandoned me in Gettysburg PA and was mostly nasty the week I was in NY. It was raining when I left Middletown NY heading for Gentile's Campground in Plymouth CT and rained for about three-quarters of my drive. I also have noted that my trips from campground to campground have been uneventful. That, too, has now abandoned me. As I was stopped at a red light, the driver next to me told me a trailer tire had just blown. I got around the corner, found a place to pull over and changed the tire. Always looking for a silver lining, it didn’t rain one drop while I was changing the tire and, although the tire was trashed, the rim was fine. It must have JUST blown! Other than a 30-60 minute delay, I got to the campground without further ado, but I did have to set up in a moderate rain.
Since I first began planning my exploration of the western end of the Connecticut coast, the tourism gods have not been cooperative. The nearest campground to the Stamford/Bridgeport/Hew Haven megalopolis is in Plymouth CT – about 65 miles from Stamford
The Closest Available RV Park
Gentile's Campground - Plymouth CT and 30 miles from New Haven. There are some attractions that sound really interesting; and, in spite of the time and fuel, I went ahead and made my plans to spend a week in Southwest Connecticut – I guess the fiddler got a raise! As the time neared, I swung and missed at several curve balls. First, I knew the PT Barnum Museum in Bridgeport CT was closed due to a tornado on June 24, 2010 and was expected to be reopened well before my visit. It was not. Second, I knew the City of New Haven CT collected a parking fee at Lighthouse Point Park home to a 1916 carousel and Five Mile Point Lighthouse. What I didn’t know was that the parking fee for non-residents is $30.00. That, my friends, is highway robbery so I passed on those attractions – especially since the lighthouse was not yet open for climbing.
Third, in the absence of a performance during the time of my visit, I thought it would be interesting to watch a practice session of the Second Company Governor's Horse Guard in Newtown CT. As instructed on the web site, I called for practice information, left a
The Road To Hartford
Eli Whitney Park - Hamden CT message and never got a response. Fourth, I knew the mission of the Freedom Schooner Amistad, a reproduction slave ship, is to educate the public about the history of slavery, discrimination, and civil rights; knew she travels to various port cities to fulfill that mission and to provide educational opportunities; and is not always in her homeport of New Haven CT. She was not in New Haven during my visit, but rather was in dry dock for repairs – luck of the draw. There still were some good attractions to visit so onward to Southwest Connecticut!
I had planned to take a tour of Yale University in New Haven CT and to visit the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments, but the weather was very uncooperative on Wednesday and Thursday. When I arrived at the Eli Whitney Museum in Hamden on Friday, the fairest weather day in a couple of weeks; a presentation to a group of small children was underway. I took some photos of the adjacent covered bridge and took a short walk along the stream where the attraction is located. Upon my return, I learned the facility is not a museum in the traditional sense but actually
is more of a learning center for younger children.
Disappointed, I headed for the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven. There was no sign of life, but the door was open. I found a young man in the office who told me the facility had been open seven days a week beginning in May LAST YEAR but a decision was made that beginning THIS YEAR the facility would be open only on weekends in May and would begin seven-day operations in June. So much for the travel guide I ordered in Fall 2011! No problem – I have a back-up for some extra time. I took the city streets to Stratford CT to get a feel for the old waterfront district along the coast and then to visit the National Helicopter Museum. I was frustrated with my batting average for the day (0 for 2), fatigued by the horrible streets and getting hungry. When there was nothing in the area that even closely resembled a helicopter museum, I selected the most used option on my GPS - “Go Home.”
Saturday May 12, 2012 was a chamber of commerce day. I set out for my planned visit to
Artists At Work
Weir Farm National Historic Site - Wilton CT the Weir Farm National Historic Site in Wilton CT via a non-direct route through some Connecticut countryside and the towns of Litchfield and New Milford. Julian Alden Weir was born in West Point NY to a painter and drawing professor at the US Military Academy and was a classically trained painter who rejected the gaudy, sketchy style of French impressionism of the late 19
th century but became one of the founders of American impressionism – more subtle harmonies of color than the French. Weir and his contemporaries transformed traditional American landscape painting from classical paintings of grandiose mountains and broad valleys to impressionistic paintings of fields, ponds, woodlands and simpler subjects of the everyday man. After the death of J. Alden Weir, his daughter Dorothy, also a painter, inherited the property.
Dorothy’s husband was sculptor Mahonri Young, one of Brigham Young’s grandsons. They added a sculpting studio to the property where Mahonri Young created his most famous work – a bronze monument entitled This Is the Place that is a 12 foot statue of Brigham Young and his advisors, explorers and trappers depicting the story of the Mormon migration to Utah. The monument is on display in
Sculptor's Studio
Weir Farm National Historic Site - Wilton CT Salt Lake City, Utah. Mahonri Young’s last work, a marble statue of Brigham Young, is on display in the US Capitol building in Washington DC. The property was next purchased by artists Sperry and Doris Andrews who left it for all to enjoy and to preserve the legacy of the farm.
Today, Weir Farm National Historic Site is the only National Park Service property in Connecticut and is unique from other historic sites I have visited. Weir Farm preserves the art legacy inherent in this historic site through a “Take Part in Art” program where visitors have the opportunity to experience painting and sketching. The Park Service provides the materials and, at scheduled times, a professional artist is available for assistance. No paint-by-numbers or Etch A Sketch equipment was available so I didn’t participate, but I did partake of the two available ranger-guided programs. The Introductory Tour of Weir Farm National Historic Site considers the history and artistic legacy of the farm and examines the three generations of artists who lived there. The Stone Wall Tour is a ranger-guided walk through the fields of Weir Farm National Historic Site that examines the history of the park's stone walls. Between
Weir Pond
Weir Farm National Historic Site - Wilton CT ranger programs, I took a walk down to and around Weir Pond.
The 3:00 PM Introductory Tour on Saturday includes a visit to the Artist-in-Residence studio, but either somebody forgot to tell the artist or the artist forgot it was Saturday. The most enjoyable day of my week-long visit to southwest Connecticut threw me a curve ball in the bottom of the ninth with two out and the bases loaded. I think it was outside, but the ump cried, “Strike Three!” Weir Farm should make the “A List” of those passionate about modern art (I guess the late 19
th and early 20
th centuries would be classified as modern) but probably should land on the “B List” of most tourists. I don’t know how many artists would be plying their trade (or hobby as the case might be) during the week, but it was fun to watch the dozen or so artists at work on a day that was too nice to be indoors. I learned as much about art that Saturday as I had in my previous years combined.
Southwest Connecticut! Hmmmm or bah-humbug as the case might be. NOTHING seemed to work out according to plan this
Back Yard Courtyard
Weir Farm National Historic Site - Wilton CT week. From the tornado-stricken to the museum that wasn’t a museum to the MIA artist in residence to the unacceptably overpriced parking fee to the ship in dry dock, I cannot declare that this was my finest week as a professional tourist. Because there is so much colonial era history, I probably will return to New England. If I can verify those attractions I missed are all ready and waiting for my arrival, I probably will return to southwest Connecticut. Some appear very interesting. If somebody out there is interested in opening an RV park, I have a good location in mind. RVers have relatives in southwest Connecticut and want to be close to mass transit so they can visit New York City as well. Hint, hint!
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Helen Conkling
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All weeks can't be great
Even the best laid plans of mice and men sometimes fall along the wayside. Keeps life interesting or should I say challenging. Hope things got better. My love and prayers.