Barn Door

Barn Door, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This is the doorway to the gigantic barn on Silver Mountain Road in Millerton. Those double doors slide open and are large enough for a huge tractor to drive through.

It's monthly theme day on the City Daily Photo blogs and doors are the theme -
click through to the portal to travel through doorways to the world!

Dark wall

dark wall, originally uploaded by jahansell.

With the rain and wind we had yesterday, the leaves have mostly come down. But I took this a few days ago when we were still at the peak of fall color.

Sedum

sedum, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I have to post a few flower photos - fall sedum is subtle and surprisingly delicate.

Indian Mountain Road Farm or is it...?

farm with towers, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Doesn't this farm remind you, just a little, of one of those Eastern European churches with the onion domes?

Like this one: http://photos.igougo.com/pictures-photos-p369732-Typical_Russian_Onion_Domes.html

No?

Well it's a classic New England Farm, then!

One last nasturtium

nasturtium, originally uploaded by jahansell.

A few flowers have survived the recent light freezes - when almost everything else is dull and yellow-brown, this tiny nasturtium hangs on.

On Indian Mountain Road

house in autumn, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The shapes, the surfaces, the proportions of everything around us look different, more abstracted, blended together in October. Photographically, it's difficult - you can't have the specific and the general in the same picture, it seems. Part of the problem is with contrast - the brights are so brilliant that the camera can't take it all in - the shadows turn to undifferentiated black.

Yellow red

yellow red, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I couldn't help it - I had to take some pictures of the perfect color - this has been such a lovely fall! (At least the last few days have been, wiping out the memory of the snow, the cold and the rain we had earlier in the month!)

Day Off

bryant park, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I went to NYC for a day recently ... had a chance to walk through Bryant Park. What a lovely spot! The two men on benches look like bookends- as though they were placed there by the garden designer to match the repeating themes of purple and green.

Water, rocks, flowers

water and rocks, originally uploaded by jahansell.

We've had a few light frosts already - my morning glories are done - but there are still a few things in bloom - they'll hang in there a few more weeks, I think!

Change in the landscape

sbt in Millerton, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Salisbury Bank & Trust is coming to Millerton, and how! The branch they're building at the corner of Maple and Main is looming high (and moving fast after months of what seemed like nothing happening at all.)

It took the place of a tiny strip plaza that contained a restaurant (the cheap but tasty Broadway Pizza, for the first few years I worked in town, and then, briefly, something else that failed) and an auto parts shop. I wonder: will having a third bank here in town change the dynamic, the business community, the micro-economy in any noticeable way?

Dark sky bright hills

dark sky bright hills, originally uploaded by jahansell.

When the sun came out after a storm, it lit up the yellow hillside.

Waterfront in fall

waterfront in fall, originally uploaded by jahansell.

A cormorant sat on the dock, regarding the quiet water of Mudge Pond.

Snow - October 15

snow in october, originally uploaded by jahansell.

It's already melting away, but the children frolicked while it lasted!

Twin Oaks, fall

DSC_8193, originally uploaded by jahansell.

this completes the set. I took a shot of the oaks last fall too, but didn't get such a vivid color. (Not sure if it's showing up very well in this edit!) Of course today, the day after, it's been dusted by snow - if it hasn't melted by morning I'll try to trek up the hill one more time!

Dahlias

dahlias, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Why, oh why, don't I have dahlias in my garden? I visited White Flower Farm in Litchfield, where the demonstration gardens are always breathtaking. (Unlike my garden, where the zinnias get eaten by the deer, the potatoes had nesting voles, and the weird climbing vine took over everything!)

I am definitely planting lots of dahlias for next year - deer, beware!

Tom and Huck

Tom and Huck, originally uploaded by jahansell.

A group of teenage boys has been painting the picket fence in front of the Methodist Church on the corner of the green. I love that fence - it's a great landmark to tell people where my driveway is, and now it's sparkling white again.

Red barn, mist

red barn mist, originally uploaded by jahansell.

In spring and, especially, fall, the days are warm and the nights cold. This creates the perfect atmospheric conditions for beautiful photography - every morning the mist and fog lie low across the hills, as the sun rises bright.

Sheep up on Silver Mountain

sheep and goats, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Silver Mountain Road, off Route 22 in Millerton, is a beautiful spot - the views could come right out of an Austen novel.

First Day

firstday, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I can't help but post a picture of the first day of school - so full of huge smiles, heartfelt tears, and major milestones. Mine started second and fifth grade yesterday - they're not little anymore!

Turkey family

turkey family, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Indian Mountain Road is the place to see wildlife - I saw a bobcat crossing there last week. Yesterday this turkey family strutted out in front of my car. They seemed to have two sets of babies, little ones and teenagers - I didn't know they'd raise two sets in one year. They all got across except for one laggardly teen who was stuck in the bushes - I waited patiently and he finally scrambled to join the rest of his family, who was heading up this gravel road.

Silver mountain hay

silver mountain hay, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This grand barn was recently built in Millerton - the inside is even more spectacular.

Zoom

zoom, originally uploaded by jahansell.

A belated photo of the Soapbox Derby which was very much fun. The cars were so creative, and they really moved - the speed clock showed them at close to 30mph. We didn't stay long - it was very hot, the girls wanted to to swimming and I, as is often the case on a Saturday, had to go to work. A few more shots here.

Soapbox Derby

soapbox, originally uploaded by jahansell.

When I was blogging every day without fail, I felt a responsibility to document everything that was happening around town - show up, take photo, post photo. I was so reliable that often the newspaper would call me up to see if I had pictures of an event they missed.

I haven't been able to keep that up - just this week it seems I've missed a lot that's going on around Sharon, like the hospital picnic on Thursday night, and I won't be at the movies at the field tonight either. But I won't miss this - it sounds like a hoot! I wonder how you make a car like that, and how you enter the contest. Anyone know?

Big Dig

big dig, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Usually I drive through the intersection of West Main and Main Street a few times a week at most, usually after 5. Traffic is unheard of. This week, I've been going back and forth to Tri-Arts and Audubon multiple times, right when a giant street dig is underway. They keep digging holes and filling them in - I know not what for. (Sorry, didn't do my homework - I could have just rolled down the window and ask!)

Adding to the congestion: When Pigs Fly has opened. I've been once, and had a lovely chat with one of the co-owners, Roger, but will save a more detailed report until I've had another chance to sample their offerings.

Harry Potter Rules!

on line, originally uploaded by jahansell.

(Headline by Abbey.)

When the release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was delayed from last Thanksgiving until July, the Potter nerds in my house (myself and my 10 year old daughter) were crushed.

But the wait is over: tonight we saw the film, together with our good friends Michelle and Erica, who co-organized the Book 7 release party in Millerton a few years back. The house was filled with Potter fans -the kind that laugh when a scene begins because they know what's coming, the kind that can recite lines along with their favorite characters. Crying babies and inappropriately talking oldsters were at a minimum, too, thankfully. My own daughter was just about the only one who couldn't stop chattering!

I'll be writing my review in next week's Lakeville Journal, but suffice to say, it was worth the wait.

I confess the Moviehouse isn't my favorite place to see a film - the screen is small, the audio was too quiet, it's always too hot or too cold - but it's our hometown theater and so was the right place to go. We'd thought about going to the city but it was too complicated. I hear Poughkeepsie's got a great theater too, but when I see it again - and I will - I think I'll go for the Imax 3-D experience!

This lineup was for the next show after the one we'd seen- I imagine the crowds will keep coming all week and into the weekend.

Lifting up our voices in song

I'll fly away, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The Sharon Center School gym was overflowing today - people standing in the aisle, the hallways and the stairwells to celebrate the life of Kaelan Paton. There were prayers from the bible and from Buddhism, reminiscences, folk songs from the many friends of the Paton clan, tears, laughter, and this glorious performance of "I'll Fly Away" by the incomparable Wanda Houston, accompanied by just about everyone in the audience.

But the most wonderful part was when one of Kaelan's teachers read an essay he had written last year as he was graduating from eighth grade. He reflected, with wisdom and wit, on his realization that school wasn't a waste of time - that learning the multiplications tables had a purpose. His purpose on this earth was manifold: to bring people together, to promote love and social justice, and finally, to save the life of another. As one of the many singers said to Kaelan's siblings, 'your relationship with him doesn't end, it's just different." That's the thought I will hold on to for the day.

Darren's window

Darren's window, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Just an extra photo to go with Darren's shop - I hadn't originally planned to post this but when I looked at it again I thought it was kind of cool - each pane is so different, and one could even interpret them as each representing something different and wonderful about the shop: Darren himself, old documents (in frames); books, and the Sharon Green - the loveliness of the town itself.

Here comes barbecue!

when pigs fly, originally uploaded by jahansell.

They're not open yet but any day now...real southern barbecue in our little New England town. The late lamented Little Brick House became Cafe Tazza last year - briefly. Now it's been empty for several months. But work began a few weeks ago, and the sign, designed and made by my friend Todd Tufts - call him if you need a sign! -- went up last week. The storefront is tiny, but he's doing the cooking outside in a huge smoker, which makes more room inside to eat.

There is another bbq in the area - West Cornwall has a wonderful one. But it feels so far away - I've only been there once. I'm sure I'll be at this one at least weekly!

Economic Recovery!

winston, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Sharon has two new businesses to brag about. Darren Winston has opened a rare book shop in the space that until recently was occupied by Byzance (which in turn has moved to Salisbury.) I peeped in the window yesterday and hope to stop in soon. The other one is not open yet but I'll show it to you tomorrow.

FIreworks, of course

fire1, originally uploaded by jahansell.

For the first time in years we went INTO Lime Rock Park to see the fireworks. I got yelled at last year by someone from the Salisbury Rotary for watching from outside the park, and I understand that they raise money for scholarships from the admission fees. But when my kids were little it was just way too loud to watch them up close. This year my 10 year old and her cousin braved it, and we had a blast. They were beautiful - much more varied and interesting than when I was a kid. Multiple colors, curly twisty shapes - all around spectacular.

Lots is going on in Sharon these days -- stay tuned!

Boats on the lake

Boats on the lake, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Lakeville Lake, the night of the Grove Festival. I wish I could have just climbed into that boat, rowed out into the middle of the lake and floated there all evening...

Project Troubador

Capoeira tricks, originally uploaded by jahansell.

A Capoeira troupe was one of the highlights of the 20th annual Grove Festival. A Mexican dance band, a collegiate acapella troupe, and of course the wonderful Joint Chiefs, filled out the evening. We filled up on pasta pesto and cherries, wine and beer, and visits with good friends and friendly acquaintances. And the weather was just perfect, all night long.

A few more photos (captioned) here.