Fairfield Museum and History Center (4/29/2024)

Monday, April 29, 2024

On the way home from Rhode Island, a stop at the Fairfield Museum and History Center in Fairfield, CT.

Fairfield Museum & History Center (2007)

The indigenous people created wampum/beads from a whelk
shell and using the purple of the quahog shell; wampum belts
were created for storytelling, ceremonial gifts, or recording
important treaties or historical events; the notion of wampum
as a currency or money was invented by white men

Navigating the Sea: a sextant (1861)
and spotting telescope (c 1840)

Made in Fairfield: High Chest (c 1740-1800)
with a sunburst design

Beach attire: Men's Swimsuit (c 1930s) and
Beach Pajamas (c 1935-1940)

Gallery: Isabel Chenoweth: Intertidal Zones & Wetlands in Connecticut:

Periwinkle, East Haven (2023)

Tidal Pool VII (2023)

Tidal Pool, Outer Island, Branford (2019)

Exhibit: Money Talks: The Gilded Age in Fairfield:

Objects from Stormfield (house of Samuel Clemens):
Vegetable Dish (c 1908-1910), Megaphone (c 1908-1910),
and the book The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873,
by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner)

The American Woman'a Home (1869, by
Catherine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe)

Entrance to the Old Burial Ground (c 1680)

A skull decorating a gravestone

Memorial to Reverend John Jones

A cherub?

A cuter cherub

Old Town Hall (1794)

St Paul's Episcopal Church (1855-1856)

Burr Mansion (1790) for Thaddeus Burr, the uncle of Aaron Burr

Government Commons

Stone bench

Historic Town Green, Victorian Cottage (1888)

Historic Town Green, Victorian Barn (1888)

Historic Town Green, Edward's Pond that was the location
of the trial of two women accused of witchcraft in 1692

The Fairfield Academy (1804) prepared the sons for Yale,
but also provided daughters a classical education

Gateway to the Historic Town Green (1639)

Sun Tavern (c 1780); George Washington
visited in 1789 (and slept here?)

Weekend in RI (4/27-28/2024)

Saturday, April 27, 2024

A precious visit with Kyle and Katrina, Adaline and Levon.

Adaline showed us the
neighborhood frog fountain

The Smith Street Playground was closed
because they just added new equipment;
we hope the gravel surface will be covered!

Tamiko high-fives Mr Potato Head (KSS)

Katrina and Adaline on the Roger Williams Park Carousel (KSS)

Adaline on the Spiderman kiddie ride, but
she did not want the quarter to make it move

Where is Spiderman?

Weeping cherry tree

Adaline and Tamiko (by Katrina)

Swans and swan boats at Roger Williams Park

Sunday, April 28, 2024

It was Fairy Garden Days: Year of the Dragon at Roger Williams Park Botanical Center.

Mostly natural materials were used to create dragons ...

... and fairy houses

A flying creature over a fairy town

Multi-level fairy house

House details include a piano!

Oh, and there were unusual plants as well

Was this the baby dragon in a treasure hunt clue?

Large koi n a small pond

Tipi-like fairy house

A fairy village with yellow "trees" (towards the right)
made with orange jingle shells

Bits of wasp nest used on this house

We found the treasure hunt gnome

Mike Bryce was the featured artist of Fairy Garden Days;
note 1) the mermaid, and 2) Del's Frozen Lemonade

Fairy Doll House

Miss RI Mermaid, Jessie Jewels, the
subject of the Mike Bryce painting

Levon is happy in the play area

A variety of fairy wands at the DYI fairy wand table

Adaline and Katrina working on a fairy wand

Grandpa Kent and Kyle watch Levon
in his beginning to crawl mode

Kyle with Adaline and Levon

Levon, Adaline, and Kent

A stone fairy house

Fairy tower

Adaline and Katrina

Adaline in the hollow tree trunk/stump

We found a fairy, albeit a fairy "sculpture"

Fairy treehouses?

Fairy fortress?

CD flowers

Tamiko, Adaline, Kent (by Katrina)

Tamiko & Kent with Levon (by Katrina)

Many thanks for the hospitality and entertainment!!