Mouth of the Mystic River

Noank, CT

Power House

Mystic, CT

I'm not too familiar with this building's past.  The name on the sign says "The Power House" so I'm assuming at one time it was exactly that.  Today it looks like it has been repurposed into apartments, and/or condos.  

Bridge works

Mystic, CT

Mystic Pizza

For the tourists visiting Mystic, no visit is complete unless you have your picture taken in front of Mystic Pizza, made famous by the movie starring a young Julia Roberts.  Parts of the movie were filmed in and around the Mystic area.  I think the story centered on some fictitious waitresses who worked at Mystic Pizza one summer.  I've never seen the movie, however, I have eaten here.  The pizza is ok, but I prefer some of the better pizza places one can find in New Haven.

Kinetic Sculpture

On a recent walk through Mystic, I came across this kinetic sculpture located out in front of one of the many art gallaries in Mystic.  It  looks a little dangerous at first but it created some interesting patterns as  it turned with with wind.  Still pictures just don't do it justice.  I could stay and watch this sculpture for hours.  The patterns the blades made were constantly changing.

Mystic River Bridge

Mystic CT

After two years of work, renovations on the Mystic River Bridge are nearing completion. The bridge looks much nicer now than in the last picture I posted of this bridge. There is going to be a big celebration in Mystic celebrating the completion of the work on May 4.  Local businesses suffered while the bridge was being renovated and they're happy the bridge will be operational this summer.  I've always found traffic to be very busy in Mystic no matter if the bridge is working or not. 

Shed

Mystic, CT

Olde Mistick Village is a shopping center located right off of I-95 in Mystic, CT.  It's a quaint shopping center with numerous boutique shops housed in period type buildings.  I'm not sure how historic some of the buildings are and whether or not they were moved to the village, and actually do date from the 1800's or earlier.  This structure looks pretty old, and it does look like it was moved to its present location on the ground of Olde Mistick Village.  I might have served some function it its day, but now it serves as decoration.

Eugene O'Neill and The Eagle

New London, CT

Both have been the main subjects of previous posts.  I thought it was nice to picture them together as they both have a connection to the city of New London.

Coast Guard Barque Eagle

New London, CT

New London, CT is the home of the US Coast Guard Academy, and therefore is also the home port for their training vessel, Eagle.  The barque itself was built in Germany in 1936 and was commissioned in September of that year as the Hosrt Wessel.  Before World War II, it was used as a training vessel.  After the war, the United States took the vessel as part of war reparations, and it was commissioned to the US Coast Guard in 1946.  It's primary role now is in the training of Coast Guard Academy cadets and officers.  I'm sure I've posted a picture of her in the past.  On a recent drive through New London,  I noticed the Eagle docked at the public docks located near the the train station downtown, and not at it's usual dock.  Apparently she was open for touring as I noticed a number of families and groups of young kids heading toward the gangplank.  I know that the city on New London and the USCGA have been at odds recently over some city property that the academy would like to purchase for expansion.  In addition, the city would like to be the site for the USCGA Museum, something that is still very much in the early planning stages.  I hope the city and the academy can reach a consensus on these issues, since they have been an important part of the city.  I've only seen the Eagle while at dock.  I would love to see her under sail someday.  It must be an impressive sight. 

Spring??

Mystic, CT

The daffodils are up and the forsythias are in bloom, so it's beginning to look like spring time in Connecticut.  I'm not quite convinced yet, since I've heard there is a freeze warning in effect for tonight.  

Connecticut College

New London, CT

This is Freeman House, a residence hall on the campus of Connecticut College, located in New London, CT.  The college was founded originally as Connecticut College for Women back in 1911.  When the school began admitting men in 1969, the name was shortened to Connecticut College.  It's an exclusive liberal arts college and is considered to be one of the "Little Ivies", a loosely connected though unofficial group of New England colleges which have some similarity to the much larger Ivy League schools.  

New Bridge

Niantic, CT

It has taken about 2 years to replace an old drawbridge across the Niantic River with this modern, sleek drawbridge.  It doesn't have quite the charm as bridge it replaces, but I'm sure those who ride either Amtrak or the Shoreline East Railroad are glad it's here.

Stonington Dock

Stonington, CT

Driftwood

Niantic, CT

Granite Sphere

New London, CT

Sale 50% OFF

New London

View of Long Island Sound

McCook Point Park, Niantic, CT

Niantic Sunset

Hole in the Wall Beach, Niantic, Ct

Well, actually the Hole in the Wall Beach is located just a to the right of this jetty.  The setting sun made for some dramatic colors in the sky on this particular evening.  

Rear View Reflection

It might a little bit of a photographic cliche` to take a picture of a rear-view mirror  but as I was about to drive away from a morning of walking and photographing McCook Point Park in Niantic, I was struck by just how vibrant the colors appeared in the mirror of my car.  So much so, I had to get out again and look behind me to capture the image below.  Sometimes it's best to take a moment to see what's behind you.

I think the first picture qualifies as a reflection, so I'll be linking this post to Weekend Reflections hosted by James.  Stop by that site for some excellent reflections.  Enjoy your weekend and thanks for visiting my blog.  

Flag Pole and Bench

McCook Point Park, Niantic, CT

It was still pretty chilly out  when I took this picture early one Saturday morning.  Even though according to the calendar it was officially spring, the temperature that morning was a little above freezing.  At least the picture looks warmer than it was.

Seashells

Niantic, CT

It's always fun to walk along the beach.  One never knows what one might find.  Seashells are everywhere but in this case were left in a nice pile along the high water mark.

Shoreline Crossfit

Branford, CT

In contrast to the post yesterday, at least the entrance to this particular building does have a name.  

Work Entrance

Branford, CT

There doesn't appear to be anything remarkable about this entry.  There are no identifying marks on the wall, not even a company name.  It makes one wonder exactly what goes on in the building behind these doors.  It just so happens, I do know what goes on here, for I enter for work here every Monday to Friday.  Along with about 20 of my colleagues, the search goes on here for new drugs to treat cancer.  New compounds are actually made here in a very efficient manner, and oftentimes in numbers approaching thousands of new compounds per week.  From there they are shipped to our facility in Massachusetts for further evaluation.  Maybe if we find a new drug, we can afford to put our company name on the entrance.

Ernies Parking

New London, CT

This parking lot is tucked away down a long alley, behind a number of buildings in New London.  One would have to know about it, since it's easy to miss if you're looking for a place to park. 

State and Water Streets

New London, CT

This is a milestone post, of sorts, being my 500th post on this blog.  I thought long and hard about trying to find a photograph worthy of being my 500th post and finally decided upon this one.  I've enjoyed sharing my photos and appreciate all the comments I've received from my followers.  I hope to continue to share my photos from around southeast Connecticut, and other places that I visit for many years to come.  Thanks for looking.

88

New London, CT

On a recent walk around New London, I came across this door.  It had a very interesting texture, and a very weathered look which I think looks good rendered in black and white.  

Town Clock

Niantic, CT

In just about every "downtown" area there is a town clock.  This one is fairly new, erected only a couple of years ago.  The clock can be found in "downtown" Niantic and either it's running a little slow, or the time stamp from my camera needs to be adjusted.  The EXIF data for this photo says it was taken at 7:03 PM

Tree

McCook Point Park, Niantic, CT

I don't think a photograph really captures the majesty of this tree.   It really captures my eye whenever I visit this park.  In fact, I've featured this tree before, here.  That earlier picture was taken in the fall, just as the leaves were beginning to fall.  Back then I thought the tree was a European Beech tree, but I'm still not exactly sure.  I'll have to wait for the spring and summer, when the tree has some leaves to make a positive ID.  

Niantic Bay Boardwalk

November 2011

March 2013

March 2013

The Niantic Bay Boardwalk was closed after Hurricane Irene hit Connecticut in August 2011.  Even though only a tropcial storm when it came ashore in Connecticut, it still caused a lot of damage along the coastline here.  The first picture taken in November 2011 shows the boardwalk then.  It doesn't look like the boardwalk was damaged all that much.  Nevertheless it must have been unsafe and as a result it was closed.  Since then Hurricane Sandy also caused a lot more damage along the shoreline and as can be seen the boardwalk suffered some more damage.  It remains closed.  I'm not sure when it will re-open.