Shadow Shot Sunday - Dancing in the rain

It poured last Saturday, and I, the new chairman of the Ansonia Cultural Commission, was in charge of the annual Raising of the Irish Flag. The luck of the Emerald Isle was not in sight. But the flag was raised...and the requisite shadows for Shadow Shot Sunday 2 are there - if you look on the street just below the dancers from the Mulkerin School of Irish Dancing. They were ready with smiles that brightened the day, their emerald sweatshirts a perfectly coordinated with the Irish tunes. A wonderful day despite no rainbow :)

I created a slideshow to show that the spirit that was there on this cold and gray day. I'm in the blue coat (don't have a green one, alas) wearing the Irish hat...

Whimsical Windows - Harvest Fest

Toby's fun meme, Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors, arrives a scant six days before the event of the autumnal season event of the year (in our domicile of Ansonia CT, at least :), that being the Harvest Festival. This is the main event of the Ansonia Cultural Commission, of which I am a member compiling the metrics and designing the program book - as of today, there are 101 vendors. We hope for sun...The windows and doors are of our city hall all dressed up for previous Harvest Festival, awash in mums and pumpkins. I, for one, am ready!

Whimsical Windows - More Main Street Madness

The older is reflected by the newer Wells Fargo Bank in Ansonia. Captured by Patti

Toby's architectural meme Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors returns and I have one other view of downtown in our small city of Ansonia, this also taken at a bank clad in its nondescript 1970s building - which has a lot of glass to reflect the early 1900s buildings across the street where steel and glass do not dominate but brick and wood add a classier styling touch...

Shadow Shot Sunday - Defying Gravity

For Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Patti captured a few views of the BMX stunt riders at the recent Pierre Lallement bicycle festival on Main Street in Ansonia. These riders move fast up to and over the ramps on the street and even a steep uphill set against the trailer - a very cool breeze wafted over the spectators, but just enough sun added to the shadowy captures. The riders seem to float through the air with the greatest of ease...

Ruby Tuesday Too - Red Ride

Ruby Tuesday Too takes me back a week or so in my pursuit of a ruby red subject - and I found it! on Ansonia's Main Street at the Pierre Lallement Bicycle Festival, talented New Jersey stunt bicyclist Chris Clark was showing some moves on his ruby bicycle in front of the red trailer while wearing a red helmet. Thus, the right color for this fun meme was found!

Whimsical Windows - Unfurled Flags

For Toby's architectural meme Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors, I go back a week to the Pierre Lallement bike festival in our small domicile of Ansonia Connecticut. A bike ride with serious cyclists starting in New Haven that has its finish line on Main Street, BMX stunt cyclists and more. And even a window reflection taken from the more modern (late 1960s) Wells Fargo Bank showcasing the early 1900s buildings across the street. Like in the meme's post, flags take up the focal points in the shot...Happy Independence Day to Israel!

Whimsical Windows - Pushed Aside

City Hall and Main Street, Ansonia CT...11 Feb 2013 after the plows pushed the massive snow aside

Toby kindly hosts the architectural meme Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors, and we look for portals and such in any weather. And that includes winter too...we have had a lot of snow this season, not large amounts in each storm, but in a large number of storms. However, last year, we had the biggest single blizzard I can remember in many a decade -  40in (102cm) on 9-10 Feb 2013. Every city and town in Connecticut had to hire many construction company vendors to assist on clearing the roads. Here, Patti captured the scene on along Main Street in downtown Ansonia after the initial plowing. The architecture sits alone as nary a pedestrian or vehicle are found. Spring is close, or at lest we hope :) 

Whimsical Windows - Ancient, modern and current

Toby hosts the fun meme Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors in which we look for portals and other architectural tidbits of interest. Yesterday, our small city of 19000, Ansonia, had its yearly street fest harvest Festival where vendors of all types, including food, were all over. Along main Street in the municipal parking lot, the bounce house and other children friendly diversions. Of interest is the variety of buildings: at the top, is some industrial building from 1905 now used as a warehouse and the 1970s office building on the left. Neither building is really unique, but show the passing time. The amorphous shaped bounce house offers no artistry, as the four year old does not yet yet appreciate architecture yet...

Whimsical Windows - Car Park View

Toby hosts the architectural meme Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors, and we look at interesting items from all over. Today, I am in our small city of Ansonia CT in a newly paved parking lot/car park across from many an old building lining the west side of Main Street. I don't know exactly when each/all were built, although the from the 1890s onward. At least some of the storefronts are filled with restaurants and retailers. Nondescript, it is a normal slice of life in our burg...

Ruby Tuesday 2 - Restaurant row

Ruby Tuesday 2 is back, and our mission is to locate reds in any venue. Perhaps at an eatery if we wish...and on Main Street in Ansonia will be a new restaurant Koi - for a smallish town like ours (19,000), a Japanese restaurant may seem a bit exotic - so we are ready to visit at the earliest (after it open that is :)

This was once the well known and well visited Pilgrim BBQ - which was also red in looks (not just the sauce). I chose an older view of the old place during the 2010 Memorial Day parade. The owner retired, an d with a few empty storefronts on Main Street, who wouldn't be pleased that it lives on as a restaurant?

Follow ruby reds at the always fun RT2

Whimsical Windows - Obsidium

Toby hosts the always fun Whimsical Windows-Delirious Doors. Today's subject is in our town of Ansonia (CT) and is known locally as Obsidium - an office building now, an antiques store previously.

The structure originally housed the Ansonia Savings Bank. The style is neoclassical Greek, and ornate in detail, especially in its 

columns. 

Its style suggests strength and permanence, just what you hope to see as a bank. Above left and right windows are inscribed 1862 (when it was chartered) and 1900 (the year it opened). In 2006, the shop was closed and the building was restored. It's a real asset to upper Main Street and a worthy addition to this fun meme…