Antique Autos visit

Last January I was asked if I would be interested in hosting the first stop of the antique auto tour called the "Autoneers Tour" on June 11th. It was 80 miles of a set course around Glastonbury an area of which my studio was the first stop. As it turned out there was five feet of snow when it was first planned at that time but unfortunately it did rain that morning.
So because of the rain, many didn't show and only those that had top covers did because all the autos were made before 1915. I prepared a welcome notice on the black board by the barn door complete with my early iron toy car displayed on the shelf. My father found two of them in the attic floor boards of a Marblehead house our family lived in on Pleasant Street. I never knew what happened to the larger one but that was about 60 years ago.
The hum sound of the first car came and it was that of the Stanley Steamer. Having to top off the water it then maneuvered closer to get to the hose. Very exciting to see and hear. This auto parked near the Hemlock Trees, looked the same as it would have a century ago. When it was time for the Stanley Steamer to leave, you knew it as the clouds of steam filled the air

One by one they were gone only to leave a memory and these images. I wonder if they will ever be back? Maybe on a nice sunny day?

The Stanley Steamer sure did leave a cloud of steam vapors in the air for others to experience and a big blast of it's horn sounding like a steamship leaving port.

Changes at the Wayside Inn

It was late last winter that I heard there were going to be some changes to the Inn ...... outside dining in the front! There were a lot more changes to see when I visited recently and wanted to share them with you. The long narrow walk on the board planks with hedges on either side are no more. There is now a brick walkway edged with granite, wonderful stonework and new plantings that will mature in the years to come.
In this "old" photo shows the corner door where it will be open for you to step into a different dining experience at the Inn. Roberta, from the gift shop, celebrated her birthday with the Innkeeper and others for a few minutes which was also her first time on this new patio. One can still have a pleasant relaxing time just sitting in front of the Inn. Let your mind wonder about the many visitors that walked up to the front door and know their enjoyment would probably be the same I'm sure.
Maybe there would have been a few more verses to the poem written in Longfellow's Tales of the Wayside Inn?

Flowers for the Studio/Gallery guests

After the winter, it's exciting once again to see the blooms of many flowers in the yard and the days ahead of shopping for more annuals. A favorite flower to see is our beautiful yellow rhododendron bush and I enjoy seeing the buds develop in the spring with a tint orange.

The witches broom flowering shrub took a real beating last winter and I wondered if the many yellow flowers would bloom again. I had to tape up many branches and propped them up from the weight of the snow, but they made it again. The cat's eyes against the stone wall bloom every morning and then close up in the heat of the day. The familiar purple rhododendrons seem to grow more each year. There's always the trip to the local nursery to get annuals needed to complete all of the spring accents needed. This particular place we found was called Flower Power and it reminded me of when I did paintings in 1970 and called that brief period of time the same name. I outlined in black bold bright colors of not only flowers but other compositions.

A short time ago we hosted a Chamber event for the Creatives Group where several members explained what type of work each did. It was a goal to get the flowers planted to make the place look it's spring best for all. Everyone enjoyed the talks including some instructions from the Fred Astaire Dance Studios. If planning a visit this summer there will be plenty of flowers still to see along with many works of art in the gallery.