West Point Cemetery Wall.

I also managed to scramble down the bank and get a couple of shots of the cemetery wall that we completed back in November.

No mean feat for a man of my age, and certainly more difficult than the build itself.

 

The Great Chain

This afternoon while waiting for three colour samples of parapet wall mortar to dry, I took the opportunity to do a little West Point sightseeing. This is the view of the Hudson river with West Point to the left and constitution island to the right. The great chain was floated across the river at its narrowest point far right of this picture.

 

The chain -a small section can be seen below- measured 600 yds or 550 meters in length, each link weighed 114 lbs or 52 kg and was 2 feet in length. In total the chain weighed 65 tons. The chain was floated on wooden rafts made up of four 16ft logs fastened together with 12 foot timbers.

The chain was floated out onto the river every spring after the river ice had cleared and then pulled in every fall before the river froze, for 5 years between 1778 and 1783.

 

The Great Outdoors

Hanging a bird feeder directly outside a window is almost like bringing nature indoors. The large feeder hanging from magnolia tree attracts a larger variety of birds. The magnolia has grown to such a size that every winter I prop the major limbs to prevent breakage from heavy snow storms.

A worthwhile effort for a spectacular Spring bloom.

As we spend time in and with nature, we're thinking less about our to-do list and more about being in the moment. such ideas are now gaining credence in the scientific world. 
 Chief among these ideas is Attention Restoration Theory, developed by the psychologists Stephen and Rachel Kaplan, who argue that nature’s health benefits are due to its ability to relieve stress and fatigue and restore focused and productive attention. Being in nature is a pacifying experience to cherish. Evolutionary psychology stories are grand, but even if true, they do not explain how nature envelops our emotions. To understand why nature energizes us, the focus must pivot to the core of the matter: the brain. Our brains are not evolved to deal with the number of different channels competing for our attention in the modern environment, with computers, phones, streets, cars. A natural environment is more suitable to the way our attentional systems operate.
In the 1990s, Russian-American artists Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid conducted a survey to determine the elements of a painting that Americans preferred and then painted a work that blended the elements. It featured a lot of blue—the sky, mountains, a lake—gentle brown woods, hikers, deer, and George Washington.

 They called the painting America’s Most Wanted. It had a satiric bite to it but the late art critic and philosopher Denis Dutton, in his book, The Art Instinct, wrote the painting shouldn’t be written off as worthless, “for it did reveal one stunning fact: People in very different cultures around the world gravitate toward the same general type of pictorial representation: a landscape with trees and open area, water, human figures, and animals.” And yes, George Washington.
Happy Holidays

 

Upcoming Virtual Presentations

The Oliver Wolcott Library

Litchfield CT

Will be hosting two of my powerpoint presentations in February and March 2021.

Thursday February 18th at 7pm

THE YORKSHIRE DALES: FROM HERRIOT TO HOME

 Set in the heart of Northern England, this rural landscape formed the backdrop of James Herriot's book and PBS TV series "All Creatures Great & Small" This presentation includes photos and descriptions of the dales from medieval times to the present day, and follows a circuitous route from the northerly Wensleydale, where James Herriot entered the dales in 1939, to the southernmost, Airedale, where I spent my formative years.

Thursday March 18th 7pm

THE ART OF THE COTTAGE GARDEN

Horticulture maybe a science, but creating gardens which speak to one's soul is an art form. This presentation explores the qualities and characteristics that define cottage gardens and offers practical advice on how to achieve this in your landscape.

Upcoming Virtual Presentations

Greenwich Library have asked for 3 more virtual powerpoint presentations over the summer.

July 29th 7pm

THE YORKSHIRE DALES:FROM HERRIOT TO HOME
Set in the heart of Northern England, this rural landscape formed the backdrop of James Herriot's book and PBS TV series "All Creatures Great & Small"
This presentation includes photos and descriptions of the dales from medieval times, to the present day, and follows a circuitous route from the northerly Wenslydale where James Herriot entered the Dales in 1939 to the southernmost  Airedale where I spent my formative years.

Aug 22nd 2pm 

STONE IN THE GARDEN 
Describes not how, but where to place stone in the garden, and which material to use when creating contrast or harmony. From steps and paths to direct or invite,through mosaics, follies, benches, seats, and other whimsies, to ponds and patios to relax and refresh.

Sept 24th 7pm

STONEWELL FARM

Creating a sense of place. comments on the ever evolving community here at Stonewell Farm. Sometimes tragic, often humorous. A community as one, on hearing the alarm call of chickens, ducks or turkeys, All eyes, including ours look to the sky for the circling raptor.

Wood-Fired Pizza from Stonewell Farm by Michelle Becker Back by popular demand, we're firing up the beehive oven and preparing more pizzas this coming weekend, Fri. June 21st and Sat. June 22nd. from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. We try to change the menu every weekend but some perennial favorites will be included. Authentic Wood-Fired Pizza from Stonewell Farm Friday, June 21st & Saturday June 22nd 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM We'll be firing up the oven again and preparing 14" Pizzas-To-Go.  Please scroll to the bottom for information on how to order. The pizzas we're offering this weekend are: Bacon, caramelized onion, sauteed mushroom and a blend of three cheeses.    $18.00 Garlicky Shrimp, sun-dried tomato pesto (from our garden) and a blend of three cheeses.    $18.00   (No Picture available) Spinach, sauteed garlic, ricotta and Pecorino-Romano cheese.   $18.00    (No Picture available) Classic Margherita with crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and Parmesan  $16.00 Plain Cheese pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella.     $14.00 Order a day in advance, this allows us to prepare enough fresh dough and toppings. Call or text 860-810-8802 to place your order and specify when you would like your pizza to be ready for pick-up. Forms of payment include Venmo, Exact Cash or Check. While you're here, pick up a dozen of our beautiful, fresh free-range eggs, they'll be at the pick-up station. To maintain physical distancing, we will have a pick-up station that's clearly marked. Stonewell Farm is located at 39 Beckwith Rd., Killingworth, CT 06419

Wood-Fired Pizza from Stonewell Farm by Michelle Becker Three years ago we finished our stone, wood fired oven. Over the years numerous friends, neighbors and family have enjoyed the exceptional 'pizza rustica' that this authentic beehive oven produces and have suggested we make  our pizzas available to the wider public. And so, during this difficult time of maintaining physical and social distancing, we're pleased to offer these pizzas to you, our neighbors Authentic Wood-Fired Pizza from Stonewell Farm Friday, June 12th & Saturday June 13th 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM We'll be firing up the oven and preparing 14" Pizzas-To-Go. The pizzas we're offering this weekend are: Bacon, caramelized onion, sauteed mushroom and a blend of three cheeses.    $18.00 Garlicky Shrimp, Cilantro pesto (from our garden) and a blend of three cheeses.    $18.00 (No Picture available) Plain Cheese pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella.     $14.00 Classic Margherita with crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and Parmesan  $16.00 Broccoli, crushed tomato and a blend of three cheeses & parmesan  $18.00 How to Order: It's best to place your order a day in advance, this allows us to prepare enough fresh dough and toppings. Call or text 860-810-8802 to place your order and specify when you would like your pizza to be ready for pick-up. Forms of payment include Venmo, Exact Cash or Check. To maintain physical distancing, we will have a pick-up station that's clearly marked. Stonewell Farm is located at 39 Beckwith Rd., Killingworth, CT 06419