Connecticut State Capitol, HartfordClose up of the dome.
Downtown Hartford, Connecticut
Downtown HartfordDowntown Hartford Soldiers and Sailors Memorial ArchI found this plaque on the front of a building in downtown Hartford. The first payphone was installed here in 1889!Butler-McCook House, the oldest house in Connecticut.Statue of Casimir Pulaski. Pulaski, from Poland, was a Brigadier General in the US Revolutionary Army. He was killed in the Battle of Savannah in 1779. Interesting guy. Look him up.Statue of Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette was a French military officer who fought for the Americans against the British.The home of Mark Twain. He wrote Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn here. I did not know Mark Twain lived in Hartford, Connecticut. I had always thought he was in Missouri.Home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, American abolitionist who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Springfield, Massachusetts
President William McKinley Memorial in Springfield, Massachusetts. President McKinley, our 25th president, was assassinated in 1901 in Buffalo, New York. He served as president from 1897-1901. His death elevated Theodore Roosevelt to the presidency.Statue of early settler and religious leader Samuel Chapin. This is known as The Puritan Statue. Dr. Seuss Sculpture GardenThe Grinch and his reindeer.Oh, the Places You’ll GoHorton Hears a WhoDr. James Naismith, a Physical Education teacher at Springfield College, invented the game of basketball in 1891.The Mason Square Monument. On this spot the first game of basketball was played.
Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, Massachusetts
Naismith Basketball Hall of FameBasketball tower.Close up of the top of the spire.The college basketball jersey of Julius Erving, aka Dr. J. He was my favorite player when I was in high school.The college jersey of Ralph Sampson, the 7’4″ tall superstar and 3-time national player of the year at UVA. I saw him play when he was only 6’10” tall as a high school sophomore. I also saw him play several times for the Houston Rockets, including the game against the Denver Nuggets when he injured his knee, which effectively ended his career.Mary Jean’s foot compared to Shaquille O’Neal’s.For those who consider my size 14 feet to be really large, here is how they compare to Shaq’s size 22!Ground floor court.
There are three levels to the hall of fame: The third level contains pictures of all the hall of famers. The second level contains many neat exhibits of the history of basketball. The ground level has a court with numerous basketball goals and you are encouraged to shoot around.
This is a very kid-friendly museum. I have many more pictures to share if you are interested.
Mystic Seaport, Connecticut
Mystic welcome sign.Mystic Seaport
We were very fortunate to visit Mystic Seaport Museum when they were hosting a Vikings exhibition. These artifacts are genuine items used by real Vikings dating back to the 7th century. They are on loan from an institute in Sweden.
Warrior helmet and body armor piecesWarrior swordsThis is a 25-foot long test model of a 115-foot long Viking longship, the Veranda.A gallery of ship figureheads.The Charles W. Morgan, built in 1841. This is the last wooden whaling ship in the world. We toured the ship, and I toured down below. A great tour stop.
Me at the helm of the Charles W. Morgan.Main sail mastCaptain’s quarters down below.Bunk room for crew. This is also down below, an area in which I could not stand up. I had to hunch over quite severely to move around.The Cooperage A cooper makes barrels. This guy was very informative and interesting. The large barrel in the upper right corner is a one-ton barrel, typically used for transporting wine.An 1850’s fire engine.Mystic Seaport shipyardThe Charles W. Morgan dominates the views around the village.This museum is a typical mid-19th century seaport village.
Stonington Point Lighthouse, Stonington, Connecticut
Stonington Point LighthouseBoaters on Fishers Island Sound
Dinner in Providence, Rhode Island
We had dinner here in Providence. The Operating Partner of this restaurant actually graduated from University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg! He gave us a special “treat” we can tell you about offline.Alaskan King Crab LegsFiletMe with the Miami Dolphins linebackers, who were having dinner at the table right next to us. They were in town to play the New England Patriots the next day. All the Patriots’ opponents who come to play them stay at the Providence Omni hotel connected to this Fleming’s Restaurant. (L-R): Raekwon McMillan, Kiko Alonso, me, Jerome Baker, Martrell Spaight, Stephone Anthony.
