Winter Walk in West Hartford

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a big fan of winter and though I have lived my entire life in Connecticut, I haven’t learned to embrace the cold like some others do. No skiing, snowboarding or skating for me! Winter is the time for survival until spring rolls around again, and I hibernate like a bear in my flannel jammies and fuzzy socks, covered with a fleece blanket in front of the fire (that’s a lot of “f” words!)

But…I know that getting out for a little fresh air and Vitamin D is good for me physically and mentally, so this year I have tried to get out at least a couple of times a week to walk. Taking pictures provides me the incentive, and picking a new neighborhood to explore in my hometown provides me the inspiration.

There is so much great architecture in West Hartford, and the neighborhood I picked had an unusually high number of Tudor homes. Most people identify a Tudor by the decorative half-timbering, but I have learned that only about a third of Tudor homes have this.

Other major telltale signs are the steeply pitched roof, one or more front facing gables, a front door with a rounded top or Tudor arch, a massive chimney with chimney pots on top, tall multi-pane glazed windows and stone, brick and stucco walls. There are so many variations on the theme, but once you know what to look for they are easy to spot!

This style was extremely popular in the 1920’s, second to only the Colonial Revival, and West Hartford has them all over town.

One of the main reasons I take pictures when I walk is that it “gets me out of head” for a while. By paying close attention to what I’m looking at, it keeps me focused in the moment. I know we all hear about mindfulness these days, and this is what it’s really all about. Noticing your surroundings, focusing on the details, seeing things that you would normally pass by.

For example – I walked by this giant pussy willow bush on my walk.  I love pussy willows – they remind me of my grandmother.  She always had a few branches in a vase in her living room, and I remember visiting and always wanting to touch their soft, fuzzy pods. Not a common plant around here, and if I wasn’t paying attention I would have completely missed it as well as missed an opportunity to be reminded of my Grandma.

I have driven past this house many times and since I was walking in the area I decided to take a closer look. It is set back from the main road quite a bit and is unoccupied at the moment although work is under way to restore it. The home has many beautiful features including the dormers and the fantastic entrance.

 

The detail of the door and surround is captured above. I love the fanlight above the door and I wish you could see the door knocker – it was an eagle, something I haven’t seen before.

 

Another beauty I drive past often – I love brick homes in general, but I think the painted brick makes this home extra special.  It adds a unique touch and is perfectly set off by the wrought iron fence.

I couldn’t help but see the irony of these swings hanging from this beautiful birch tree – what a tease! This birch is gorgeous with all of its gnarly branches extending every which way, and it looks extra dramatic with the snow surrounding it. Seeing birch trees always brings me back to a wonderful memory I have from almost twenty years ago.

I used to ride horses, and over a long weekend went on a riding trip up in Vermont with some fellow horse lovers. Our guide brought us up into the hills, and at one point brought us into a section of woods where we were surrounded by birch trees as far as the eye could see. Hovering above the ground was a beautiful mist.  It was truly a storybook vision, and one that I’m reminded of every single time I see a birch.

Speaking of storybook – have you ever seen a home with mint green squirrel shutters? Shutter cutouts, or shutter shapes as I call them (dating back to when my children were small and we would hunt for them on walks around the block), are found fairly often in West Hartford.

Some shapes like diamonds are more common, but occasionally you see an example like this – I have to imagine the squirrel cutout is on the rare side! The house across the street had acorn shutters – coincidence? I think not.

The color scheme of this house is wonderful – the homeowners embraced the whimsy and went with a pretty, lighthearted color palette. Unique for a Tudor as they tend to be traditional brick or stone with stucco painted cream or a similar color such as below.

These shutters bear the fleur-de-lis symbol which has its roots in French history, most specifically the French monarchy.  Representing a stylized iris or lily flower, it is a popular symbol in the United States primarily in places along the Mississippi River such as New Orleans, Baton Rouge and St. Louis due to the historical concentration of French settlers in those areas.

In 2008 Governor Bobby Jindal signed a bill into law making it the state symbol of Louisiana as well as a symbol of recovery post-Hurricane Katrina.

Look at this little birdie McMansion! Hey, it’s a house, right? I’m an equal opportunity photographer. The color of this bird house just popped against the snow and bushes, and was another thing I likely would have missed if I wasn’t paying attention.

One last example of a lovely Tudor home. Although some may say that the Christmas wreath should be down by now, I think it looks lovely against the bright yellow door. The yellow brings the house to life and it’s a great pop of color against the otherwise drab landscape. It’s so easy in winter to see all the ugly – dirty snow by the side of the road, bare trees and branches, grey skies.

Through my photography I am training my eye to look for the beautiful instead of the ugly – a brightly colored door or bird house, the sculpture created by a gnarly birch tree, the wonderful texture of brick against a backdrop of white.

May you find the beautiful around you, too! I promise it’s there.