Weekend of Hurricane Irene

The largest hot-air balloon festival in New England takes place in Plainville, CT. The 27th annual event began on Friday with the Balloon Glow at dusk. There were at least a dozen balloons tethered to the ground while firing up their propane burners. As it got darker some of the balloons really did glow. Some lifted off the ground with passengers aboard for a quick view from above, and occasionally the singer with the band performing oldies would exhort the balloon owners to make a Glow and they did it all at once. Quite a sight:

Some even did it in rhythm:

After it got good and dark, the Plainville Volunteer Fire Department, sponsor and beneficiary of the event, provided an outstanding display of fireworks. Rather than try to take pictures, we just laid back and enjoyed the show.

Marie left for Florida on Saturday while I stayed to cope with the impending Hurricane Irene. But the rain didn’t stop me from going over to Elizabeth Park in Hartford for the 53rd Annual Exhibition by the CT Dahlia Society. Admittedly, this is a flower I knew nothing about, so I was particularly impressed by the wide variety of types, colors, and sizes. From tiny star-shaped blooms to giant thick mop-like flowers, the show was spectacular. The Pond House provided a very nice, dry space for the show.

The rest of Saturday was spent emptying the basement anticipating the inevitable. And while there were a few spots of water, there was no flooding here. Turns out now-Tropical Storm Irene headed up the Hudson River and did her worst to communities in NY state and Vermont.

Coincidently, I traveled to this region on Monday, to Troy, NY and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. While I didn’t personally see the damage, the Hudson was considerably swelled and I read that three old covered bridges in Vermont were destroyed.

The RPI library’s archives contain papers, photos and paintings of Fred Dana Marsh, an artist for whom I have been researching (see www.freddanamarsh.blogspot.com). While the details of this endeavor could not possibly be of interest to anyone else, I was blown away by the amount of new material I found there including letters from a few Rockefellers, Marjorie Merriweather Post (Mrs. E.F. Hutton at the time), and many other sources. There is a bronze bust of Marsh done by Sid Quinn (am seeking information on this sculptor), aerial photographs of Marsh Island in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, numerous sketches and studies, and many paintings. Here are a few of the images:

There were several pieces of sculpture in the library by artists such as Dame Barbara Hepworth. On the outside wall hung a piece by kinetic sculptor George Rickey.

Downtown Albany is presenting Sculpture in the Streets (June 2011-March 2012) featuring the work of George Rickey with five pieces downtown, one on the Empire State Plaza, one inside the art museum there, one at the airport and this one on the RPI campus:

 Six Random Lines Excentric 1993

The first one I found in Albany was destroyed, but here are four others:

Rectangles Horizontal Jointed, Big, Thin Small 1990

Column of Four Squares Excentric Gyratory III, Var II 1990

Three Squares Gyratory I 1971

Six Lines in a T II 1964-79

Here are a few other pieces I found around Albany:

Alexander Calder Triangles and Arches 1965

Dimitri Hadzi Helmut V 1961

Fountain by J. Massey Rhind 1893

Finally, I grabbed lunch at: