The Poem Peddler: Conclusion

"What are my dreams?" he asked.

I nodded.

He stood up from his typewriter.

He moved like someone entirely comfortable in his own skin.

"To play my clarinet," he said.

And then he did.

The Poem Peddler: Paragraph Two with a tip of the hat to Julie

"I've got friends in town," he said.

"I like it here, swimming in the river, hiking the mountain."

"Will you write me a poem?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. "What about?"

"Anything you'd like," I said.

"Oh, that will cost you more, $5," he said.

I nodded and he wrote me a poem about the sidewalk, the parking lot, the people, and the mountain. It was a good poem.

"Are you managing okay?" I asked.

"I make enough to pay my rent," he said.

"What are your dreams?" I asked.

The Poem Peddler: Paragraph One

"I'm from Portland, Maine," he said.

"I worked on a farm the last two years.

Thought I might try something different."

"Why Brattleboro?" I asked.

The Poem Peddler: Introduction

He had several people hovering around him when I caught sight of him yesterday.

I waited until he was alone.

Monochrome Monday: one more from the wedding procession

I couldn't resist.

Wedding procession down Main Street

Yesterday, through my open window I heard

the exuberant sound of a Dixie Land Band

and discovered a wild and wonderful wedding procession

strolling down Main Street.

the view from the riverview cafe

the sun was slipping down in the west

casting her long summer gaze across the connecticut river

lighting up the foot of the bridge

giving a celestial weight to this pronouncement

skywatch friday: sky journal

Ken Leslie painted his piece of Vermont sky over and over.

This is a section of the installation of the resulting "Sky Journal" at the Bennington Museum.

the poet peddler

I saw him last week for the first time

sitting on the cement, leaning against a wall near the co-op.

At Farmer's Market yesterday

he had moved to a bench.

People stop and spend time with him.

Sometimes he types away on that manual typewriter.

I haven't spoken with him yet. 

like a bird blown off course

last winter he was waist deep in snow.

perhaps he's a tad overdressed for summer in Vermont

but he seems a rather 'good-natured' gent,

wouldn't you say?

curiosity calicoed the cat

or perhaps mother nature did

Monochrome Monday: garden view at the B&B

the garden holds secrets

that the birds reveal

occasionally, in their unguarded moments.

constant gardeners

nearly every residence

is blessed by at least one

avid gardener

our season may be short

but our passion for playing in the dirt

is immeasurable

Future CDPB participants

photography camp 101:

lessons in lighting.

skywatch friday: night sky

taken a couple of weeks ago

when the moon was nearly full.

apologies for the quality (or lack thereof) of this shot

i know squat about night photography

but then you've already figured that out, haven't you

This Old House Thursday: A nice place to have a wedding

Yesterday's red door 

led to the carriage house

belonging to this stunning bed and breakfast

on Putney Road.

number five

so much depends upon a red door

under a gray sky

beside a riot of clematis

retaining wall

A year ago this wall modestly did the work for which it was intended.

Now it has been draped in native robes by a local artist and celebrated for its color.

But beneath the adornment it is still a gray retaining wall,

quietly going about its business.

Under Construction

The church on Main Street

shivers in her bare wood

chemise

Obsession 2

Here's another view of the smoke tree.

Have you ever found yourself returning over and over to the same object?

What object was it?

And why, do you think, did you keep going back to it?

obsession

half way down the block

a smoke tree, cloaked in magic,

draws me back repeatedly

sky with crane

What a clever group you are.

I was, indeed, in the beautiful city of Chicago.

Now we're back to blissful little Brattleboro

where even the cranes feel compelled to make art out of their surroundings.

Where in the USA was brattcat?

It was a business trip,

but it was packed with pleasure.

Can anyone guess which city stole my heart these past few days?

Tapirgal's search

When Tapirgal realized her ancestors once lived in my neck of the woods,

she spoke about trying to find the old homestead.

I accepted the challenge and went prowling up the West River Valley to Townshend.

Above is the site where I believe Tapirgal's family once endured the long Vermont winters.

This garage/shed sits, I believe, where once there was a farmhouse

belonging to W. Joy (Tapirgal's ancestor)

It's possible this house might have been the one in Tapirgal's family

but using her directions and a map of our own

our best guess is that her family worked and played

in a house that once stood at the site of that red garage on the left.

I'll be out of town for a couple of days.

See you all soon.

house for sale, 96 Western Avenue

Built: 1890

Square Feet: 1,235

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 1

Price: $139,900

One of the best deals in Brattleboro if you ask me.

House for sale, 96 Western Avenue

the front of the house faces a busy avenue

the back looks over the crowns of trees.

in the autumn these trees will turn gold and red and orange.

in the winter the dear little whetstone brook trips along far below.

Happy Fourth to all who are observing the holiday.

Tomorrow I'll reveal the house's exterior and the price.

House for sale, 96 Western Avenue

piano, optional

House for sale, 96 Western Avenue

roses

climb the traffic-dense air

outside the kitchen window

House for sale, 96 Western Avenue

looking across the empty rooms.

(standing on the glassed-in back porch,

gazing through to the back and front parlors)