It was my birthday on the last day of our town’s Market On The Green, where every week since the middle of June I’ve been selling notecards based on pictures from the blog. I had decided in advance that my birthday treat this year would be cannoli from Rocky Cannoli’s Bakery in Newport, NH—a regular seller at the market. I had eyed these Italian desserts all summer. The outer layer is a crispy fried dough, the center a sweetened ricotta filling. It is all dusted with powdered sugar. It was great fun to draw, and very delicious to eat. I did share with my husband, so it was only 1.5 cannoli each. For scale, it was about 4 or 5 inches long.
Our older daughter gave us gift of two nights in a B and B in Vermont, the Doveberry Inn in West Dover. It is very near the ski resort of Mt. Snow. We were there between seasons...not quite summer, certainly not yet autumn. Above is our view from the breakfast room, drawn just as we lingered with our coffees. Atop the evergreen is big black bird. I’m not too sure whether it is a crow or raven, or what the difference is between the two.
One day while we were in southern Vermont last week, we drove the short distance to Bennington. I drew this at the major intersection of Main Street and South Street, sometimes called Four Corners.
This town is known for several things: Bennington Pottery, the Bennington Monument on the hill, and the grave of the poet Robert Frost. It was lovely and warm; we strolled around and ate lunch at a local brewpub. I was taken by this unusual stained glass chiming clock that rests atop a metal column. The ‘C’ letter shape stands for Chittenden Bank. There is a sign explaining this.
I absolutely love curved shaped buildings that wrap around corners like this one on the left. It is extra fancy with red brick, yellow brick, and granite trim.
The grey granite church is the St. Francis de Salle Catholic Church. It once had an enormously tall spire, but that was removed for safety. This is the sort of tidbit you learn at the information center.
Last week, for my DRAW-NH project, we got there (Town 215 out of a total of 234, and I picked up two more later in the day.) On the left is the attractive brick and slate Langdon Library. After completing my drawing I went into the library, where my husband had already been talking with the library director. The director thought it especially fitting that we were there on the anniversary of the dedication of the building 109 years ago, September 20, 1893. Then he showed us a picture from back then which was of the exact same view I had just drawn, except that there was a horse and buggy at the same place where I had drawn a car.
On the right is the oldest meetinghouse in New Hampshire, built in 1712. The first minister was Joseph Adams, uncle to future president John Adams. It is said that residents of Newington, England sent over the bell for this building.
I drew the airplanes because they were a constant presence. Both taking off and landing. In 1956 the Pease Air Force Base opened. Sixty percent of the land was acquired from the town of Newington by eminent domain. The base was officially closed in 1991, and the area is now called the Pease International Tradeport. The Air National Guard uses the runways as well as others. It is a very busy place.
There is a wildlife refuge in the town. The wildlife have gotten accustomed to the big metal noisy birds.
Tomorrow we will be in an airplane ourselves flying across the North American continent.
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