Winter Views from Cove View Towers 2019-2020

Sunrise December 1st, 2019

Overall, it was a pretty warm and uneventful winter. Fortunately, that meant we were able to get outside on a regular basis. Now, with Covid-19 physical distancing, I'm looking back on winter with fondness for all the get-togethers with friends. Today, at the end of March, I can see forsythia in bloom, a few  trees in bud and even a few flowering shrubs in the neighborhood below me. So, it is time to move forward and say a final good-bye to Winter. 

We can see ice on the shore line across the cove

A clear view of the farm's fence has opened up near our border

December 3, 2019 - Our first snow of the season and I had to include my Christmas tree because I'm just so excited about how well it fits on that little section of wall!

The bistro snow cake!

No sunrise today

View of Trading Cove and the Mohegan Sun

The plow truck taking care of the parking lot

View from third floor common area - can see Thames River a little better here

View towards Thames River from the 6th floor common area - an even better view of the Thames River

View of Trading Cove from the 6th floor common area

View from north side windows

Snow starting to let up

12/11-12/18

A little holiday atmosphere

A new day, a new dusting of snow

Interesting effect -  a spot of blue sky reflects on the Mohegan Sun Hotel

Sunset on the cove

Sunset reflecting on right side of Mohegan Sun - it almost disappears!

 

Morning reflections on Trading Cove

Excuse the dirty windows and reflections in the next few photos. With mid-December wind chills in the single digits, it was just too cold to open the slider.

Ice forming on the cove

Look at those icy branches

The sun finally peaking out, but it's still coooold! Brr.

You can't see them in this photo, but I did see three cows in the top pasture next door.

12/31/19

Late afternoon reflections on Trading Cove

West views of cove between the tree branches

I have a feeling these two dead trees will fall by next winter and really open up our view

Late afternoon reflections on the Mohegan Sun Hotel

Cloudy skies

January 2020

Aside from the hotel, this neighborhood strikes me as a typical New England scene

Thick white frost covers the hillside bramble directly below us

Snow and ice cling to the tree branches

Mid-Late January

Snow flurries hide our view

Snow begins to cover the icy parts of Trading Cove

Ice is now completely covering the cove

Good-bye Winter of 2019-2020!

See books by Laura S. Pringle on Amazon

The Pringle Plan is a series of educational guides. 

 ©2020 Laura S. Pringle. All Rights Reserved.

Norwich Maritime History through the Civil War - Walktober 2019

Kym and Geoff McLean as Cornelia and  Captain Joseph Lanman of the Civil War era

Thank goodness for these history walks! I had no idea how much I had forgotten. Did you know there were other presidents before George Washington? Of course, they weren't actually presidents of the "United States," they were presidents of the Continental Congress. They were not elected by U.S. citizens, but by members of the Continental Congress, and their duties were much different than those of the presidents who came after passage of the United States Constitution, which formed our now well-known three branches of government - executive, legislative and judicial, as well as a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch of government would have too much power. 

Fourteen men served as president of the Continental Congress between September 1774 and November 1788. We can think of these men as being presidents of a transitional government. These are the years just before the Declaration of Independence was written, during the Revolutionary War, and before the writing of the U.S. Constitution. This group of presidents can be further divided, as there was first the Continental Congress, and then it was later renamed the Second Continental Congress, or the Congress of the Confederation.

What does this have to do with Norwich? Well, it turns out the seventh president of the Continental Congress was Samuel Huntington, who lived in Norwich, CT beginning in 1754!  Some people consider him the real first president of the United States, because he was president of the Continental Congress when the Articles of Confederation were ratified on March 1, 1781. He is buried in the Old Norwichtown Cemetery.

View of Chelsea Harbor, Norwich,CT

I also learned the word "Chelsea" means "safe harbor." So when we locals refer to "Chelsea Harbor," we are being redundant, because "Chelsea Harbor" translates to "safe harbor harbor." 

One more fun fact: Privateers were legalized pirates. Local Captain Timothy Parker was one such privateer.

Howard T. Brown Memorial Park, Norwich,CT

Ship building and trade led to an increase in local merchants and housing. Ships carried out livestock, provisions, and lumber, then returned with tropical and European merchandise. By 1774, Norwich was the 12th largest town in the colonies. The Connecticut government ordered vessels for coastal defense. Norwich men including members of the Mohegan tribe, built the Spy, the Shark, and the frigate the Confederacy. Peace brought prosperity, but by 1840 shipping faded away as a railway was built that better suited the needs of textile and other manufacturers.

Beautiful blue sky with moon still in view near weather vane

In 1816, the first steamboat, Connecticut, docked here. In 1817, the Eagle, a Norwich-built steamboat exploded with 50 passengers on board, in full view of President James Monroe, who was on the steamboat Fulton. Fortunately, injuries were minimal as passengers had rushed towards the bow of the steamboat to catch a glimpse of the President, while the explosion occurred at the stern.

"Cornelia Lanman" dressed in hooped dress and wool cape

While men were off at sea, women stayed at home running farms and other businesses.

Captain Joseph Lanman and wife Cornelia

On we go to continue our walk downtown

View across Thames River 

Shetucket River flows into the Thames River

Across the street - a road that was formerly named "Dock St." because it led directly to, you guessed it - the dock!

The land that currently makes up the local park and lower Washington St. was not there in the 1800's. The harbor was filled in to create that later. The hills behind the harbor had very little development. They were mostly farms and land for cattle grazing. In fact, the cattle were frequently brought down to drink fresh water from the Yantic River.

A large stone step once stood in front of this building to aid women in getting on and off horses

The Wauregan Hotel - where candidate Abraham Lincoln once stayed

New regulations required the first floor of buildings to be fire proof. The solution was often to raise the entire building and build a new ground floor. Note the original front door of the blue house - now on the second floor.

Our tour continued along Main St., past the Flat Iron building - presently the home of       La Stella Pizza

One of the Lanman homes, originally owned by Joseph's grandfather

The Lanman's owned much of the land on Main St. and Church St. near Washington Ave.

See books by Laura S. Pringle on Amazon

The Pringle Plan is a series of educational guides. 

 ©2019 Laura S. Pringle. All Rights Reserved.