Gather Ye Schoolhouses

When I started this blog I'd never noticed an old Connecticut schoolhouse, aside from this one and this one. The first one that really caught my attention was the one in Beacon Falls, shown here, which I included in this article. And now, as I've mentioned here before, the schoolhouses just keep accumulating. (I think this makes schoolhouse post number 28, and schoolhouse number...I don't even want to count.) Here are a few that I've been saving up, from all around the state.

(From top: Southington; North Branford; Prospect; Branford; Union; Union)

Three More Little Libraries

Connecticut has a Wine Trail and a Chocolate Trail and an Art Trail and a new Barn Trail (which I'm sort of excited about) and so many other trails that I lose track of them. So a Tiny Library Trail wouldn't be such a strange thing. From Pomfret to Windham, they are adorable. (And don't just take my word for it.) This picture of the one in Union is almost life-sized.

This one in Bethany is sort of an edge case. It probably wouldn't qualify, because there's a large modern library carefully concealed behind this front.

But on the other hand, these wreathed doors.

This one, in Naugatuck, is probably too much of a "real" library, and too large. But I'd include it, because it's pleasantly neoclassical and appears to be trying to hide behind these trees.

And because this literary detail - it goes all the way across - is too good to ignore.

Kalmia Latifolia

Some of Connecticut's official state symbols are perfectly fitting: the state animal is the sperm whale; the state tree is the Charter Oak. Some make no kind of sense: the state insect (why do we have a state insect?!) is the praying mantis. Others are just...neither here nor there.

The state flower, the mountain laurel, I once counted as one of the latter sort. There's nothing wrong with mountain laurel, and it was designated as the official state flower in 1907, which gives it some sort of cred. (It also has a distinguished history that includes brushes with John Smith and Linnaeus.)  But I had no particular feelings about it.

And then I went to the Nipmuck State Forest in Union (Connecticut's least populated town!) and experienced the subtle wonder that is the mountain laurel sanctuary there.

I was about to write a long description of this place: how you enter the forest and a tunnel of green leaves stretches out before you, how the laurel hangs above you in bunches, first white, then pale pink. But I'm not even going to do that.

I'm just going to say GO TO UNION NOW WHILE THE LAUREL IS BLOOMING and see this place for yourself. If you can't go now, write a little reminder to yourself to go next summer. I didn't just hit my Caps Lock key; it's really that pretty.