suns along the Mohawk

  Drizzle and gray skies reduced the number of purveyors and browsers, but those who showed up seemed to enjoy Saturday in the Stockade, at the 2012 Stockade Sidewalk Sale today.  Some of my usual hit-and-miss photography is displayed in the Slideshow below.

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– click to see our 2009, 2010 and 2011 Sidewalk Sale postings –

– follow-up (May 24, 2012): Lawrence is back with everything, including his feathers, in place –

   In true Stockade tradition, there was a lively discussion yesterday (May 23) through our email list over the positioning of Lawrence’s feathers.  Upright is the traditional position, but over the past few years, they have been “rakishly” askew rather than standing straight up.  A consensus formed that upright was right and tradition was important.  Click on the collage at the head of this paragraph to see Lawrence’s feather history since 2008.

[original posting]

The legend-man who brought settlers back to the Stockade after our infamous massacre got a ride back himself today, as Lawrence’s statue was reunited with its newly-refurbished base. He was gone for a good reason, and it was only twenty days, but Lawrence was missed, and a small crowd waited in the rain for his circle to be complete.  Click to read about Lawrence’s trip (and the restoration project), and his night out at the VanDyck (with lots of photos, of course)

This slideshow is in chronological order.

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. . . back where he belongs . .

– share this posting with the short URL: http://tinyurl.com/LawrenceBack –

p.s.  I wasn’t sure I would find Lawrence in his circle when I returned around 2:30 this afternoon.   Once he was in place, the restoration crew had to go back to the shop to get Lawrence’s forgotten bolts.  For a while then, Lawrence had the chance to wander again. He’s secure now, so we can be, too.

 Other duties kept me from having a real photo shoot of the filming of the HBO movie “Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight” here in the Schenectady Stockade, on Friday May 11, 2012.  A scene substituting for Georgetown in D.C. was shot in the Stockade, focused on 17 Front St., which served as the home of Supreme Court Justice John Harlan.  The movie has many known actors and tells the story of Ali’s fight for conscientious objector status, with resulting conviction for draft dodging, and loss of his heavyweight title.  [Read about the movie at its HBO webpage, and see a video from News 10 here, and from Channel 13 WNYT here ; HBO says it will be premiered the Fall of 2013.]

However, when I saw a gorgeous red Chevy Impala right under my bay “office” window, I got out for a few minutes of taking pictures.  This collage was the result (click on it for a larger version):

– corner of Washington Avenue and Front St. (Cucumber Alley, too) –

  -filming centered on 17 Front St., former home of Governor Yates, the door of which was painted green for the movie (it had been black).

Then, around 7 AM the morning after, I strolled around to see if I could find any remnants of the filming.   This collage resulted:

– click on a collage or photo for a larger version –

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Just another day in our special little neighborhood.

– see our follow up posting on the movie and dvd (April 11, 2014) –

  Let’s hope it’s a perennial.  The Stockade Association’s inaugural Bloomin’ Baskets Day had abundant sunshine and shade, flowers and soil, and smiling Stockadians.   The Association encouraged all neighbors to bring a flower pot or planter to the carport at 31 Front St. this morning, where the Association offered free flowers and soil, and resident horticulturist Peter Rumora offered advice and labor for creating beautiful flower baskets and planters for our porches, stoeps, and front window sills.   It wasn’t just the mimosas that made everyone hope this is the start of a new Stockade tradition.  The Slideshow has about a dozen representative images.

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–  face to face with Lawrence –

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  The Historic Stockade Association & Legere Restorations held a fundraiser for the Association’s Lawrence Restoration Fund yesterday evening at the patio of the VanDyck Lounge.  I had fun and it looked like everyone else did, too.  Poor light under the canopy reduced the number of photos worth sharing, but I think you’ll see in the Slideshow below that meeting Lawrence off his pedestal was a treat.  Naturally, I want our icon back at his post soon, with all his dignity in tact.

  Due to rainy whether, Ray Legere told me Lawrence might not be re-installed at his Circle on his restored pedestal until next week. Click here to see our posting on Lawrence’s removal from the base on May 2, 2012, plus views of his refurbished base.

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Each of the photos in the Slideshow can be found in a Gallery under-the-fold.  Click on any photo for a larger version, and scroll over it for a description.  Feel free to use a photo for any non-commercial purpose.

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