suns along the Mohawk

– 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.

Read More…

follow-up (May 22, 2012): He’s back!  See “Lawrence’s sojourn ends“.

prior update: (14May2012) the refurbished base awaits Lawrence’s return .

– Lawrence’s refurbished base – May 14, 2012 

– comparison before and after the base’s makeover – click on image to enlarge –

[original posting]

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– Lawrence begins lift-off at 12:08 pm [R] leaving behind his pedestal [L]; click to enlarge –

– follow-up: see out posting on the Lawrence Restoration Fundraiser –

 Every 125 years or so (see the Follow-up at the end of this posting for a correction), Lawrence the Indian deserves to get away from his perch and his Circle for a bit of rejuvenation or recreation.   Thanks to the Stockade Association, Legere Restorations and Buddy’s Tree Service, he started a brief journey this afternoon, and will be away while his pedestal is being restored by the Legere firm.  See today’s Schenectady Daily Gazette, “Stockade’s famed Indian taking a brief vacation” (by Kathleen Moore, May 2, 2012, at B1; online by subscription); update (May 3, 2012): Bill Lambdin of WNYT [Ch.13] filed an informative report last night, with a 2-minute video featuring Frank Gilmore; the Times Union has a slideshow.

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– to prevent damage, Lawrence had to be carefully secured for the lift and the ride by Buddy Allen and his crew –

This slideshow covers the action from about 11:50 am to 12:22 pm.

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– if you start missing the laconic and iconic Lawrence, or want to know more about his story, check out our posting “Looking for Lawrence” –

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– Lawrence the Indian with Ray Legere: separated at birth? –

update (5:30 PM): The Legere folks have already erected a tent over the pedestal and begun baking-soda blasting.  You can see the clouds from the blasting rising above the tent in this photo (click on it for a larger image):

– don’t worry, Ray Legere came down from the pedestal before the tent went up:

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– you can share this posting with this short URL:  http://tinyurl.com/LawrenceMoved –

follow-up (May 22, 2012): My favorite source of local lore and facts, Rob Petito, just wrote the Stockade email list to remind us that: “This year’s work is not the first time that Lawrence has taken a stroll around the “Old Dorp.”  In 1986, Lawrence underwent a major restoration that included re-plating and refinishing the bronze coating on the zinc casting, and the cast-iron base was restored and repainted.  Also, the head dress and arrow were replaced.”

postscript (Jun 17, 2012): If you have a subscription to the online Schenectady Gazette, I encourage you to enjoy the informative op-ed piece by architect and Stockadian Frank F. Gilmore, titled “Lawrence the Indian proves to be example of ship carver’s art” (June 3, 2012).  Frank tells us, among other tidbits, that:

• “After some fascinating digging, I discovered that this 5-foot-7-inch statue represents a refined high point in the evolution of the art of American ship carvers of the 19th century.”
• “Lawrence came from the J.L. Mott Iron Works on the Harlem River in the Bronx. The statue — a multi-pieced zinc casting assemblage — came, probably, with a cast-iron base that included a fountain with basins for horses to drink from.”
• [Fultonville entrepreneur John Henry] “Starin had brought Lawrence to the Mohawk Valley probably as a bronzed garden ornament for his ‘San Simeonesque’ estate. Reputedly generous and civic-minded, he, at some point, must have donated the Indian to the city of Schenectady.” (Click here for a Gazette article on the restoration of the remarkable Starin Estate, overlooking Fultonville and the Mohawk Valley.)

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– tulips in late-morning sun on April 21 (L) and at sunset on April 19 (R) –

 . . share this post with this URL: https://tinyurl.com/1stRefApr2012

 Just in time for Earth Day (Sunday April 22), 1st Reformed Church presents its annual display of blooming beauty.  Tulips, redbuds, apple blossoms, etc.  Here’s a sample.

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— photos taken at 1st Reformed Church – Schenectady Stockade – April 17 & 19, 2012 —

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– click on a  collage to enlarge –

 The past two weeks of exceptionally warm weather have brought the tulips out prematurely in Albany’s Washington Park, and a variety of blossoms out on Washington Avenue in the Schenectady Stockade more than a month earlier than last year.   We focused on the arrival of our 2011 cherry blossoms on April 26 last year, and on blooming magnolia and forsythia on April 28th.   This slideshow has pictures taken today, March 22, 2012, along and behind Washington Avenue. [find more from March 26 here]

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. early blooms on Washington Ave. – March 22, 2012 .

I’m curious to see what the early blooming will mean for the fullness and duration of our blossom season here in the Stockade.  [update: see the Daily Gazette, “Warm weather messing with Mother Nature” (March 23, 2012, A1, by John Enger, online by subscription).]

[Share this posting with a shorter URL: http://tinyurl.com/earlybloom ]

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– 2011, a “normal” Spring arrival: magnolia and forsythia blossoms along Washington Ave. – late April 2011; more here–