With Your Coffee

A view from the North Congregational Church in St. Johnsbury, VT

It’s the With Your Coffee Monday edition, as the weekends are much too nice to spend time in front of a computer screen. Wouldn’t you agree? I hope you had a fabulous weekend. My weekend took me to/from central Vermont and north/south on the Island Line bike path in gorgeous weather, both with historic site explorations. What about you? Here are some reads to start off your week:

• Warning: this rehabilitation will make you want to buy and live in a church. More photos here.

• This bookstore in Brooklyn makes millions … but it’s not a bookstore anymore.

• Good question. When did the rent get too damn high?

• Did you love To Kill a Mockingbird? Harper Lee is an interesting character, indeed.

• The constant battle of “there’s nowhere to park” described in Greenburg, PA.

• Thinking about living in a tiny house? You can try it out 2 hours north of Boston, MA!

• Literary road trips. Which one would you choose?

Cheers! Have a great week. 🙂

Advertisement

With Your Coffee

An Adirondack view, cell service not included.

{Operator error: this did not publish Saturday as it was supposed to. I hope you can enjoy it with your coffee on Monday. Hope you had a great weekend.}  Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Who wants to do his/her weekend all over again? Pine trees, fresh air, campfires, yes, please. Was it sunny and beautiful? What is the best part of your town/region in the summertime? Do you stay where you are, or escape somewhere for summertime enjoyment? I’d love to know. Coffee cheers!

• It’s true; Amtrak stations are some of the saddest looking places. Why would anyone want to take the train and wait in or be greeted by some of these? 

• Travelers, stop listening to YELP. It’s like reading comments in your local paper: scams or entirely uninformed. Make your own judgments.

• Like any preservationist, I love a good rehab success story. But, where are the before photos in this article? That is what I want to see!

•  Katonah, NY, standing up for its identify against big-box stores. You go, Katonah! Hold your ground. It’s your town.

•  Have you read The Belt, an online magazine about Rust Belt cities? 

•  We take a lot of photographs as preservationists. Do you paint? Would you want your house painted?

•  Also, Paint for Preservation. 

• Remember the story of drive-ins being forced to switch to expensive digital projectors? Talk about a hardship for businesses that make very little money as it is. It caused the St. Albans Drive-In to close. To add to the sadness, there’s a new(ish) Walmart across the street.

Have a great week, everyone!

Reclaim the Streets for Summer

We’ve talked about parklets previously, and you’ve probably seen them in one form or another, as they are popping up more and more. (Learn about parklets in this post, and check out Montreal examples here.) Technically, parklets are for the public – literally, mini resting areas/green spaces that borrow the street for people instead of cars and are free to the public. However,  restaurants create their own versions of parklets in the form of outdoor seating in parking spaces – usually on wood decks at curb height. On my last visit to Montreal I noticed another one, seen below.

See the parklet across the street?

And diagonally across from the restaurant seating, I found an actual parklet. This one was quite simple: benches and planters. This set up gives people a spot to sit and gaze at the architecture, allows for more pedestrian use of the sidewalk, cafe space, and creates a more park like setting on this historic street. What do you think?

A parklet in Old Montreal.

Parklets and outdoor seating areas are reclaiming* the streets for pedestrians, which make summer even more fun (especially for those of us with long, cold winters). Choosing to cater to people rather than automobiles is an important aspect of placemaking, and it can make a big difference a city’s vitality. Seen any lately? If you have, I’d love to see them. Use #presinpink on social media (Twitter, Instagram) to share!

*Reclaiming not to be confused with road construction reclamation. Just a transportation joke for you. haha. 😉

Abandoned Vermont: Reading House

Over the years, I’ve driven past this house many times getting that “abandoned” vibe from it, then noticing broken windows, overgrown brush, yet a mowed lawn. Maybe it wasn’t entirely abandoned, but certainly no one lived in this house. Finally I stopped to take some photographs. Considering how long it’s been neglected and vacant, it is in good condition. Who needs a house in Reading, Vermont? Advice for when you cannot information about a property (e.g. if it’s for sale): call the town offices.

Surrounded by trees.

The side of the house.

The rear of the house is a bit more worn. But the slate roof is gorgeous.

The porch has seen better days, and this rear ell.

Beautiful back porch (you probably remember this photo from an Instagram post).

The interior is not too far gone.

Seen through the back door, not in such great shape.

But it might need some plaster. This Rutland Patching Plaster is from nearby Rutland, VT!

Beautiful doorknobs!

Barn view from the porch.

Front of the barn.

The front of the house is hard to see from the road, as the road sits further behind this photographer.

What a beautiful property, isn’t it? It hasn’t been surveyed (that I can find), and is not listed in the State or National Register. However, I’m sure you could make a strong case for eligibility in Reading, VT. What do you love most: original windows, hardwood, wood details, doorknobs, slate roof?

Clever Place to Hide an A/C Unit

There’s got to be better places to store an air conditioner than where a transom should be or hanging out a window, right? What about a flower box disguise?

You can barely notice it (unless you’re really tall, I suppose).
What do you think?

Sunday Snapshots for Summer #15

All too many options for a photo today. See Monday for more. What have you been up to this weekend?

Sunday Snapshots for Summer #14

Sitting at Perkins Pier in Burlington, VT.

Sunday Snapshots for Summer #13

Sure, it’s September 1. But it’s still summertime. Enjoy it!

Summer sunset. 

Summer Flamingo-grams

A scrapbook of summer adventures to share with you. Here, there, everywhere, what a whirlwind (the good kind)! Check out some from the past few months.

Robert Moses Causeway

Robert Moses State Park, NY

4th of July in Port Jefferson, NY

Fort Popham, ME

Ice cream with Annie in NY.

Lucas reading Preservation magazine

Crossing into Canada!

Sisters at the LLBean Store in Freeport, ME

The typewriter that didn’t sell at the garage sale.

Fire with the family!

Chimney Point, VT

Louie, the pet duck of the O’Shea family.

Rupert, VT

Chasing the storm near Crown Point, NY.

Dummerston, VT

Concrete post and cable rail bridges, a rare type nowadays.

Beacon Street, Boston, MA

Boston Waterworks Museum

Giant moth.

Porches.

archaeology in Swanton, VT

Nor did these books.

Boothbay Harbor, ME

Chimney Point State Historic Site.

Abby, the missing kitten.

Montpelier, VT

Montpelier, VT

Freeport, ME.

Guilford, VT.

Looking up in Burlington, VT.

South Burlington, VT

Tadoussac, Quebec

Vermont’s roadside America

Industrial decor.

Port Jefferson, NY

Sunday Snapshots for Summer #12

Oakledge Park in Burlington, VT looking towards the city.

A perfect spot for a summer day, all or part of it. Where have you been lately? (More about Oakledge Park.)