Granville Daily Photo

Two days of Commencement (graduation) festivities at Bennington College came with unsettled weather and skies ready-made for being photographed. These were taken on Friday evening, May 29. It was chilly but miraculously did not rain as had been forecast. By the time I drove home, though, I was making my way through a violent thunderstorm. Earlier that evening, with the tents set up for dinner and the graduation ceremony. Cloud study. The sunset light was beautiful. By the time of the graduation ceremony the next morning, the weather was unseasonably cold and the rain continuous. Nevertheless, an overflow crowd of students, parents and families, friends, faculty, staff, and VIPs enjoyed the event under the tent. I'm a day early publishing this because I won't have time tomorrow.

  Assembly of God Church, Granville, NY This church is just a few steps away from the Cathrolic Church photographed the other day, Bulkley Avenue.

  I mentioned the other day that there are some nice houses near the churches I photographed. Here area two of them. I like the first for its varied, scalloped shingles and some interesting angles, and the second mainly for the pop of color of the flowering bushes against a more conventional, Colonial-style house.

Back from another absence (for a routine medical procedure). I took this picture of Granville's Catholic Church this afternoon. Nothing says Granville like the multicolored slate tiled roof: This section of the village has another church 100 feet away as well as some lovely houses. I'll share some more photos soon. P.S. I tried something in the first photo which I haven't done before, which was editing it for brightness and contrast. The original was too dark for some reason. I don't know if this is considered "kosher" in CFP World. I'd appreciate the feedback. In the past I've only ever cropped and occasionally straightened photos.

Outdoor display of patio furniture made at Telescope, in front of their facility in Granville.

I met friends for brunch yesterday in Walpole, New Hampshire. It turns out the restaurant, which may or may not be owned by the documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, adjoined L.A. Burdick Chocolate -- a place I had been to many years ago and that makes very fine confections. They are best known for their chocolate mice. I took home a small box to eat later in the week. (I'm on a special diet until Thursday.)

I needed something to post on this chilly and rainy day. In 2022 I took a trip to England and Scotland. In London I visited a dying friend for the last time. I then traveled north, stopping in Birmingham for a concert by the outstanding City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Continuing on, I visited several excellent birding sites.  My last stop was to visit my friend Peter in Doune, Scotland, who was the inspiration behind, and the editor for, our biographical anthology of Anthony Philip Heinrich, "the Beethoven of America." Peter and his wife Pat were wonderful hosts. We went to Edinburgh to see this exhibition of Audubon's work, because my research on Heinrich has to do with his many connections to Audubon, including the bizarre fact that Heinrich is buried in the Audubon Family tomb in New York City. We gave a copy of our book to the show's curator, who honestly seemed a little nonplussed. Oh, well. The poster shows Audubon's illustration of the now-extinct Pa...

The last few days have been fun but exhausting, and I've been unable to keep up with GDP. Today I'm resting and recuperating at home. My Shamrock Oxalis is going nuts! Last week I fed it some fertilizer. I wonder if I overdid it. Anyway, it's a joy to look at when it is shooting pink blossoms everywhere.

Bennington College drum ensembles performed at lunch time today behind the Commons. Colorful drum ensemble performing. Michael Wimberly (white cap) is on the music faculty at Bennington College and leads the drum ensembles. He is a multitalented musician and percussionist, and a popular teacher. Bennington students listening intently. Professor Wimberly leading the ensemble. Professor Wimberly displaying a xylophone-like instrument made with gourds. His enthusiasm and joy are infectious! I couldn't stop myself from dancing. It was a great day to be outside and taking in the beat!

There are many churches in Granville. They interest me primarily because of their architecture. The fact is, churches largely define the built environment of any small town. I am not Christian, nor do I have any objections to religion and Christianity -- so long as they are practiced for the good of humanity. (I was born Jewish and identify, somewhat, as a Jewish person, but presently I attend a Unitarian Universalist, or "UU," congregation, which suits my interests in non-sectarianism, inclusion, and social justice.) This Episcopal Church is a few blocks from my house. I like its simplicty and clean lines -- definitely a classic New England look.

On a very hot afternoon -- what must be a near-record-high 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) -- I strolled a few blocks to this impressive house. I don't have any history of it, but it stands out from most of Granville's houses by its masonry construction and combination of Victorian and Neoclassical features, with a mansard roof topping it all.

"Brewster's" Warbler. Photo by Timothy Achor-Hoch It was a glorious day for birding -- warm and sunny, the "peak" weekend for spring migration. I met my friends Kate and Tim this morning at a section of the rail trail in Granville just south of the village. It is bordered by farm fields on one side and woods on the other.  Tim, who is a bird/nature artist and photographer, took this picture of one of the many Blue-winged Warblers (Vermivora cyanoptera) that were singing their "bee-buzz" song along the path. On closer inspection, however, this appears to be a Blue-winged x Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) hybrid of the "Brewster's" type (the genetically dominant Blue-winged hybrid); note the white under the throat, which would be bright yellow in a pure Blue-winged. If there are any birders among you, you will appreciate that this was a "life bird" for me! The first hybrid I've ever seen. Almost as exciting was ...

The Grassland Bird Trust held a "Raptor Fest" at the Washington County (aka Fort Edward) Grasslands today. We skipped the morning events (flight demonstrations and lectures) and joined an afternoon hike around the property.  The birding was exceptional, capped off with a Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) -- only the second one I've seen and heard in my life. They are a relatively rare species and listed as threatened in New York State. Other birds included Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius), Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii), and many Boblink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) nesting and singing in the fields. We were with a group of biology/ornithology students from Union College in Schenectady, New York. Their well-rounded knowledge of nature was impressive. They stopped to study insects, bones, and plants along the way.  The mid-afternoon sun was quite warm. After several days of cold and rain, we're suddenly in a summer-like heat wave that will bring temperatures int...

I went looking for things to photograph late this afternoon. At the end of a road bordered by the hill in the background, I found the Granville Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing. I knew someone who spent several months there earlier this year after they suffered a stroke. It was the end of two miserable days of rain. The sun came out after about 3:00 and the temperature warmed up. The forecast is for a sunny and very warm weekend, which I hope will bring the last wave of migrating birds.

Urban nature: Cars whiz by on a road that bissects the Albany Pine Barrens. No, the subject is not Lolita. It is the Albany Pine Barrens Preserve, an urban nature refuge centered in New York State's capital, Albany. This is a globally unique and rare ecosystem -- fire-dependent pine barrens -- that also hosts a critically endangered species, the Karner Blue Butterfly. Vladimir Nabokov was a serious amateur lepidopterist who studied and even named the Karner Blue after the town where he first found it (now called Colonie, New York). The butterfly depends on a specific flower, the Blue Lupine, that grows in this sandy, semi-arid habitat.  Blue Lupine flowers beginning to bloom. (Sorry for the poor photo.) The butterflies will be out in two or three weeks. The Albany Pine Barrens Preserve comprises a designated Audubon Important Bird Area in New York State (I believe I mentioned previously that I had a hand in the development of the IBA program during my career with the National Audub...

I had never been to Schenctady before until last weekend. It is located on the Mohawk River northwest of Albany. This downtown plaza was fairly quiet (expected for a Sunday) but full of interesting shops. This building looks very Spanish-inspired to me. Coincidentally or not, the banner says "Mexican Radio." Carved lion's heads at the top of a building called the "Seneca Block." Best dinner out! Lamb tagine with pomegranate sauce, olives, and almonds -- sweet and savory -- at Tara's Kitchen. Yum!! Amazingly, the chefs were teenagers.

 This was the view from my back door yesterday.

This colorful row of brownstones was across the street from Washington Park, where the Tulip Festival was held.

Sorry I've been intermittent on GDP for a while. This weekend I took a trip to Albany, the capital of New York State. The highlight was the city's Tulip Festival. It was a rainy and chilly Saturday, but the flowers were popping with color -- you could almost feel the vibrations in your body. The open umbrellas and raincoats added to the colorful display. I should add, never being one to pass up a good bird sighting, that we were greeted on entering the park (Washington Park) by the sound and sight of a very agitated Merlin (Falco columbarius), an unexpected find in an urban park. I'll have more photos from to share from this pleasant weekend outing in future posts.

Anyone want to buy a house in Granville? This beauty is on sale for less than $300,000, an astonishingly low price for a six-bedroom historic mansion. Called the Owens Quarry House, it was built in 1902. The craftsmanship on this Victorian -- detailed woodwork, stained glass, and, of course, red slate roof, is among the finest in the village.  Fun fact (if true): The Owen Brothers were slate moguls and were caught in the middle of a threatened workers' strike in 1890. The slate business was at its peak, but workers were making a measley 19 cents an hour (approximately $7 an hour in 2026).

First Church was  literally  the first church in Granville, built in 1782. In 2022, Brooklynites Cristiana Peña and Nick Porter bought the church and, over two years, renovated it to become their home. It has been featured in numerous videos, TV shows, and magazine articles and blogs. I must have driven by it several dozen times without ever noticing it. That's one good byproduct of taking up CDP -- I have to start paying attention to things. It is absolutely stunning in person!

My map identifies this as Rathbun Pond. My favorite midday walk is from my house to this spot, about 15 minutes or barely a mile. I have often heard birds such as Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) and Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus) singing.

It's amazing what googling can do. Being still relatively new to Granville, I googled "Granville's most beautiful houses" and discovered that this gem, the Sheldon House, is right around the corner from mine! I just hadn't paid much attention. You can learn a lot from its website . Most important: " The thirty-four room, 10,000 square foot Sheldon Mansion was built on a ten acre village estate in 1906 by slate baron Frederick Sheldon who owned numerous quarries including virtually all of the most rare, red slate. It is believed that this is the only building in the world constructed with red slate stone walls." I would describe it as neoolonial, neoclassical architecture, very apt for the period. What I find intriguing are the asymmetrical design and the bold massing of blocks and columns -- including the striking triple columns in front -- combined with wide and flattened overhanging eaves. The glass enclosure on the second floor behind the columns must...

 For "Fruit" Theme Day: Fresh batch of watermelons at the Granville supermarket.