No politics today. It’s not because Cheney is acting president. Situation Normal there.
My wife and I went to Art on the Groton Bank, a fledgling Art Show held on the grounds of the Bill Library on Groton Bank. Our friend (and good Democrat) Audrey Heard, seen here with her paintings, is one of the organizers.
We got there early, so there wasn’t much of a crowd. We did pick up a painting, being held here by the artist, Adam Peiffer, a recent graduate of the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts.
For those of you unfamiliar with Groton Bank, it is the site of, perhaps, the only Revolutionary War battle in Connecticut. Benedict Arnold burned New London, and then the British turned on Groton, where Colonel Ledyard and his militia held the Heights in Fort Griswold. The British eventually took the fort, and if you believe the American account, which appears most credible, proceeded to massacre the men who surrendered, including Colonel Ledyard while he was handing over his sword.
Like so many battles before and after, it was a meaningless waste of life. It took place as Washington was drawing the noose around Cornwallis at Yorktown, and had no strategic significance whatsoever. If you drive by Groton you might notice the monument, which stands right next to the library where the art show was held. Here it is, taken from the inside of the fort, which still stands:
You are allowed to climb to the top of the Monument. The stairs to the top surely violate every building code known to man. I made the trek in service to my faithful readers. These pictures are not as sharp as they could be, because, perhaps in a nod to those very building codes, the openings at the top are covered with Plexiglass. I suppose it prevents suicides, but it also degrades picture quality.
Here’s the fort from on high
And here’s New London
Finally, apropos of absolutely nothing, except that it’s a fun picture, here is a frog basking in the sun next to our little mini-pond. You couldn’t ask for a better pose.
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