Grow your own.
Starting today, Connecticut residents 21 and older can grow marijuana at home. Plants should be kept indoors, away from children and pets and not visible to the public.
There are limits: 3 mature and 3 immature plants, and no more than 12 plants per household.
Connecticut legalized adult-use cannabis in July 2021. Recreational sales began in January. For a full CT Mirror story, click here.
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Lynsey Addario is featured in tomorrow’s New York Times Magazine.
The Staples High School Class of 1991 graduate/Pulitzer Prize- and MacArthur Fellow winner photographed, videoed and wrote the text for “A Boy’s Life on the Front Lines.”
It’s a tragically inspiring and moving account of an 11-year-old Ukrainian, navigating a childhood transformed by war.
But you don’t have to wait until tomorrow. Click here for the raw reality of one young life, in a brutal war that rages still. (Hat tips: John Hartwell and Roberta Wise)
Life amid the rubble. (Photo/Lynsey Addario for the New York Times)
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Miggs Burroughs has been a Westport Weston Family YMCA member for decades.
He hasn’t been around as long as the Y itself. But the award-winning artist is helping the community organization celebrate its 100-year anniversary, with a fun, engaging “This is My Y” selfie project.
To take part, take a selfie (or have someone snap a photo of you) while you are in or around the Y — a spot where you would say, ‘This is my Y.” Shooting hoops, pumping iron, doing Pilates, swimming — it’s all good.
Then email it to 100years@westporty.org. The deadline is August 4.
NOTE: Please send high-quality images(largest/actual size). And please don’t include other people’s faces in your photo.
Not a selfie — but a celebration of one of the Y’s many activities.
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Another important institution — the Westport Country Playhouse — hosts “Summer Thrillers: A Mystery Author Discussion” — as part of its second summer production, “Dial M for Murder.”
Mystery authors Christin Brecher, Edwin Hill and Andrea Penrose will discuss the mysteries of mystery writing on July 9 (2 p.m., WCP barn; free with reservation — click here).
There’s time for an audience Q-and-A. Books will be on sale, with authors available for signing.
“Dial M for Murder” — the classic suspense thriller about a devious husband, his wealthy wife and her lover — runs July 11 through 29. Click here for more information, and tickets.
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The new sculpture on Soundview Drive has drawn interest — and praise — from the many folks who stroll the beach exit road.
It was moved earlier this week’s from the owner’s previous home, in Greenwich. Here’s a nighttime view:
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Speaking of Soundview Drive:
Every year at the fireworks, thousands of Westporters have fun walking and biking up and down the beach exit road.
Closed to traffic, with parties up and down (and in the middle of) the street, it’s a bit like Venice Beach in California (Westport-style).
Every year, I wonder — right here on “06880” — why we can’t do this more often. Wouldn’t it be great, I ask, if on 2 or 3 Sundays every year, Soundview is closed to vehicles? Bands could play. Jugglers could juggle; face painters could face paint. Everyone would have a blast.
Every year, people say “What a cool idea!”
And every year, there’s no follow up.
So, here’s my challenge: If you’d like to explore the idea of closing Soundview Drive to traffic a couple of times each summer, click “Comments” below. Or email 06880blog@gmail.com.
Hopefully, other Westporters think this is a “sound” idea.
Strolling along Soundview Drive. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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The other day, Richard Hyman spotted several Mylar balloons near the Sherwood Island State Park shore.
“They bring short-term joy, but long-term pain: to animals that mistakenly eat them and die.” he says.
To learn more, he offers this link to a non-profit group, Balloons Blow.
A danger to nature. (Photo/Richard Hyman)
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Sorelle Gallery’s next exhibition, “Kaleidoscope,” features new artwork by Connecticut artists Kelly Rossetti and Alina B. It opens Thursday (July 7), with a reception the next day (Friday, July 8, 3 to 5 p.m.).
Click here for more information.
Two works in Sorelle Gallery’s upcoming “Kaleidoscope” exhibition.
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Robert Perliss died Wednesday. He was 96.
The Brooklyn Polytech graduate spent a long career in space exploration, most notably as a senior engineer on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope under Perkin-Elmer. He was honored by the Goddard Space Flight Center for his contributions to the success of the HST.
He also served as an engineer on the KH-9 Hexagonal and inception of the Kitt Peak Observatory, one of the largest solar telescopes in the world.
Bob was a long-time member of Temple Israel, and an active contributor to libraries in Westport and Norwalk. He donated extensive documents on the Hubble program.
Bob was good friends with New York comic writers Jerry Marcus, Orlando Busino, Dana Fradon and more. He was very proud of the superheroes created by family members Martin Goodman and Stan Lee.
Bob is survived by wife, Ruth-Anne; children Steve (Jolie Chan), Leora Freedman (Eric); stepdaughters Jody Melissa and Lorraine Ring, and grandchildren Nessiya, Molly-Anne, Ila, Claire, and Alec.
Bob Perliss
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Westport has plenty of great breakfast spots.
This osprey headed home the other day, past the library, after picking up a meal for the family. It didn’t stop — but Ellen Patafio captured the “Westport … Naturally” image well.
(Photo/Ellen Patafio)
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And finally … as Connecticut residents are now able to legally grow marijuana at home:
(After you finish planting your own cannabis [see story above], please consider a contribution to “06880.” Just click here — and thank you!)
Dan, I can’t open the link for Boy’s Life on the Front Lines without a subscription. Is there another link?
Try this: https://medium.com/@Rambling-Of-Nobody/how-to-bypass-new-york-times-paywall-and-read-unlimited-ny-times-articles-for-free-917a669fd0d0
Gives new meaning to Weeding your garden.
So what are we going to do now? Get high?
The osprey photo is amazing. Thanks for sharing Ellen.
Soundview parties used to be “private” parties that turned into street party over the years. The hosts were homeowners hosting “private Party” so good luck getting it to be a town party without financing and catering? (I am no longer in the business fyi)
Is there some way we can make the public more aware of the dangers of mylar and other balloons being sent into the sky untethered? In our community they end up in the Sound with very sad results for our aquatic fauna. Maybe the companies that sell these could post a notice and mention this at the checkout? Even if they land on the earth, our land animals are also in danger from them (not to mention the visual pollution on our beaches etc.). Please, everyone, let’s try to alert the Public to this.
This sounds like something to take up with Tooker.
Can you give me one good reason why this is her responsibility? Not maybe the stores tthat sell these products?
Good point.
Cannot hurt to contact by e-mail Sustainable Westport & RTM Environment Committee. I know we have spoken about it in the past and discussion is always helpful.
We scooped up two “graduation” balloons floating in the Sound today off Compo. Sadly, find them all too often.
We got close to passing a statewide ban on the intentional release of helium-filled balloons this past session but inaction on the senate side doomed the bill. Let’s get our state reps to support a ban next year; it would help if Westport stepped up with a local ordinance. Here’s more: https://friendsofanimals.org/bill-that-grounds-helium-filled-balloons-to-protect-wildlife-heads-to-senate/
I cast my vote for the periodic closing to cars of Soundview. I had pursued this many years ago, unsuccessfully, and continue to believe it makes sense. Indeed, given the presence of car access to most of the houses on Soundview from behind the houses, one could actually make a case for Soundview to be closed to traffic for extended periods. I am sure there are objections, including the reluctance of the Town and its leaders, past and present, to be hesitant to explore visionary proposals.
Don Bergmann
I think closing Soundview down for a few Sundays in the summer would be a great idea. But, this town needs fewer “visionary proposals” and more basic good governmental blocking and tackling. Like keeping the parking lots we have repaired and maintained. And basic traffic enforcement. And fewer visionary “Charettes”, which I believe is French for “Outside consultants shoveling preconceived ideas down people’s throats.” Anyway, that is just a loose translation from someone who studied Chinese and Spanish. This town has so many great things going for it, let’s not screw it up!
I agree with Pat Porio. I was afraid the goofy SpongeBob Squarepants mylar balloon pictured pre-fireworks was going to end up left behind, along with all of the shameful trash folks left ON THE BEACH. I see them being sold at Stop and Shop. Maybe it’s time for a ban- similar to the plastic bag ban. It’s just creating more trash.
That’s my husband Mark Naftalin playing keyboards on Brewer and Shipley’s “One Toke Over The Line.” Produced by Nick Gravenites. Richard Nixon used it for his campaign song for like a minute because he heard the lyric “sweet Jesus.” He thought it was some kind of modern spiritual. Someone clued him into the meaning of the word toke and that was the end of that.
Great song, great story!
How many tokes over the line was Nixon?
He crossed many lines, but I don’t think that was one of them.
However, in his final days in the White House he did spend time drinking heavily, and talking to the paintings on the walls.
The more things change the more they stay the same.