Tag Archives: Old Mill

Friday Flashback #34

Posted on April 7, 2017 | 18 comments

A week ago, heavy rains and strong winds pushed Compo Beach sand onto the boardwalk. Some carried beyond, into the parking lot.

A few folks out for a stroll on Sunday were annoyed that “they” — whoever that is — hadn’t yet cleaned the sand from, um, the beach.

Those people would not have fared well a century ago. Here’s how Soundview Drive looked then:

On the other hand, check out those very cool wooden bathhouses in the distance.

Around the corner was another beach scene. I’m guessing from the somewhat garbled description — “The Old Mill Road, Compo” — that these homes were on Sherwood Mill Pond, opposite Old Mill Beach.

If you’ve got another idea — or want to commend our current Parks & Rec and Public Works staffs for their great work on our beaches and roads — click “Comments” below.

(Postcards courtesy of Jack Whittle)

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Posted in Beach, Friday Flashback

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Beached!

Posted on July 13, 2016 | 17 comments

Once a day, every day — as regularly as the tides — Old Mill Beach-goers and Hillspoint Road drivers, joggers and strollers are treated to the same sight:

(Photo/Lynn Flaster)

(Photo/Lynn Flaster)

There must be a story behind the boat and its owners.

Clueless? Too lazy to get an actual mooring? Just happy going out for a quick spin when the tide is high?

If you know the back story, click “Comments” below.

In the meantime, we know one thing: At least half of each day, no one will steal this boat.

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Posted in Beach, Totally random

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The Beach Goes On

Posted on July 25, 2013 | 1 comment

Living at the beach is a dream.

Until something like Hurricane Sandy turns it into a nightmare.

But Compo, Old Mill and other shoreline residents say it’s worth it. They’re used to challenges.

They adapt.

These owners are already back home.

These owners are already back home…

They’re raising their homes to FEMA standards. They’re gaining safety (and maybe a garage underneath).

Plus — this is Sandy’s dark cloud/silver lining — they now enjoy fantastic new views.

...and so are these.

…and so are these.

Some homes are not fixable. In their place, owners build stronger houses.

Other homes are, or will soon be, up for sale. (Like Betsy and Dan Kahn’s — she provided these fantastic photos.)

A house near Compo Beach being raised...

A house near Compo Beach being raised…

...and 2 more at Old Mill Beach.

…and 2 more at Old Mill Beach.

Many residents have lived elsewhere for the past 9 months, or huddled in only part of their under-renovation house. The wait, they say, will be worth it.

And beach life will be better than ever.

Some houses couldn't be saved...

Some houses couldn’t be saved…

...but new homes -- like this one on Danbury Avenue -- are going up quickly. (Photos by Betsy P. Kahn)

…but new homes — like this one on Danbury Avenue — are going up quickly.

Meanwhile, on Compo Cove, approximately half of the houses are still being raised. (Photos by Betsy P. Kahn)

And on Compo Cove, many houses are still being raised. (Photos by Betsy P. Kahn)

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Posted in Beach, Real estate, Weather

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A Weird Way To Celebrate The 4th

Posted on July 4, 2013 | 15 comments

Independence Day is all about revolution.

Revolution was on the mind of this Old Mill homeowner today too:

Che GuevaraIt just wasn’t the American one.

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Posted in Beach, Totally random

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Hurricane? What Hurricane?

Posted on May 27, 2013 | Comments Off on Hurricane? What Hurricane?

A couple of weeks ago, Compo looked much as it did right after Hurricane Sandy.

By today — Memorial Day, the 1st gorgeous day of the beach season — virtually all the damage had been cleaned up.

Sure, it looks a bit different. The brick wall near the bathhouses is gone:

Compo Beach bathhouses

But the boardwalk has been repaired, and the patio near Joey’s looks just as enticing as ever:

Joey's by the Shore

The ever-popular sidewalk between Schlaet’s Point and Old Mill is ready for walkers, joggers, strollers and rollerbladers — with plenty of new stones:

Hillspoint Road, Westport CT

Of course, if you look carefully you’ll see lingering after-effects. The enormous, how-did-they-ever-get-it-there? potted tree on the walkway to Compo Cove has looked like this since October:

Compo Cove, Westport CT

And many homes still look like this:

Compo Cove, Westport CT

Still, considering what the beach area looked like just 7 months ago, we weathered the storm very, very well.

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Posted in Beach, Weather

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Art By The Beach

Posted on August 4, 2012 | 1 comment

Sure, this is the weekend of the Sono Arts Celebration. It’s a great festival — but with 95-degree heat and 100% humidity, who needs the crowds and concrete?

You can still get your art fix — and add a few sea breezes — at Clark Hanford’s special art show. Set in the shaded front lawn of his Old Mill home, it’s a fun, stressless — and very professional — alternative to the much bigger South Norwalk event.

Clark’s show (at the end of the Old Mill parking lot) runs today until 5 p.m. Tomorrow (Sunday), it’s 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Several other artists are represented. In addition to paintings, there are sculptures and other artwork.

Clark Hanford, his artwork, and his Old Mill home.

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Posted in Arts, Beach, People

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It’s A Dog’s World…

Posted on August 1, 2012 | 1 comment

…and Clark Hanford paints it.

The talented painter, sculptor, Old Mill resident — and 1962 Staples graduate — is getting ready for his 3rd outdoor art show. He’s selected some of his best dog works — and portraits, landscapes and still lives — and added artwork of other local artists.  This Saturday and Sunday (August 4-5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), it’s all on display in front of Clark’s house.

That’s what makes this show blog-worthy. He lives at 31 Old Mill — a funky Victorian on the way to Compo Cove — and all the art will hang on his fence. It’s a perfect setting for some very good (and fun) art.

Clark’s 1st how, in 2010, was a great success. Last year’s was blown away by Hurricane Irene.

This year, Clark Hanford’s outdoor art show will blow you away.

This weekend, great artwork will hang on the fence.

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Posted in Arts, Beach, People

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Why We Love Westport

Posted on August 4, 2011 | 7 comments

It’s been a great summer, weather-wise.  Weekend after weekend — and most 🙂  weekdays too — Mother Nature has hooked us up.

Our always-beautiful town has, in many ways, never looked better.  Say what you will about the ills that buffet Westport, and the country; this has been a kick-ass summer.

Before it gets away, we should reflect on a few familiar summer scenes.  And think, for a moment, how lucky we are to have them.

Sure, it's a downtown business district, with chain stores up the wazoo. But a few steps away flows a fine little river. And there are plenty of places to watch it go by.

The inlet leading to -- and, when the tide turns, from -- Sherwood Mill Pond is one of Westport's hidden wonders. The wooden bridge leading to Compo Cove is a special place to see (and span) it.

The stretch of land at the end of Compo Beach is called Schlaet's Point. Countless bikers, joggers, walkers and slowing drivers know it as one of the prettiest spots in town. This summer, for the first time in memory, it's even attracted swimmers.

There's nothing like a sunset on Compo's South Beach. Though a moonrise there is pretty cool too.

Every day at the beach is not, well, a day at the beach. But even storm clouds can be beautiful.

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Posted in Beach, Downtown, Places, Westport life

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Painting Old Mill

Posted on August 22, 2010 | 2 comments

The house on the Mill Pond, by Clark Hanford

Cottages.  Wooden bridges.  Ducks, egrets, herons, gulls, swans, cormorants.  And the Mill Pond itself.

It’s an artist’s dream, and from dawn mist to dusky sunset, folks are out there painting.

Now everyone can see their work.

Clark Hanford — painter, sculptor and Old Mill resident — has gathered several other artists together.  This Saturday (Aug. 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), they’ll present an outdoor exhibit of their work.

The show — highlighting the infinite moods of Old Mill and Compo Cove — takes place at Hanford’s home:  31 Old Mill.

You can’t ask for a better curator.  A 1962 Staples graduate, Hanford has been a working artist for over 4 decades.

“Although I sometimes saw people painting on the beach, I’d be busy in my studio doing portraits or sculpting,” he says.

“I just enjoy being here.  I don’t have a need to paint it.”

But this winter — when it was cold and nasty, and he vowed to do something special when if summer finally arrived — Hanford decided to paint outside.  Then he hit on the idea of a little show.

Scouting for artists with different styles and points of view, he found talented folks like Cornelia Gaines Olsen, Judy Katz and Bobbi Eike Mullen.

Once upon a time, Westport was an “artists’ colony.”  On Saturday, the special colony of Old Mill honors the artists who honor it.

Old Mill Beach, by Clark Hanford

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Posted in Arts, Places

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