January 22, 2012
Here in Lexington, we’ve had a rather mild winter so far (*knocks on wood*). But it is January, after all, so let’s look next at a couple of sleighing photos.
I have no idea when or where this photo was taken, but the horses, the driver, and the passengers all look rather cosy in their furry winter coats.
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(from the Jack & Marge Day collection)
January 21, 2012
About two months ago, we began a read-along of sorts: small weekly morsels comprising the chapter on tandem driving in the first volume of The Sports Library (by Mr. T. F. Dale), published in 1899. We missed last Saturday’s installment because I was out of town and reporting on our CAA International Carriage Symposium at Colonial Williamsburg, but Mr. Dale is back this week!
If you didn’t start reading along with us from the beginning, you can catch up by reading part of the book’s introduction (and the introduction to our look back at this nineteenth-century book) and parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight of Chapter 10.
Today, the ninth part:
… Many amusing little incidents I recollect, but only two adventures.
On one stage the evening journey ended at a little police-station. There was no regular rest house, but there were a couple of rooms for the use of European or superior native officers when traveling. This stood in the middle of a wide and treeless plain. One day I was driving along quietly as usual when my attention was attracted by thunder growling on the horizon. I looked up, for rain is rare in those parts, but there on three sides were three separate storms creeping along towards us. Tropical thunderstorms and rain are not pleasant to be out in on a bare plain, besides I had my bedding strapped on under the driving-seat and the nights were chill, so I decided to race the storm. I think the ponies were a bit frightened, for they laid themselves out to gallop well, and soon I had them at full stretch. The thunder growled, the crimson lightning ran along the ground, the darkness swept down over us till I could barely see my leader’s ears, and it was all I could do to keep the team on the road. Soon I did not know where I was, when I saw the dark square of the little police post loom up, pulled up, unstrapped the bedding, and bolted for shelter just as the rain came down in sheets. As it happened the little post was the very center of the disturbance and we were lucky to get the horses and ourselves into shelter. …
January 20, 2012
We’ll start our look through the last of Jack & Marge Day’s photos with an “action shot” of sorts.
This young family appears to be one of several groups leaving a race or a horse show or somesuch. They, and their off-side horse, are holding very still while the photographer works his time-consuming magic. The vehicle behind them and the horse to their left, however, are all moving so much they’ve become blurred … as has our little family’s near-side horse. He moved around so much, in fact, that his legs look fuzzy and someone has had to draw his ears in with a pen.
According to several notations on the back, this photo was taken in Manchester, New Hampshire, circa 1880.
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(from the Jack & Marge Day collection)
January 19, 2012
Last week, while we were in Williamsburg, Jack Day gave me another (smaller) stack of fabulous old photos. Starting tomorrow, I’ll post them here, one a day, for the next couple of weeks.
What can you look forward to? More young families showing off the family “car” (horse and buggy) or gathered in front of the house with all their animals; portraits of commercial vehicles, fire-fighting equipment, and sleighs; and more, including a large sled with a remarkably large load of logs.
Stay tuned!
January 18, 2012
Are you on Facebook? If you are, you too can “like” the Colonial Williamsburg page. A status update from Colonial Williamsburg just popped onto my FB news feed, and I thought it was really rather interesting, especially since we were just there, exploring the Historica Area and meeting people.
On this website of “behind the scenes” info at Williamsburg, you can listen to or (if you lack speakers) read the transcript of two interviews with the director of their Costume Design Center. There’s a lot of other interesting information there, as well.
P.S.
If you are on Facebook and haven’t yet “liked” the Carriage Association page, you can check us out here.
The Slower Road 