Dan Antion

Glastonbury Doors

Welcome to Thursday Doors! This is a weekly challenge for people who love doors and architecture to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos, drawings, or other images or stories from around the world. If you’d like to join us, simply create your own Thursday Doors post each (or any) week and then share a link to your post in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time). If you like, you can add our badge to your post.

Last week, I announced the First Annual Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. Hopefully, many of the door lovers assembled here will designate a door that can be used for inspiration for the writers among our collective followers and visitors. I am designating two doors, shown below. One of these is from the archives, and one is new.

I need to make a change to the schedule, one I hope you like. This cycle, i.e. today through Saturday at noon, is the time to designate a door. You may designate a new door or a door from your archives. That remains as announced last week. However, the Writing Challenge begins today and continues through noon on Saturday, May 29th. So, if you see a door today and are so inspired that you dash off a poem, compose a song, or begin writing that novel whose characters have been nagging you – let yourself go. Your story can be fiction or non-fiction, short or long, whatever you want to write.

When you write your story, leave a link on any of my Thursday Doors posts between now and May 27th. I will keep track of the entries. The entire list will be shared in a special version of the Sunday Recap on May 30th. Between now and then, I will try to promote your contribution as I do the weekly doors posts.

My first door is from the archives and from my personal history. It’s actually a scene featuring two doors located in the Commons of the Cathedral of Learning. This gothic cathedral sits on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, and it is the building in which I attended graduate school. While the classrooms were ordinary, for the most part, the three floors surrounding the Commons offered remarkable places to study. If it helps in your writing, the original post can be found here.

Medieval setting for 21st century study.

My second “door” is a little whimsical. More of an unwanted opening than a door, this hole in the cover of The Editor’s firewood rack is functioning as a door for what we think is a pregnant grey squirrel, or perhaps a new mom-squirrel.

We aren’t happy with this little momma-to-be, but we also can’t help feeding her.

The doors in today’s gallery are from the town of Glastonbury, Connecticut. The company I worked for before retiring was located in Glastonbury. It’s one of Connecticut’s oldest communities, founded in 1693. There are many old and stately homes along the original main streets of this town. In recent weeks, I have had the opportunity to visit some friends at my old employer, and I gathered these photos while driving around.

I hope you enjoy these doors and I really hope you will join the writing challenge, as a photographer, author or both.

I like the way this house seems to fit with the landscape.
The door, the porch, the shutters – it all works.
Lots of angles and details, and a door at each end of a big porch.
I like it when I see chairs on the porch.
Although they look nice, I don’t like the 12-over-8 windows.
Nice door, symmetrical 6-over-6 windows.
The house is a little plain, but there are several interesting details, like that window over the door.
There’s a lot going on here.
I like the little dormer next to the turret, and also the bump-out on the left. I’m trying to imagine the upstairs floor plan.
There we go, pretty basic New England.
Classic Dutch Colonial. 12-over-12 windows – a New England standard.
This is so New England.
Another little house.
what’s not to love about this one?
Red door – yay!

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134 comments

  1. These are very big and impressive houses, Dan. I didn’t appreciate that you worked in Glastonbury in the USA. I didn’t know there was another town of Glastonbury outside of the [very famous] one in the UK. Your two pictures are adorable, Dan, I love the squirrel. We have a family of frogs living in our woodpile [but don’t tell hubby as he isn’t fond of creatures].

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Thanks Robbie. I always joke that the original settlers of New England were fleeing England, but brought everything with them. I think there’s a Glastonbury in every New England state, along with Ipswich, Essex, Groton, (New0 London, and Hartford – and many more.

      We weren’t happy to find the squirrels living in the log rack. They hadn’t bothered them for years, but this one is too cute.

      Liked by 1 person

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  4. Two doors from Glastonbury, England, Dan: https://theartblogger54.wordpress.com/2020/10/14/street-art-by-jps-45-jps-cat-in-glastonbury/ & https://theartblogger54.wordpress.com/2020/10/15/street-art-by-jps-46-skater-boy-in-glastonbury/
    There’s actually a whole bunch of street art in ‘Glasto’, some of which is here: https://theartblogger54.wordpress.com/category/street-art-glastonbury/ a large number thereof forming part of the Glastonbury Mural Trail which has expanded quite a bit over recent months so I’m looking forward to my next trip there to check out all the new works that have been done since my visit last year. Enjoy.😎

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    • It is both her peep hole and exit. We seem to be Uber Eats. Or Uber Peanut.

      I can’t stop thinking about the Beatles while viewing your recent posts. It’s hard to think about things I lived through as being “history” but…

      Are you offering any doors for the writing challenge?

      Liked by 1 person

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  12. Good morning, Dan. I loved your Medieval doors and the hole/door for the mama squirrel is precious. Wonderful collection of photos – as always. Have a great day!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • We are in total agreement with your hubs. My wife is upset by the destruction of those log rack covers (they were expensive). They have been there for years without incident. We had a few holes in 2019, but this past year, it’s like a developer moved in and turned them into condos. Still, we can’t throw out mom.

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        • She’s about as far away from our house as you can get and still be in our yard, so I think we’ll let her be. At some point, my wife will open the covers, clean out the nests and get ready for next winter’s wood stove supply. Those are the racks that are next in line.

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    • It really was an amazing feeling to study in that great hall, Deborah. The Commons rose three stories, and the walkways on the second and third floor were ringed with study carrels. I have to admit, it was hard to concentrate on “Management Accounting” and the other topics of business school when looking out over that room.

      Glastonbury has a lot of beautiful houses. I like the ones with the porches.

      Our little lady is busy, adding to her next, I hope she’s OK in there.

      Liked by 1 person

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  26. Dan, the doors in The Cathedral of Learning are really beautiful. All these homes are so meticulously maintained. I’ve never seen a window with a different amount of lights on the top pane from the bottom pane. A little weird for me!

    But the Blue Ribbon goes to Miss Squirrel. She gets credit for making herself (and family?) a safe home, and one that’s so close to her favorite restaurant! However, there’s a big down side from the damage to your tarp. Would a solution be to build a wood bin with a cover, lined inside with metal, that would hold the firewood? I’m sure she, and others, could find a way in that, but hopefully with no damage. Just thinking out loud.
    Ginger

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    • Hi Ginger! The Cathedral of Learning might just be my favorite building. I loved walking into the Commons every day for the year I was in graduate school. The school of business is now in a different building, I think I was blessed to study in that one.

      Miss Squirrel has done some damage, but she isn’t the only one. The log rack covers took a beating in 2020. It started in 2019, but it was way worse last year. I think the heat and the drought messed up their regular routines. She has made herself a nice safe place to raise her brood. And you’re right, she close to her favorite restaurant – and the deliver for free :-)

      I’ve thought about building a permanent structure for firewood, but I probably wouldn’t be able to get that material this year. I’m not sure the Editor wants it, anyway. She liked these covers a lot. She can open them easily and stack from both sides. I’m not sure what we’re going to do going forward.

      I hope you’re enjoying the wet/warm days.

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  27. Dan–that adorable little squirrel shot! ❤ That’s OK…you just stay here as long as you want… What a beautiful town Glastonbury is. I could live in anyone of those homes. Someone else could wash the windows.

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    • The little momma peeking out is cute, but boy has she made a mess of a very expensive log rack cover. Thanks so much for your contribution to the writing challenge.

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  34. I like the juxtaposition between the old doors and the more modern tables and chairs. It reminds me a bit of a Starbucks location in downtown Philly. My favorite houses are the ones with the wonderful porches. I just love a good porch. I’m sure you aren’t thrilled with the squirrel door, but it’s nice of you to leave the squirrel there. I’m not sure I would.

    Traveling last Thursday drove all thoughts of the writing challenge out of my mind, so I edited my post today to reflect that and will say here that because I only have three doors, any of you are welcome to use any as a writing prompt if you like.

    https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2021/04/29/thursday-doors-when-lifes-a-beach/

    janet

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  35. Good doors Dan. Like the signs along the highway ‘no re-entry this exit’ some doors should have a similar warning. Like the artist door with the alien peeking out and the ‘learning doors’ in Pittsburg. Warning this door is a portal to unknown destinations. Return routes are unspecified.

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    • I would like to put a warning, or a heavy-duty patch over the door in the log rack cover. Oh well, squirrels usually encourage their children to move on after they’re born. I hope that pattern hold with this one and her brood.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • I think a couple people were drawn in expecting the other Glastonbury. We have several scattered throughout New England. I don’t think you’ll ever find a rock festival in this GBury.

      Thanks for your interesting post and for offering your doors to writers.

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  65. Hi Dan – love them all … the Cathedral obviously inspired you … while the houses always amuse me to see – love them …thanks for these … good luck to Mama squirrel … all the best – Hilary

    Liked by 1 person

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