Dan Antion

Meeting in Granby

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Tuesday evening, I had the opportunity to have dinner with a friend in a nearby town that I haven’t visited for a long time.It’s not far away, but I simply haven’t had a reason to go there. Granby is west of Bradley International Airport and is more rural and less “thickly developed” (a term they use around here) than the suburbs that are closer to Hartford. If you’re interested in the kind of history you will never read about in textbooks, check out a brief history of Granby.

Other than my destination, I know very little about the buildings, but I found them interesting. I hope you enjoy touring the gallery. I also hope you will visit some of the links left by the other participants.

Granby is still a significant agricultural community. You may recognize this as a tobacco barn
This may be a house that has added an in-law apartment.
Looks like a relatively modern barn
One of these could be a vegetable stand. Not sure about the one with the narrow door.
Beautiful home
One of the older homes in the area.
My destination
Another of example of an older house
Lower doors for access. Upper doors for loading hay. Windows for light.
I would guess this house was built in the mid-1800s
We need a little TLC here
Magnificent farmhouse
This is a Connecticut State Department of Transportation depot for road salt, which is used during the winter. The tank is for storage of liquid per-treat solution
There are about 50 of these greenhouses protecting small evergreens.
I like the color of this house
I know, it’s not a door, but a doorway and a pretty autumn scene


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134 comments

  7. Such beautiful homes — some of them really pulled at my heartstrings–making me want to move/live there. That said, we’re due to get snow tonight, but only about an inch, and I’d bet Granby gets far more snow for a far longer time!! LOL I’ll pass, thank you very much.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Thanks. We had friends in Granby that had a home similar to the one with the in-law apartment. The overall home was smaller, but the accommodations for the wife’s mother was private and quite nice. The old barns and buildings always attract my eye.

      Liked by 1 person

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  10. Hi Dan – I’m really realising how much space you have in the States … but this looks a delightful market town … glad you took us with you. Cheers Hilary

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Thanks Hilary. Some towns (like the one we live in) packed the houses in tight. Other’s spread them out as they grew mostly as agricultural towns. Granby started with a mix of people all dedicated to establishing the same kind of town. They wanted to be independent from the governing bodies of the neighboring towns. It remains a small independent town, but very pretty.

      Liked by 1 person

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  15. I love blue houses, too. We have a town called Granby about a forty-five minute drive from Montreal. Also has a rather large rural population – and our Granby Zoo which is why most people even bother to go there…

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    • It seems to be a popular name for a town. There’s a Granby, Massachusetts, close enough to be confused with this town in news stories. The odd thing, despite its popularity, Spellcheck never accepts it.

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  18. Love the tobacco barn and the add-on house was nicely done and quite attractive.

    The possible vegetable stand and its companion are very picturesque in front of the colorful tree.

    The barn with upper access for hay and windows for light is a really handsome building. Doors and windows are eye-catching.

    But I’m afraid that dilapidated barn needs a lot more than TLC. It needs a complete do-over!

    The blue house is a puzzle. Is it still currently being renovated because the the siding, windows and roof look brand new, but there’s missing spindles in the railing and the front steps leave a lot to be desired.

    Great tour this week Dan. Thanks for taking me along even though I’m still in my pj’s!🤗
    Ginger

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Thanks for joining me, Ginger. I noticed the missing spindles as well, and those steps. Before I finally got around to replacing the steps up to our back porch, I noticed that no matter how much work you put into a house, your eye is drawn to the ugly thing.

      I always like seeing tobacco barns and little utility buildings. You’re right about the one I labeled in need of TLC – unless the ‘T’ stands for total.

      I hope you have a great day.

      Liked by 1 person

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  24. It would appear that Farley Mac’s believes in symmetry — I approve! Is there a story that goes with the name Farley Mac? What a mixture of buildings there, but all telling of long history. “Thickly developed” describes where I live, and it gets thicker by the hour. Granby looks so much more peaceful. Thanks for showing us around!

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  27. Interesting history of Granby. Nice town, but I think that one barn just needs to go, rather that get that TLC. 🤣 We have a similar sounding town here called Granbury which is on the lake and has a cool town square.

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    • Thanks Ally. I’m guessing in-law apt only because we had friends that lived in Granby in similar, albeit smaller, house. They added an apartment for the wife’s mother, and the configuration ended up almost identical to this.

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  34. Granby looks like a beautiful old town. Seeing that tobacco barn warmed my heart. I loved when you would post your photos of those barns. Shame they are gone now. That TLC building…there is still so much beauty in it, though.

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    • I’m glad you liked this, Lois. There are still a lot of tobacco barns in the area. I don’t know how many are related to active farms, but I’m always happy to find one standing and in good shape. I do like the look of that dilapidated barn. I just wish someone would fix it.

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    • I’m glad you liked these, Deborah. Granby is unique in that a lot of old homes have been maintained around town. Most CT towns have a historic district, in Granby, the historic homes are here, there and everywhere. Farley Mac’s was a very nice place to meet.

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed the tour, Teagan. It’s a lovely area, and it’s a town where old and new exist together. It’s a little farther away from the city, but not too far. There are a lot of wonderful homes in Granby.

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  53. A Beautiful place, I love the barn and the gazebo, you don’t find those around here. The barn definitely reminds
    Me of my childhood on my grandparents farm. They had a big red tobacco barn which I was forbidden to play on but did anyway. Thank you Dan , these are exceptional!

    Liked by 1 person

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  55. I like the most that TLC photo. And I wonder how exactly you know which colour that building is which you like. As I remember, it’s exactly this shade that your vision struggles with.

    A day late but from the heart. Our stroll continues with a lovely church door, among other things. https://manjameximexcessive6.wordpress.com/2022/11/04/thursday-doors-3-11-22-ischia-di-castro-2/#IschiadiCastro#Lazio#flowers

    (And also, only now I noticed that post entitled “Sad news” from five months ago. I cannot express how sorry I am.)

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Haha – you notice I didn’t say what color that house is. I do see colors, and I do like that one. I just don’t see the color you see. I’m guessing it seems less gray to you than it does to me.

      You found some wonderful doors today. I enjoyed walking along with you.

      Thanks for your thoughts. I am no longer being dragged on my walks by a dog, but my memory of her habits still guide me.

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  58. Granby is a beautiful community, Dan. I love the lighting in all the photos. You are right, these are very interesting and lovely doors and buildings. I really like the shot of the modern barn.

    My door post this week features doors my daughter, Sarah, found on her visit to New York. https://brendasrandomthoughts.wordpress.com/2022/11/05/thursday-doors-new-york-new-york-%f0%9f%8e%b6%f0%9f%8e%b5%f0%9f%8e%b6/

    Thanks for hosting!

    Liked by 1 person

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  63. It’s lovely that you got an opportunity to meet a friend in Granby and ended up with some beautiful door pictures, Dan. There’s something very artsy about the dilapidated shed door. I like the teal blue colour of the house- I had painted a few accent walls in my home in Mumbai with the same colour. I love everything about the ‘vegetable stand’ picture and I love the way the sunlight falls on the grey home. Too many lovely pictures here; it’s difficult to choose.

    https://smithavpennings.com/2022/11/05/thursday-doors-dhakas-beautiful-doors-1/

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  70. We use ‘thickly settled’. I love the New England terminology, and I love the doors (barns, bridges, trains…) By the way, the weathervane on top of your meeting place, Farley Mac’s, is fabulous. I love weathervanes, and New England has some beauties.

    Liked by 1 person

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