Ringling Bros. Brings Controversy, Clowns, and a Cannonball
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By the looks of the XL Center on Wednesday morning, it’s hard to believe that the 1.5 mile Ringling Bros train only arrived late the night before. Within twelve hours of reaching Hartford, the crew had assembled a major piece of the stage.
A few blocks away, at the Old State House, a crowd grows restless as the elephants are late to make an appearance. Most, seemingly affiliated with CRT, are not privy to the knowledge that the train was delayed three hours Tuesday night, meaning that it was not until almost midnight when the convoy from railroad tracks-to-civic center happened.
Behind-the-scenes, horses and elephants milled about quietly in their respective areas, which seemed more spacious than those found at county fairs. With elephants pacing behind him, Ryan Henning, an Animal Care Specialist with Ringling Bros, says he could never work a desk job. Being outdoors, traveling, and working with the animals he says he loves are preferred to the standard 9-to-5 fare. Continue reading 'Ringling Bros. Brings Controversy, Clowns, and a Cannonball'»
Growing up, I made maps of the woods, marking all of the forts. Most of those “forts” were not structures as much as imaginary spaces, large rocks, or easy-to-climb trees. Because this was my map, the places would be named and given the status of “secret forts.” Some of the images in this edition of In Your Neighborhood represent secret forts around Hartford’s Behind the Rocks neighborhood. I’m not going to give exact coordinates for where each photograph was taken, but all of the locations can be found with the willingness to explore the city on foot. 
In tenth grade I dropped out of Physics during the first week. Not the teacher, guidance counselor, nor anyone else in school challenged this decision, which sprang out of frustration with one homework assignment, despite my finding the classes to be accessible and engaging. One’s plans of being an astronaut get thwarted by missing Physics credits.