Protected Bird Nests Return to Compo Beach
Birds protected by the Department of Environmental Protection have returned to Compo Beach’s South Beach, and so too have the fencing that keeps pedestrians and bird-watchers away from their nests. The bird that typically takes up rent on the sand each year is the American Oystercatcher, a shoreline bird known for its long legs and bright coloured beaks. Nearby beaches in Milford and Westbrook have experienced full closures in the past due to the protection of herons, egrets, and plovers that inhabit the islands in those communities.
Westport Women’s Club Announces May Art Show
Piece by Kerry LongPress ReleaseThe Westport Woman’s Club will host its annual Art Show on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 (2:00 pm - 6:00 pm both days, indoors at the clubhouse) at 44 Imperial Ave, Westport, CT. Admission to the Westport Woman’s Club Art Show is free and open to the public; masks will be required and attendance will be limited. This event will follow all protocols mandated by CT and the town of Westport.
Curated by Westport Artist Miggs Burroughs, this popular show features a variety of local artists and their works available for purchase. Event Co-Chairs Jo Fuchs Luscombe and Leah Scherzer share that participating artists are donating a portion of their art sales to fund the club’s community service grants, scholarships and programs.
The roster of WWC Art Show 2021 artists, whose works will be available for purchase, include: Nina Bentley, Amy Bock, Trace Burroughs, Susan Fehlinger, Judith Orseck Katz, Tom Kretsch, Susan Leggitt, Kerry Long, Michael Ledner, Carole McClintock, Bernard Perry, Jon Puzzuoli, Katherine Ross and Jo Titsworth. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted for Art Show purchases, as well as charitable donations to the Westport Woman’s Club.
The Westport Woman’s Club thanks its generous sponsors for the 2021 Art Show which include The Drew Friedman Community Art Center, as well as New York artist JoMarie Dilorio who is donating an original piece of art, “Sunflowers Basking”, that will be given via a drawing to an Art Show attendee.
For more information on the Westport Woman’s Club Community Service outreach, please visit “Community Services” on www.westportwomansclub.org.
Lost Dog: “Ash” from Compo Road South Area
“Ash”, a miniature schnauzer, has been missing from his Dogwood Lane home.
This area lies between Hills Point Road, Greens Farms Road, Compo Road South, and Post Road East.
If seen:
Call Janet, 347-510-7303
Venture North to Redding’s Daffodil Field: a Love Story for Everyone
Words and photos by Jaime Bairaktaris, Executive EditorPublished in 2021
Redding’s daffodil field on Cross Highway - a designated Scenic Route - shows the gentle remains of a love story from a bygone era.
Bud McQuade’s home, and the entrance to the daffodil fields, tucked into the hills of Cross Highway. This tradition began decades earlier with the property’s owners: Bud McQuade and his wife Florence. Bud was a veteran - both of the United States Army and of the classroom as a teacher at nearby Joel Barlow High School. He enjoyed working and learning, a point he made to me while speaking with him in 2018. He spoke strongly about his love for the world and how important he found learning - how it was through books and self-teaching that he was able to build his home for his wife and himself in the 1940s.
Bud also fiercely loved Florence and the life that they shared together. He began planting the daffodils each Spring in her honor - a tradition that has now lasted decades and touched the lives of thousands. Each year the field becomes larger and more colorful; his love for Florence continuing to blossom with every Spring. When he was nearly 100 years old, the community stepped forward to join him in continuing to plant the bulbs - splitting them and planting them in late Spring for the following year’s bloom - just as Bud taught them to.
Today there are nearly 50,000 throughout the property.
A love story continues each Spring. Bud McQuade passed away in August 2019 at the age of 103 years old. His home, and Florence's daffodils, were a part of an unknown future that plagues many older homes in Fairfield County in the midst of the active real estate market.
In the end: the home and its field were purchased by a neighbor who appreciated the tradition and love that the property holds. The tradition was saved. They plan to keep it as it is, and have added signs to make sure people know: you are welcome here.
What started as a love story between a man and his wife has now blossomed into a community treasure. Hundreds have visited the field this Spring, doing as Bud wanted: “Drive in, Walk Among.”
A view from the street of the daffodil blooms on Sunday. The blooms are currently in their peak, and will begin to die off in the next week or so. Walking paths and other blooming flowers and trees surround the property, which is popular for photos and to chat with other visitors.
One of nearly 50,000 blooms. Note from the Editor
I grew up in a house just up the road from Bud and his daffodils. Our school bus passed by the blooms every morning and every afternoon - each year the view became more expansive and more colorful.
In Spring of 2018, I saw Bud clearing his garden beds in front of his home in 80 degree heat; he was over 100 years old. I pulled into the driveway to offer my help - he pulled out his beach chair, told me how to delicately clear away the debris, and talked to me about his life from over 100 years of memories. He was proud of his stone wall that he built, the travels he went on, the Joel Barlow students who still visited him, and of his classic Ford Mustang parked in the garage.
If you have time this week - enjoy the drive along the reservoirs just 30 minutes north of Downtown Westport - and go visit Bud’s daffodil field.