HeyFairfield blog

As you may see, it’s been a while since I last posted. Since I am not the best at keeping up with this, I would like to turn this space over to a few people who are willing to post more frequently.

I’ll keep maintaining the site and paying the bills. You’ll just right about what’s on your mind regarding the town we love.

What am I looking for in a blogger for this site? Here are the basics:

Someone with an opinion about the happenings in Fairfield, CT
Someone who can write concisely with minimal spelling and grammatical errors.
Someone who is willing to write at least several times a month (every day would be ideal)
Someone who is willing to take some criticism from readers, without taking it personally

If I have multiple people blogging, that’s great. As with most blogging this will be an unpaid position, for now.

If you are interested, please send an email to me directly at ed at heyfairfielddotcom

The end of the summer is upon us. The kids are going back to school, the beaches are less crowded and fall schedules are booking fast with activities. Things are changing. Whether you listen to David Bowie, Yes or Tesla, one thing is for sure change happens. And so it goes at HeyFairfield.

We’ve made a couple minor changes over the summer and soon there will be a more significant change.

First, the minor changes:
We added the flickr photo module to each of the pages. I am particularly excited because the site now has a great link to the wonderful sights to be seen in town. Even more exciting than that, your pictures can easily make it into the module. All you need to do is upload your photos to your flickr.com account and add your pictures from around town to the “Fairfield, Connecticut” group. If you haven’t signed up for flickr it’s very easy and free too! Email me if you have questions.

Another change you may have noticed is the restaurant review sections. If you’re like me you probably depend on your friends for restaurant reccommendations. The food critics tend to review the new places, and frankly they take their craft too seriously. Now we can all review the place we like and dislike in plain english. You can even rate the reviews that were helpful to you.

Lastly, a more significant change will grace the pages of HeyFairfied. As you may have noticed, my blogging is sporadic (at best!). I’ve always known the viewer deserves better and recruited a second blogger for HeyFairfield.com. I’ll let Tony introduce himself in his own upcoming blog, but I will say I am really looking forward to his writing and viewpoints. Tony spends a lot more time in town than I, so he is exposed to far more of the realities our wonderful town is facing (I spend far too much time on Metro-North). Like me, Tony loves the small-town feel of Fairfield, and sees the townspeople’s sense of community and involvement as two of it’s greatest assets. That said, Tony has a wonderful ability to spark conversation and debate, which will be a welcome addition to this blog.

Who knows where we are going with this, but I am looking forward to finding out!

All the best, and enjoy the last few days of summer! Go Yankees!

Fairfield Connecticut Easter Egg Hunt


Originally uploaded by AnalogKid203.

The Easter Egg Hunt is one of those events that signals the beginning of spring. What a beautiful day! There were probably over 1000 people on hand. The kids had fun.

According to the Fairfield Citizen the town not only reaffirmed the Blight Ordinance but also collected the first check. They’ve collected $21k from a property owner, who essentially hadn’t cared for the house in 15 years. It’s sad, because this person was obviously too sick to care for this house before they passed away.

I know of several properties that I would consider blighted (in reality they don’t meet any of the town’s criteria for blight). Knowing just a little bit about the owners is enough to know they are dealing with some tough issues: unemployment, health complications, multiple generations living under the same roof, etc. Plus, it has become increasingly expensive to live in this town. Just look at your tax bill.

On the other side, I’ve heard the complaints of neighbors. People take great pride in the way their house appears, their after strong curb appeal. Having a blighted property next door is disheartening to say the least. They have every right to be upset.

And I’m sure the town isn’t interested in knocking on people’s doors and making a judgement call on a family’s ability to take care of their house.

I raise all this because I would like to know what purpose the money collected will serve. Obviously it all goes to the general fund. And at $100 a day it’s a strong deterrent to all but the most incapable. But money will be collected. The town should find a way to use this money to help rehabilitate these properties or other properties close to blight. This way the money is being put to good use cleaning up the town and less properties end up on the blighted list.

Southport Harbor frozen

Originally uploaded by AnalogKid203.

This is a photo of Southport Harbor from Ye Yacht Yard this past Saturday. The harbor was frozen all the way across. Not sure I would want to try to walk across, but it sure looked like you could. It was 17 degrees. Thankfully it’s starting to get warmer.

Penfield Lighthouse Early Morning

Originally uploaded by AnalogKid203.

Penfield Light is one of those places that will always bring me back to Fairfield. As a kid i remember standing on the beach thinking that little lighthouse was soooo far away. To a youngster it could’ve been in Europe, never mind Long Island was only 10 miles past it. As I grew up, and spent more time sailing on the sound, seeing that little lighthouse always meant that I was getting closer to home.

It seems we are finally going to receive more than just a slight dusting of snow. The weather people are forecasting a few inches of snow for Tuesday night. It’s amzing that we have gone almost to Valentine’s day without any appreciable accumulation of the white stuff. I’m not sure if this is a direct result of global warming or not, but I sure do miss have snow. Hopefully the meteorologists are right

I’ll keep my writings brief concerning 9/11. Not for a lack of things to write about. There is a lot to write. However thoughts, feelings, emotions and intentions are scattered when I think about 9/11, and the World Trade Center in particular.

Today, there are two things that stand out.

First, it’s been interesting peeking around the internet to see how others remember that fateful morning. The internet, through blogs, wiki’s and photosites has become a serious friend in helping us remember. I searched on Technorati earlier and found too many entries to read. But, then I read that Robert Scoble’s account of that morning from five years ago had been erased when UserLand went away. The internet can help you remember, but use caution when trusting your memories there.

Second, it’s disappointing to see so few American flags flying. One of the great movements post-9/11 was the proliferation of American flags. From houses, buildings, overpasses, cars, trucks, everywhere those flags flew. Many things changed that September morning. Above all the evil that had been brought on Americans, we came together and showed our pride as a nation by flying the Stars and Stripes where ever we could. So 5 years later, what’s up? Have we forgotten?

Keep those memories and fly that flag.

My thoughts, tears and prayers today are for the heros we lost that morning and the loved ones who mourn them. God Bless America.

I know, two posts in a row highlighting “Free”, but what the heck. Many people have this perception that Fairfield is expensive, and I say that is not entirely accurate. There are many things that are inexpensive, even free, if you know where to look.

One of the best examples is the free exchange of goods that happens on lawns pretty much all year round. It’s amazing to see what you can get from other people who have no use for items. Furniture, toys, grills and more.

Last year we picked up a table from one of our neighbors. It’s a big, sturdy solid wood table that was only a few years old. The owners were moving and couldn’t fit it in their new house. Had we driven by a few moments later, I’m sure someone else would’ve beaten us to it.

This past May we left an old dresser by the side of the road with a “FREE” sign on it. The dresser was from the sixties and was definitely styled in the sixties. Some would call it retro, but it just didn’t fit in in our house. So we put it by the side of the road. It was gone in 30 minutes!

Sure, some of this stuff is garbage. Down our street there is a couch on the side of the street, sans cushions. It’s been out there for a month or so, and that’s not counting the months it spent there last year. It’s probably weathered twenty storms. It’s safe to say, it’s time to take that one to the dump.

So leave a comment and tell me what great things you have found or what things you have given away on your street.