If you're driving down Route 66 in this neck of the woods, be prepared for two incredible sights…read more-painted rocks that look like living creatures! This one is near the intersection of West Main (Rt 66) and Stone House Road. It's a gorgeous rendition of a bald eagle. This beautifully painted rock outcropping has seen various lives as a whale, a shark, a frog, and a turtle. In 1989, a high school student repainted it as an eagle, and its lived on as an eagle ever since. Over the years, it gets repainted every once in a while and the year it was touched up is also painted under the eagle's beak. This is a freaking gem !!!

When I was little we would drive by this on the journey from New Haven to Hampton to visit family…read more It instantly became the thing my brother and I looked for on the way. I moved to this area and on a backroads drive randomly rediscovered this in all of it's patriotic glory. The eyeballs are slightly more terrifying than as a child I remember them being but it's still 200% 'Merica.

Oh demon alcohol, Sad memories I cannot recall,…read moreWho thought I would say, Damn it all and blow it all, Oh demon alcohol (The Kinks) Not only was Henry Daniel Cogswell a millionaire dentist, but he was a crusading teetotaler who thought that building public drinking fountains all over town would help curb the public from the evil temptations of demon alcohol. In 1883, Cogswell donated this fountain to the town of Vernon. Of course, it was topped with a statue of himself. In one hand he held a glass of water, and in the other he held the Temperance Pledge. Seemed that Cogswell was pretty serious about the evils of alcohol. Turns out there were over 30 bars in Vernon at the time, and those that supported them didn't exactly see eye to eye with Cogswell. So it was no surprise when in the middle of the night, someone took down Cogswell's statue, liberated it from its pedestal, and heaved it into Shenipsit Lake. The local constable fished it out of the lake and set it up again, only to see it disappear once more! It was missing until 1908, when it mysteriously appeared propped up against a downtown building. It was put into storage and melted down into scrap during World War II. The fountain had a stone urn in place instead of the statue for years. In 2005, a replica statue was dedicated and it was returned to its rightful spot atop the fountain for a few years. Recently, it was removed, and again replaced with an urn. The replacement statue is being repaired for rust damage, some cracks, and a missing right hand. Cogswell's message still appears to be meeting resistance over 100 years after it was first broadcast. All I can say is "I'll drink to that"!

Jonathan is a cute Husky statue that was donated by the alumni, sculpted by Larry Waisele. It is…read morelocated in the Thomas and Bette Wolff Family Park, located to the west of the Athletics Ticket Office. There are a couple of benches in there where you can sit down, relax, and just enjoy the view of the statue. The nose and the ears are worn, as students seem to rub it for good luck. Definitely a cute thing to check out if you're on the UConn campus :D +located in the Thomas and Bette Wolff Family Park +sculpted by Larry Waisele +located to the west of the Athletics Ticket Office

Jonathan the Husky is the mascot and symbol of the University of Connecticut…read more He is named after the state's Governor Jonathan Trumbull who served way back during the Revolutionary War. Jonathan became the school's official mascot in 1934 when it won a naming contest in a landslide. There is a real life Jonathan. His proper name is Jonathan XIII and he is a purebred Siberian Husky, white in color. He was born in Pennsylvania on December 17, 2006 and makes public appearances on behalf of UConn. This 1995 statue of Jonathan is located right outside of Gampel Pavillion, which serves as UConn's basketball arena. It's located in a mini-park at the main entrance to Gampel. There are benches and a long stone wall around the statue and it's a common sight to see students lounging around or rubbing Jonathan's nose for good luck.

In 1747, Andover was cobbled together from bits of Lebanon, Hebron, and Coventry…read more A famous clockmaker was born here. So was an Army major that served in the Revolutionary War. A 6,000 man army led by General Rochambeau marched through Andover on their way to Virginia to assist General Washington. They must have really liked the town, because a year later, they camped here on their return march. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has the same inscription on both sides. The marker dates to 1976 and is in a bizarre state. The white lettering looks bright and in good condition. The blue background is also bright and is in mostly very good shape, except for the peeling chips at the very top of both sides. It's located on a strip of grass between Town Hall and a school.

Cruising down Route 66, you might have a WTF moment when you pass the Columbia Fire Department. It…read morewould be totally understandable if you did a triple take at the apparent sight of a huge bear standing erect on its hind legs, staring menacingly at the passing cars. Well, it IS a bear, but this one is of the carved wood variety as opposed to the warm blooded variety. The bear was a 2001 gift from a grateful town resident to mark the building of the town's new firehouse. Not too shabby a gift, was it?

On the Town Green not far from Willington's Meeting House I saw a big slab of rough cut grey stone…read morein the shape of a cube with a rounded top. A lot of the stone monuments I see are smooth and almost mirror-like. But this one was heavily textured; sort of rough and tumbled. The stone has a dark tarnished plaque halfway up on the side facing the green. I found out the monument was dedicated to Willington's veterans of World War I. It reads: This Monument Is Erected By The Citizens Of The Town Of Willington, Connecticut In Sacred Memory And Appreciation Of Those Brave Men Who Went Forth In Response To The Call Of Our Country to Fight For Its Freedom And Peace. May 30, 1921 We Remember Them, Their Courage And Their God. I love the monument's simplicity, the stark striking look of the rough cut stone, and the powerful language of the inscription. I hope they maintain and restore the plaque before it gets in bad shape, I saw some streaking and weathering stains.

Standing on the Town Green next to a gorgeous old building now used as Willington's Meeting House…read moresits an enormous metal bell on a stone platform. The Gothic Revival building dates to 1876, and was first used as a church. It was sold to the Town in 1927 for $1, and became their Town Hall until 1974, The bell is significant, because during WW II, it was taken out of the bell tower because the building was used as an observation tower! The building is now used for public meetings. The marker on the bell's stone platform reads: In 1876 this bell was bought from the First Congregational Church of Stafford for $140 and hung in the belfry of the new Meeting House. In 1942 the bell rested in the entry when the tower was used as an observation post in World War II. On July 4, 1973 the bell pedestal was dedicated by the townspeople

This impressive monument to Manchester's Civil War veterans stands as a guardian to downtown, at…read morethe high profile intersection of Route 6 (Center Street) and Route 83 (Main Street). Dedicated in 1877, it depicts an 8' high bronze statue of a Union soldier standing on a granite base. The clean-shaven youngish looking soldier wears a cape, a long coat and a cap. He is holding the barrel of the rifle in both hands while the rifle's butt rests on the ground. On the front of the base are the Connecticut state seal and a shield with a US flag. An inscription reads: IN MEMORY OF THE SOLDIERS OF MANCHESTER, WHO DIED IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. 1861 - 1865. DEDICATED SEPTEMBER 17, 1877 A small plaque in front of the monument reads: SOLDIERS MONUMENT Dedicated September 17, 1877 Re-dedicated June 4, 2005 In honor of those who served in the Civil War of America 1861 - 1865 The monument is in excellent condition in a nice little town green decorated by floral arrangements.

On the town green where Bolton Center Road crosses Hebron Road lies a cluster of Veterans Monuments…read morededicated to the generations of Bolton's veterans. It's always powerful to see how a town honors its soldiers across the decades and centuries of history. The centerpiece of this Veterans Park is a three-paneled engraved stone with the names of soldiers that served in Americas late twentieth and early twenty-first century wars - WW II, Korea, Viet Nam, Kuwait, and Afghanistan/Iraq. There's also a lovely old plaque dedicated to the "Bolton Boys" of WW I, and another plaque for WW II, Korea, and Viet Nam. There's a flagpole, a historical marker honoring Rochambeau's army marching through town to aid George Washington's army, and another marker listing the historic sites in town. In its understated simplicity, this is a beautiful tribute to those who defended America across the centuries of history. Nice job, Bolton, CT !.