Photo by Russ Schlepmann.
Leave it to a 92-year-old Dartmouth-trained engineer and machinist to invent a better sundial. Vermonter Fred Schleipman—whose pitch-perfect reproduction of the art nouveau-style Porter Garden Telescope earned him a position in the palace landscapes of the British royal family a few years back—adapted that stargazing design into a cast-bronze sundial and birdbath ($7,900). Made in two small Massachusetts foundries, the heirloom-quality pieces capture the romance of the early 20th century and can be customized with up to 20 characters of text, enough to commemorate a couple’s wedding, remember a loved one, or celebrate an anniversary.
