Tuxedo-moon

We've Updated to a New URL!

2011-01-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

In order to take advantage of new blogging formats, we have created a successor version of Tuxedo-moon at this new URL: http://tuxedo-moon2.blogspot.com/. This was the only way we could take advantage of some of the improved bells and whistles.

You can still see the previous version of Tuxedo-moon at http://tuxedo-moon.blogspot.com/ here. Eventually, we hope to post here a complete index to the archive of posts at this original site.

Fred's Home

2010-12-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

Fred showed up this Fall and quickly adopted us. He'd love to come inside but the girls aren't having any of that. So, we've made him a bed in a cat carrier sitting on the porch next to our front door. He spends the night elsewhere, but he uses it much of the rest of the time.

Sugarloaf Mountain

2010-11-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

Comus, MD, November 20, 2010: We headed for Sugarloaf Mountain to see the views and walk to the summit. As mountains go, it's not very big. However, it stands out ahead of the Blue Ridge range of the Appalachian Mountains much like Pike's Peak stands out ahead of the Rockies. One sees it on the horizon from parts of Northern Virginia, Central Maryland and the observation deck at National Cathedral. Sugarloaf is open to the public but privately owned. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to a pleasant lunch at The Comus Inn and shopped the farm stand across the road.

You can hike all over the mountain or you can drive most of the way to the summit and climb the last quarter mile.
The first parking lot affords a southern view:
The second parking lot afford a northern view:
Quartzite and moss:

Hand in the rock:
The easy trail to the summit:
View from the summit:
The U.S. National Geodetic Survey marker:
The descent via the more difficult trail, you can either take the stairs (l) or repel (r):

A black vulture overhead:

The drive down the mountain:

The road to Comus:

The Comus Inn:

Comus Market:

Volunteer Tomatillos

2010-11-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

I brought in the trash cans after our alley pickup and, out of the corner of my eye, spied several green plants thriving along the fence with chartreuse green Chinese lantern seedpods. Upon closer examination, it appeared to be tomatillos and, after checking Wikipedia and contacting a friend whose a master gardener, they were determined to be volunteer tomatillos. Now the question is how well will the fruit develop between now and the first inner-city frost.

The Witching Hour

2010-11-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

October 31, 2010: For more than a decade, East Capitol Street between 6th and 11th Street has been trick-or-treat central. It's quite a treat.

This witch closes up shop after 450 candy bars:
Iron Man, Tron and Buzz Lightyear:

ZOMBIES:
A surgeon and Carrot Top:

Super Mario Brothers family and a patriotic specter:

The earth moves:

The Mad Hatter and Sponge Bob:

Revelers and the "like, fer sure, totally" set:

Harry Potter and the Redskin Pirate:

Halloween Before Sunset

2010-11-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

October 31, 2010: Capitol Hill awaits the big evening.

Along the Hike Home

2010-11-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

October 30, 2010:

Rally to Restore Sanity

2010-11-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

October 30, 2010: October 30, 2010: Comedy Central's response to Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the teabaggers was underplanned and overwhelmed. We arrived before 11 a.m. and bailed out about 1:30 p.m. We took the METRO to the rally, but ended up walking the 2-1/2 miles home.

The rally had jumbotrons and speakers for only the two blocks of the Mall from 4th to 7th Street [there is no 5th Street on the Mall; the L'Enfant grid pattern includes short blocks on long blocks to accommodate the diagonal avenues] but the crowd stretched beyond 7th street to 10th Street without video or sound. This is in marked contrast to other Mall events in which jumbotrons and sound have extended from 3rd to 14th streets. To add insult to injury, Comedy Central placed the support vehicles along 7th Street further blocking view and sound even into the next block where we found a spot at 11 a.m.

It required a telephoto lens to see Oprah, Stewart and Colbert:

We liked the signs but only some of the costumes:

Cell phone users had trouble getting a connection as the services were overloaded. This obnoxious woman (l) spent most of the time trying to reconnect with somebody; the line for the womens' room in the nearby Hirschhorn:

METRO stubbornly stuck to its Saturday schedule, which underserves riders on any given Saturday without a national rally on the Mall. This rally created the record to date for METRO ridership on a Saturday and would have been even greater if METRO had added trains. Instead, there were mobs at METRO stations, police closed some stations, trains were overcrowded and many ended up walking, including us.
The out of towners tended to overlook the logistical problems. For them, it was all about the journey, the cameraderie and the statement. But we locals were unimpressed. We expect METRO to operate poorly but really the US Park Service failed miserably.

Dupont Circle House Tour

2010-10-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

October 17, 2010: We spent the early afternoon as house monitors on the Dupont Circle House Tour. We had this view of 21st Street NW:

Our house was near the Phillip's, which has been under reconstruction for much of the past two decades:

After our shift, we stopped for tea at the Society of the Cincinnati's Anderson House.
We then toured some of the other houses on the tour:

We caught the sun behind the Church of the Pilgrims:

A Glorious Fall Day

2010-10-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

October 16, 2010: We spent much of this beautiful fall day in Southern Maryland, checking out the Amish markets. We stopped in Huntingtown for a barbecue sandwich:

Fred

2010-10-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

Our latest visitor we named Fred after it became clear he was no Lucy:

Skyline Drive from Waynesboro to Luray

2010-10-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Blue Ridge beckoned from Montpelier. So we headed toward Waynesboro to the Skyline Drive and headed north. We reached Luray before nightfall.

Sumac (left) and milkweed:

Montpelier

2010-10-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Orange, VA, October 10, 2010: This bright autumnal Sunday, we ventured into the piedmont to visit Montpelier, the home of James Madison who was the moving force behind the US Constitution and the 4th president. The National Trust recently removed extensive 20th Century additions by the duPonts, restoring the house back to its form when Madison left the White House (c. 1820).

The house began in 1764 as a Federalist house whose center door was the right front door of the current house. In 1797, Madison added a 30-foot extension to the left side of the house, creating a duplex tied together with the front portico. He and Dolley lived in the extension while his parents continued to live in the older house. The porch was the only connection between the two residences. While Madison was president, he oversaw, with the help of Thomas Jefferson's builder, a third renovation of house in preparation for the onslaught of visitors he expected following his presidency. The central entrance was added which led into a central salon with three triple hung windows which when open are doorway to the rear portico and wings were added to either side of the house.

In Madison's final renovation, this temple was added atop an ice house northeast of the house:
This ice pond is nearby:

From the front portico, the Madisons had a tremendous view of the Blue Ridge:

The horse track and steeple chase were added by the duPonts and are the site of the annual Montpelier Hunt Races.

While the architecture is restored, the National Trust is still researching the interior decor and hunting for furnishings with Madison provenance. The National Trust is anal retentive when it comes to interior photography.

From atop the left side addition, one sees this northern view:
and to south, this statue of James and Dolley:
To the east, the staff was demonstrating 18th century cooking techniques:
This is the backside of the house:
During his presidency, Madison had a formal garden installed about 100 yard southwest of the house. Madison's garden mostly disappeared in the late 19th century but the duPont's restored a two-acre version in the early 20th century, which the Garden Club of Virginia restored in 1992. The horseshoe terraces were from Madison; the beds and ornaments are duPont.

This view from the bottom gate centers on one of several Cedars of Lebanon:
Osage oranges:

The Madison family cemetery is about a half mile west of the house near the site of the original Mount Pleasant house built by Madison's grandparents. Madison's monument is the tall obelisk on the right; Dolley's is the smaller obelisk immediately to the left:

Resurrection

2010-10-13T10:26:00.001-07:00

After good rains and significantly cooler weather, our garden bounced back.

Crossing Conowingo Dam

2010-10-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

US Route 1 traverses the Susquehanna River by going across Conowingo Dam:

Mushrooms Without the Festival

2010-10-06T06:14:00.000-07:00

Kennett Square, PA, October 3, 2010: We stopped for lunch. On our last visit to the Mushroom Capital of the World, Kennett Square was mobbed for the annual Mushroom Festival; this time it was peaceful and more mushroom friendly.

A display from the former Phillips Mushroom Museum:

Fall Festival

2010-10-06T05:15:00.000-07:00

Marshallton-Thorndale Road, October 3, 2010: We stopped by Highland Orchards to treat ourselves to a pie and discovered overflow parking for their fall festival. Folks were lined up to pick your own apples and raspberries, purchase pumpkins and cavort with the fall harvest.

We selected a lemon blueberry pie, 2 apple cider donuts and a quarter peck of assorted apples; we regret not getting a dozen of hte cider donuts.

One could feed the goats (right) but not the llama or burro:

Through the hay maze:

Entering Intercourse

2010-10-05T12:52:00.001-07:00

Along Old Philadelphia Pike, October 2, 2010: East of Lancaster, we took Route 340, the historic King's Highway, through Amish Country. Amish communities throughout the United States are based on a labor intense agriculture and small craft industries, particularly woodworking, quilting, cheeses and preserved food. Their kempt fields and farmsteads make for a bucolic landscape dotted with farmers markets, signs for craft products and often restaurants featuring hearty Pennsylvania Dutch family fare.

Route 340 has become a tourist destination where the authentic has morphed into an almost Disney-like in-authenticity. More surprising was that the real estate bubble has penetrated even here with the occasional subdivision intruding on Amish serenity.

Route 340 takes you first through Bird-In-Hand and then through Intercourse:

A Day in Lancaster

2010-10-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

Lancaster, PA, October 2, 2010: Our desire to visit Lancaster's historic Central Market has been repeatedly thwarted; once by a blizzard and later by oppressive heat. On this perfect fall day, we finally achieved a visit to Lancaster.

Lancaster (c. 1734) claims to be the oldest inland city in America. For one day (1777), Lancaster was capital of the American colonies when the Continental Congress fled the British advance on Philadelphia and then the next day they moved further inland to York. It was also the capital of Pennsylvania between 1799 and 1812.

The city center is at the intersection of King and Queen streets. Penn Square is dominated by a Civil War memorial.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

To the southeast a Marriott stands on a site occupied by hotels for most of Lancaster's history; to the northwest is the Central Market. The Marriott was hosting a barbershop quartet competition and a harvest festival was set up outside the market. For the next several hours, downtown Lancaster was much like THE MUSIC MAN--barbershop groups kept breaking into song!

A Brother in Harmony from Easton, PA (left) and some Alexandria Harmonizers from Virginia:

The Central Market is the oldest city-owned continuously-operated market in the United States, although it's current building (1889) is not as old as DC's Eastern Market:

Chicken corn soup (left) and chicken pot pie:

We went through the Marriott on our way back to our car and ran into Pat Driscoll, whose husband was attending the barbershop convention!

At 120 East King Street is the Demuth Museum in the home and studio of native-son and American watercolorist Charles Demuth (1883-1935), an American watercolorist. Demuth's friends included Marsden Hartley, Georgia O'Keefe and Eugene O'Neil. In 1912, Demuth began a relationship with fellow Lancastrian Robert Locher, which lasted until his death. Demuth bequeathed all his watercolors to Locher and his other works to O'Keefe.

The museum had a special Georgie O'Keefe exhibit as well as works by Demuth. Demuth's studio was in the second floor corner room and both he and Georgie O'Keefe painted flowers in this garden:

In the same block is Trinity Lutheran Church (c. 1730); the Sunday sermon was to be "The Truth Will Make You Odd":

The Lancaster County Courthouse was built in 1855:

In the late afternoon we toured Wheatland, the home of America's "bachelor" president James Buchanan. Buchanan's fiancee conveniently died on the eve of his wedding; he subsequently cohabited in Washington DC for 15 years with William Rufus King. Their relationship is the only explanation for Buchanan's pro-slavery sympathies. The tour ignores the debate over Buchanan's sexuality, which began during his lifetime.

From the front, the wings of this Federalist house look as if they were added in the 20th century; but from the back, the house is more convincing.

The inside is Victorian in furnishings and decor. In the back is the necessary () and a smokehouse:

Our last stop in Lancaster was the Buchanan grave in Woodward Hill Cemetery:

Nearby are the Muhlenberg family graves, including Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815) who was the pre-eminent American botanist as well as 35-year pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church and Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg who was the first Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

This plot seemed particularly Germanic:

Bridge Bust over the Susquehanna River

2010-10-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

October 2, 2010: We were eastbound on Route 30 from York heading toward Lancaster. As we crossed the Susquehanna River we noticed a HUGE crowd along the parallel, older Veterans Memorial Bridge between Wrightsville and Columbia. We took the first exit into Columbia and discovered the 22nd annual Bridge Bust (first Saturday each October) with mobs of people and vendors crowding the entire 1-1/4 mile span of the older bridge. We couldn't squeeze it into the day's busy schedule so we've put it on the calendar for next year. Columbia is also home to the National Watch & Clock Museum.

Breakfast in Cockeysville

2010-10-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

Cockeysville, MD, October 2, 2010: We stopped for breakfast at the Pennsylvania Dutch Market in Cockeysville. They had a fall festival set up on the sidewalk including this ride on a wagon driven by ponies:

Hot Fall Day in Upper Marlboro

2010-09-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

Upper Marlboro, MD, September 25, 2010: Once the flower show was up and running, we checked out nearby gardens and the local Dutch market.

Beautyberry (l) and a blue spruce:

Autumnal Equinox

2010-09-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Home Again

2010-09-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

September 9, 2010: We stopped in Richmond, VA for lunch:

From I-95 northbound, one gets this view of the Marine Corps Museum:
The Springfield Interchange:

We arrived home in time for a high school riot:

Wandering Through the Carolinas

2010-09-22T10:22:00.001-07:00

September 8, 2010: We headed north. Our first stop was the Pee Dee Farmers' Market outside Florence, SC:

We stopped for lunch in Bennettsville, SC where the cotton country courthouse was landscaped with palmettos:

We took a slight detour to Pinehurst, NC, to visit it's famous golf resort:

Near the hotel is the resort "village" with a statue of Donald J. Ross, the golfer and golf course architect who designed the famous Pinehurst No. 2 course:

View of the fairways at the Pinehurst Golf Club:
The deer were out in full force when we reached Fearrington Village:

Our Last Day: Tybee and Savannah

2010-09-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

September 7, 2010: We started the day with a beach trip to Tybee:

We had a late lunch at Wiley's Champion BBQ. Wiley, seated on the left, not only produces excellent barbecue, but pays equal attention to the side dishes. Daily specials include a Reuben sandwich with barbecued corned beef and a Cuban sandwich with barbecued pork.

David with barbecued pork, sweet potatoes and collards:

Bill's Cuban sandwich with black beans and rice:

Hal with the ribs and Nancy with barbecue pork, collards and macaroni 'n' cheese:

We spent the late afternoon wandering along Bull Street in historic downtown Savannah:

The Daniel Chester French statue of Georgia founder James Edward Oglethorpe sits in the center of Chippewa Square. Oglethorpe is in 18th century military attire with sword drawn facing Spanish Florida. The base with four lions was designed by New York architect Henry Bacon. A decade later, French and Bacon collaborated on the Lincoln Memorial.

Blaine's Back Door Bar and Pinkie Master's:

Since Midnight In The Garden of Good Evil, this is known as the Mercer Williams House:

This fountain centers Forsyth Park at the west end of the historic district:
At dusk, the tree frogs seek the warmth of the house:

Jenks:
Hardy and Laurel:

In Search of Vernonburg and Beaulieu

2010-09-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Savannah, GA, September 6, 2010: The Wikipedia entry for Savannah includes under points of interest: "Other picturesque towns adjacent to Savannah include . . . two residential areas that began as summer resort communities for Savannahians: Beaulieu and Vernonburg." So on Labor Day, we ventured out in search of Vernonburg and Beaulieu, which are on opposite sides of the Vernon River.

The cross streets are not well marked along White Bluff Road. We drove right by Vernonburg Road, turned around and eventually found Darcy Avenue which bisects the Vernonburg peninsula.

We then backtracked to get to the other side of the Vernon River where we found Beaulieu Avenue:

We turned onto Butler Avenue:

We then drove out Shipyard Road onto a peninsula bounded by Moon River and Burnside River:

Low tide:
On our way home, we took a detour to see the famous allee' of oaks at Wormsloe:

These Mexican petunias seemed to be everywhere in Savannah:
On our way across town, we happened on this book store:
Flora and fauna greeted us back on Wilmington Island:

We had a Labor Day cookout on the deck which sported this compact water feature and odd Cheshire Cat bird house:

Carmelita and Lane:
Hal and Nancy:

Tybee Island

2010-09-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Tybee Island, GA, September 5, 2010: We spent some time finding a parking place and lucked into one on Butler Avenue near Center St. We changed into our suits at Marlin Monroe's. It started as a warm, sunny day but, as the tide came in, it became more and more overcast.

Savannah 2010

2010-09-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

Savannah, GA, September 4, 2010: I-95 was mostly uneventful. There was the usually heavy traffic in Northern Virginia where the commonwealth refuses to build adequate roads and the insanity of North Carolina where the interstate speed limit changes every 60 miles as if by local option. Most Savannah bound folk exit I-95 five miles shy of the Georgia state line and take US 17 through the Low Country to the Talmadge Bridge across the Savannah River and into the city:

Savannah welcomed with heat, humidity and Spanish Moss:

On Wilmington Island, we were greeted by plumeria in extravagant bloom:
and the new cat Charlie, who's still learning the rules:

The Palace of Gold

2010-09-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

August 16, 2010: In the Appalachian Mountains about 17 miles SSE of Wheeling, WV is the Palace of Gold, a memorial to Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who brought Krishna Consciousness to North America in the 1960s.

Inside the Palace:

Nearby is a Hindu temple and ashram:

The road trip rivals the Hana Highway:

Homeward Bound

2010-09-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

August 16, 2010: Ohio:

Columbus:

Youghiogheny River Reservoir:
Leaving the Mississippi Watershed:
Noah's Ark?
Cumberland, MD:

A Hot, Humid Sunday in Carmel

2010-08-28T06:23:00.000-07:00

August 15, 2010: Carmel is a new edge city just north of the Indianapolis beltway. It's like a cross between Disney and Brasilia: the city hall looks like Independence Hall in Philadelphia; the civic auditorium looks like La Rotunda but 10 times larger. We had lunch at Shapiro's:

Carmel's Japanese garden seemed out of scale, but perhaps it was the heat and strong sun that made it not seem quite Japanese:

Wildlife on the condo balconies:
The neighbor's cat and an American Goldfinch:

A busy hummingbird feeder:

Our Sunday night supper from the Zionsville Farmers' Market:
Ham and cheese bread braid and sliced tomatoes with basil:

Pan fried boneless pork chops and zucchini casserole:

Our Saturday in Indianapolis

2010-08-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Indianapolis, IN, August 14, 2010: We started at the Zionsville Farmers' Market. Zionsville is a small suburban town with a Bentley dealership and a 19th century American Gothic main street that outbests Disney's Main Street USA.

We bought tomatoes, peaches, sweet corn, bell peppers, zuchinni, carrots, onion, pork chops, rye bread, a ham and cheese bread braid, catnip, basil, and some plants for the garden.

The charming downtown is mostly art galleries, high end clothing stores, antique shops, cafes and restaurants. It was Laguna without the surf boards.

This nickelodeon (l) (priced $10,000.00) played stringed instruments!

Folk art along West 176th Street:

Trader's Point Creamery is an organic dairy making artisanal cheeses and yogurts and with a "local, organic & seasonal" restaurant, which despite the preciousness is really quite good. If nothing else, have the ice cream!

A colorful Ailanthus webworm:
Butterflies:

Zinnias:

We stopped by the greenhouse at the Indianapolis Museum of Art:
Alocasia "Hilo Beauty"(l):

The Fashion Mall at Keystone:

We ended the day at Kona Jacks:

Along the National Road

2010-08-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

August 13, 2010: For two centuries, the National Road has been the land route from Washington, DC to Indianapolis. As president, George Washington had championed a federal road to tie the Northwest Territories across the Appalachians to the new country of the seaboard states to prevent the formation of one or more separate nations. Thomas Jefferson signed a law creating the first federal road from Cumberland, MD to Wheeling, VA and on west through the heart of what would become Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. In the 19th Century, the National Road was central to the westward migration and the development of national life. In the 20th century, US Highway 40 in the east followed the route of the National Road and today both roads are paralleled by interstate highways, particularly Interstate 70.

National Road/Zane Grey Museum. Just east of Zanesville, OH, the Ohio Historical Society has a boutique museum celebrating the National Road, the writer Zane Gray and Ohio Art Pottery:

The National Road: The exhibit features a 136-foot diorama tracing the genesis of the National Road, it's initial construction, it's changes over the years and its effect on the areas it traversed:

A Conestoga wagon and a coach sleigh (c. 1847):

A surrey and a buggy:
A mile marker and a Model T Ford:

1914 Chevrolet A and a 1930 Peerless touring sedan:

A 1937 Buick:

Zane Grey. Zanesville's favorite son is author Pearl Zane Grey, who wrote popular adventure stories and created the Old West as as a literary genre in fiction, movies and television. He was named for his maternal ancestor Ebenezer Zane, the founder of Zanesville. He was an avid outdoors man and a womanizer; his wife was more his agent than his companion. His popularity far exceeded his literary standing. He is best known for his novel Riders of the Purple Sage and other works were the basis for The Lone Ranger, Sgt. Preston of the Yukon and Dick Powell's Zane Gray Theater. Grey is credited as the writer of 112 movies and numerous TV episodes.

On the left is a water color by Jim Gary memorializing the death of Zane Grey:

His Altadena (CA) writing room is recreated in the museum:

Ohio Art Pottery. The center of the museum houses an extensive display of Ohio art pottery. In the late 19th and early 20th century, local clay deposits enabled Zanesville to become a center for the manufacture of art pottery. Famous local potteries include Weller, Roseville, and the American Encaustic Tiling Company.

KU Severn River Cruise

2010-08-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Severna Park, MD, August 7, 2010: We joined the Baltimore/Annapolis Chapter of the KU Alumni Association for a cruise down the Severn River, past the US Naval Academy and into Spa Creek in Annapolis and then back again for a happy hour at the Tiki Bar. [Click on photos to enlarge.]

Up and down the funicular:

The point of embarkation:

Along the shore:

On the water:

Annapolis and the US Naval Academy: View from Spa Creek across the academy toward the spire of St. Anne's Church and the wooden dome of the Maryland State House:
The dome of the Navy Academy Chapel and the Mahan Hall clock tower:

View toward the Chesapeake Bay:

Apocalypse Now:

Return to the Tiki Bar:

BP Blows

2010-08-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

August 7, 2010:

Fredericksburg, But Barely

2010-08-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

July 30, 2010: For decades on trips south, we have left early and stopped in Fredericksburg for breakfast. Last spring, we wandered into town in search of a mail box and discovered that they have an almost daily farmers' market. At the time we said we should check it out at the height of the season, so we decided this was the day.

We were wrong.

I-95 became a parking lot shortly after Dale City. The progress was so slow that we got these cattails without slowing down:
We bailed out before Dumfries and got on the only alternate: US1. It's up and down, swerve right, swerve left; more like snow skiing than driving. But even with the occasional stoplight and small town speed trap, we were averaging better than 40 mph, which is more than anybody could say over on I-95! It also turned into a parking lot about a half mile north of the Rappahannock River, which is the northern boundary of Fredericksburg. We caught this glimpse of the Rappahannock before we reached our destination over an hour late:
The market stretches along the sidewalk on two sides of a downtown park:

Prices tended to be a little more city than country but there were deals on corn, zucchini, eggplant and melons.

We had lunch at Allman's Pit Cooked Bar-B-Q, a Fredericksburg institution since 1954.
The French fries, onion rings and coleslaw were good, the barbecue okay but the beans disappointing.

Afterwords, we explored the riverfront and checked out a few shops.
We stopped at Carl's for an ice cream cone on our way out of town.

We're as Corny as Kansas in August

2010-08-06T15:17:00.000-07:00

July 28, 2010: Once the extreme heat broke and we got some rain, the garden surged:

The lilies seem to bloom one at a time, and inexplicably our Shasta daisy also is blooming:

A fly on the coleus:

This year we have a row of sweet corn immediately in front of the porch:

The "feral" tuxedo cat that we call "Spock" (we think he once had a home and has been abandoned):

Hummingbird Moth

2010-07-28T07:53:00.001-07:00

July 26, 2010: This hummingbird moth was all over our garden Monday night and fairly oblivious to our presence. [UPDATE: Doug Tallamy says it's a sphinx moth! Apparently same family but different genera.]

Storm

2010-07-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

July 25, 2010: After several weeks of sweltering heat, temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and high, unrelenting humidity, a cold front arrived about 4 p.m. dropping temperatures by 25 degrees, with high winds and gusts upwards of 90 mph. We saw the storm coming and decided to get in the car and head home.

No sooner did we leave Bowie than we found ourselves in a wooded area with flying tree branches, fleeing deer and lanes blocked by fallen limbs. We quickly got through that to the main highway which was more open but where the rain was so heavy that we turned on our flashers and pulled off to the side.

As the rain calmed a little, we proceeded down the road.

Eventually we came upon a small shopping center where we could pull off and park away from building, trees and signs and wait out the deluge.

When the storm abated we headed home. It was dicey going as the traffic lights were out at most intersections and not unusual to find a lane blocked by a fallen tree. We headed back to the Baltimore Washington Parkway but found it a parking lot inbound. So we quickly exited onto the Capital Beltway which was moving very slowly so we quickly exited onto Kenilworth Avenue While everybody else was backed up on the parkway, Kenilworth gave us a speedy way home!

Detour to Bowie

2010-07-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

Maryland, July 25, 2010: We headed out the Baltimore Washington Parkway on our way to Montpelier Mansion near Laurel, but just after the Capital Beltway, the parkway became a parking lot. So we bailed out into territory incognito and wandered into downtown Bowie, where we came upon its railroad museum.

Before the Civil War, the Maryland legislature gave a charter to William Duckett Bowie to build a railroad from Baltimore into Southern Maryland. Construction stalled during the war. After the war, Duckett cut a deal with the Pennsylvania Railroad which had been excluded by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from serving Washington DC. Bowie's charter gave him the right to build a spur and that "spur" became the mainline for the Pennsylvania Railroad to reach Washington DC. It remains the mainline today for Amtrak trains between DC, New York and beyond. Bowie was the railroad town that grew up at the spur.
As we were among the few out and about on this extremely hot and humid day, a guy from the museum came out and gave us a private tour:

The railroad museum in the depot was small, but quite good.

We had a bite to eat at the Grill and then wandered through some antique shops.

The Goodbye Girl at Screen on the Green

2010-07-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

July 19, 2010: We skipped Goldfinger on July 12 because rain was threatened and, as predicted, we had a rain storm about 10 p.m. that night. So we were quite surprised to find that city is so poor that it has raised the meter fees to 8 quarters an hour and operates the meters until 10 p.m.! This is taking what little fun is left out of "Our Nation's Capital" and we are seriously reconsidering Screen on the Green. [Indeed, parking has become so expensive in the city that we are doing almost all of our shopping in the suburbs.]

The forecast was better for The Goodbye Girl, but nevertheless rain threatened and, indeed, we had a brief shower.

But, the skies cleared, we had a rainbow, and the show went on.

A Eastern kingbird waits for the show:

What a Difference a Week Makes

2010-07-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

Davidsonville, MD, July 17, 2010: A roadside farm stand--tomatoes, a green tomato (for frying), bell peppers, cucumbers, peaches, watermelon and corn on the cob:

A row of crape myrtles at Homestead Gardens:

The Black-Eyed Susan is the Maryland state flower as it incorporated the black and gold of the Calvert family coat of arms in the state flag:

A swallowtail butterfly on the lantana:

A moth on the lantana and a bee on the cockscomb:

Color in July

2010-07-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

A Rainy Day in July

2010-07-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

July 10, 2010:

Pulled pork and french fires at the Dutch Market's summer days festival in Annapolis:

High Water

2010-07-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

14th & A SE, Washington, DC, July 10, 2010:

The heat has been so intense this summer, that the rare cold front brings a deluge. This lake is the result of a clogged storm drain.

A Tito Puente Jr. Fourth of July

2010-07-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

Washington, DC, July 4, 2010: High noon on Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 100 degrees and humid, and the mambo was hot and steamy too!

A presidential (?) motorcade passed:

Tito Puente, Jr., and his band:

Band with dancers:

Ran Kan Kan:

Bass guitar and timbales:

Flute and cowbell:

Conga and bongo drums:

Trumpet and trombone:

Baritone saxophone:

Timbales duet:

Dancing in the aisles:

Oye Como Va:

Tito signs photos and his latest album:

Frida

2010-07-08T06:42:00.001-07:00

July 4, 2010: And, she is afraid of heights!

Amaryllis

2010-07-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

June 27, 2010: Sooner or later, by skill or by chance, one coaxes a winter indoors amaryllis to rebloom. Inside they last a week or two. Outside in a sweltering DC June, only several days.

Temporary View

2010-06-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

After years of delay due to the collapse of the housing market, the apartment blocks across the alley were finally demolished to give us this temporary view of Eastern High School.

Southern Maryland

2010-06-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

June 19, 2010: An afternoon in Southern Maryland.

Plumeria

2010-06-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

Every year we purchase plumeria at the Philadelphia Flower Show and, at most, we get leaves. This year one of the plumeria skipped leaves and produced this blossom!

Abingdon Plantation at National Airport

2010-06-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

June 14, 2010. Alexandria, VA was named for Scottish sea captain John Alexander, who purchased Abingdon Plantation for 6,000 pounds of tobacco in 1669. Two of his descendants gave part of the land for the establishment of the tobacco port city of Alexandria. In 1746 his grandson built a plantation house on a hill overlooking the Potomac. In 1776, George Washington's adopted stepson John Parke Custis purchased Abingdon so that his family could be near Mount Vernon. Abingdon is said to be the birthplace of Nellie Parke Custis, who was a favorite of her step grandfather George Washington. The Union Army occupied Abingdon during the Civil War. The house burned in 1930. The site is now preserved between two multi-story parking lots overlooking the terminal buildings at National Airport. In theory, it offers air travelers a little history between flights, but you never see anyone visiting the site!

Honda

2010-06-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

June 11, 2010:
June 14, 2010:

A Baltimore Sunday

2010-06-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

June 6: 2010: We started at the Baltimore's Farmers' Market, which has become much too popular!

We come for the produce and the plants,

but can't pass up the mini donuts, the kettle corn

and the mushroom fritters:

On our way to Patterson Park for the Polish Festival, we came upon this trumpet vine (l), this ceramic cat:

and St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church:
Modern statuary welcomed us to Patterson Park:

The Polish Festival surrounded the monument to Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski :

Polish dancers were performing:

After some pierogi, we left the festival, heading toward the harbor and wandered into the gentrified neighborhood of Canton:

Canton centers on O'Donnell Square, which features a statue of Irish sea captain John O'Donnell. In 1785, O'Donnell sailed into Baltimore with a cargo of tea, silk and satin from Canton, China and earned enough money to purchase a waterfront plantation which he named "Canton." His son developed the plantation into a neighborhood which become a center of commerce and industry in early 19th century Baltimore.

On the Canton waterfront is Maryland's Korean War Memorial:

Oh say can you see the flag flying over Ft. McHenry from the Canton waterfront?
The Katyn Memorial of the mass murder of Polish nationals by the Soviet secret police in 1940:
And the iconic Bromo-Seltzer Tower: