This area is where the Confederate's set up artillery to force the Union to abandon the railroad wye and fall back across the bridge. This is the Best farm house on Monocacy Battlefield.
Best Farm (two photos) /
Monocacy National Battlefield is only a couple of miles from Frederick, MD, where Cindy went to college. The battlefield today is comprised primarily of three farms that were the scene of most of the battle, Best, Thomas, Worthington, a mill, Gambrill and the river and railroad bridges. This photo is of the huge barn on the Best farm. It was built in 1790 and is about 3 or 4 stories high. The barn got fire during the battle but the walls and much of the structure survived.
View of the house from inside the barn.
Fiery Bush /
I cannot recall the name of this plant - and I guess I am too lazy to find it on the web. Most of the year it looks like a dead stick or a clump of dead sticks. If the rains are sufficient it will bloom briefly in the spring. Most of the stick will grow these bright red flowers and the rest of the plant will get a green covering similar to the red, close to the branch and temporary. It was a bit past the peak when we saw these are the Saguaro National Park.
Reminds me of the passage in Exodus three: "There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up." NLT
Dedicated /
These men are Civil War re-enactors and were demonstrating the firing orders. Quite complex and in the chaos of battle would be difficult to keep everything straight. Would be one reason they would train so much. This was at Monocacy National Battlefield just north of DC where the south tried one last attempt to take the capitol in July of 1864.
Symmetry /
At the downtown City Plaza farmer's market in Raleigh. I don't think they had sushi when the buildings were constructed a few generations ago.
Perchance to Dream... /
So, there is a large mural on a wall by the downtown farmers market. I had driven by it before but stopped on a Sunday night to take a photo. Then, my grandson discovered this little sculpture - about 8 inches high, that apparently is the "source" of the mural as his little thought bubbles go on and on.
Fun... /
...on the Ocean City, NJ, Boardwalk.
Did you catch it?
Clang /
The Liberty Bell cracked and was recast twice after its arrival from the Whitechapel Foundry in 1752 destined for the Pennsylvania State House. It "likely" rang on 7/8/1776 when the Declaration of Independence was read. It was cracked in the early 1800's but was not really famous until an 1847 poem was published. It is under the care of the National Park Service but it is owned by the city of Philadelphia.
Number 39 /
Waypoint Church Partners worked with Point Church in Raleigh as they opened their eighth campus and Waypoint our 39th project. It was an excellent opening day with well over 350 people in attendance.
No Idea How He Got There! /
To me these animals defy laws as the scamper across the face of the rocks here in Glacier National Park. Astonishing.
"O Lord my God, how great you are! ....High in the mountains live the wild goats....O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures." Passages from Psalm 104 NLT
New Jersey Line /
Erected in 1907 and attended by a large contingent of veterans this was the first monument on the field at Monocacy National Battlefield just outside Frederick, Maryland. These troops held the line while the majority of Union soldiers crossed a railroad trestle and continue to protect Washington against Jubal Earley's attempt to capture the capitol late in the war.
New Sculptures /
There are two rather large heads out of wire at the NC Museum of Art. They look different in different light. They are the newest additions at the growing outdoor art along the various trails at NCMA.
SCI-FI Creature /
Or should be, from the Monterey Aquarium.
Pinnacles /
About half way to the top of this trail in the Pinnacles National Park. It is not among the more popular of parks and you get there on a long 1.3 lane road. And it is hot and dry. The rock formations are interesting and the hike on this day was reasonably comfortable.
Number 5 on a List of Things I Would Never CONSIDER doing /
You may note the fragile tent/cot perched on the side of El Capitan - maybe 1500 feet over the valley floor. It was being used by an ELEVEN year old girl on her first climb of this rock face. She had two people with her. My admiration for her parents knows no bounds. And she is one pretty amazing kid.
By the way it is a long list.
N. C. State Free Expression Tunnel /
Not much to say...
BW III Completely Sane, Sure. /
Close out Bird Week III with this Comorrant - the first I have seen in breeding plumage. If any of the birds looked a bit on the unhinged side this week, this one would be first in line.
"Haughtiness goes before destruction;
humility precedes honor." Proverbs 18 NLT
BW III Crazy Mad /
This bird was not happy. Not sure what he saw below in the shrubs or if it was just for show but it was screeching loudly. This is a Pacific/Mexican variation of the Eastern Brown-headed Cowbird.
BW III Crazy Color /
At first I thought this was a Scarlet Tanager, who wouldn't, right? But I had an actual world famous (in certain circles) bird wildlife photographer standing next to me who quickly pointed out that is was a Vermilion Flycatcher, seen easily with his black "mask" across his eyes and back of he neck. Beautiful bird.
BW III Crazy Small /
This is a TINY bird. A Costa Hummingbird is barely one ounce and less than 4" long. The streak from his "cheek" is called a gorget and this extended one is a characteristic of this genus.
