February « 2008 « Maryland Daily Photo

February, 2008

Washington County — 3 Comments
13
Feb 08

Cemetery Part 2

On part two of the cemetery request we explore another historic gravesite, this time in Washington county. What you see here is from Antietam National Cemetery in Sharpsburg, MD. The cemetery was established in 1865, to house only a portion of the 22,500 who died during the single bloodiest day in American history. 4,776 Union soldiers are buried in this cemetery, after it took years for the cemetery board to find and assign identities to the bodies which had fallen or died subsequent to battle in sharpsburg.

The statue in the center is called the Private Soldier Monument. It originally stood in the entrance of the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. According to the NPS, the statue was transferred here in many pieces. The midsection of the statue apparently fell into the Potomac during transport and had to be later pulled out and dragged to the cemetery.

Prince Georges — 3 Comments
12
Feb 08

Wishlist Graveyards

Now, I’ll answer the most requested wish from the wishlist with a shot of a creepy graveyard. I have a few qualifiers for this one, so we might have some more of these posts in the future. In fact, tomorrow’s post will be a partial response to this wish as well. You’ll have to come back to see what I mean.

This grave is located in a piece of the resurrection cemetery in Clinton. (a post explaining where the land for this cemetery came from and how it relates to Monday’s peafoul is on its way). It cuts into the former estate of the Darnall family, and like the rest of the cemetery is on land that the Catholic church purchased out of the Darnall’s original grant from the 3rd Lord Baltimore.

The thing that makes these so creepy is the varying types of stone and the haphazard shapes that they are formed into. Not to mention the trees that just hang creepily overhead. In an otherwise beautiful landscape, comes a parcel of creepiness, as requested, now posted.

Watch out

Today’s post comes from contributing photographer Lauren, who was smart enough to bring her camera to the O’s game we attended last August as I wasn’t smart enough to bring anything. Please thank Lauren for her generous contribution. Also of note, the reason why this picture was taken is becasue she had noticed a similar sign in Chicago. I’m kind of curious as to how many ballparks have pictures of their mascots batting balls towards the fans.

When I saw that the Oriole bird was on the wishlist, I thought of this shot right away becasue I knew I wanted a unique shot of the Bird.

I didn’t have the shot on me, so before I asked for this picture, I wanted to see if there was any way I could find a picture from back in the mid 90′s when some drunk guy had beat up the bird, which resulted in the bird’s wearing of a band-aid for the next week. Unforutnately, I have no such pictures. If you do, let me know.
This shot, which was first on my list anyway, is just plain perfect. What’s also great about it is the outline of the stands, which you can see reflected in the sign.

Historic Homes / Prince Georges — 5 Comments
10
Feb 08

When did I walk into a Zoo?

So, as I am trying to fulfill wishlist requests this week, I have posted this photo in partial response to the zoo request. Though there are zoo pictures in our future, I had to put this one up anyway. Here’s why:

I was on assignment photographig His Lordships Kindness in Prince Georges county for furture MDDP posts. I was disappointed becasue, though the signs say tours are available from 10-4 on thursdays, I later found out from the internet that such times don’t apply in February. So I was walking around the grounds by myself. Coming, at last, to the perfect spot, to frame the the house in a shot between some bushes, I looked down and said, “(expetive) (expletive) is that a peacock?”
But I looked again, and there it was. I thought, “What’s a peacock doing in Clinton?”

Then, I took a photo, examined the photo, and looked up to find that he had moved. Then I realized he hadn’t moved but that there were two of them…. and then a third. Upon my return to the office and the wikipediaing of peacocks, I found out that only the males are peacocks and that I can’t really tell what kind this is. So, what I have for you today is a picture of free state peafoul.

Baltimore City / Chesapeake Bay / Sports — 7 Comments
8
Feb 08

Source of the Bay?

What’s the source of the bay?

While his reputation is far reaching, and he has been the source of inspiration for many a purchase of milk and sports apparel, Cal Ripken is not the source of the Chesapeake Bay. If you’re looking for another link between the title of the post and the subject, you are on the right track. I’ll tell you the following to help you along.

The bay is not 2,131 miles long. It’s only about 200 miles long.

There aren’t 1995 species of fish in the bay. There are around 350.

If you’re really stretching it, you could point out that:

The average depth is 21 feet.

There is a part of the bay, somewhere that is 31 miles wide. (It’s widest part is 35 miles)

So together these could be 2131.

However, none of these are the answer I’m looking for. .

The link between the bay and Cal, is that the source of the Susquehanna River, which feeds the bay from the north, is Otsego Lake, located in Cooperstown, NY, where Cal was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the reason why Cal gets a nod after yesterday’s entry about the bay.

All these bay facts came from this site, just so you all know.

Also, this photo was taken from the sidewalk in Fell’s Point.

As we’re only posting on weekdays (MarylandWeekdayPhoto is just too odd to have as a domain name) Maryland Daily Photo will return on Monday with all new posts. Thanks for making this a great first week.

Anne Arundel / Chesapeake Bay — 4 Comments
7
Feb 08

Dock of the Bay

What’s one of the most important features of Maryland? The Bay, clearly, right? I have spent a lot of time here without really focusing in on the bay, but all the while unconsciously enjoying its proximity. I know it is there because I am subtly reminded of it when I see a seagull fly overhead, when I cross a bridge over a river which empties into the bay, and when I realize that beyond the Domino plant there’s actually a big body of water out there which is attached to the inner harbor. A little while ago I decided to take advantage of my proximity to the nation’s largest estuary and this photo is the result of that decision. While taking it I learned a few interesting facts about the bay.

First of all, the funny thing about the bay is that, at certain points, it can be difficult to find a good area to just sit on the shore by yourself and relax. This is because the bay has two discernable shorelines: public shores and private shores. There are probably plenty of places that are just obscure enough to avoid crowding and which are not under the claim of private ownership. The problem is that they just aren’t close to my office. As a result, to take this photo I walked the line between public and private until the signs (literally the signs that say “keep out”) weren’t exactly clear, at which point I moved in for the shot.

While this shot makes it look like the bay is this tranquil and placid all the time, it is just a single moment in time; a piece of the much larger experience which is the observation of the bay for just a half hour. While you could never stare at this photo for half an hour, you could absolutely lose yourself in the goings–on of the bay at this location for half an hour. While I was sitting there boats went by, ducks came and went, families (who probably owned a piece of this shoreline) walked in front of me, and the sun moved far enough to completely change the color of my surroundings. When you find a good public place to sit and make your own for a few minutes, I’d suggest doing just that. In the mean time, I’ll capture a few of my bay experiences and bring them back for you.

Montgomery County / Silver Spring — 5 Comments
5
Feb 08

National Park Seminary

While this may look like a large house, the subject of this photo is actually the centerpiece of one of the most interesting places in Maryland. This building began in the late 1800’s as a hotel getaway in Maryland. It was located right off the railroad tracks and catered to those who lived in DC and sought some peaceful relaxation in the wooded suburb of Forest Glen.

While it was a great idea to create such a getaway, this wasn’t the only one. Within just a few years, many of these inns had gone out of business. This particular inn had the good fortune of finding a new owner who was interested in turning the hotel into a girls finishing school. What it became was the National Park Seminary. Slowly through the ambitions of two owners, the school became very popular with the elite children of America. More importantly, it expanded physically. Stretching out on all sides from its original inn. Buildings that weren’t connected by walls were connected by elevated, and covered, walkways so that the girls could safely move from building to building. Many new buildings featured a different king of architecture. Still standing is a Pagoda, an Italian Villa, a Coliseum, and a windmill.

Why then, with all this interesting architecture, am I giving you a picture of the building in the center, which in relation to others, may be a bit boring. The reason is because not many people are afforded this view. It is the view from the original approach of the original train station to the “Main,” which is now obstructed by I-495 and its sound barriers. It is a view you can’t get from driving behind or around the school but only by getting over the creepiness and walking around the place.

Creepiness? Yeah, well… you see the rest of the story isn’t so happy. The school was closed down and annexed by the Army during WWII as part of Walter Reed hospital. Around the 70’s the Army started to abandon certain buildings and parts of the grounds, leaving much of the place in disrepair and subject to vandalism. Right now, after decades of mistreatment by the government, a team of private developers are turning it into condos.

In the future, I’ll post more pictures of this place as it’s one of my favorites. (I’ll include pictures of the house in Chevy Chase where I believe someone has brazenly placed stolen statuary from the Seminary right in their yard.) In the mean time check out this site for more info, and for pictures of the other, supposedly “more interesting,” architectural elements on the campus.

Prince Georges / UMD — 3 Comments
5
Feb 08

Topiary Testudo

Thanks to the UMD class of 2004, the University of Maryland is quickly becoming the nation’s top public university for creative depictions of its mascot. I don’t just appreciate the medium of this sculpture, I also appreciate his pose for this particular piece. Its all too often that we see shots of the paranoid Testudo, who is always looking over his shoulder and sort of growling and sticking his tongue out at whichever members of the opposition have gathered to his left. Don’t get me wrong, I am going to stand behind Testudo no matter what he’s doing or looking at, but if I had to choose, I’d say that I’m a fan of quadruped Testudo and I’m very much a fan of his home here in front of Cole.

In this state, Testudo appears confident and relaxed. You do still have to fear him because of his intimidating stare, but now you must also fear him for the confidence of his walk and the resigned intelligence indicated by his posture. His inquisitive stare is indicative of where this Testudo wants to go: to the library? Maybe you should fear him for his mind.

Now, like in all art, there are alternative interpretations available to the viewer. At first, I thought that he was staring, with a sad and longing eye, towards the site of his beloved and now empty WaWa. It was after further thought on the subject, I decided that he was likely just headed towards the library.

Baltimore City — 8 Comments
3
Feb 08

UTZ and BOH

Welcome to Maryland Daily Photo! We’ve got to start somewhere with our photos, so for no other reason than my enjoyment of this picture, Maryland Daily Photo will present its first entry: a nighttime shot of a billboard in the state’s largest city.

Kind of funny that this picture, which seems to so many (by which I mean me) to be so representative of Baltimore, is full of icons for products that are not today produced in Baltimore. Does that really matter though? No it doesn’t, and I will offer you proof of the fact. Proof that is entirely based on emotional appeal and personal experience.

The reason why it doesn’t matter is because one of my first memories of Maryland life involves seeing UTZ potato chips in every gas station around. I am saying that it is my first memory of Maryland life, because it’s the first memory I have after settling down there, which comes after you’ve been wowed by the scenery and whatnot. This first memory of life there was then followed up by my second memory, which is the prevalence of UTZ potato chips even in the school lunch line. Now, at least in my day, they didn’t offer National Bohemian in that same line, but if someone were to have referenced a beer at any time in my teenage years, there’s a 90% chance it would have been Boh in that reference.

Now that we’ve proven the relevance of the subject matter, we still have a problem with the rest of the scene. The problem is that we once again are witnessing the pressure of a public engagement. How often do these sorts of engagements end with the Engager being taken aside by the Engagee and being told that he’s not really engaged and that she just said yes to avoid public embarrassment? In this case, I’m sure she said yes at the time, what with all the traffic on the JFX looking at her. (If for no other reason as well than to get away from that androgynous sculpture to their left) What about afterwards? My guess is that in the end, they’re probably still together, I mean, this is Mr. Boh, not some scrub like the Big Boy.

Baltimore City — 5 Comments
1
Feb 08

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