I’m taking a cue from our friends at PDP and posting a gratuitous picture of the snow. As bad as the heat can get, at least it doesn’t hinder our transportation.
July, 2010
15
Jul 10
Chompy-The Discovery Channel Shark
When I first started MDP, I thought this guy was one of the things that I could reliably feature on the site. However, as soon as MDP came into being, the shark disappeared.
If you aren’t sure where this is, it’s the headquarters for the Discovery Channel in Silver Spring. When they take out the inflatable shark and make him look like he’s swimming through the building, it can mean only one thing: Shark Week is near. One of the Silver Spring community blogs that I follow has named him “Chompy” and I have to follow suit because I think it is a great name.
I’ll post more pictures when shark week is closer, as it thing this should be satisfactory for now.
Of course, if you are the guy whose window now looks at the back of an inflatable shark, you would probably find this completely unsatisfactory.
14
Jul 10
All-Star Game
With the MLB all star break, I thought it would be a good time to bring out this picture of a souvenir from when the all star game was in Baltimore in 1993. This wasn’t from the game itself, but rather from the All-Star workout the day before. I remember that day very well. Whenever I walk past the warehouse, I also look for the spot where Ken Griffey Jr’s ball hit the building that day.
It may seem odd today to give out watches, but back then “sports watches” were the hot give-away. As far as I can tell, the “sport” was generally in trying to get them to keep good time or, in some cases (I’m looking at you Burger King sports watch), to get ones that didn’t leave a rash on your arm.
13
Jul 10
Fair Sunset
I wasn’t sure if I liked this picture of sunset at the Frederick Fair or not, but I’ve decided that it’s worthwhile to post it.
12
Jul 10
Ants
Sorry for the delay this morning. Hope you all enjoy this picture of the ballpark from above.
9
Jul 10
Return to Cumberland
Welcome new contributing photographer, Matt. As a native of the town, he gives us this photo of a reflective Cumberland storefront taken at a recent reunion.
8
Jul 10
First National Bank
If you caught Adam’s comment from Tuesday’s MDP post, you might think this picture is an admission of guilt. After all, I did shoot a bank in Mt Airy. However, I assure you that I only used a camera and that this bank has been shut down for some time. I really liked the look of it’s clock. The whole thing reminded me of going to the bank as a child, at a time when banks felt obligated to install large or strange clocks in each branch.
7
Jul 10
Pine Grove
When I drove through Mt. Airy, this building caught my eye. It is situated in what appears to be an open area. When I drove in for a closer look, I realized that the building was sitting in the middle of a cemetery. It didn’t look like a church. The only thing about the building that tells you anything about it is the date above the door, 1846. A sign near the door lets visitors know that this is the site of an old school house, but there is a lot that was left unexplained after my visit.
A quick internet search tells us that this building is called the Pine Grove chapel, but was originally called the Ridge Presbyterian Church. While built as a place of worship, its basement was also used as a school.
6
Jul 10
Mt Airy Train Station
Train tracks no longer run through Mt Airy as you can tell by the town’s train station, which has been put into new service as a doctor’s office.
2
Jul 10
First Stone
On July 4 1828 this stone was placed at the location where ground was broken on the first Railroad in America. The first dirt was shoveled on that day by Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who at the time was the sole surviving signer of the declaration of independence. As an investor in the railroad, it certainly seemed fitting that he should spend the fourth commemorating its start.
For the holiday weekend, I took a different route than the usual picture of a flag to show you a relic from a time when Maryland took the nation’s interest on the fourth of July. (of course, to be fair, I should point out that the fourth of July as we know it wasn’t a full fledged- all out-holiday until after the civil war)
I’ve written before about competition for land based transportation in the early 1800′s and how other forms of transport threatened Baltimore’s competitive advantage as an inland port. The railroad was a way to maintain Baltimore’s position as a trading hub. While it certainly helped Baltimore, it helped other towns too. Places like Mount Airy and Ellicott City would turn into busy towns simply because the railroad stopped there. A few people who witnessed the groundbreaking in1828 might have imagined that it was the start of something big, but I doubt that even those people could have comprehended what was to come.
If you would like to celebrate the building of America’s first railroad, there’s an opportunity to do so this coming weekend. The Thomas Viaduct, though completed some time after this stone was laid, is the oldest railroad bridge still in operation today. It was completed in 1835, spanning the Patapsco river, which the B&O main line would follow thereafter to Ellicott City. You can celebrate the viaduct’s completion from 11:00 to 2:00 on Monday, the fifth at Patapsco valley state park.