Day 89 - Surreybrooke

The butcher, the
baker, the...

What a beautiful place I chose for my walk today!  Even in late November, when all the leaves are off the trees and the flowering plants have died, this place is magical.

Waiting for summer

Surreybrooke is a nursery/gardening center/workshop/event center/working farm/historic site all built into one.  As you walk the property, you can see how it has evolved from the old brick farmhouse and outbuildings to a venue with a stream, sheds, gardens, meadows, greenhouses, and walking paths.  There is something for everyone.

Doorway to antiquity

As I walked the property I found ponds, a children's garden, a large outbuilding with tables set up for events and workshops, greenhouses, miniature horses in a pasture, and a fabulous summer kitchen, orginial to the home, where candlestick makers have their workshop.  There was a heavenly smell inside the kitchen, due to a large antique tub filled with an orange and cinnamon scented potpourri, waiting to be bagged up for sale. 

Luck lives here

I walked back to the largest outbuilding near the greenhouses and found the owner, busy making some fresh wreaths.  She had not been in the building when I first went in.  She told me that one greenhouse had succulents, and so I went to see, and they were fabulous.

I will surely visit Surreybrooke again, in all seasons.  What a photographer's paradise!

P.S.  The persimmon is for you, Warren, and I did buy some potpourri!

Perfect Persimmon

Hoping for a carrot!

The last day of November

Succulent succulents!

 Hurricane Sandy Relief:  Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross.  Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address.  The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient.  Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

*************************************************

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter:  @camscamerashots

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so

Day 88 - Hyattstown

Milton Ridge Chapel

Hyattstown is south of New Market and Urbana, just over the Montgomery County Line.  It is a small, unincorporated town that hugs both sides of Rt. 355.  Founded in 1798, the 19th century buildings that line the road are relatively unchanged.

The Davis House is being restored.

I parked at one end of town, at a modern day shopping center with such amenities as a Dunkin' Donuts and a used bookstore.  Walking south into the town, I came first upon what was clearly an old church, now known as Milton Ridge, a wedding and reception site.  I would never have guessed it; it was only by reading the sign that I was clued in.

The inner glow

I crossed the road to find a sidewalk, and there was another church, the Hyattstown M.E. Church, 1856, now the Hyattstown United Methodist Church.  I continued down the road, being careful to stay on the sidewalk, because the traffic that was constantly streaming up and down the road was clearly on a mission.  Rt. 355 is the "old road" that parallels one of Maryland's busiest roads, Interstate 270.  Many commuters use Rt. 355 to avoid the traffic jams that regularly occur on 270.  Plus, it is a more scenic route than the Interstate.  But it does make for a heavy volume of traffic that flows through little Hyattstown on a daily basis.

Hyattstown United Methodist

I walked from one end of town to the other, crossing over the road in the middle of town to catch the sidewalk that was only on one side of the road, and I ended up at the fire hall.  There I noticed a sign for the Little Bennett Regional Park, so I walked along the road until I found the old grist mill that was built in 1783.  Sometime in the spring, or when I have a companion to walk with me, I will revisit that park and walk along some of its many trails.

Hyattstown Mill

Wavy glass!

It was a beautiful day again, with clear blue skies, and I enjoyed exploring little Hyattstown.









Hurricane Sandy Relief:  Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross.  Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address.  The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient.  Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

*************************************************

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter:  @camscamerashots

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so

Day 87 - Mayne's Tree Farm

Frosty Fraser Firs

Losing sunglasses is a downfall of taking daily photo walks, at least for me.  I need to take them off to see the LCD panel on my point-and-shoot or to put my eye up to the viewfinder on my DSLR.  So, after losing three prescription pairs since July, I went to Lenscrafters today to buy two new pairs, along with cords to keep them around my neck.

TaDa!  The perfect
Christmas tree!

While waiting for the glasses to be made, I drove to Buckeystown to visit another tree farm.  This time it was Mayne's, which is just on the outside edge of town.  I was greeted by a man in overalls who gave me permission to walk all over the property.  I told him I was doing a photo walk, and that this was my third tree farm in four days.  He gave me free rein to go wherever I wanted.

Sugarloaf Mountain

This farm is on sloping land, not quite as hilly as Clemsonville or Gavers, but the trees are in clearly discernible sections.  As I walked along the gravel road, I could see that there were fallow fields, fields with tree seedlings, fields with corn, and a huge field with leftover pumpkins.  And, of course, there were fields and fields with beautiful trees, well tended and clean between the rows.  In many places, there was evidence of recently cut trees, with stumps oozing sap.

November fields

I was the only one at the farm today, so I walked to the rear as far as I could go, until I found a stream and a fence and some cows grazing on the other side.  I followed the stream until I came to another fence, and then followed it back toward the road.  When I got to the crest of a hill, I was surprised to see that I nowhere near the farmhouse and barn.  The place is much bigger than meets the eye when seeing it from the parking area.

Willows on the pond.

I continued through the fields to the farmhouse, then walked around the front of it where I found a pond, probably spring fed.  There were some stone ruins of what I would guess was a springhouse.  Willows graced one end of the pond, and four white geese were on the grass nearby.  They raised the alarm the closer I got, so I kept my distance.

Four geese-a-honking.

I walked back up to the barn area, where they sell wreaths and tree stands and fresh apple cider.

As I was leaving, Mr. Mayne himself came out to talk to me.  He told me that the place really is packed with people on the weekends.  They do not allow cars to drive on the lanes on the weekends because of all the people and kids, but they offer hayrides out to the tree cutting areas.  Mr. Mayne said that they had a great pumpkin crop this year, and that they offer produce at the farmer's market in spring and summer.

Buckeystown seen
over young trees.

Mr. Mayne asked me about the other farms I visited, and if I had any suggestions or comparisons.  I told him that Clemsonville could best be described as the "old fashioned" Christmas tree experience and that Gavers is for entertaining the kids as well as getting a tree.  He very much agreed with me.  All of them have a different flair.  Mayne's is a beaufiul farm in a beautiful location, and it certainly had beautiful trees.  All of them have friendly people who just want us to enjoy the fresh cut Christmas tree experience.





Hurricane Sandy Relief:  Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross.  Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address.  The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient.  Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

*************************************************

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter:  @camscamerashots

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so

Day 86 - It Was About the Walk

Decorated porch

Today, several things motivated me to keep it simple.  Very simple. 

First, it was quite cold and damp today.  Gray skies, rain this morning, 39 degrees.  Second, I ran a bunch of errands today and did not get to my walk until 3:00.  Third, I had such a picture overloaded day yesterday, that I wanted to keep it simple, photo wise.

Garages backing up to an alley.

So, I drove to one of the many subdivisions around here that I have not yet explored, put on all my cold weather gear, and walked in a neighborhood called Brinkley Manor.  This development has new single family homes and townhomes, all with practically no yard.  They were designed, I am pretty sure, for the busy professional who doesn't want to do yardwork.  As a matter of fact, most of the homes had just a garage in the rear, lined up along a paved alley between the homes.  There were only a few houses where you could put a playset in the yard for children.

So I did a brisk walk, with only two photos, which I am only posting to document that I did it.

Tomorrow, the weather should be sunnier.  I hope to get out to another of the tree farms in this area.

 
Hurricane Sandy Relief:  Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross.  Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address.  The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient.  Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

*************************************************

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter:  @camscamerashots

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so

Day 85 - Clemsonville

All trees $20 -- even the
14ft tall ones!

All tree farms are not the same.  Today I walked the 200 acre farm of Mike Ryan called Clemsonville near Union Bridge, MD.

The Clemsonville Manor House

I drove along Md 31 through miles of horse farms all neatly delineated with white board fencing.  Signs to the tree farm were conveniently placed along intervals on the road.  I turned onto Clemsonville Road and found the farm, dominated by an old manor home atop a rocky hillside.  Mine was the only car in the parking area. I'm sure they were slammed with customers over the weekend, but at 1 p.m. on a Monday, business was slow.

Even the rocks are into Christmas.

I found Mr. Ryan, who is 79,  working in one of the outbuildings and asked him if I could walk the property.  He stopped work and came out to point out all the good places for me to go -- to the boulder garden, down the nature trails that followed the stream, across the field and across the road to the huge wreath on the hill, along the lane by the house across the road, etc.

Christmas Dinner

First I walked the nature trail by the stream, and when I got to the end of that, I continued across the field to the road.

The big difference between this tree farm and the one I walked yesterday is that it is a more natural setting.  You can see where trees were once planted in rows, but they are scattered now and farther apart.  This is where you can take the family for a real "let's go out in the country to cut down a tree" experience.  All it needed was a horse drawn cart for bringing in the tree instead of an SUV driven to the site.

I was walking in horse country.

The big wreath on the hillside was once much larger, and back in the day it was the world's largest wreath, with a Guinness world record to prove it.  It has been scaled back for practical purposes.

Along the top of the ridge, I could see horse farms below, and I continued down the other side of the ridge to a gravel road and emerged by the farmhouse with the lane.  From this vantage point I could get a good look at the large manor home, built in the late 1700's by John Clemson, the founder of Clemson University.

The stockings are hung by
the chimney with care.

Clemsonville's Snoring Santa

At the end of my walk, I went into the Christmas barn and stepped back in time to a 1950's Christmas, like the ones when I was a child.  Mr. Ryan turned on the snoring sound to accompany the "sleeping Santa" who reposes in the old iron bed.

I bought a wreath (how could I not?) and left there feeling in the Christmas mood.  Thank you, Mr. Ryan.  I had a great walk at Clemsonville!

Mr. Ryan waves goodbye.

For reviews and articles about Clemsonville, visit:

http://wapo.st/Re57vc   and    http://bit.ly/UokjEY

A different look to the trees than
at Gavers.

The wreath on the hillside.

Hurricane Sandy Relief:  Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross.  Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address.  The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient.  Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

*************************************************

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter:  @camscamerashots

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so

Day 84 - Lessons Learned at the Tree Farm

Me in a tree

Christmas will dawn one month from today.  Everyone is scurrying around this weekend, either shopping for bargains or traveling home from visiting relatives or decorating the house.  Many families are out walking among the trees at the local tree farms, looking for the perfect tree.

Tree Shaker

I walked at Gavers today, which I last did on September 21, when it was in full "pumpkin patch" mode.  Today it is in full Christmas decorating mode.  The big barn has hundreds of fresh made wreaths, door swags, table decorations, and pine garlands.

Outside, people are lined up waiting to get their trees shaken for loose needles and bird nests and such, and then having them netted up for the trip home.

Tree netter

While walking the entire perimeter of the property, which is quite large, I observed and learned a few things.

1. The colder the weather is, the quicker you will find a tree.
2. The more people you have with you on your tree hunt, the harder it is to make a decision.
3. If you forgot to bring a saw with you out to the fields, send the whiniest child back to get it.
4. Hauling fresh cut Christmas trees uphill back to the barn a half a mile away is harder if you have three children riding on the cart, dragging their feet.
5. The most beautiful trees are the ones that are the farthest away from the barn.
6. The farther you get from the barn, the more likely it is that one of the children will need to use the bathroom.



Bringing in the tree

7. Everyone in the family finds a perfect tree.  However, rarely is everyone's perfect tree the same tree.

Rows of Perfect Trees

And, perhaps the lesson I already knew before I ever got there, is that the real beauty of a live, fresh cut tree is that it often is not perfect -- just like us.










Hurricane Sandy Relief:  Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross.  Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address.  The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient.  Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

*************************************************

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter:  @camscamerashots

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so

Day 83 - Greenbrier State Park

Beach at Greenbrier

Today I drove to Myersville, MD, to check out an annual event called "Christmas on the Hill."  A family hosts a bunch of crafters and artisans in their home in the country, and on this cold and blustery day, I decided to check it out.

The post and beam timber home is beautiful, inside and out, but once I got inside, I could barely move for all the people, much less look at any of the crafts.  I bowed out and headed to Myersville.

On the way into Myersville, I noticed signs for Greenbrier State Park, so that's where I ended up today.  I will do my walk in Myersville one day soon.

Greenbrier was a pleasant surprise.  It has a large lake and a wide, beautiful sandy beach.  There are lifeguard chairs posted along the beach for the swimming season.  There were about 75 picnic tables and grills spread out along a wooded hillside, with restroom facilities and changing rooms nearby.  I can imagine that in the summer time, on a warm weekend, this place is hopping with families.

There are also camping areas and hiking trails, but I kept close to the beach area for my walk, because there was a very prominent sign that read "Deer firearm season 11/24 - 12/3; wear bright clothing" posted at the entrance to the park.  I thought it prudent not to go tramping through the woods.

I decided on my quite chilly walk that I need to buy some long underwear to help keep my legs warm.  With my hat and gloves and plenty of layers, I was warm enough everywhere but on my legs.  And, along with lip balm and tissues tucked into my pack, I should be good to go for cold weather.

Hurricane Sandy Relief:  Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross.  Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address.  The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient.  Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

*************************************************

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter:  @camscamerashots

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so

Day 82 - A Simply Simple Walk Today

The kids

I arrived at my daughter's house early this morning to do the babysitting today, because daycare was closed.  That meant the two kids were mine from 7:15 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. -- basically from sunrise to past dark.  So, thank goodness for the double stroller, because the munchkins went on my walk with me today.

I love to find great textures.

It was mild (low 60's) and sunny, so around 10:30, we took off in the Lake Linganore subdivision where they live.  The neighborhood is very hilly, so most of the walk seemed uphill.  I went "around the block," which was quite a distance, uphill -- then some downhill -- then lots more uphill again.  I got quite a workout pushing 70 pounds of kids and the double stroller up those hills.

I only took a few shots.  After all, how many pictures of similar houses and trees and parked cars do you want to see?

One of the hills we tackled.

After nap time, we walked a bunch more without the stroller at the Old National Pike District Park, from one playground to another, then back again to the car.  I think all of us will sleep well tonight.






Hurricane Sandy Relief:  Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross.  Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address.  The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient.  Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

*************************************************

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter:  @camscamerashots

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so

Day 81 - Thanksgiving Day on old Rt. 144

Bittersweet on blue sky

What a beautiful Thanksgiving Day!  Of course, I have so much to be thankful for, and not enough time to list it all here, but I am so thankful that I have good health that allows me to take these wonderful daily photo walks.  They are making such a difference in my life, and I hope you are enjoying them, too.  Today's post should take the statistics to over 4000 page views in 81 days.  That's an average of 50 page views per day.  Thank you so much for following me on my walks!

I call it lamb's ear, growing in
a crack along the old road.

After a morning photo shoot with my grandchildren (sorry -- strict orders not to release anything yet), I drove to another section of old Rt. 144 that parallels the modern day road, leading to the old Monocacy River bridge.  The sky was (still is) azure blue, and the bittersweet hanging from trees just made a beautiful contrast with the orange against the sky.

I collected some of the dried vegetation I found and made a Thanksgiving arrangement.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Hurricane Sandy Relief:  Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross.  Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address.  The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient.  Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

*************************************************

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter:  @camscamerashots

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so

Day 80 - A Smudgy Point of Rocks

Historic Train Station

Durn and drat and darn!  I'd write something a little stronger, but this is a family-approved blog.  Apparently, I had a big smudge on my little lens and I didn't know it until I popped the photos into the computer to take a look.  My camera's little lens retracts, so I rarely ever see the front of it, and sure enough, I just turned it on to check, and there it was.  A smudge right smack dab in the center of the lens.  The kind of smudge you might put on a lens if you touched it after eating greasy potato chips.  I have no idea how it got there, but I learned to do a lens check now before I use the camera.  However, 79 consecutive days of no smudges is pretty good, considering how smudgy the lens on my DSLR can get.

Perfect mail box design for Point of Rocks

And, to top it all off, today I drove to Point of Rocks, a place I have been "saving" to go on my walk.  Ah well...I'll forge ahead anyway.  The pics just won't be up to par.

Point of Rocks sits on the Potomac River overlooking Virginia.  It is on the "scenic route" my father used to love to take when we would go to visit my great aunt in Leesburg.

MARC at Point of Rocks

It is a transporation hub of historic sorts.  It has the "most photographed train station in America," according to the Ruritan's website.  I have included a smudgy version of the depot here for you.  It also has the C&O Canal with a park and trails, which will be the scene of a walk another day.  A bridge crosses the Potomac into Virginia, carrying busy Rt. 15, which is the way many Frederick area residents get to Northern Virginia.  Here is some of the history of Point of Rocks, from Wikipedia.

I got to Point of Rocks around 2:30, and as I usually do when I get to an unfamiliar place, I drove all around it and through it, looking for a good place to park and deciding if the place was big enough to split into two or more walks.  Point of Rocks looked small enough for one walk, so I parked at a public park up one of the hills and then walked down to the depot.

Point of Rocks had some huge trees!
You can see the smudge
right in the center of the tree.

As I was walking down the hill, I heard a freight train whistle as it was approaching Point of Rocks.  It occurred to me that the residents here must be so used to the train whistles that they are just one of the rhythms of their lives.  Also, when a train was not approaching, there was always a soft hum to be heard in the air, either from the flow of the Potomac over the rocks or from the flow of traffic on Rt. 15, or probably a combination of both.

The Inner Glow

When I got to the station, a MARC train full of commuters was just arriving.  At least a hundred people got off and moved in a stream to the parking lot.  As the train pulled out of the station, a new stream of cars began pulling out of the parking lot.

I'll go back to Point of Rocks another day, probably on a weekend morning in the winter, when there are fewer people and cars around, to see if I can get a better shot of the "most photographed train station in America."



Hurricane Sandy Relief:  Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross.  Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address.  The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient.  Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

*************************************************

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter:  @camscamerashots

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so