Monday, December 3, 2012

Day 92 - Urbana

Chickens
Peter Pan Inn
When I was a child, Urbana was merely a small place one passed through on the main road to Frederick, Rt. 355.  Later on, when I was in high school, it was the place where one drove to for a special dinner at the Peter Pan Inn.  The old inn was a magical place with fountains, gardens, peacocks, statuary, and inside, all kinds of collectibles and oddities from antiquity.

Me and the Circa House
Today, Urbana has been overwhelmed by development, and it is now dominated by the Villages of Urbana, where thousands of commuters to the Washington Metro area live.  The Villages is a well planned community comprised of a variety of types of homes and commercial areas, and some of the historic areas of Urbana have been preserved.

Zion Church
I parked at one of the huge commuter lots and set off to the "old town" portion of Rt. 355, coming first upon a pair of chickens running loose.  I walked the grounds of an historic Mt. Zion stone church and cemetery, which are being preserved by the Frederick County Landmarks Foundation.  I continued down the road to the Circa House, which houses a business featuring soaps and lotions, but it was closed today.  I continued to Sugarloaf Parkway, part of the new development, because I have always been curious about the stone home and its wonderful tree that seems to have been developed around, but there was no information posted about the house, nor could I find any online.

Landon House
Stone House
My next visit was to the Landon House, whose history you can read here.  It is supposedly a wedding center now, but its grounds sustained a lot of tree damage during Hurricane Sandy, and the paint is peeling on the building, so I think a lot of work needs to be done before the spring wedding season.

I crossed the highway (thank goodness for median islands and traffic lights) and walked to the old Peter Pan Inn, more recently the Cracked Claw.  It is a shame that this old landmark is in such disrepair, but the economy just could not support its most recent effort at continuing to be a restaurant.

Abandoned
Best Farm near sunset
On my way back to the car I walked past an empty old building with broken out windows, and found a cat peering out at me.  I could not resist taking its photo.

The sun was making beautiful rays on my way home, so I am including this one of Best Farm, even though it was not on my walk.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the temps were in the upper 60's for my walk, so I did not even wear a coat.  It felt like spring on this 3rd day of December!



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.
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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

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