Monthly Archives: March 2024

American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)

Photograph taken on Sunday, March 03, 2024 by Henry
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)

American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)

We went to the C&O Canal today, walking from the Cabin John Aqueduct Bridge on MacArthur Boulevard down to the canal and then upstream to a point about half way between locks 8 and 9. We enjoyed being out but this is never going to be among our favorite walks, due to the traffic noise. Still, it’s good to be out. We saw a few American black ducks (Anas rubripes) on the canal, along with mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and a few turtles, but not much else. There were bluebells coming up, which is always a treat.

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Col. Paul Peck and Ruth Owens

Photograph taken on Saturday, March 09, 2024 by Henry
Paul and Ruth Owens Grave Marker

Paul and Ruth Owens Grave Marker

We went for a walk in the rain near the Croyden Creek Nature Center today. In spite of the fact that we got pretty much soaked, we really enjoyed being outside. I carried my camera under my jacket and got a few pictures. After we got back to the car, we stopped at Rockville Cemetery, just to walk around (again, in the rain). We chatted for a while with the President of the Board of Directors of the Rockville Cemetery Association. She pointed out her family graves and also this marker for the graves of Col. Paul Peck (August 10, 1889 – September 11, 1912) and his wife, Ruth Owens (January 7, 1893 – April 5, 1912). He was an early pilot and set a speed record, flying 24 miles in 25 minutes (57.6 MPH). He died in a plane crash in Chicago, Illinois.

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Seneca Bluffs

Photograph taken on Sunday, March 10, 2024 by Henry
Seneca Bluffs

Seneca Bluffs

We walked out to Seneca Creek today. There were a few bluebells out but it’s a bit early for a really great show. I love the view across the creek to the bluffs where there is a grove of Canadian hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis). That’s the subject of this photo, which honestly doesn’t do it justice. I saw a animal of some sort that I think was in the weasel but I really didn’t see it well enough to know more than that. Mostly it was great to be out. The water was fairly high and we got stopped at a few side creeks where we can sometimes cross. You can also see how brown the water is. Normally it’s quite clear and a wonderful, green color.

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One Year Beard

Photograph taken on Monday, March 11, 2024 by Henry
Self-portrait with One Year Beard

Self-portrait with One Year Beard

A year ago I had a longish beard and mustache that had been growing since the previous Thanksgiving. At that point I decided to cut my beard short. I didn’t shave but using my trimmers cut it to about 1⁄8″. I didn’t cut my hair at that time. Then I let my beard grow again. The previous mustache had been a bit annoying so this time around I trimmed that occasionally. By Christmas my beard had gotten long enough—and it’s now white enough—that I got quite a few ‘Santa’ comments. You can see what it was like at the end of December in my annual 2023 Reading post. By February I was thinking it was time for it to go but since it was coming up on a year’s growth, I decided to give it until this week. I took this picture to record the longest beard I’ve ever had. I’m not making any promises but I suspect this will be the longest beard I’m ever going to have. It was fun while it lasted but I was ready for a change. Again, I have left my hair long, which is also probably the longest it has ever been.

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Saucer Magnolia

Photograph taken on Saturday, March 16, 2024 by Henry
Saucer Magnolia

Saucer Magnolia

We were at Tsai-Hong’s house this afternoon and enjoyed some blooms in her garden. She has a lot of daffodils, which are wonderful, and the berries on her winterberry (Ilex verticillata) are wonderful. Nevertheless, the star of the show right now is the saucer magnolia. There are some great varieties of magnolia in the Little Girl series of hybrids developed at the National Arboretum in the mid-1950s from crosses between M. liliiflora and M. stellata. I don’t know if this is one of those or if it has M. denudata in it’s genetics, which is possible. Regardless, it’s lovely.

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Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)

Photograph taken on Sunday, March 17, 2024 by Henry
Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)

Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)

We stoped at the Agriculteral History Farm Park today and especially enjoyed their shade garden. The bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) was in bloom, along with other early spring ephemerals. The Master Gardener’s demonstration garden has only just started to come alive so there wasn’t much to see there, except a large frog on the stones by the little pool.

Wa walked over to see the chickens and I stipped a few times to get pictures of a phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) and another bird I’m not sure about. It was a lovely day and, as usual, we enjoyed being outdoors.

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Tree Planting Outing

Photograph taken on Monday, March 18, 2024 by Henry
Cathy and Dorothy On Horse Rock

Cathy and Dorothy On Horse Rock

Cathy and I spent most of the day up in Pennsylvania today. I had 45 tree seedlings I wanted to plant and that took a good part of our time. I planted 25 Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) and 20 black gum (or tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica). I put six of the cedars in the picnic field with the hope that at least a few of them survive to maturity. I don’t expect them all to and honestly I might cut down all but three if more than that make it. The other were planted in the woods simply to add to the woodland environment. Both trees are native to the area, with the cedar being confined mostly to the states along the Atlantic and eastern gulf coast and the black gum more widespread as far west as Texas.

I planted about half of them in what we refer to as ‘the wet field’ but which is woods at this point. This large rock and a few others are along the edge of what was a field when my parents bought the property nearly 60 years ago.

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Howard Chapel Cemetery

Photograph taken on Saturday, March 23, 2024 by Henry
Howard Chapel Cemetery

Howard Chapel Cemetery

Cathy and I found the Howard Chapel Cemetery this afternoon. We had walked in Patuxent River State Park and knew of the cemetery but hadn’t walked to it. Today we drove there, north of Unity (which is just west of Sunshine on Damascus Road, a.k.a. MD 650), on Howard Chapel Road. The sign at the cemetery says, “The burial ground of the ancestors of the original African American community of Howard Chapel 1862” We walked around the cemetery and then across the road, where we found what we assume was the location of the associated chapel. The red blazed trail from Patuxent River State Park crosses Howard Chapel Road just north of the cemetery, so you can come that way, as well.

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Easter Egg Hunt

Photograph taken on Sunday, March 24, 2024 by Henry
Dot and Dorothy

Dot and Dorothy

Iris, Kai, Seth, Silas, and Eloise

Iris, Kai, Seth, Silas, and Eloise

Seth, Iris, Cathy, and Tsai-Hong

Seth, Iris, Cathy, and Tsai-Hong

Cathy, Iris, Kai, Steve, Maya, and Tsai-Hong

Cathy, Iris, Kai, Steve, Maya, and Tsai-Hong

Dorothy and her friends invited the families at their church to come to an Easter egg hunt at the property today. The folks at the church organized the actual egg hunt and everyone brought their own picnic lunches and folding chairs. Dorothy also invited the rest of our family and it turned into a family gathering, as well. I took pictures of the egg hunt as well as quite a few of all the people but I’m limiting the photos posted here to family, since those are the people I actually know. We stayed later than the others and had a nice time roasting marshmallows and visiting. It was cool but a beautiful day and really good to see everyone. We brought mom, and she sat near the fire and various people came and sat and talked with her. A few people fished but I don’t think anyone caught anything. The pond is filling up nicely, though.

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Sunfish Pond

Photograph taken on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 by Henry
Sunfish Pond

Sunfish Pond

We went for a walk today, heading down to Sunfish pond, walking around it, and then coming back. It’s a pleasant walk and there are a lot of things coming up. The water in the stream was fairly high but we were able to cross on rocks just below the large rock that forces the creak to turn 90 degrees. The reflections on the pond were nice and I think this sort of captures them. We’d been quite busy lately and haven’t been able to get out as much as we’d like and for the next month or two we don’t expect that to change much. Still, we’ll go when we can.

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Fabric Purge

Photograph taken on Saturday, March 30, 2024 by Henry
Mom's Fabric

Mom’s Fabric

At one point mom had a bumper sticker that said, “The one who dies with the most fabric wins.” We knew is was meant to be tongue in cheek but mom seemed to be taking it a bit more seriously than she might have done. She stopped accumulating fabric a good while ago but was still quilting so didn’t get rid of all of what she had, even though she did pare it down when she moved out of her house in 2018. Now that she’s no longer quilting, though, the time had come to give away what remained. Cathy, Dorothy, or good friend Julia, and I went through all the fabric in her two large closets. Dorothy took a few boxes, Julia took a small box, and the rest went to another woman from Bethesda Quilters for them to distribute as they see fit. Here’s what she was able to fit into the trunk of her car. The back seat is also full, from the floor to above the top of the seat backs. It was a hectic day but nice to have that done.

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Easter Sunrise Service

Photograph taken on Sunday, March 31, 2024 by Henry
Easter Sunrise Service

Easter Sunrise Service

As you probably know if you’ve been following my photographic journey for any length of time, I really love a good Easter sunrise service. Cathy and Dorothy were nice enough to come with me again this year. The weather was very cooperative, with the temperature being cool but not freezing. Todd Smedley and David Frerichs officiated and Todd’s message was really good. After that we went to the upper room for a light breakfast before the regular 8:00 service, which we also enjoy with the orchestra up front. This is the first time we’ve been to Fourth since they renovated the sanctuary. I have to say I’m underwhelmed by what they’ve done with it. It was pretty stark before but it’s even more bland now. I guess I’m not the target audience and of course it’s not our church, so it’s not really my place to say. Nevertheless, I’m not all that impressed. But the sunrise and morning worship services were good and I’m not really there for the decor, so that’s something. I also had a really lovely visit with Erin and David, getting caught up on their family and telling them about ours.

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Erythronium americanum (Trout Lily)

Photograph taken on Sunday, March 31, 2024 by Henry
Erythronium americanum (Trout Lily)

Erythronium americanum (Trout Lily)

After the sunrise and morning worship service, we stopped at home and then took brunch to Cathy’s mom. By ‘we’ I mean Cathy and Dorothy. Dorothy came down for the weekend and we were glad to have her here. Brunch was relatively simple, with quiche Lorraine, fruit salad, Kings Hawaiian rolls, orange juice, and sparkling cider. We also brought a lamb cake that Cathy made yesterday and Dorothy decorated this morning.

From there we went to Berryville Road where it touches Seneca Creek. We walked upstream along the creek and enjoyed the Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) and yellow trout-lilies (Erythronium americanum). It was perhaps a week or two before the real peak but it was still pretty amazing.

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