Henry Hartley | Here and There…Now and Then

Retirement Pig

Photograph taken on Saturday, September 27, 2025 by Henry

Retirement Pig

Dorothy and her friends (but mostly Dorothy) planned a harvest festival at the land in Pennsylvania. Once I had announced my retirement at the end of September, she made it a combination harvest feast and retirement pig roast. She had met someone who enjoyed cooking and roasting in particular, and he agreed to cook a whole pig in an pit. They dug the pit, lined it with stones, and built a large fire over it. When the fire had died down, they lowered the pig, wrapped in banana leaves and burlap and tied up with fence wire, into the hole, covering it with dirt.

It had two temperature probes in it, so they could monitor the process. It was in the ground for a long time (I don’t actually know how long, but I think it was more than 12 hours). Anyway, when it had reached the desired temperature, it was dug up, unwrapped, and cut into pieces.

I was given the first piece to taste. It was very, very juicy and flavorful. Of course, I love pork of any kind, so I’m pretty easy to please. Anyway, it was very good.

Dorothy had contacted quite a few of my friends and I had quite a few there to celebrate with me. I was only sorry that I wasn’t able to spend more time with each of them. I felt stretched quite think. But it was a very nice day and a good way to celebrate retirement. A huge thank you to Dorothy and to all who came.

Categories: Creatures, People | Tags: Pig, Pig Roast, Retirement, Roast | Comments Off

Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

Photograph taken on Friday, September 26, 2025 by Henry

Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

We have eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) living in both the front and back yards. At least, we’ve seen them in both front and back. It’s possible they just cover more ground than I suspect. Anyway, we see them on our back patio, like this one coming to the bird bath for a drink, as well as on the driveway, among all Cathy’s containers plants. They don’t do a significant amount of damage to our plants, although I suspect I should dislike having them more than I do.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Chipmunk, Eastern Chipmunk, Rodent, Rodentia, Tamias, Tamias striatus | Comments Off

Retirement Party

Photograph taken on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 by Henry

John, Jon, Beth, Keith, Scott, Henry, Cathy, Soheyla, Katie, Anita, Martin

At the beginning of August, I gave notice to my supervisor that I would be retiring at the end of September. It didn’t come as any great shock, as I had been talking pretty freely about it for a while without knowing the exact date. In early September, one of the folks I work with asked if he could schedule a get together in the company cafe for anyone who was local and available to see me off. That happened today and a few photos were taken. A lot of the people I work with are remote, scattered around the country, but even so, there was a reasonable turnout and it was really nice to have them there to see me off. Another friend and coworker also organized a very generous going away present, a very substantial gift certificate to Second Story Books, which is one of two local used book stores that we frequent. I’m not entirely sure how I’ll spend it all, to be honest, it was so much. I’m very thankful for all the wonderful folks I’ve worked with over the years and while I expect to enjoy retirement and won’t necessarily miss the daily nine to five, I’ll certainly miss the folks I worked with.

Categories: People | Tags: Coworkers, Retirement, Westat | Comments Off

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Photograph taken on Monday, September 22, 2025 by Henry

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

This monarch (Danaus plexippus) was in our front yard this afternoon, although I had a hard time getting a good photo of it. When it was in the sun, where it would have looked better, it only landed for a moment and even in the shade, as shown here on some blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) in only landed briefly. I was able to squeeze out two or three shots and this is the best of them.

Cathy’s brothers both left today, after visiting for their mom’s birthday. We had a nice visit with them and they all enjoyed talking about old times.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Butterfly, Danaus, Danaus plexippus, Insecta, Lepidoptera, Monarch | Comments Off

Black and Yellow Argiope (Argiope aurantia)

Photograph taken on Sunday, September 21, 2025 by Henry

Black and Yellow Argiope (Argiope aurantia)

I have a container on our back patio with a couple dahlias in it. They were given to me by a neighbor who grows them because I gave him some that came from our friend Anna a couple years ago, shortly after they moved in. Anyway, from that container to the one next to it there is a large spider web, built by this black and yellow argiope (Argiope aurantia), also known as the yellow garden spider.

If it looks huge to you, well, it’s pretty big. There are bigger spiders as you head south and it’s nothing compared to some tropical spiders, but fo9r our area, it’s pretty large. The females (like this one) can measure up to 25mm in length (not counting the legs), while males are only 5 or 6mm in length.

They make a very distinctive zigzag pattern called a stabilimentum (reinforced area) in the center of their web.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: arac, Arachnid, Arachnida, Argiope, Argiope aurantia, Black-and-Yellow Argiope, Spider, Yellow Garden Spider | Comments Off

Margaret’s 99th

Photograph taken on Sunday, September 21, 2025 by Henry

Margaret with David, Jim, Jeff, Cathy, Dorothy

This was taken the day before her actual birthday, but at 99 years, a day is only 0.28%, so I think we can round it up. David and Jim both came for the occasion, which was really nice, and Dorothy and Jeff drove down from Pennsylvania (which was also nice). We had a nice visit and Margaret was in good form for the occasion. The tiara was brought by someone for her birthday last year and we felt it was appropriate.

Yesterday we posted a similar photo on Facebook and today we read comments to her, which was nice. She also got a huge stack of cards and we got through some of them, but we saved a few more for tomorrow, her actual birthday.

Categories: People | Tags: Birthday, Family | Comments Off

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

Photograph taken on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 by Henry

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

There are hundreds of species of hummingbirds that nest in the American tropics, and more than a dozen in the western U.S., but east of the Great Plains there is only the Ruby-throat (Archilochus colubris). Cathy has been putting up feeders for them and each year it seems she gets more and more of them. They are particularly numerous during the fall migration when we see them most days, although probably not the same one from day to day. This was one of the last that we saw this year. They seemed to particularly like the jewel weed or touch-me-not flowers (Impatiens capensis). Not a great photo but still, fun.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Archilochus, Archilochus colubris, Birds, Hummingbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Comments Off

Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

Photograph taken on Sunday, September 14, 2025 by Henry

Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

We took a walk at Sandy Spring today, starting from the Friends Meeting House and walking to the spring and into the field and woods beyond. Sometimes we see a lot of birds here and other times, none at all. Today we got one nice view of this eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) and that’s about it. It’s a pleasant walk, in any case, and we often go there after visiting Cathy’s mom, because it’s near by. The phoebe is a migrant but we are at the southern edge of their summer range and not far north of their winter range, so they are fairly common most of the year.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Birds, Eastern Phoebe, Sayornis, Sayornis phoebe, Songbirds | Comments Off

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

Photograph taken on Thursday, September 11, 2025 by Henry

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

We walked at Redgate Park this afternoon. This used to be the municipal Redgate Golf Course and the paths are the cart paths from that. There are some nice ponds, and that’s where we saw this kildeer (Charadrius vociferus). Other than that, we didn’t see too much, but it’s a nice place with a few nice specimen trees. The fairways are mostly overgrown with thistle and other weeds, but that’s a good habitat for birds. We heard a lot more than we saw and those we saw were mostly just shapes flitting around in the brush and not easily identified. But this fellow (or lady, I have no idea) was out in the open and let us get close enough for a good view.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Birds, Charadrius, Charadrius vociferus, Killdeer, Plover | Comments Off

Small Art Show in Hanover

Photograph taken on Friday, September 05, 2025 by Henry

Pomegranate

We drove up to Hanover, Pennsylvania this afternoon for a small art opening at Little Fox. The location, 125 Broadway, Hanover, Pennsylvania, shows up for me on Google maps as being called The Reader’s Cafe, which is closed. Little Fox is a combination cafe and book shop, with new books downstairs and used books along the wall of the loft.

On the end wall, where the stairs to the loft run, Dorothy had some artwork hanging. She also had a few things on a table. There was reasonable traffic through the shop during the evening and I believe Dorothy sold a few pieces. This is one that I particularly liked, of a stylized pomegranate. We were happy to also have our good friends Maureen and Bob come up and then we all went down the block to Famous Hot Weiner for dinner. I can’t say the hotdog was anything special, although I did enjoy the old-timey atmosphere.

Categories: Miscellaneous, People | Tags: Art, Hanover | Comments Off

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Photograph taken on Saturday, August 30, 2025 by Henry

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

We went to the C&O Canal today, parking at Violet’s Lock, and walked down stream past Blockhouse Point. We saw this great blue heron (Ardea herodias) on our way down and again on our way back. We sat on the wall next to the towpath near Blockhouse Point and chatted with a man cycling from Maryland back to his home in Ohio. His plans were to stop for a few days for a jazz festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He shared some pawpaws that he had collected. We had looked for them but hadn’t found any that were not still on the tree and not yet ripe. He also asked us if we’d ever tasted tamarind. I had but let him give us a few pods, which we broke open and ate. A bit further on I also got a few photos of a pair of black vultures (Coragyps atratus).

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Ardea, Ardea herodias, Birds, Great Blue Heron, Heron, Wading Birds | Comments Off

Mushroom Puzzle

Photograph taken on Wednesday, August 27, 2025 by Henry

Mushroom Puzzle

This mushroom puzzle was considerably easier than those we’ve done lately. There were a few tough bits, but the colors being so varied helped us to know which pieces went in which areas. Personally this is the sort of puzzle I like best. It’s somewhat abstract but it still has “real” things in it. I also like the bright colors. That’s not to say I don’t also like the challenge of some of the others we’ve done, because I definitely do like them, as well. Our next puzzle, for instance, is going to be a considerable challenge. But you’ll have to wait until we finish it to see if you agree.

Categories: Miscellaneous | Tags: Art, Hobby, Mushroom Puzzle, Puzzle | Comments Off

Croyden Creek Woods

Photograph taken on Saturday, August 23, 2025 by Henry

Croyden Creek Woods

Cathy and I went to Croyden Creek and walked the large loop today. This starts at the Nature Center and then goes on a trail into the woods to the right (east) of Avery Road down to the top of some rocks overlooking Croyden Creek. We crossed the creek and walked the trail down towards Rock Creek. Before it reaches Rock Creek, though, it climbs up the ridge and circles back towards Norbeck Road. Eventually it meets the sunken roadbed of the former Avery Road. Just across from there are the foundations of an old house. We continued on the trail past that, which leads down towards the creek and crosses it, coming out onto the lawn at the northwest corner of the Glenview Mansion property. Then back along that and into the woods again and up to the nature center. It’s a nice walk and we like it well enough (except we did see a copperhead snake there last year, so Cathy is always on the lookout).

Sometimes we see quite a few birds but this time not many at all. I took a handful of photos and in particular like this one of the bright August sun on the greens and browns of the woods with the intense blue sky showing through.

Categories: Flowers and Plants | Tags: Croyden Creek, Croyden Creek Nature Center, Eastern Forest, Trees | Comments Off

Roadbody in Gettysburg

Photograph taken on Friday, August 22, 2025 by Henry

Roadbody in Gettysburg

There was a benefit concert on the square in Gettysburg this evening for the Four Diamonds organization. One of the groups playing, starting at 7:00 PM, was Roadbody, this time consisting of just Dorothy and Andrew. it’s quite an experience being right on the square, especially on a beautiful late-summer evening with college kids back in town and a constant stream of traffic. There was everything from cars and motorcycles to huge rigs and fire trucks passing behind them as they played. There was a good crowd and I think it went very well. After they were done playing, Cathy, Dorothy, and I ordered carryout from Kitchen 101, just before they closed, and ate it in the dark on their outdoor tables. We caught the first few songs by Emberglow at Pilger Ruh, playing without Jeff, who was in Colorado helping with the teams fighting the Elk and Lee Fires.

Categories: Miscellaneous | Tags: Four Diamonds, Gettysburg, Ploughmans, Ploughmans Taproom, Roadbody | Comments Off

St. Louis Style Ribs

Photograph taken on Sunday, August 17, 2025 by Henry

St. Louis Style Ribs

I smoked two racks of St. Louis style ribs today. We had our good friend Jean and her mom Phyllis (who is also a good friend) as well as Dorothy and her friend Lydia (whom we count as our friend, as well, but Dorothy had her as a friend first). In addition to the ribs, I melted cheddar cheese over some cauliflower and also made a deconstructed salad. That is, I had all the ingredients for a salad and let everyone make their own. That includes a big bowl of greens and smaller bowls with chopped cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, diced pears, diced onions, and sliced almonds. Finally, I made mashed sweet potato with honey, butter, and cream. We had a really nice time and I think the ribs turned out well for my first attempt. I don’t think they needed the sauce that I added near the end, but no one complained.

Categories: Food/Drink | Tags: Barbecue, BBQ, Ribs, Smoke, St. Louis Style Ribs | Comments Off

The Pond

Photograph taken on Saturday, August 16, 2025 by Henry

The Pond

We were at the farm today with Dorothy and her crew. Their non-profit had two residents the last two weeks and we went up to help them celebrate the end of that. One thing I did that I’ve been meaning to do for a while is identify a bunch of the trees that dad planed in the picnic field. I took latitude and longitude readings on my phone and wrote down the species (if I knew it) or an identifying name and corresponding photographs for those I wasn’t so sure about. I’ll need to come back with a key to the oaks for a couple of them, although I knew more of them than I expected. I’m hoping to make metal tags with information about the trees so this exercise doesn’t have to be repeated.

Later in the day I took this HDR photo of the pond. The color is a little more intense that reality, but it was a very pretty day.

Categories: Miscellaneous | Tags: Blue, Green, HDR, Pond, Sky, Trees | Comments Off

Sistine Chapel Puzzle

Photograph taken on Sunday, August 10, 2025 by Henry

Sistine Chapel Puzzle

We did another hard puzzle, this time of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The repeating patterns were both a blessing and curse for this one. My plan of attack was to pick one repeated feature and find all the pieces that included part of that feature. Then I worked on finding which version of that feature they all went to. One issue was that there isn’t really a ‘right way up’ for this puzzle. When you’re in the chapel, you’d be looking straight up to see this. I still have vivid memories of being there in 1971, although I think The Last Judgment on the west end of the chapel, behind the alter, is even more impressive.

Categories: Miscellaneous | Tags: Art, Hobby, Michelangelo, Puzzle, Sistine Chapel, Vatican | Comments Off

McKee-Beshers Birds

Photograph taken on Saturday, August 09, 2025 by Henry

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

We had a nice walk at McKee-Beshers today. We first walked to fields 3 and 4, which were planted with sunflowers this year. It’s a bit of a walk, almost 7⁄8 of a mile, getting nearly to the river. The two big sunflower fields were well past peak bloom. The sunflower heads were there but almost all turned downwards. We heard quite a few birds but didn’t see all that many. We heard a lot of goldfinches and indigo buntings, as well as cardinals, but we also heard a yellow-billed cuckoo, which was a treat. I’d have been surprised if we had actually seen that. I got this photo of a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) circling overhead and a few nice photos of this eastern wood-pewee (Contopus virens). We returned to the car and then want to the shallow ponds at the western end of Hunting Quarter Road where we saw this green heron (Butorides virescens).

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Birds, Buteo, Buteo jamaicensis, Butorides, Butorides virescens, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Green Heron, Hawk, Heron, Pewee, Red-tailed Hawk | Comments Off

Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis

Photograph taken on Friday, August 01, 2025 by Henry

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

Cathy and I drove to the eastern end of Ocean Isle this afternoon. First we went to the pier at Ferry Landing Park. This area was closed for renovations after Hurricane Isaias damaged the pier in 2020 and didn’t open again until the very end of 2024. After a short visit there, we parked and walked on the beach. Between November 2021 and April 2022, a groin was constructed perpendicular to the beach at the eastern end of the island. This has dramatically improved the beach stability. We looked for (and found) some pieces of coral as we walked. I carried my long lens and took a few pictures, including some of a double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) at the end of the groin and a few of this flying brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis).

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Birds, Brown Pelican, Pelecanus, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelican, Shore Burds | Comments Off

December 2025

S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

« Sep
Search Site

Search for:
Archives
Archives
Categories
- Creatures (790)
- Cross Community Rockville (33)
- Flowers and Plants (1,370)
- Food/Drink (77)
- Gordon College (18)
- Miscellaneous (1,093)
- People (943)
- Reading List (5)
- Sunrise/Sunset/Sky (353)
- Travel (181)
- WCA (80)
Meta

Search Site

Archives

Categories

Meta