A day trip to Maryland

A view of the pond from the wetlands trail at Fort Frederick State Park


Municipal Stadium in Hagerstown, Maryland


Yesterday afternoon Char closed “the office” and we took a day trip to Washington County, Maryland, about a two-hour drive southeast of our home.

Our first stop was at Fort Frederick State Park for a walk on the wetlands trail. On our short walk on the wetlands trail we saw a Great Blue Heron, a Green Heron, a few turtles, a number of wildflowers, and lots of dragonflies. I was hoping to see some dragonflies and, although we saw a variety of species, I only got a few photos, as access to the edge of the water was limited.

The park is the site of a stone fort dating from the French and Indian War in the mid-1700s. The 184-mile C&O Canal National Historical Park bicycling path passes through the park and the 23-mile Western Maryland Rail Trail’s eastern terminus is near the park. We’ve bicycled on both trails over the years. We’ve also camped at the park – many years ago!

Then it was off to Hagerstown for an evening of minor league baseball. The Pirates’ Low Class A affiliate, the West Virginia Power, was in town to play the Suns. I wanted to check out some of the Power players, especially Tony Sanchez, the Pirates first round pick in this year’s draft. The Power won this South Atlantic League game, 8-3. Yeah!

Municipal Stadium is an old-time stadium, built in 1931. In the early 1950s, the Suns were affiliated with the (then) New York Giants. When the Giants signed Willie Mays out of the Negro Leagues, they assigned him to Hagerstown, and he played his first games here at Municipal stadium. The stadium is nothing fancy, in fact most of the seating is just bleachers without backs, which took a toll on my back by the end of the night. It was “Thirsty Thursday,” with a 12-ounce beer being only $1.25, so Char took advantage of that offer on the humid, mid-80s evening.

Sunflowers

The birds at the feeders in front of our porch are rather careless and tend to knock seeds onto the ground. This has resulted in a little patch of sunflower plants below the feeders. So far, one sunflower has bloomed. Unfortunately, I noticed the other morning that something – most likely a deer – had chewed the heads from about four of the plants. Some of the smaller birds have started using the sunflower plants as perches.

A night at the ballpark

Char and I spent last evening at Blair County Ballpark, taking in a game between the host Altoona Curve and the Binghamton Mets. The Curve are the Class AA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. On the team are several of the Pirates top prospects, including their 2008 number one draft pick Pedro Alvarez. Pedro didn’t disappoint, by lining two doubles off the centerfield wall and turning in several fine plays at third base.

In this photo, the old wooden roller coaster at Lakemont Park sits beyond Blair County Ballpark’s rightfield fence.

Our Front Porch

Today was a great day for some “porch sitting.” I spent a few hours on our front porch reading and relaxing, joined at one point by Bucky, our Maine Coon cat. Tonight Char and I also spent some time on the porch. We had to cut it short, though, at about 9:30 p.m. As is becoming routine lately, Mr. Skunk decided to visit us. Rather than take a chance that we might irritate him, we decided to move inside.

Wildflower Garden

In 2001, my wife, Charlene, and I put in a picket fence in front of our house and started a wildflower garden around it. I did most of the fence installation, and Char did virtually all of the gardening over the past eight years.

This year, however, due to her work (and other) commitments, the gardening has become my responsibility. I’ve never really been much for yard work, and I’m still not – as far as mowing grass, weed eating, and trimming hedges goes. But I’m discovering that I really enjoy my time taking care of the wildflower garden. I find it very relaxing and it is rewarding to see the results of my labor.

Char originally planted a number of wildflowers such as Shasta Daisies, Coneflowers, Black-eyed Susans, and Butterfly Bushes. What we’re seeing the last few years are a number of other wildflowers making their way into the garden. Species such as Dame’s Rocket, Rough-fruited Cinquefoil, Cornspeedwell, and others are now growing alongside the others. There are also a few species that I’ve yet to identify that are there, too.

How they’re all getting there I’m just not sure. One thought I had is that birds are sitting on the overhead lines above the garden, doing their business, and dropping seeds into the garden. Who knows – we’re just glad for the beauty that’s being added to our front yard!

Welcome to my Blog!

Hi! I don't know how this "Blogging" thing will work out, but I thought I'd give it a try. I don't think I'll be posting on a daily basis; more likely a few times a week. The frequency of my posts will depend on how busy I am, how much is happening in my life, etc.



I'm in my late fifties, have been retired a few years, and reside in beautiful southwestern Pennsylvania. I enjoy photography and getting out into nature. Today I was able to do a little of both.



This summer I've been fortunate to become friends with Dr. Dennis McNair, a biology professor at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. He has had a years-long love affair with odonates (dragonflies and damselflies). I've enjoyed being able to accompany Dennis on a number of outings over the past few months to various locations in Cambria, Bedford, Somerset, and Indiana counties. It's like being in an outdoor classroom. I've enjoyed photographing odonates the last few years, and with Dennis' mentoring, now I'm learning a lot about them, too. In addition, I'm learning about many other wonders of the natural world during these outings.



Today Dennis and I spent a few hours at Yellow Creek State Park in Indiana County. Although conditions for viewing weren't ideal, we were still able to spot over a dozen species of dragonflies and damselflies.



Many photos from these outings are posted at my Flickr photostream. Other photos at this web-site include Mail Pouch barns, lighthouses, covered bridges, baseball parks, and birds. If you have a few minutes sometime and would like to check it out, the address is: www.flickr.com/photos/harry_hunt



By the way, the reason for refering to myself as Minor Leaguer in this Blog is that I've visited 80 minor league baseball parks during the last few decades. Baseball is the only sport that I follow, and I enjoy the atmosphere of the minor leagues. I've been to parks from Maine to Florida to California. Hopefully from time to time there will be a post from another ballpark that I've had the fortune to visit.