eastern shore of Maryland

Tim and I went away this past weekend to Maryland.  More specifically, we went to St. Michaels, Easton, Cambridge, Vienna, and Salisbury.  It was nice to get away from city life as even Arlington can be a little too busy for me.  D.C. is definitely too busy for me outside the quiet of a museum.

As a kid, one of my aunts and her family lived in the country (or what we considered to be "the country").  I remember thinking how scary it would be to have a house surrounded by woods and only a few neighbors (chalk that up to my short-lived horror movie phase at age thirteen!), how inconvenient it would be for grocery stores and restaurants to be further away than a ten or fifteen minute drive.  Fast forward 30 years, and now my dream home would be something on a plot of land big enough to prevent me from having to see other houses, with loads of trees, a long driveway, and tons of privacy. 

Anyway, we spent the night in Salisbury after exploring some of the smaller towns.  On Sunday, we drove through quite a bit of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.  As expected, we saw plenty of birds.  Bald eagles, gulls, herons, mallards, Canada geese, some shorebirds too far away to identify, a pileated woodpecker, and plenty of turkey vultures.  We heard and saw others, but sans binoculars, we found it tough to identify them.  For those of you who like the birdies and may take a trip to Maryland, you should check out the refuge's bird list.

Here are a few photos of the scenic and avian splendor.

 

D.C.'s green spaces

This is part of the Enid A. Haupt Garden that is situated behind the Smithsonian Castle, between the National Museum of African Art (phenomenal!) and the Arthur M. Sackler and Freer Galleries (both wonderful).  This has become a favorite place to rest and eat lunch between museum visits.

These were taken in the courtyard of the Freer Gallery of Art.  Turned out to be a soothing, rather private place to have a sit.

All of the photos below are from the United States Botanic Garden located near the National Museum of the American Indian (truly one of the best I've visited so far).  I hope to spend more time enjoying this urban oasis. 

exploring the nation's capital

I've been enjoying both Arlington, VA and Washington, D.C. this last week.  Tim and Penny live in Virginia.  The attractions of city life, art and culture are what I've sought in D.C. 

 
My kitten has been spending a lot of time on top of my suitcase, snoozing.  She has a fondness for luggage in general, but seeing as the piece I brought with me was cat hair free, I believe Miss Penny has made it her goal to change that.  Goodness, I missed her.  We're back to being buddies, thankfully.  She's apparently forgiven me my five month absence.

So far I've visited the National Museums of American History and Natural History, the National Gallery of Art and Sculpture Garden, and the National Zoo.  Good gravy, I've seen so much and that doesn't include the people watching.  So much diversity, so many languages being spoken on the street and in the metro, so many beautiful people. 

sculpted bird on facade of the National Archives building

Overall, it's been fun being here.  I still have a huge list of places I would like to spend time exploring.  Many more works of art to be seen.  Many more items of historic or cultural significance to learn about.  More gardens to utilize for resting and relaxing en route to the next important spot.  More interesting buildings to find and photograph.

These were some of my favorite paintings in the National Gallery: 

Young Girl Reading by by Jean-Honore Fragonard

Marcelle Lender dansant le boléro dans Chilpéric by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Roses by Vincent van Gogh

Four Dancers by Edgar Degas

Animals at the zoo:

part of a flamboyance or stand of flamingos

Kwame, a sub-adult male lowland gorilla

a sleepy-looking Sumatran tiger

a female African lion

a Ruppel's Griffon Vulture

the lone male Grévy's zebra that lives in the zoo

I believe this is Kamala, one of six Asian elephants at the zoo

giant panda Mei Xiang

back in New York

wish I could paint this scene

After three long days of driving, I arrived at my parents' house at 3am and got about nine hours of much-needed sleep.  Fall is still showing its colors here which is a change from Yellowstone where winter felt imminent.  I always love how strong I feel after living at over 7,000 feet and then heading down to sea level.  Of course, I'll lose that acclimation soon, but it feels good to walk up steep hills now without getting out of breath.  It's the little things.  Makes me think I'm in better shape than I am, I suppose.

a rabbit I spotted munching alongside the bike path

I'm happy to be around my beads again.  If I were not flying to D.C. tomorrow, I'd be pulling them out and working on things.  Alas, they will remain in their boxes under a sheet in my parents' attic until I return in three weeks time.  There are museums and monuments and statues and historic buildings to explore in the meanwhile.  Neighborhoods to walk through.  Farmers markets to peruse.  Ethnic restaurants to try out.  And, of course, a boyfriend and kitten to cuddle.  Miss Penny hasn't seen me in nearly five months.  Here's hoping she still loves me and will be happy to see me.

view of the Mohawk River

I want everything pumpkin right now (well, except for pumpkin pie) and hot chocolate and home-baked bread and real, NY style pizza.  After eating most meals in a cafeteria for the past four + months, I find myself craving the comfort foods I can't get while working in the park.  The local foods, the home-baked treats, the things I've enjoyed since childhood.

things I'm going to miss

 chilly morning with fog spreading through the dead trees near Fountain Paint Pots

 

hard to tell from this photo, but the grass was covered with ice - eerie and beautiful at the same time

cottonwoods along the Yellowstone River - made me think of Klimt paintings

female wood duck - isn't she pretty?

really enjoyed watching these two drakes - aren't wood ducks just gorgeous?

Sleeping Giant, Livingston Peak and the Absarokas from Sacagawea Park in Livingston, MT

A River Runs Through It

When I was a driver / guide in the park, guests would often ask “how did you end up in Yellowstone?” They would remark how New York seemed a mighty contrast and distance from Wyoming and Montana. My common reply was “Robert Redford.” I'd get quizzical looks, puzzled expressions most of the time. Occasionally someone would ask which of his movies inspired me to go west.

It was, without a doubt, A River Runs Through It. I clearly remember seeing that film in a small independent movie theater and walking out afterward feeling changed. Right then and there, I knew that one day I would have to see Montana. The rivers, the mountains, the green rolling foothills. The quaint small towns, the salt-of-the-Earth type people, and the respect and admiration for nature that is portrayed in that film planted a seed that would bring me to the Rocky Mountain west seven years later. I would fall in love with the town of Livingston where some of that movie was filmed. I would meet people who had met Mr. Redford, sold him props or costumes, took photos of the production and displayed them in a local sandwich shop for sale. Eventually, I lived there and bought a home there. I have always understood and appreciated the draw to nature and the serenity it can provide. But not until I came to Yellowstone sixteen years ago and explored this amazingly beautiful part of our world did I truly realize the magnitude of how much rivers, rocks, sunshine, trees - and solitude among them – mean to me. How intrinsic it is to my soul to take in such scenery and quietude.

I watched this movie again a few nights ago for the first time in years, and its importance resounded with me again. I have tears in my eyes typing this.

Once while staying in Moab, Utah, I heard an NPR interview with Robert Redford.  He told the interviewer he had picked up the book, written by Norman Maclean, and read the first line which is “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.” He said he immediately flipped to the back of the book and read the last line which is “I am haunted by waters.” He realized quickly that even though he didn't yet know what happens between the first line and the last, he wanted to make it into a movie. Thank goodness he did.  

The movie inspired me as does the soundtrack. I bought it in Utah and remember sitting in my car in the dark, on a stretch of two-lane highway outside Springdale, Utah near Zion National Park, listening to it while looking up at the stars. Coincidentally, that spot was not far from the ghost town where parts of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were filmed.

If I ever have the good fortune to meet Robert Redford, I will be sure to tell him that his work has touched and influenced my life.  Amazing what a good film can do.  His narration is spot on as well.  He could be reading the ingredients on a soup can, and it would be worthwhile listening. 

A Foggy day in Old Faithful town

  

I walked to breakfast this morning and this song kept popping into my head.  Well, the Ella Fitzgerald / Louis Armstrong version of "A Foggy Day" which is a favorite of mine.  Granted, they were singing about London, but you get the gist.

Some bison and a young black bear have been wandering around the dorms and the employee pathways these days so a walk in the fog is done with trepidation.  About six weeks ago, many of us spotted a badger digging up hibernating ground squirrels right next to the sidewalk.  Also, a grizzly bear was harassed out of the geyser basin in front of the lodges with rubber bullets two days ago.  So...there is some heightened awareness to the wildlife in the park these days.  It's always on my mind - one has to be cautious in a place like Yellowstone.  That being written, I still talk to the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks pretty much every day.  They're quite a bit less scary even though ravens have poked several holes in my bike seat this summer.  So smart and so beautiful but often so mischievous!