Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Fetching Fan in Frederick

Yesterday Doug was so eager to get the fan that he'd just bought on eBay, that he couldn't wait for them to send it. So we drove all the way up to Frederick to pick it up. It's a very handsome fan, and although it's a little more modern looking than anything else in our house, I think it will be okay on the porch. At least I hope so.


We stopped at the scenic overlook on the way up. I'd never stopped there before. The sky was actually more scenic than the scenery. The area does have a vibe though. It looks out over the Monacacy River Valley where one of the many gruesome Civil War battles took place. After their victory at the Battle of Monocacy, the Confederates marched to Fort Stevens in DC. Even though they'd won that battle they had a lot of casualties and I think that's why they didn't actually attack in DC. I think they decided it would be better to just leave. Anyway, here's a view from the scenic overlook. The trees are kind of in the way of the view of the valley in the distance.


On the way back we saw a huge Black Walnut tree in the old section of Rockville. It's already lost most of its leaves, but the walnuts were shining brightly in the afternoon sun and I loved the way the green looked against the blue sky.








8 comments:

Bowie Mike said...

Ahh, "scenic overlook" and "Monacacy River" - two phrases I'm familiar with from the morning traffic report, although I rarely find myself on that stretch of road. Looks like you're finding more cool cloud photo-ops. I wouldn't have been able to identify that as a Black Walnut tree - I guess I'm used to seeing the nuts after they've dried out.

rachaelgking said...

Isn't it cute when men get all excited over something like that? ;-)

Barbara said...

It's hard to imagine such a beautiful field littered with bleeding soldiers on both sides of the battle, isn't it?

I'm glad you got your fan. I've been known to impatiently drive great distances to get something, so I can sympathize. I hope this is just a finishing touch and the new house is soon to be completed.

Cyndy said...

Mike - I've only ever noticed black walnuts smashed up on the ground, or when I trip over one. It was cool to see a whole tree full of them.

Lilu - Yeah, haha, it's cute all right. I've been pretty amazed at some of the things he's chosen to have an opinion about.

Barbara - Yes that was a pretty bloody battle. The fans were the last things we needed to "pick out" for our house, that I know of. But we still have at least a month of hard work ahead of us.

Washington Cube said...

My mother and I used to gather black walnuts, then have to shell them for freezing for Christmas baking. Of course, they leave your fingers terribly stained. I haven't had black walnut cake in a long, long time.

Kristin said...

I can just imagine the excitement, wanting to go and get it myself. It sounds (and looks) like you made a lovely excursion out of it.

Kate Coveny Hood said...

I love that last shot. The colors are so bright and it's so sharp.

Glad the long trip was worth it!

Cyndy said...

Cube - I don't think I've ever had a black walnut cake. That sounds delicious! That must have been fun gathering those gigantic green balls, know how they'd end up in that cake.

Kristin - Yeah, he was totally psyched, and it was a nice little trip.

Kate - Thanks. The light was pretty amazing at that time of day. The walnuts were so bright that they sort of looked like giant peas.