Lily Pons and New Windsor
We left at 8am and got home at a little after 3pm. Yes we were gone under 8 hours. But the mileage...
First we stopped at New Windsor. Why? Because the place is awesome when driving through it. Most of the buildings along Main Street and MD31 are old enough to be impressive at first glance. And when you read up on the town it has some very interesting history.
Since Lily Pons does not open until 9:30am and the trip is only an hour, we left a little early so I could try to get some good photos of New Windsor. I had a nice brochure "A Walking Tour of New Windsor" we picked up at the Carroll Co. 4-H Fair/County Fair so I figured, no problem.
Two problems. First off... the silly thing does not give a designated parking area. So it was, wander around for about five-ten minutes looking for a nice, legal, appropriate parking spot in a town with narrow streets. Found one by the old (1798) store. Kid decided she did not want to walk, so she stayed in car with windows down and shades blocking the sun. Secondly... when I checked the weather the high was supposed to be high 80's maybe 90. Found out later it was already 89 when we got there.
Once I realized the 'Walking tour" brochure was a hint of what you'd find and ignored a lot of other historical things (and no, I am not saying that I got confused on the very confusing dots lining road and when down the wrong road), I had fun just wandering close to Main Street. Of course the heat, the humidity, the lack of any breeze whatsoever all contributed to keeping my walk a simple down four blocks this way, back, up two blocks, down two, back, over that way a block, and then back to car. Why do Western Maryland towns have to be on steep hills? I did not even get to a third of the fascinating buildings on the tour.
The drive to Lily Pons was nice and easy. Except that the sign marking the spot is hard to see from one direction. But we turned around and then it was visible coming back up the road.
And OH MAN! That place is so awesome. I was frustrated by one thing though... none of the photos I took of the Orioles came out. There were a whole group of them... four by the front mass lotus ponds.
They have sample ponds. They have growing ponds. They have Koi that are literally as long as my forearm. There were easily over five dozen lily/lotus ponds. I know the literature I read before going said it was over 200 acres of water gardens. We were there for two hours, by which time, Kid was tired and bored. I was tired, slightly sunburned, and my feet hurt. Frustrated that I could not catch a bird on the Nikon, but ecstatic with all the butterflies and flowers.
I want to go back and explore some more. Hopefully with a camera that can actually take fast pictures. Which, unfortunately my CoolPics cannot do. But it is still a decent learning camera for a digital.
Yes, the photos of Lily Pons are up at PhotoBucket.
First we stopped at New Windsor. Why? Because the place is awesome when driving through it. Most of the buildings along Main Street and MD31 are old enough to be impressive at first glance. And when you read up on the town it has some very interesting history.
Since Lily Pons does not open until 9:30am and the trip is only an hour, we left a little early so I could try to get some good photos of New Windsor. I had a nice brochure "A Walking Tour of New Windsor" we picked up at the Carroll Co. 4-H Fair/County Fair so I figured, no problem.
Two problems. First off... the silly thing does not give a designated parking area. So it was, wander around for about five-ten minutes looking for a nice, legal, appropriate parking spot in a town with narrow streets. Found one by the old (1798) store. Kid decided she did not want to walk, so she stayed in car with windows down and shades blocking the sun. Secondly... when I checked the weather the high was supposed to be high 80's maybe 90. Found out later it was already 89 when we got there.
Once I realized the 'Walking tour" brochure was a hint of what you'd find and ignored a lot of other historical things (and no, I am not saying that I got confused on the very confusing dots lining road and when down the wrong road), I had fun just wandering close to Main Street. Of course the heat, the humidity, the lack of any breeze whatsoever all contributed to keeping my walk a simple down four blocks this way, back, up two blocks, down two, back, over that way a block, and then back to car. Why do Western Maryland towns have to be on steep hills? I did not even get to a third of the fascinating buildings on the tour.
The drive to Lily Pons was nice and easy. Except that the sign marking the spot is hard to see from one direction. But we turned around and then it was visible coming back up the road.
And OH MAN! That place is so awesome. I was frustrated by one thing though... none of the photos I took of the Orioles came out. There were a whole group of them... four by the front mass lotus ponds.
They have sample ponds. They have growing ponds. They have Koi that are literally as long as my forearm. There were easily over five dozen lily/lotus ponds. I know the literature I read before going said it was over 200 acres of water gardens. We were there for two hours, by which time, Kid was tired and bored. I was tired, slightly sunburned, and my feet hurt. Frustrated that I could not catch a bird on the Nikon, but ecstatic with all the butterflies and flowers.
I want to go back and explore some more. Hopefully with a camera that can actually take fast pictures. Which, unfortunately my CoolPics cannot do. But it is still a decent learning camera for a digital.
Yes, the photos of Lily Pons are up at PhotoBucket.